PHOENIX — Arizona hospitals won’t be required by the state to ask patients if they are in this country illegally.
In one of 48 new vetoes Monday and Tuesday of bills sent to her by the Republican-controlled Legislature, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs rejected a measure to require hospitals that accept Medicaid to inquire about a patient’s immigration status.
The proposal from Flagstaff Republican Sen. Wendy Rogers said the patients’ answers wouldn’t result in the loss of medical care, and that hospitals wouldn’t be required to call immigration authorities. Instead, Rogers, said it would give the state an idea of the costs of illegal immigration.
Hobbs pointed out that people who are not here legally generally do not qualify for Medicaid. She also said the legislation was opposed by business leaders, hospitals and others “who understand that immigration enforcement is best left to federal law enforcement and not health care professionals.’’
This and other vetoes Monday and Tuesday bring Hobbs’ tally this ongoing legislative session to 138, or five shy of the record she set in her first year in office in 2023.
Hotel signs about homeless guests
Hobbs also rejected a proposal by Phoenix Republican Rep. Matt Gress that would have required hotels and motels to warn guests that they also provide rooms for homeless people.
Gress called his measure “consumer protection,’’ saying that paying customers should be alerted to “keep hotels doors locked, safely store their belongings and report any health or safety concerns to local law enforcement.’’ There would have had to be signs to that effect at every entrance.
Proponents argued many of the homeless are drug users, alcohol abusers or mentally ill, or a combination, and that guests should know that. Foes said there is no evidence they are more dangerous than any other group.
“We should not micromanage local businesses who have stepped up to help address our state’s housing challenges,’’ Hobbs wrote in her veto, saying lawmakers should engage in “more productive efforts to create more transitional and affordable housing options.’’
Cities’ police funding
Hobbs also declined to bar cities from making cuts in how much money they put into law enforcement.
The measure would have outlawed year-over-year cuts in what cities spend on police services. To ensure compliance, it would have required the state treasurer to cut that community’s state aid by an equal amount.
Snowflake Republican Rep. David Marshall has championed the measure now for two years, saying he wants to short-circuit “defund the police’’ movements that have occurred elsewhere. Marshall conceded that hasn’t happened here, but said he wanted to be proactive and ensure that activists in Arizona don’t convince city councils to divert funding.
Lobbyists for cities were opposed, at least in part because they said these decisions should be made on the local level. But they also expressed concern the bill would stifle efforts to move certain functions, such as code enforcement, from sworn officers to civilian employees.
Hobbs, in her veto message, said she has “consistently advocated’’ for increased funding for law enforcement and believes the bill “undermines local decision making which is needed for public safety agencies to operate efficiently.’’
Mandated “Gulf of America”
Hobbs vetoed a bid by Casa Grande Republican Rep. Teresa Martinez to force high schools to teach students that the body of water President Donald Trump unilaterally renamed is known as the “Gulf of America,” rather than its name for centuries, and the one still used in the rest of the world: the Gulf of Mexico.
Martinez said it would promote patriotism and “start teaching pro-America to our students.’’
The governor called the measure a diversion.
“This Legislature has chosen to attempt to dictate how teachers refer to geographic features,’’ she wrote. “I encourage you to refocus your time and energy on solving real problems for Arizonans.’’
Biological sex issues
In no surprise, she also vetoed two measures related to each other.
One would have told teachers they cannot use pronouns for students or a first name that does not reflect their “biological sex,’’ absent parental permission. The other said students could not use bathrooms and locker rooms that do not match their biological sex.
Both are repeats of what has become perennial legislation by Sen. John Kavanagh. The Fountain Hills Republican said the first one respects the rights of parents to decide issues for their children; the second would spare girls from having to share locker rooms with biological males, he said.
Hobbs did not address either contention. Instead, she said in identical veto messages that the bills “will not increase opportunity, security or freedom for Arizonans’’ and that she encourages lawmakers to focus on legislation to lower costs, protect the border, create jobs and “secure our water future.’’
Groundwater
That last theme also found its way into Hobbs’ veto of four measures making changes in groundwater regulations.
She has acknowledged there are issues, particularly in rural areas. But she said what is needed is a comprehensive plan.
“To see more effort misspent on pointless bills that would only weaken groundwater protections or duplicate existing programs is a continued affront to rural Arizonans who have asked their legislators for years to address rural groundwater problems,’’ the governor wrote.
Concealed weapons on campus
Also rejected was a perennial effort to allow those who have state permits to carry concealed weapons to on to college and university campuses.
Proponents have argued that having such people on campuses keeps them safe. But foes noted that Arizona has some of the laxest standards in the country to get a permit, with no actual requirement to show the ability to use a gun.
“This bill could lead to increased risk on campus and other unintended consequences,’’ Hobbs wrote.
Gun silencers, sellers
She also nixed legislation to remove a prohibition against Arizonans owning “muffling devices,’’ more commonly known as silencers for guns.
These devices are legal under federal law, though buyers must go through a more-intensive screening than the one required to purchase firearms.
“Gun silencers make it more difficult for hard-working law enforcement offices to do their job and keep Arizonans safe,’’ Hobbs wrote.
She also rejected a related bill that would have barred the government and certain private entities from creating a legal distinction between gun sellers and all other types of retailers. The governor said these “merchant categories codes’’ are “vital tools that help law enforcement identify perpetrators of illegal activity, including mass shootings.’’
Cryptocurrency and much more
Other measures meeting with the governor’s displeasure included:
— Permitting the state to accept cryptocurrency as a method of payment. Hobbs said even with certain built-in protections, “it still leaves the door open for too much risk.’’
— Restricting the ability of the Arizona Corporation Commission to advocate for legislation without first having a public vote. Hobbs said it would stifle the agency’s ability to provide lawmakers with necessary feedback.
— Giving school board members access to all information and records maintained by school districts. Hobbs said she won’t provide such blanket access to “sensitive records without compelling reasons and sufficient guardrails.’’
— Allowing attorneys who win disputes in disciplinary matters with the State Bar of Arizona to recover not only their legal fees and court costs but to also be reimbursed for lost earning and to be allowed to sue for damages to their reputations. Hobbs said this appears to be aimed at a case involving one attorney who peddled “conspiracy theories.’’ “Attorneys who speak honestly and practice with dignity have nothing to worry about,’’ she said.
— Prohibiting courts in domestic relations cases from ordering a party to pay for any type of therapy, treatment or counseling program designed to improve or maintain the parent-child relationship. Hobbs said this is a bill designed to address one specific situation and she urged lawmakers to work with the courts and judges to “better understand existing practices aimed to support the best interests of children.’’
— Making health-care professionals personally liable for costs of “detransition procedures’’ for minors who underwent gender transition. Hobbs said existing medical malpractice laws already provide a right to sue when patients say they were not given “informed consent’’ to a procedure.
