Center Square News

(The Center Square) - The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary recently passed an Arizona congressman's resolution to keep the number of Supreme Court justices at nine.

H.J. Res. 1 proposes amending the U.S. Constitution to require that the Supreme Court always have nine justices and no more than that number. If passed, this would be the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. To be adopted, the proposed amendment needs two-thirds support in both the House and Senate, followed by approval from at least 38 states.

U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, the resolution’s sponsor, said America’s founders “built a system of checks and balances to protect citizens from concentrated power – a central part being the U.S. Supreme Court, whose duty is to defend the rights and freedoms of every American, not to serve as a political tool for any party.”

Article III of the Constitution established the Supreme Court, but lets Congress determine how to organize it. The Judiciary Act of 1789 put six justices in the court, and other laws changed the number until Congress decided there would be nine justices in the Judiciary Act of 1869. The number has stayed the same since then.

“The judiciary was designed to be the quiet guardian of liberty, insulated from the passions of the moment. Unfortunately, special interests have been increasing their attacks on the court, threatening to pack this iconic American institution to ensure favorable outcomes for their causes,” Biggs told The Center Square on Wednesday.

Democrats and Republicans have talked about packing the court, Biggs said. He explained that means expanding the number of justices “on the court and then make sure they’re ideologically in line with whoever’s proposing the packing scheme."

He said Democrats “are pretty adamant” about wanting to expand the justices beyond nine.

Biggs added that there's nothing new about people perceiving the Supreme Court as political. What makes him nervous, Biggs said, is when politically-minded people want other politically-minded people to become justices.

The congressman, who's also a gubernatorial candidate in Arizona, said his resolution will preserve the "court's legitimacy, preserve the checks and balances that safeguard our cherished freedoms and ensure every American's rights remain secure – no matter who holds political power.”

Looking ahead, Biggs said he thinks he can get a vote on his resolution in the full House, but does not believe he has enough votes for it to pass.

Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, said he did not think Biggs’ resolution had enough support to become a constitutional amendment.

According to its website, Fix the Court is a nonprofit that advocates for the U.S. Supreme Court to be “more open and more accountable to the American people.”

Roth said his organization did not favor the resolution because it would interfere with Fix the Court's proposal to limit Supreme Court justices' terms to 18 years via statue.

Federal law and Supreme Court precedent prevent the lifetime tenures of current justices from being ended, Roth told The Center Square.

Fix the Court supports a bill by U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Santa Clara, Calif., that would temporarily expand the court until it would have nine justices serving 18-year term limits, he noted.

The executive director said Biggs’ resolution would make it harder to enact term limits at the Supreme Court.

According to Roth, lifetime tenures don’t “make sense anymore.”

“The Supreme Court has way too much power to have individuals on it be serving 35 years,” Roth said.

He added that for the first 200 years of America’s existence, the average tenure of a justice was around 16 years.

Lifetime tenures are “anti-democratic” and “not what the [Founding] Fathers envisioned,” he said.

“The Supreme Court is a political animal like any other government agency," Roth explained. "It needs to be treated as such, which means there should be some basic guardrails when it comes to the amount of time individuals can serve there."

(The Center Square) – Americans and parents continue to value career readiness and life skills for their children and continue to support Education Savings Accounts for school choice, according to a new survey released by EdChoice and Morning Consult.

The survey also found that across the nation, more parents like the use of artificial intelligence at schools.

The findings come from monthly surveys conducted in partnership with Morning Consult between March and May. Researchers surveyed approximately 2,250 adults and 1,300 school parents nationwide each month.

Bullying was the leading reason parents reported switching their child's school, cited by 33% of respondents, while 24% said they changed schools because their child's academic needs were not being met.

The survey also found growing support for technology in education. Sixty percent of school parents said they support the use of artificial intelligence in classrooms, an increase of five percentage points since November. Support for cellphones in the classroom also rose by five points.

At the same time, there is a big divide on using AI in the classroom. More private school parents - 77% of them, in fact - supported allowing their child to use AI for school work than public school parents. For the latter group, 53% liked the use of AI.

“Schools are trying to figure out how to navigate that intersection, and the tech is moving so fast,” Colyn Ritter, a research analyst at EdChoice, told The Center Square. “I think that ambiguity in that time spent trying to figure out what's the best way to navigate AI in the classroom is probably wearing a little bit on the parents, and they’re concerned, saying, ‘Why is my child using AI in one class, and then they're not in the next? What's the policy here?’ Whereas a private school can meet quicker, and they can figure out the policy quicker.”

