By Howard Fischer
Capitol Media Services
PHOENIX -- Patients showing up at Arizona hospitals won't be asked if they are in this country legally.
In one of 35 new vetoes late Monday, Gov. Katie Hobbs rejected a proposal by Sen. Wendy Rogers to require hospitals that accept Medicaid -- a program funded in part with federal dollars -- to inquire about a patient's immigration status.
The Flagstaff Republican said nothing in someone's answer would result in denial of medical care. Nor, she said, would it lead to hospital officials calling immigration authorities.
Instead, said Rogers, it would give the state an idea of the costs of illegal immigration on the state.
Hobbs pointed out that people who are not here legally generally do not qualify for Medicaid. But there is some concern that hospitals can get stuck with the bills when patients show up, particularly in emergency situations, and are unable to pay.
The governor also said that the legislation was opposed by business leaders, hospitals and others "who understand that immigration enforcement is best left to federal law enforcement and not health care professionals.''
This and other vetoes Monday bring her tally this session up to 123. That is just 20 shy of the record the governor set in her first year in office in 2023.
In other gubernatorial action, the governor refused to bar cities from making cuts in how much money they put into law enforcement.
The measure would have outlawed year-over-year cuts in what cities spent on police services. And to ensure compliance, it would have required the state treasurer to cut that community's state aid by an equal amount.
Rep. David Marshall has championed the measure now for two years. The Snowflake Republican said he wants to short-circuit "defund the police'' movements that have occurred elsewhere.
Marshall conceded that has not occurred elsewhere. But he said he wanted to be proactive and ensure that "activists'' in Arizona do not convince city councils to divert funding elsewhere.
Lobbyists for cities were opposed, at least in part because they said these decisions should be made on the local level. But they also expressed concern that it would stifle efforts to move certain functions, like code enforcement, from sworn officers to civilian employees.
Hobbs, in her veto message, said she has "consistently advocated'' for increased funding for law enforcement but believes the bill "undermines local decision making which is needed for public safety agencies to operate efficiently.''
The governor, in absolutely no surprise, also vetoed two related measures.
One would tell teachers they cannot use pronouns for students or a first name that does do not reflect their "biological sex'' absent parental permission. The other says students cannot use bathrooms and locker rooms
that do not match their biological sex.
Both are repeat of what has become perennial legislation by Sen. John Kavanagh. The Fountain Hills Republican said the first one respects the rights of parents to decide issues for their children; the second prevents students -- mainly girls -- from having to share locker rooms with biological males.
The governor did not address either contention. Instead, she said in identical veto messages that the bills "will not increase opportunity, security or freedom for Arizonans'' and encouraging them to focus on legislation to lower costs, protect the border, create jobs and "secure our water future.''
That last theme also found its way into Hobbs' veto of four measures making changes in groundwater regulations.
The governor has acknowledged there are issues, particularly in rural areas. But she said what is needed is a comprehensive plan.
"To see more effort misspent on pointless bills that would only weaken groundwater protections or duplicate existing programs is a continued affront to rural Arizonans who have asked their legislators for years to address rural groundwater problems,'' the governor wrote.
Also rejected was a perennial effort to allow those who have state permits to carry a concealed weapon to bring them on to college and university campuses.
Proponents have argued that having such people on campuses keeps them safe. But foes noted that Arizona has some of the laxest standards in the country to get a permit, with no actual requirement to show the ability to use the gun.
"This bill could lead to increased risk on campus and other unintended consequences,'' the governor wrote.
Hobbs also nixed legislation to remove a prohibition against Arizonans owning "muffling devices,'' more commonly known as silencers.
These devices are legal under federal law, though buyers must go through a more-intensive screening than the one required to purchase just any weapon. That did not impress the governor.
"Gun silencers make it more difficult for hard-working law enforcement offices to do their job and keep
Arizonans safe,'' Hobbs wrote.
She also rejected a related bill that would have barred the government and certain private entities from creating a legal distinction between those who sell guns and all other types of retailers. The governor said these "merchant categories codes'' are "vital tools that help law enforcement identify perpetrators of illegal activity, including mass shootings.''
Other measures meeting with the governor's displeasure include:
- Restricting the ability of the Arizona Corporation Commission to advocate for legislation without first having a public vote. The governor said it would be "stifling'' the agency's ability to provide lawmakers with necessary feedback.
- Giving school board members access to all information and records so they can carry out their duties. Hobbs said she won't provide such blanket access to "sensitive records without compelling reasons and sufficient guardrails.''
- Allowing attorneys who win disputes in disciplinary matters with the State Bar of Arizona to recover not only their legal fees and court costs but also be reimbursed for lost earning and allow the lawyers to sue for damages to their reputations. Hobbs said this appears to be aimed at a case involving one attorney who peddled "conspiracy theories.'' "Attorneys who speak honestly and practice with dignity have nothing to worry about,'' she said.
- Permitting the state to accept cryptocurrency as a method of payment. Hobbs said even with certain built-in protections "it still leaves the door open for too much risk.''
- Prohibiting courts in domestic relations cases from ordering a party to pay for any type of therapy, treatment or counseling program designed to improve or maintain the parent-child relationship. The governor said this is a bill designed to address one specific situation and urged lawmakers to work the courts and judges to "better understand existing practices aimed to support the best interests of children.''
- Making health care professionals personally liable for costs of "detransition procedures'' for minors who underwent gender transition. Hobbs said existing medical malpractice laws already provide a right to sue when patients say they had not given "informed consent'' to a procedure.
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