Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed these bills in 2026

Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has set veto records in recent years.

Here are all the bills she has vetoed in 2026.

Politics

Here's a list of all the Arizona bills Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed so far in 2025

Camryn Sanchez, Wayne Schutsky, Ben Giles, Greg Hahne

A breakdown of the Arizona House and Senate bills Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed so far in 2025.

House bills

House Bill 2008, school libraries; professional associations; prohibitions

HB 2008 would have banned school libraries from using public money to pay for membership dues in professional associations that advocate for libraries, librarians and information services. Republican Rep. Nick Kupper, the bill’s sponsor, said he was concerned those associations were politically charged and had too much influence over Arizona libraries. In a veto letter, Hobbs called the bill a “shameful and misguided attack on public school librarians.” “Knowledge is power, not a weapon, and at a time when literacy rates are on the decline nationwide, I will not support legislation that deprives our children of the resources they need to reach their full potential,” she added.

House Bill 2026, assured water supply; commingling

Before building housing developments in some parts of the state, developers must receive a certificate from the Department of Water Resources showing they have enough water to serve the community. HB 2026 would require the Department of Water Resources to only consider a development’s proposed water sources when making that determination, even if those sources are mixed with others in a larger water delivery system, such as a city water system. Hobbs noted she vetoed similar legislation in past years and claimed “creative” water accounting will lead to over-pumping of groundwater.

House Bill 2031, grandfathered right; Willcox AMA; extension

In 2024, the Arizona Department of Water Resources established a new groundwater protection area, called an AMA, in the Willcox basin. HB 2031 would have given property owners in the basin more time to withdraw or claim water for use using grandfathered water rights. Hobbs said water users in the area have been aware of the discussions about establishing the protection area since October 2024 and accused the Legislature of trying to “obstruct real groundwater protections.”

House Bill 2033, statewide assessment; written form; requirements

HB 2033 would have allowed public school districts and charter schools to administer statewide assessments as written tests with approval from their governing boards. Hobbs rejected the bill after promising to veto any bill sent to her desk during a budget stalemate with Republican lawmakers.

House Bill 2040, public educational institutions; adoption information

The legislation would have required schools and colleges to give students information about adoption when talking with students about STIs, providing contraceptives and testing students for sexually transmitted infections. Hobbs said she supports adoption but that this is not the proper avenue to provide information about that option. “We should focus on solutions that will actually lead to placing more children into safe and loving homes instead of placing onerous burdens on public education institutions that require adoption information to be provided in inappropriate settings,” Hobbs wrote.

House Bill 2042, solar radiation management; prohibition; enforcement

House Bill 2042 would have made it a crime for a person to intentionally introduce any material into the state for the purposes of solar radiation management. It would have also prohibited political subdivisions from providing grants for the development of solar radiation management. The bill passed out of the state Legislature on party lines without Democratic support. Hobbs called the bill a “so-called solution to a nonexistent problem” in her veto letter. “I’m disappointed members of this legislature seem to be more focused on conspiracy theories than working with me to lower costs, secure the border, and grow Arizona’s economy,” Hobbs wrote.

House Bill 2055, brackish groundwater recovery program

HB 2055 would have created a new fund administered by the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority to fund projects to treat brackish, or overly salty, groundwater. Hobbs argued the bill would divert money away from more worthwhile projects to identify new sources of water for Arizona. “Wishful thinking about a ‘brackish groundwater’ silver bullet will not solve Arizona’s water challenges,” she wrote in a veto letter.

House Bill 2075, school districts; employment contracts; publication

HB 2075 would have required public school districts to post contract terms for top officials, including superintendents and assistance superintendents. Hobbs indicated she vetoed the bill because it would not impose similar requirements on charters or private schools that receive public dollars through the school voucher program. “This bill fails to ensure that all options in the marketplace are held to the same level of transparency,” she wrote.

House Bill 2093, mental health instruction requirement; repeal

HB 2093 would have removed laws requiring schools to include discussions of mental health and social and emotional issues in health education courses. Hobbs rejected the bill after promising to veto any bill sent to her desk during a budget stalemate with Republican lawmakers.

House Bill 2102, domestic water improvement districts; hauling

HB 2102 would have allowed some water improvement districts, which are set up to build up water delivery in some communities, to use eminent domain to construct wells and build infrastructure to access water. “Making statutory tweaks to emphasize water hauling as the solution to rural Arizona’s water challenges is an insult to rural communities that are fighting for meaningful reforms to secure their water for future generations,” Hobbs wrote.