Parents appear divided on whether schools are adequately preparing students for life after high school.

Around 50% of school parents said students are prepared to work effectively with others and navigate adult life. About one-third of Americans overall said students are well prepared in those areas.

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne believes that AI cannot replace teachers, but it can help them accomplish more.

Because AI is an emerging technology, it must be used carefully, Horne said in comments provided by Rick Medina, the Arizona Department of Education communications director, to The Center Square.

Only 28% of school parents said earning a four-year college degree is important for building a career.

Respondents placed greater importance on developing a strong work ethic and gaining real-world job experience. More than half, 54% of school parents, said their child's K-12 school is doing a good job preparing students for careers and the workforce.

The survey also highlighted that 53% of parents deem a strong work ethic as essential, while 43% emphasized the value of gaining real-world work experience. About 35% highlighted the importance of mentors and professional connections and 30% of technical training programs.

Horne also emphasized the importance of preparing students for multiple pathways after graduation, including college and workforce entry. Career and Technical Education remains a major focus for the Arizona Department of Education.

“We have made it a priority to expand Career and Technical Education in Arizona, with the goal of helping students who do not choose college obtain a skill that will enable the student to get a well-paying job out of high school,” Horne told The Center Square.

Ritter said some parents may also be questioning whether increased public school spending has translated into better educational outcomes

“Public school spending has gone to the point where in New York, they're spending $30,000 a kid. Do those parents feel like they're getting a $30,000 education?” Ritter said.

Support for Education Savings Accounts for school choice has continued to be a bipartisan issue, and according to the survey, 77% of self-identified MAGA supporters and 75% of liberals and progressives expressed support for ESAs.

Ritter told The Center Square that the growing interest in ESAs reflects parents' desire for more flexibility in how and where their children learn.

Unlike traditional vouchers, ESAs can often be used for a range of educational expenses, including homeschooling and private school tuition, among other things.

(The Center Square) - The Arizona Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case about whether a university professor has legal standing to sue his employer after being forced to take diversity, equity and inclusion training courses.

Arizona’s highest court will hear oral arguments in Anderson v. Arizona Board of Regents on Sept. 1. Arizona State University professor Owen Anderson, who teaches philosophy and religious studies, sued the Arizona Board of Regents in 2024 over being required to complete DEI training.

Anderson previously told The Center Square that the DEI training he had to take singled out white skin “as something that could be morally judged” and had “anti-Christian rhetoric.”

Jon Riches, an attorney for the Goldwater Institute who is working on the case, told The Center Square on Tuesday that the Arizona Board of Regents sought to dismiss Anderson’s lawsuit after he filed it, saying he did not have any legal basis to bring it.

The trial court ruled against the board, but an appeals court reversed that ruling in 2025, he added. The Goldwater Institute, based in Phoenix, filed its petition with the state Supreme Court in February.

Anderson said he is “very excited and happy” that the Arizona Supreme Court announced it will hear his case.

The case is important for employees' rights, the professor said.

“What’s at stake right now is that if I don’t have any standing, this means that every ASU employee loses standing going forward. ASU is trying to position itself to be untouchable legally by any of its employees,” he noted.

The professor said he has told his colleagues that if he loses, they would not be able to sue the university in the future if they were required to take “Trump-training” courses.

If the Arizona Supreme Court rules against Anderson in the case, it will have “devastating consequences,” according to Riches. He added that it would prevent state workers from having any cause of action.

“We are hopeful the court will clarify that people like Anderson can vindicate their rights in court and have cause of action to challenge,” Riches noted.

If the Arizona Supreme Court rules in favor of Anderson, Riches said Anderson’s legal case would return to the trial court to determine whether ASU violated state law by requiring the professor to undergo the training.

“State law is very clear that a public university in Arizona can’t require its employees to undergo discriminatory training, yet ASU was requiring just that,” Riches said.

“We think it’s pretty clear it does," he added. "This training was pretty abysmal and included all sorts of discriminatory language."

Anderson told The Center Square that ASU “should not be allowed to require training that engages in moral blame by saying that people can be morally assessed based on skin color.”

“That sentence should be obvious to everybody, but the universities have been getting away with it if the skin color is white,” he said.

“Those days need to end as soon as possible,” the professor noted.

The Center Square reached out to ASU, but did not hear back before press time.

