The Arizona Senate passed a state budget backed by the chamber’s Republican leaders and Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in the early hours on Friday morning.
But lawmakers can’t actually send the spending plan to Hobbs until next week after the Arizona House of Representatives unexpectedly adjourned until Monday.
Senators spent most of the day Thursday deliberating over the 16-bill spending package that was negotiated by the governor’s office and Senate GOP leaders. The $17.6 billion plan included more spending than a separate budget passed by House Republicans last week.
Most of the budget bills passed the Senate with just 17 votes — one more than 16 needed to pass legislation in the chamber — and faced considerable opposition from both Republicans and Democrats.
Seven of the chamber’s 13 Democrats voted against most of the budget bills negotiated by their fellow Democrat, Hobbs. They argued the budget doesn’t address the state’s affordable housing crisis and fails to meet other Democratic priorities, like increasing public school funding or reigning in the school voucher program.
Senate Minority Leader Priya Sundareshan (D-Tucson) said the budget included some wins for Democrats but, overall, it “fails to meet the moment.”
And Sen. Catherine Miranda (D-Phoenix) said the budget includes too much funding for immigration enforcement, including money for the the Gang and Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission, a multi-agency task force.
She said she couldn’t support a budget that “opens the door for immigration enforcement.”
On the other side of the aisle, six Republicans bucked the spending plan backed by their own Senate GOP leaders.
Sen. Vince Leach (R-Saddlebrook) said the budget contains too much spending and is fiscally irresponsible. He says the state should have at least $100 million left over at the end of the year to maintain a healthy budget. But this plan leaves the state with just $28 million.
“That's a hiccup. That's, you know, that's getting to be more like an iced tea or a latte. That's nothing,” he said.
But Hobbs and Republican Senate leadership still managed to cobble together a bipartisan coalition to pass the bill.
“We have one job to do down here at the Capitol. Pass a real budget,” Petersen said on social media.
The last budget bill passed at around 1:30 a.m. on Friday morning.
But the package can’t become law until at least next week, as a June 30 deadline to pass a new state budget looms ahead of the new fiscal year that starts July 1. That’s because House Republican leaders unexpectedly adjourned on Friday night while the Senate was still considering budget bills. They won’t return until Monday.
Sent. T.J. Shope (R-Coolidge) accused the House of engaging in political gamesmanship. Those comments came after the House last week passed its own budget plan that was rejected by Hobbs and Senate leaders.
“My confidence in the House has generally been pretty low. If only the temperatures here were that low today,” Shope said.
House Republicans blamed the Senate for taking too long to pass its bills.
“With the Senate taking as long as they are, we won’t have enough time to analyze what they send us to act in such a compressed manner,” House GOP spokesman Andrew Wilder said in a statement.
Still, there were signs that key GOP representatives weren’t pleased with the state of negotiations. Rep. David Livingston, one of the chief architects of the House budget, took to social media to call Petersen a “RINO” — short for “Republican in name only” — for crafting what Livingston called a “Democrat budget” with Hobbs.
And Sen. Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek) said the Freedom Caucus he leads is working with House leadership to stop the Senate budget. He accused Senate GOP leaders of not fighting hard enough for his priorities, which included providing support for Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap in his ongoing conflict with the county Board of Supervisors over control of elections administration.
“This budget is stuffed full of pork and Democrat policy victories. The Republican-controlled Legislature is supposed to hold the power of the purse, but unfortunately right now, that power was handed over to Katie Hobbs,” he said.
Shope noted House Republicans will be down at least one vote next week when they return. Rep. Matt Gress (R-Phoenix) has plans to travel to Europe for his wedding.
“So apparently that member is fine without taking a vote or leadership is fine without him taking a vote,” Shope said.
But Wilder insisted attendance won’t hinder the House’s work.
“Membership won’t be an issue,” Wilder said.
The Senate threw in an additional wrinkle by adjourning sine die — a latin term used when the Senate officially ends its work for the year — after passing its budget.
Sen. JD Mesnard (R-Chandler) warned senators not to adjourn, because the state Constitution requires the House to consent to the Senate’s request to sine die. That means the House could reject the request on Monday.
Or, Mesnard said, the House could change or reject the Senate’s budget, leaving the state without a spending plan for next year with days left before the June 30 deadline.
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