SENATE DEMS IN THE NEWS

Arizona’s public schools are fending off attacks on all sides, and their next battle revolves around the  State Land Trust, decades of deliberate underfunding by Republicans, and a ballot measure.

Proposition 123 was a referendum put before Arizona voters in 2016 to restore a portion of the inflation dollars that were withheld from schools during the Great Recession. Its passage enabled funding to flow to schools based on an increased payout from the State Land Trust. There was no increase in taxes to support this measure and this will remain consistent as the negotiations continue to extend Prop. 123.

Sen. Lauren Kuby (D-Tempe) said she was outraged the Senate was even considering Hoffman’s proposal.

“Not only is this the ugliest, most hateful bill I've seen this session, it’s the ugliest bill I've seen in Arizona since I’ve been a resident,” she said.

However, Sen. Lauren Kuby, D-Tempe, highlighted the positives of DEI programs which allow for a variety of perspectives and backgrounds to flourish.

“I also look at diversity equity inclusion programs as really embracing the best of us to bring different perspectives to an office,” Kuby said.

Senate Bill 1185 by Sen. Analise Ortiz, D-Phoenix, would have required that municipalities and counties provide and maintain 24-hour access to public restrooms and potable water for use by the homeless.

“We can and should do better,” Ortiz said to the Senate Government Committee on Thursday, citing the drastic increase the state has seen in heat-related deaths, largely among the homeless, as one of the reasons for the measure. Constituents also approached her about homeless individuals who have been found to be using alleyways and residents’ yards to relieve themselves.

A piece of Arizona legislation, with bipartisan backing, is aiming to bring better oversight and protections of groundwater, across five basins in rural Arizona.

The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Priya Sundareshan - D-Tucson - explained that the Rural Groundwater Management Act of 2025 would create water-management programs that would have a say over conservation efforts, and would strive to reduce groundwater use while improving the state of aquifers.

"Today, Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed HB 2703. This Republican backed measure would have gutted the Active Early Voting List or AEVL that over 80% of Arizona voters use to cast their ballot early. On top of gutting your ability to consistently vote by mail, this proposal would have required roughly an additional 300,000 more voters to stand in line and cast their ballot in person rather than having the ability to drop it off as they do now. Republicans attempted to use this moment as an excuse to reduce voter access under the guise of having election results called earlier, when in reality, expanding voter access and achieving faster election results are not mutually exclusive. Republican impatience, and frankly, their lack of restraint when it comes to filling the ballot with all those referrals to bypass the Governor should never be used as an excuse to reduce voter access. Democrats offered a number of compromises to ensure that Arizonans can see faster election results. But Republicans rejected them. I want to give my sincere thanks to Governor Hobbs for vetoing this measure and safeguarding Arizona’s fundamental right to vote and to make their voices heard.”

But Sen. Lauren Kuby said just having a second set of people out there going door to door — and with one set asking whether everyone in the house is a citizen — could have a ripple effect on that federal count. The Tempe Democrat said that could result in a “chilling” effect, with many residents, fearful of being questioned about citizen status, simply choosing not to answer and resulting in an undercount.

Democratic Sen. Eva Burch’s SB1402 and SB1403 take aim at lowering the costs of prescription medications. 

“Too many of us are rationing medications or delaying treatments because they can’t afford the care they need,” Burch told reporters. 

The two bills would disallow anyone from being charged the maximum fair price for Medicare-eligible prescriptions and put limits on the price increases that can be made on certain prescription medications.

It is the same Anti Democratic tune from the Arizona MAGA Republicans.

For some reason, after sending voter suppression legislation last year to meet up with Governor Katie Hobbs’s veto pen, they think Arizonans will like the same political musical flop again and are attempting to move similar disenfranchisement legislation (SB1011, SB1152, and HB 2703,) disguised as speeding up the ballot tabulation process, through the State House and Senate.

Democratic lawmakers unveiled an immigration bill of their own Monday, while a coalition of progressive groups rallied against Republican legislation to require cooperation with federal immigration agents.

State Sen. Analise Ortiz and State Rep. Mariana Sandoval introduced the Immigrant Trust Act – Senate Bill 1362 and the mirror House Bill 2807 – which aims to protect people without legal status who are living in Arizona.

Tenants facing eviction or coming up short before the first of the month could see rental assistance from the state under legislation underway in both chambers.

Sen. Analise Ortiz introduced a bill to create a statewide rental assistance program in the Senate, and Rep. Alma Hernandez is following suit in the House. Though the two proposals sponsored by Democrats split on the cut of funding, both aim to prevent evictions and eventual homelessness by providing up to three-months in monetary assistance.

An Arizona lawmaker fears Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is racially profiling tribal members after she was made aware of a Navajo woman who was detained at her workplace in Scottsdale.

Arizona state Sen. Theresa Hatathlie received a phone call from a constituent on the Navajo Nation who shared the story about her niece. Hatathlie said she contacted the woman to get more information, but said the woman did not want to be identified or report the incident to due fear of retaliation.

