Hobbs vetoes 15 bills, from food stamps to school topics to protester felonies

PHOENIX — Arizonans won’t be going to prison if they intentionally block a stretch of freeway.

Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a proposal by Sen. John Kavanagh that would have made it a felony for protesters to block a highway, bridge or tunnel, with a presumptive sentence of a year in state prison.

In her veto message Tuesday, the Democratic governor did not address the concerns of the Fountain Hills Republican that protesters interfere with the rights of others — he’d seen some on TV blocking the Bay Bridge in California late last year to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. Instead, Hobbs said what Kavanagh proposed went too far.

“Recognizing the sanctity of constitutionally protected rights, it is critical that we approach these matters with precision to avoid infringing on Arizonans’ freedoms,’’ she wrote. It’s already a misdemeanor punishable by county jail time and a fine to block traffic in a way that creates an “inconvenience or hazard.’’

Hobbs’ rejection of Senate Bill 1073 was just one of 15 bills on which she wielded her veto stamp Tuesday.

Others ranged from eligibility for food stamps, to expanding the size of some county boards of supervisors, to what instruction must be offered in public schools about “victims of communism.’’

She took a not-so-subtle slap at former President Donald Trump in that latter veto.

That brings her veto tally so far this year to 18.

By the same time last year she had rejected 20 measures approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature. For the entire 2023 legislative session her tally was 143.

SNAP eligibility

Hobbs rejected two measures Tuesday dealing with the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, more commonly known as food stamps.

House Bill 2502, sponsored by House Majority Leader Leo Biasiucci, sought to require any able-bodied recipient younger than 60 who is not employed to participate in work training programs. The Lake Havasu Republican said training is offered by the Department of Economic Security but participation is voluntary.

Legislative budget analysts reported that only about 9,400 individuals participate in the program. They estimated the legislation could increase that by more than 130,000, though they said the figure could be lower as federal law exempts those who have “good cause’’ not to take part, such as illness, household emergency, lack of transportation or other circumstances beyond the person’s control.

Biasiucci said mandatory training would help people get the skills they need so they no longer need the food stamp benefit.

“I have significant concerns about how this legislation will affect the economic well-being of Arizonans participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,’’ Hobbs wrote in her veto message. She provided no specifics.

Hobbs also said she worried what was in the measure would undermine existing efforts to connect SNAP participants with “high-quality training and job support services.’’

The governor also rejected HB 2503, also sponsored by Biasiucci.

It would have blocked the state Department of Economic Security from seeking, applying for or accepting any waivers exemptingable-bodied adults without dependents from participating in work programs unless required by federal law or authorized by the Legislature. Waivers are allowed under federal law under certain circumstances, such as an insufficient number of jobs to provide employment.

Hobbs said she found the language too restrictive in times of “economic challenges.’’

“This legislation would inhibit our state’s ability to respond in these times to support Arizona families, retailers, and farmers, and would instead place additional strain on food banks,’’ she wrote.

“Guaranteed income”

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On a related note, Hobbs rejected HB 2375, a proposal by Rep. Lupe Diaz, R-Benson, to bar local governments from adopting or enforcing any sort of “guaranteed income program.’’

Several cities across the country have approved pilot programs, including Phoenix, which used COVID funds in 2022 to provide $1,000 a month to 1,000 low-income families for a year.

The governor said the restrictions in the bill were overly broad and “could threaten programs Arizonans rely on such as housing, food, and emergency need programs if administrated at the local level.’’

Teaching about communism

The governor also rebuffed a bid by House Speaker Ben Toma to require that any American government course required for high school graduation include at least 45 minutes of instruction about the history of communist regimes around the world. His HB 2629 included a suggested list ranging from Joseph Stalin and the Soviet system and Mao Zedong and the cultural revolution in China to Fidel Castro and the Cuban revolution right on up to Nicholas Maduro, the current president of Venezuela, and the Chavismo moment named after former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.

Hobbs said she appreciates the efforts to ensure students understand the negative impact communist and authoritarian regimes have had, “especially at a time when we see many politicians in our own country warming up to dangerous leaders such as Vladimir Putin.’’

That is a reference to comments former President Donald Trump has made over the years seeming to praise the Russian president, and the fact that Trump, unhappy with NATO, publicly said he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want’’ to any member that doesn’t meet spending guidelines.

But the governor said what was in Toma’s bill was “too prescriptive’’ in dictating educational requirements. More appropriate, she said, would be something like a 2022 measure by Rep. Quang Nguyen, R-Prescott Valley, which requires the state Board of Education to include a comprehensive discussion of political ideologies, like communism and totalitarianism, that conflict with principles of freedom and democracy.

Hobbs did agree to act on her own to advance one provision of the vetoed bill: She will proclaim this Nov. 7 as Victims of Communism Day.

More supervisors

She also vetoed a measure by Rep. Gail Griffin, R-Hereford, that would have given Cochise County the opportunity to ask voters if they want to expand the board of supervisors from three to five.

Current law requires that question to go to the ballot once a county hits 150,000 population. HB 2031 would have made that optional at 125,000 — just a hair less than the current Cochise County population.

Griffin told lawmakers that a three-member board creates problems due to open meeting laws that prevent two of them — a majority — from talking to each other outside of meetings.

Hobbs provided a four-word response. “The legislation is unnecessary,’’ she wrote.

Water bills

Other measures rejected Tuesday by Hobbs include:

Allowing the public to inspect and comment on the modeling used by the Arizona Department of Water Resources to determine if there is sufficient groundwater to allow development;

Barring the state or local governments from requiring a water measuring device for a well located in certain specified areas;

Creating a new special license plate, this one to help benefit Brigham Young University.