PHOENIX — Gov. Doug Ducey said this afternoon he intends to sign legislation to provide health care to 30,000 children of the working poor.
The announcement by the governor came slightly more than an hour after the Senate, over the objections of Republican legislative leaders voted 16-12 to restore the KidsCare program in Arizona.
It has been moribund since enrollment was frozen in 2010 in a budget-cutting move.
The House had given its blessing Thursday night.
But even with Ducey's signature there may be hurdles. Senate Majority Leader Steve Yarbrough, R-Chandler, said he anticipates a lawsuit, saying SB 1457 is illegal.
That's because the provision to restore KidsCare was attached to language dealing with eligibility of disabled students to continue to get vouchers to attend private and parochial school at taxpayer expense. Yarbrough said that violates a provision of the Arizona Constitution that says legislation can deal with only one subject.