Fear has spread across Navajo communities after Navajo Nation leaders shared over a dozen tribal members have been questioned or detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Now, tribal leaders are asking their communities to prepare and protect themselves if they are questioned.

State Senator Theresa Hatathlie, whose district covers all of the Navajo Nation, shared this week she’s received a report from a woman who says she was lined up beside a white van with seven other Navajo people for two hours and questioned by ICE.

“For years, Arizonans have called for action on updating our groundwater protections,” Sundareshan said. “Time and again their cries for help have been caught in the middle of political negotiations, and the state has ultimately been unresponsive when it comes to protecting our state’s finite water resources. I’m proud to say those days are over.”

At a Thursday meeting of the Navajo Nation Council, Arizona state senator Theresa Hatathlie spoke in Diné about a workplace raid in which a number of Indigenous citizens were made to stand against vehicles and questioned — though she didn’t specify whether the people who detained them were ICE agents, according to Diné translator Dr. Dolly Manson. The senator said she did not want to reveal the tribal members’ place of work, to protect them from retaliation. One person kept trying to explain to the officers that she was a Navajo citizen, but they didn’t know what “Navajo” meant, Senator Hatathlie said. Hatathlie later reported to CNN that the incident occurred in Scottsdale, Arizona, that the officers interrogating people were ICE agents and that the questioning lasted for two hours.

The Arizona state senator Theresa Hatathlie, who is Diné/Navajo, told CNN of reports that federal agents did not acknowledge the documents as valid proof of citizenship.

“With the way things are going right now, and these types of situations, we have to put measures in place in order to help our constituents and government entities so that they can be a resource,” Hatathlie said.

One Navajo woman was reportedly questioned by ICE after her workplace in Scottsdale, Arizona, was raided Wednesday morning, and was asked to show proof that she was Native, Arizona state Senator Theresa Hatathlie, who is Diné/Navajo, told CNN. The woman and seven other Indigenous people were lined up behind white vans and questioned for two hours without a way to contact their families.

Arizona state Sen. Theresa Hatathlie, who is Diné/Navajo, told CNN she received a report from the family of a Navajo woman who said she was questioned by ICE and asked to show proof that she was Native after her workplace was raided Wednesday morning.

The woman says she was at her work site in Scottsdale, Arizona, when she and seven other Indigenous citizens were lined up behind white vans and questioned for two hours without their cell phones or a way to contact their families, according to Hatathlie.

“Now is it ICE or some other entity, I don’t know,” said Hatathlie, who represents Legislative District 6, which encompasses the Navajo Nation. “I did work with some individuals to confirm whether or not ICE did do that work site raid, but the communication back to me was that it’s not a normal practice for ICE to confirm a raid or not.”

The woman says she was eventually permitted to use her cell phone and text family members, who sent her a photo of her Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB), and she was then allowed to leave, Hatathlie said. It is unclear what happened to the seven other Indigenous people who were questioned.

Arizona state Senator Lela Alston, another Democrat and former Phoenix Union School District Governing Board president, said Trump's policy will "traumatize" students.

"Sensitive location policies have been in place for more than a decade and removing them will do nothing but deter mixed-status families from receiving medical attention, going to church, attending school or carrying out their day-to-day activities," she said in a statement.

"This despicable act, which is part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to carry out his promise of mass deportation, will not help increase public safety. It will instead lead to nearly six million kids in the U.S. living in fear everyday that they may be separated from their families.

"As a former educator, it is heartbreaking to think of how this will traumatize children."

Senator Theresa Hatathlie shared another alarming incident. She reported a case about a Navajo citizen being detained for nine hours. The incident supports those urging the need for emergency protocols.

Hatathlie stressed that many tribal members struggle with documentation, which has worsened under the recent ICE sweeps.

State Sen. Theresa Hatathlie informed the council about a Navajo citizen who was detained for nine hours, underscoring the urgent need for emergency protocols. She emphasized that many tribal members face challenges with documentation. She said despite having Certificates of Indian Blood and state-issued IDs, several individuals have been detained or questioned by ICE agents who fail to recognize these documents as valid proof of citizenship.

Senate Democrats, including Senator Catherine Miranda of Phoenix, voiced concerns about the financial and staffing burdens the bill could impose. Miranda described the bill as an “unfunded mandate,” noting that local agencies are already struggling with staffing shortages.

"Our law enforcement do not want to do this,” she said. "We have been asking to fund them because they are low on staff for many years, and all of a sudden, this money appears and they don’t want to do this."

Democratic leadership in the Arizona State Legislature responded to Governor Katie Hobbs’ State of the State address, which took place on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, and the plans moving forward.

The annual speech to the state legislature outlines the Governor’s priorities for the year. The State of the State speech kicks off the legislative session.

Joining us to discuss were Rep. Oscar De Los Santos (D) of District 11 and Sen. Priya Sundareshan (D) of District 18.

Rep. Analise Ortiz, who assumes the role in the state senate in the same district this week, released a statement on the shooting Friday.