House Bill 2103, water improvements program; water hauling

Before building housing developments in some parts of the state, developers must receive a certificate from the Department of Water Resources showing they have enough water to serve the community. HB 2103 would have only allowed the department to examine the specific proposed sources of water for a project even if those water sources are delivered by a system that is fed by multiple sources. Hobbs said the change would undermine the assured water supply program and lead to over-pumping.

House Bill 2167, attorney general; nuisance action; damages

The attorney general can bring lawsuits to block public nuisances, including anything considered a threat to public health, “offensive to the senses” or at odds with “the comfortable enjoyment of life or property” by the community. HB 2167 would have allowed those who believe they have been damaged by an improper “nuisance” or “consumer fraud” lawsuit to sue the attorney general for damages. “I will not curtail a tool that is used to protect Arizonans from bad actors,” Hobbs wrote in a veto letter.

House Bill 2206, SNAP; error rate; forensic audit

House Bill 2206 would have required the state department of economic security to reduce the error rate in the SNAP program. Last summer, Congress passed H.R.1 - which requires states to lower their error rates in SNAP programs to 6% or less. Arizona’s SNAP rate as of the beginning of 2026 was 8.8%, meaning the state stands to lose more than $130 million of federal funding. State GOP lawmakers would have required an even lower error rate with HB2206 and cut state funding to DES by 10% as a penalty if that goal goes unmet. The bill passed out of the legislature on party lines. Hobbs said in her veto letter that DES is already careful about making sure SNAP recipients are eligible, making the bill unnecessary.

House Bill 2261, property tax; agricultural real property

HB 2261 would have changed state laws governing how agricultural property is taxed, but Hobbs said changing those laws would be premature because they are currently the subject of a case before the Arizona Supreme Court.

House Bill 2262, Arizona geological survey; analysis; division

HB 2262 would have moved the Resource Analysis Division of the Arizona State Land Department to the supervision of the Arizona Geological Survey. “This bill lacks a clear fiscal, operational and governance plan,” Hobbs wrote in a veto letter, saying it also leaves unresolved questions about funding, staffing and regulatory authority.

House Bill 2289, truth in taxation; bonds; notices

The bill would have expanded Arizona laws that already require local governments and school districts to use voter education pamphlets to inform voters about how proposed bond, override and other tax-related elections would affect a property owners tax bill. That includes requiring school districts to include estimates showing how the proposal would affect the tax burden for families with homes valued at $100,000 and $300,000. Hobbs vetoed a similar bill last year. “I continue to have confidence that Arizona voters understand what they are doing when they vote in a school district bond election,” Hobbs wrote this year.

House Bill 2378, school facilities oversight board; members

HB 2378 would have changed the qualifications for members of the School Facilities Oversight Board, which oversees the distribution of state funds for new school facilities. It would have prohibited members who are professional engineers or architects from operating businesses that include school construction. Hobbs said that change would limit the pool of eligible candidates and reduce expertise on the board.

House Bill 2396, SNAP; allowed purchases; waiver

House Bill 2396 would have limited what kind of foods SNAP recipients can purchase to eliminate things like soda, prepared foods, and candy. It passed out of the legislature on party lines. Hobbs vetoed a similar bill last year. She wrote in her veto letter that the bill would deprive SNAP recipients “of the dignity and economic freedom enjoyed by other grocery shoppers.”

House Bill 2584, public monies; genetic sequencing; prohibition

HB 2584 would have banned the use of public money to pay for genetic sequencing performance by tools created by company located in a country categorized as a “foreign adversary.” Hobbs said such devices are critical for treatment and the state should give healthcare providers time to audit their systems to determine which devices would be impacted by the legislation.

House Bill 2600, schools; clubs; organizations; parental consent

HB 2600 would have banned sixth, seventh or eighth grade students from joining public school clubs without written parental permission. “We should be finding ways to encourage schools to provide more enriching opportunities for students rather than creating barriers to participation,” Hobbs wrote.