(The Center Square) - The Arizona Legislature has agreed to a new $18.29 billion bipartisan budget, making the state the first in America to fully implement President Donald Trump’s tax cuts.

The budget will deliver approximately $1.45 billion in tax relief for Arizonans over the next four years and limit spending growth to 3.05%.

State senators and state representatives are expected to vote on Thursday to give final approval to the Fiscal Year 2027 budget.

“Republicans came into this session focused on affordability, responsible spending, public safety, school choice and protecting taxpayers from new taxes and fees," said House Speaker Steve Montenegro, R-Surprise.

“This agreement reflects those priorities and shows what can be achieved through serious negotiations in divided government,” Montenegro said, answering The Center Square's questions by email.

“The process still needs to play out, but this is a responsible budget agreement that moves Arizona in the right direction and puts families and taxpayers first,” he added.

Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, called the budget agreement one that will “put Arizona first and deliver opportunity, security and freedom to communities throughout the state.”

“This bipartisan compromise shows what we can do when we put common sense before political games and focus on delivering real results for our communities,” Hobbs said. “It will put money back in the pockets of Arizona families and lower costs, make our communities safer and protect the vital services that Arizonans rely on.”

She noted she is looking forward in the upcoming days to “working with legislators in both parties to pass this bipartisan budget agreement that will make Arizona stronger, safer and more prosperous.”

With the budget fully conforming to Trump’s tax cuts made in H.R. 1, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in 2025, Arizonans will not have to pay taxes on tips or overtime or refile their 2025 taxes.

Furthermore, the proposed budget includes a higher standard deduction and a new childcare deduction.

The budget also expands charitable giving deductions and property tax relief for veterans. The proposal also includes a three-year pause on sales tax exemptions for data centers while still allowing them to be built.

The budget limits Arizona’s net outgoing spending by $68 million and stops or tweaks over $3 billion in proposed executive tax increases, fees and expansions over the next three years.

The budget also gives $112 million to corrections operations, $23 million to victims of crime assistance, $58 million for child safety operations and $4.3 million to rural hospitals.

Regarding waste, fraud and abuse, the budget includes reforms such as enhanced eligibility requirements for state Medicaid and food stamp benefits.

"This budget puts real teeth behind our commitment to accountability," said Senate Majority Leader John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills. "By strengthening eligibility checks for Medicaid and SNAP, rooting out waste, and rejecting billions in new spending and tax hikes, we're ensuring taxpayer dollars go to the services Arizonans actually need, not to bloated bureaucracy or ineligible recipients."

The budget proposal does not make changes to Arizona’s school choice program, which has over 100,000 participants.

“Whether it's the enhanced child tax credit, the new childcare deduction, relief for disabled veterans or protecting school choice opportunities for parents, this budget puts families first," said Senate Majority Whip Frank Carroll, R-Surprise.

“We are making it easier for people to afford the things that matter most while continuing to invest in public safety and Arizona's future," he added.

On the other side, Senate Democratic Leader Priya Sundareshan, D-Tucson, said the budget is “better because Democrats fought for it.”

“We fought until the very end to protect the programs people rely on and make Arizona more affordable,” she said.

Arizona Senate Democrats said they safeguarded healthcare coverage for 40,000 state residents, preserved Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, secured the sales tax exemption clause for data centers and provided millions of dollars in investment for Arizona’s public schools.

“The difference is clear,” Sundareshan said. “Republicans fought for corporate tax breaks. Democrats fought for working families."

(The Center Square) - Maricopa County's proposed $4.157 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2027 is up $150 million from FY 2026. But the county says it's lowering the overall property tax rate.

The county's Phoenix-based Board of Supervisors adopted the tentative budget in May and is scheduled to vote on final approval on June 22.

Maricopa County said it's setting the tax rate to collect the same level of money on existing properties as it did in FY 2021.

The county is getting new revenue from taxes on new construction and growth in the county, according to Kate Brophy McGee, chair of the county Board of Supervisors. She discussed the budget with The Center Square.

The FY 2027 budget proposal levies property taxes at a level $278.4 million below the maximum the county could receive from them.

Page Patterson Gonzales, chief of staff for Brophy McGee, told The Center Square by email that Maricopa County is “collecting the same amount of tax revenue from existing properties” as it did in FY 2021.

“Existing property owners are not saving on taxes," Gonzales said. "Property values went up significantly in the last few years, and the board cut the rate to try to mitigate the impact on taxpayers."