"As the elected State Senator of Legislative District 24, I am calling for full transparency of the West Valley Incident Response Team’s investigation. The public deserves to see any camera footage related to the incident and have a detailed explanation of what the next steps in the officer’s disciplinary process are," Ortiz's statement read.

Two state Senate Democratic leaders, Priya Sundareshan of Tucson, and Flavio Bravo of Phoenix, condemned the vote Friday in written statements.

"Congressional Republicans opened the 119th Congress by forcing a vote on H.R. 29, which is a far cry from that bipartisan deal and accomplishes far less while placing communities at risk," Sundareshan said.

The overall goal is to dissemble pieces of  state law that “create extensive barriers and unnecessary burdens for patients to be able to access the care they need,” Mach said. She said Planned Parenthood had been working with elected officials, namely Democratic minority leaders Sen. Priya Sundareshan and Rep. Oscar De Los Santos.

A Democratic leader in the legislature said that she is expecting to be in a defensive role, and not just because her party is in the minority in both chambers.

"We're facing the federal Republican trifecta. So with Republicans control in control at both the both the federal level and at the state legislative level, Democrats in the legislature will continue to play an important defensive role in making sure that we are highlighting a lot of the problems with what Republicans are bringing forward, making sure that we are bringing daylight and information and the important context about impacts," said Senate Minority Leader Priya Sundareshan.

“Anytime a police officer shoots and kills someone, there needs to be full transparency and a thorough investigation,” Ortiz told New Times. “In this case, the fact that this person who was shot and killed was not even the person that police were after is absolutely horrifying.”

To New Times and in a press release, Ortiz highlighted the larger issue of policing in the Valley and the United States.

“This pattern of police shooting first and asking questions later is a common pattern that we see, and in this case, it ended up being deadly for an innocent person,” Ortiz told New Times. “There needs to be accountability and there needs to be answers. My constituents use the park and enjoy the park. Nobody should have to fear that when they’re out and about, a police officer is just going to rush up on them and take their lives.”

Over the past several years, Republican candidates and officials made unsubstantiated claims that the longer tabulation time facilitates fraud.

“There would be so much confusion for voters if this is changed,” Ortiz said, adding that she thinks it would definitely have a negative impact on voter turnout. “It’s very frustrating that some of the proposals that we’ve seen seem to be entirely rooted in this kind of excuse that we need to speed up the election results, even if that means putting voter access in jeopardy.”

Organizations and some lawmakers bemoaned what they described as a pattern of inaction from Arizona’s historically Republican-dominated Legislature.

“I call on my Republican counterparts, as the majority in this Legislature, to hear the bills we introduce … and to pass them. Will this session in 2025 be a departure from prior activity?” said Arizona Senate Democrat and Minority Leader Priya Sundareshan of Tucson.

No Republican lawmakers spoke at the conference.

Appearing at the State Capitol Rose Garden earlier today (January 8, 2025,) with the leader of the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club, Senate Democratic Leader Priya Sundareshan and Oscar De Los Santos called on the Republican Majority in the Arizona State Legislature to acknowledge the seriousness of climate change and to finally consider legislation, based in part on recommendations from climate activists, to address it at a statewide level.

Arizona Senate Democratic Leader Priya Sundareshan tells 12News she and her colleagues are exploring legislation this coming session to better protect utility ratepayers. Although the Commission has exclusive authority to set rates, the legislature can influence energy policies.

“The numbers, they are mind-boggling,” Sundareshan said, referring to data center growth. “It is also even more incumbent on our leadership at the Corporation Commission and the legislature to be protective of our consumers.”

Legislative Democrats Sens. Priya Sundareshan (D-Tucson) and Christopher Mathis (D-Tucson) stood behind the designation.

“The impacts of severe groundwater depletion in rural Arizona can no longer be ignored,” Mathis said in a statement. “I applaud Governor Hobbs and ADWR for their continued strong leadership with this historic AMA designation. … At the same time, we must continue to work toward bipartisan groundwater management reform legislation to provide rural areas additional, locally driven tools to preserve and protect our precious water resources for future generations."

Democratic Sen. Brian Fernandez of Yuma, who sponsored an unsuccessful bill last year to raise the pay of other state elected officials, including the governor, supports the idea of a raise for legislators as a method of attracting a better crop of candidates.

"It looks like its has a nice excuse of ‘let’s go ahead and speed up the election results,’ but I’m just not buying it because if a single voter is turned away or discouraged from waiting in line, that means that they are not making their voice heard. The Democracy everyone should have should be free and fair and easy access to make their voice heard," said Senator-elect Analise Ortiz.

The Republican and Democratic caucuses in the Arizona Senate and House selected their leadership teams for the upcoming session on Tuesday after the GOP strengthened its grip on the Legislature.

Senate Democrats elected Priya Sundareshan, of Tucson, as their senate minority leader. Sundareshan is one of the Democratic caucus’s most outspoken members.