House Bill 2785, conformity; internal revenue code; deductions

House Bill 2785 would have conformed state tax codes to match federal tax changes. U.S. Congress passed a package in 2025 including tax cuts and alterations to tax law. Arizona Republican lawmakers proposed HB2785 to get the state in line with the federal changes. The bill passed out of the legislature on party lines without Democratic support. Hobbs asked state lawmakers to pass her own proposed tax cuts package, which only includes partial conformity. She declined to pass any other tax conformity proposal until lawmakers advance her own plan, which they have not done. “Anything more than the Middle Class Tax Cuts Package must be negotiated through the budget process,” Hobbs wrote.

House Bill 2787, federal nullification; Mexican wolf; reintroduction

The bill would have banned Arizona state employees from helping the federal government reintroduce the Mexican gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act. Hobbs called the Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Program an “important wildlife management effort.”

House Bill 2796, AHCCCS; enrollment verification; presumptive eligibility

House Bill 2796 would have created new eligibility requirements for Arizonans to enroll in the state Medicaid program — called the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. The bill would have required AHCCCS to work with the state department of revenue to find enrollees with new lottery winnings of $3,000 or more and deem them ineligible. The legislation would also require AHCCCS to review death records and reassess the eligibility of any able-bodied adults. The agency would not be allowed to accept self-attestations of enrollee information like income or age. The bill passed on party lines. Hobbs noted in her veto letter that she’d already vetoed similar legislation. She said AHCCCS already follows strict eligibility verification requirements. “This measure would unnecessarily grow government, and it is a bureaucratic distraction from the state’s obligation to implement federal Medicaid requirements in a timely way,” Hobbs wrote.

House Bill 2811, obstructing governmental operations; lawful arrest

HB 2811 would have expanded state criminal laws to make it a felony to knowingly obstruct a law enforcement officer making a lawful arrest by using threats or violence. Hobbs said existing state and federal laws already address the issue and accused lawmakers of attempting to use the bill to intimidate people exercising their First Amendment rights.

House Bill 2903, social credit; use; prohibition

HB 2903 would have banned banks and other financial institutions from using a social credit score to evaluate loan applicants. The bill doesn’t define the term “social credit score,” but supporters said it is a system that grades people based on their behavior. Critics pointed out that the lack of definition in the law could create confusion for banks and that social credit score systems, while in place in some other countries, are not prevalent in the U.S. “This bill is unnecessary and marks my third veto for this poorly constructed and unnecessary policy change,” Hobbs wrote.

House Bill 2985, CAP water; state land; allocation

The bill would have required the Arizona State Land Department to create a process for allocating Central Arizona Project water that is allotted to state trust land that may be sold or leased in the future. Hobbs said state law already includes a process for the department to allocate that water.

House Bill 2993, DPS; legal representation; appropriation

House Bill 2993 would have allocated $6.4 million from the state Consumer Protection-Consumer Fraud Revolving Fund to the Department of Public Safety. The bill passed out of the Legislature on party lines without Democratic support. Hobbs said in her veto letter that she has already suggested a “more appropriate” source of funding, the Highway Patrol Fund, to augment DPS. “Send me a bill using $4.75 million from the Highway Patrol Funding for this DPS supplemental and I will sign it,” Hobbs wrote.

House Bill 4033, school bonding; ballot language

HB 4033 would have expanded the information that school districts must include in election informational pamphlets when asking voters to approve bonds, including a description of each proposed improvement that would be funded by the bond. Hobbs rejected the bill after promising to veto any bill sent to her desk during a budget stalemate with Republican lawmakers.

House Bill 4115, ballot measures; circulators; revenue; disclosure

House Bill 4115 would have required paid petition circulators to display and disclose certain information when soliciting signatures and would have required certain measure to disclose expenditures and revenue sources. The bill would have also broadened the law on circulators to include county and municipal measures. The legislation passed out of the Legislature on party lines without Democratic support. Hobbs wrote in her veto letter that the bill would have imposed “unrealistic requirements” and allowed special interests to “silence voters’ voices.”

House Bills 4138, 4139, 4140, 4141, 4142, 4143, 4144, 4145, 4146, 4147, 4148, 4149, 4150, 4151, 4152, 4153 - state budget

Arizona Republican lawmakers passed a budget along party lines without support from Democrats or Hobbs. Republicans blamed Hobbs from walking away from negotiations, but she criticized their budget for prioritizing tax cuts over social programs. “With it [the Republican’s budget plan], Arizona would default on our debt obligations, endanger vulnerable children, slash critical public safety funding, and pay for tax breaks to billionaires, data centers and special interests by kicking Arizonans off their healthcare and taking food off their tables,” Hobbs said in a statement.

