Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is reiterating that Arizona legislative immunity does not cover criminal speeding traffic violations.
The issue was raised after two Republican state senators were stopped for speeding last month.
Mark Finchem said he had legislative immunity to get out of a speeding ticket when he was cited for going 19 mph over the speed limit.
And Jake Hoffman says he never claimed immunity and was not issued a ticket after being recognized by a state trooper who caught him going 89 mph in a 65 mph zone.
Hobbs cited an executive order from her Republican predecessor, which tells DPS criminal speeding is a “breach of the peace” and is not protected.
“I think it would be naive to assume that a ticket is issued every time somebody doing that is stopped. And I don't know what goes into that decision when that happens. But certainly people shouldn't claim immunity to get out of crimes that they're committing," Hobbs said.
A bill to explicitly bar lawmakers from citing immunity for traffic violations is moving through the Arizona House.
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