Arizona Gov. Vetoes More Than 30 Bills Including Some Related to Immigration, Gender Identity

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, blocked a slate of GOP-led bills, prompting backlash from GOP lawmakers.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (C) applauds for those affected by the Los Angeles area wildfires as she gives the State of the State address in the House of Representatives at the Capitol, with Speaker of the House Rep. Steve Montenegro (L) and Senate President Warren Petersen (R) flanking her, in Phoenix on Jan. 13, 2025. Ross D. Franklin / AP File

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed more than 30 Republican-sponsored bills on May 12, rejecting proposed legislation on immigration enforcement, voting procedures, and school policies related to gender identity.

The vetoes, part of a sweeping one-day action, have drawn sharp criticism from Republican state lawmakers, who accused the governor, a Democrat, of undermining public safety, parental rights, and transparency.

Among the bills vetoed was Senate Bill 1002, which would have required public school employees to use a student’s legal name and pronouns that match the student’s biological sex unless given written parental consent. The bill also would have allowed educators to refuse to use alternate pronouns if doing so conflicted with their religious or moral beliefs.

Hobbs said the bill would not increase “opportunity, security, or freedom” for Arizonans. But Republican state Sen. John Kavanagh, the bill’s sponsor, accused Hobbs of siding with “woke ideology” over the rights of parents.

“Parents should determine what’s best for their children, not school employees,” said Kavanagh. “When children are experiencing psychological turmoil, their parents deserve to know. Despite the harm being inflicted, there are public schools that continue to push the use of gender pronouns to mask psychiatric issues from parents and force progressive political agendas on Arizona’s vulnerable youth population.”

He also criticized Hobbs for vetoing Senate Bill 1003, which would have limited access to school restrooms and overnight accommodations based on biological sex.

“A 13-year-old female should not be forced to stand next to a naked, transgender female, who is in reality an 18-year-old biological male,” Kavanagh said.

Another vetoed measure, Senate Bill 1088, would have required state and local governments to cooperate fully with federal immigration enforcement agencies. The governor defended her decision by emphasizing her administration’s own border security efforts, such as Task Force SAFE and Operation Desert Guardian, and said state officials should not be bound by federal directives.

State Sen. Jake Hoffman, the bill’s sponsor and chair of the Arizona Senate Government Committee, called the veto “irrational.”

“There is no logical justification for Hobbs’ veto on this reasonable bill that helps align local and federal government officials with their critical law enforcement duties, but she remains committed to her radical ideology of open borders and appeasement for cartels,” Hoffman said. “Arizonans will ultimately bear the brunt of Katie Hobbs’ leftist partisan antics.”

Hobbs also vetoed Senate Bill 1268, which would have required hospitals to ask patients about their immigration status and submit reports on the health care costs of illegal immigrants. The governor said immigration enforcement should not fall to health care providers.

State Sen. Wendy Rogers, chair of the Arizona Senate Judiciary and Elections Committee and the bill’s sponsor, said the veto blocks necessary transparency.

“Our hardworking, law-abiding citizens have a right to know how much of their money is going towards paying for the medical services of those who’ve willfully chosen to break our laws by entering our country illegally,” said Rogers. “The state’s Medicaid program is intended to help vulnerable Americans, like seniors, the disabled community, and impoverished children, receive the medical care they need, when they need it.”

Additional vetoes targeted legislation involving election procedures.

Senate Bill 1064 would have required vote tabulators to be free from internet access and mandated detailed chain-of-custody documentation for election equipment. Hobbs argued that such technical requirements should be part of the regularly updated election procedures manual.

The governor also vetoed Senate Bill 1052, which proposed changes to voter registration rules that critics said could prevent children of military members born overseas from registering to vote. Hobbs said she would not sign legislation that “diminishes the right of eligible citizens to register to vote.”

In another veto message, Hobbs described Senate Bill 1098—a bill requiring identification when submitting early ballots on behalf of others—as “Detrimental, Ineffective, Nonsensical, and Objectionable.”

Hobbs also vetoed Senate Bill 1586, which would have imposed long-term liability on health care providers who offer transgender treatments to minors. The governor said existing malpractice laws already address patient claims.

State Senate Republicans criticized Hobbs for blocking what they described as legislation intended “to expand civil liabilities for the mutilation of Arizona children,” according to the title of their May 12 statement defending the bill as a means of ensuring accountability regarding transgener treatments.

With a Republican-controlled Legislature but insufficient numbers to override the vetoes—three-fourths is needed—the bills are unlikely to be revived this session. Hobbs has repeatedly said she will oppose legislation she views as ideologically driven or harmful to Arizonans, but critics say her broad use of the veto undermines the will of elected lawmakers.