Senate bills

Senate Bill 1010, Charlie Kirk Loop 202

Senate Bill 1010 would have renamed the entire Loop 202 after conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kirk was assassinated on Sept. 10, 2025, while speaking at Utah Valley University. The bill passed out of the Legislature on party lines without Democratic support. Hobbs said in her veto letter that Kirk’s assassination was “tragic" and a “horrifying act of violence.” However, Hobbs wrote, the legislation would insert politics into a nonpartisan part of government. She wrote that highway name changes should go through the Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names, not the Legislature.

Senate Bill 1058, firearms transactions; merchant codes; prohibition

Senate Bill 1058 would have prohibited government entities from keeping any records of privately-owned firearms — except as part of a criminal investigation. It would also prohibit using merchant category codes to distinguish between firearm retailers and other stores. The store passed out of the legislature with the support of all Republican lawmakers and just one Democrat. Hobbs noted in her veto letter that she’d killed the same bill last year. She wrote that merchant category codes are important tools law enforcement uses to crack down on illegal gun trafficking. “This recycled proposal would make it harder for law enforcement to catch violent criminals,” Hobbs wrote.

Senate Bill 1106, internal revenue code; conformity; deductions

Senate Bill 1106 would have conformed Arizona’s tax code to federal tax code to adjust for changes made by Congress at the end of 2025. The conformity plan would have cost an estimated $441 million in tax cuts in the next fiscal year. It passed out of the legislature on party lines. In her veto letter, Hobbs told GOP lawmakers to pass her own alternative “middle class tax cuts package” before pushing any other tax conformity proposals, which Hobbs said should be handled later in budget negotiations. “You have sent me partisan legislation that gives tax breaks to special interests while hiking taxes on working seniors struggling to get by. I urge you to rethink your partisan political theater and send the Middle Class Tax Cuts Package to my desk. We should not hold cuts for 88% of Arizonans hostage in order to force through tax breaks for special interests,” she wrote.

Senate Bill 1002, SNAP; TANF; public welfare; verification

Senate Bill 1002 would have established new requirements to ensure only eligible users can use SNAP. The bill would’ve ensured that anyone on SNAP with new lottery winnings of $3,000 or more would be removed from the program. The bill would’ve also required the department of economic security to publicly post information on SNAP, including the number of cases investigated for program violations. It passed out of the legislature on party lines. Hobbs wrote in her veto letter that DES is already careful about making sure SNAP recipients are eligible, making the bill unnecessary.

Senate Bill 1024, roadable aircraft; registration; license plates

SB 1024 would have required the Department of Transportation to create new requirements to allow Arizonans to register roadable aircraft, or hybrid vehicles that can function as cars or planes. Hobbs called the bill “an unfunded mandate that lacks the appropriate regulatory framework.”

Senate Bill 1036, unemployment benefits; requirements; disqualifications; determinations

Senate Bill 1036 would have altered eligibility requirements for someone to receive unemployment insurance benefits. It would also have required the department of economic security to verify the unemployment benefit claims against certain data. The department of economic security would be prohibited from paying benefits until verifying eligibility. The bill passed out of the legislature on party lines Hobbs noted in her veto message that she’d already vetoed that legislation and that the bill would create unnecessary delays and add costs to the state.

Senate Bill 1051, hospitals; patient immigration status; reporting

Senate Bill 1051 would have required public hospitals to ask patients on admissions forms whether they are United States citizens. The bill passed out of the legislature on party liens without any Democratic support. Hospitals would;ve then been required to report that data regularly to the state department of health services. Even though the bill states the patients’ responses would not prevent them from receiving care or be reported to immigration authorities, Democrats argued it could be used in immigration enforcement efforts and have a chilling effect on patients. Hobbs noted in her veto letter that she’d already vetoed similar legislation the year before.

Senate Bill1056, budget unit; vacant positions; reporting

Senate Bill 1056 would have required the state department of administration to compile a list of vacant full-time positions in state government. Those positions would then be eliminated if they’d been vacant for at least 150 days. The bill passed out of the legislature on party lines. Hobbs noted in her veto letter that she’s already vetoed similar legislation. She added that the bill “does not accurately reflect the state’s merit-based hiring process” and would negatively impact state agencies.

Senate Bill 1078, public records; review standard

SB 1078 would have directed courts to conduct a “de novo” review in cases when a person is challenging a government or agency decision to deny requests for public records. That means the court would review the case without giving deference to the agency’s justifications for the denial. In a veto letter, Hobbs said the “courts are capable of addressing these issues and this bill is unnecessary.”

Senate Bill 1142, federal tax credit; authorization; scholarships

SB 1142 would have authorized Arizona to participate in a federal tax credit for individuals who make contributions of $1,700 or less to scholarship granting organizations, or SGOs, that provide scholarships for students to attend private schools or pay for other education-related expenses, like tutoring or supplies. Hobbs said she vetoed the bill because the federal government has not provided regulatory guidance and compared it to Arizona’s school voucher program. “We have seen what happens when these types of programs lack accountability, transparency, and oversight,” she wrote.

Senate Bill 1148, supreme court; attorney licensing

SB 1148 would have prohibited the Arizona Supreme Court from requiring attorneys to become a member of an organization, like the State Bar of Arizona, to practice law in the state. Hobbs said the bill “erodes the Supreme Court’s authority to execute the functions of the Judicial Branch.”

Senate Bill 1237, election procedures manual; consultation

Senate Bill 1237 would have required the secretary of state to consult with a new slate of officials before publishing election guidelines each cycle. Under current law, the secretary of state must consult with each county board of supervisors or other elections officer before publishing the annual election procedures manual. The manual must also be approved by the governor and the attorney general. The bill would add county recorders and high-ranking members of the state House and Senate elections committees to the list of people the secretary of state must consult with. In her veto letter, Hobbs called the bill unnecessary and noted that all lawmakers are allowed to submit comments on the draft manual.

Senate Bill 1293, GPLET; abatement; limitation

Arizona’s GPLET, or government property lease excise tax, abatement law allows developers to avoid paying property taxes for a period of time by selling their land to local governments and leasing back the property for qualified developments. The local government then abate, or forgive, local excise taxes for up to eight years. SB 1293 would prohibit the abatement of the portion of GPLET revenues that would have otherwise benefited local public schools. Hobbs has vetoed similar bills in the past and argued they would hurt economic development.

Senate Bill 1331, SNAP; mandatory employment and training.

Senate Bill 1331 would have increased work requirements for anyone enrolled in SNAP to remain eligible for benefits. Specifically, the department of economic security would have required able-bodied recipients under 60 to participate in employment and training programs. The bill also outlined some exceptions, such as recipients who are also full time students ,or actively participating in rehab. The bill passed out of the legislature on party lines. In her veto letter, Hobbs asked lawmakers to focus on making costs lower for Arizonans. She also said that DES is already careful about making sure SNAP recipients are eligible, making the bill unnecessary.

Senate Bill 1334, SNAP; work requirement waivers; exemptions.

Senate Bill 1334 would have prevented the state department of economic security from accepting SNAP work requirement waivers if the applicant is an able-bodied adult without dependents, unless they meet specific exemptions. It passed out of the legislature on party lines. Hobbs said in her veto letter that DES is already careful about making sure SNAP recipients are eligible, making the bill unnecessary.

Senate Bill 1439, Charlie Kirk memorial; special plate

Senate Bill 1439 would have created a special license plate in honor of late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated in 2025. Revenue from the “conservative grassroots network” plate would have gone to Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk cofounded. The bill passed out of the state Legislature on party lines without Democratic support. Hobbs condemned Kirk’s assassination and called it a “tragic and horrifying act of violence.” However, she wrote that the bill would insert politics into a part of government which should remain nonpartisan.

Senate Bill 1586, state agencies; guidance; website

SB 1586 would have required state agencies to create a space on their websites to post all guidance created by the agency and any guidance it receives from the federal government. Hobbs called the bill “overly broad.”

Senate Bill 1787, exactions; individualized determinations; appeal

The legislation, sponsored by Senate President Warren Petersen, would have reformed Arizona’s exaction laws, or laws that allow local governments to require developers to provide public benefits in order to develop land. Petersen said the bill was backed by the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona. Hobbs vetoed the bill, stating the bill “fails to improve zoning processes or accelerate the development of new housing.”