Supervisor Debbie Lesko added that keeping residents’ “taxes as low as possible has always been one” of her top priorities.

"This year, we are once again voting to cut your property tax rate, showing that Maricopa County leads the way in fiscal responsibility," she said.

Brophy McGee told The Center Square that the 2027 budget's $150 million increase over the 2026 budget is due to inflation and state-mandated costs that make up 20% of the county's budget. She said state-mandated costs have increased by almost 47% over the last five years.

The two drivers of the increase are “behavioral health and long-term care for the elderly,” according to Brophy McGee.

She noted the county rejected an estimated $50 million in new money requests. She added that the board knew that developing a budget for FY 2027 would not be easy.

“To best serve our taxpayers, we had to say ‘no’ to most [new] spending requests," she said. "However, I am proud we found efficiencies to ensure we provide the same level of services and give some relief to taxpayers while safeguarding against an economic downturn."

She noted the county is not in debt.

Brophy McGee called the proposal a “very lean budget,” with its primary income coming from state shared revenues and property taxes.

The budget continues the county’s funding for correctional health services to help reduce inmate intake time.

Brophy McGee said the county hired contract nurses and additional staff at jails to allow prisoners to be checked in immediately, rather than having police officers wait around to check them in.

The program has reduced inmate intake time by 40%, according to a Maricopa County press release.

The FY 2027 budget includes one-time funding for the West Valley Animal Shelter and Vulture Mountains Recreation Area.

The budget allocates $30.7 million to Vulture Mountains Recreation Area, which is under development near Phoenix. The budget also provides $5.3 million for a new animal shelter, also near Phoenix. The shelter is set to open during summer 2028.

Maricopa County’s budget will also provide one-time funding for two pilot programs.

The first program seeks to reduce the shortage in beds and treatment delays for people experiencing serious mental health issues. Brophy McGee said the program's funding is $600,000.

The second program will help people facing eviction in the city of Phoenix. The program, which is the result of a city-county partnership, is projected to cost the county $800,000.

(The Center Square) - Additional regulations around a federal law allowing Native American tribes to retrieve ancestral and cultural items are harming scientific research, according to a new report.

The Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute released a report showing how extra regulations surrounding the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act have hindered research into Native American history.

Congress passed NAGPRA in 1990, which “has provided for the protection and return of Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects and objects of cultural patrimony,” according to the National Park Service.

Elizabeth Weiss, a retired professor of anthropology from San Jose State University and the Goldwater Institute report’s author, wrote that the interpretations of NAGPRA have changed over time.

In 2023, the Biden administration implemented regulations that expanded Native American tribes' role in research. Scientists were not allowed to do research on Native American remains and cultural items without seeking tribal approval, according to the report.

The regulation also implemented duty-of-care rules requiring museums to consult with tribal members regarding the “storage, treatment, or handling of human remains or cultural items.”

Weiss told The Center Square that the duty-of-care regulation has caused a “widespread closing or shutting of museum exhibits.”

The report cited examples not intended to be covered by the original NAGPRA that have been claimed for repatriation by tribes, such as animal remains, soil and plant samples and fossilized feces.

In addition, the report noted that Paleoindian remains and fossils, some of which are 100,000 years old, are being reburied by tribes that were not in existence during that time period.

Weiss also noted other “strange things” are starting to creep into anthropology, such as new rules where women who are menstruating are not supposed to handle artifacts or talk about sacred topics.

Many Native American tribes claim their cultures have “taboos against menstruating women handling artifacts, seeing certain artifacts, hearing certain information and talking about certain things,” Weiss told The Center Square.

According to Weiss, the abuses of the original 1990 law made her think these new regulations “must be stopped” and that they should be returned to the law’s “original intention.”

Weiss said the “Native American repatriation activists have too much power.”

“They’re basically the academics, and the curators have been told that they must defer to what the Native Americans they’re consulting with say,” she noted.

In Arizona, Weiss said the Arizona State Museum, which oversees NAGPRA rules in the state, has changed its guidance for curators.

The museum has “redefined what research means,” the retired professor said.

The report alleged that the Arizona State Museum is repatriating items that were not included in the original NAGPRA, such as ancient remains without tribal affiliation, legally purchased eagle feathers from the 1930s, and scientific and research materials.

“The consequences are now visible across Arizona’s research institutions. Research on Arizona’s prehistoric past has largely ceased, Native American art associated with museum collections has declined in visibility, and science museums are increasingly turning away from scientific interpretation and toward spiritual or animistic creation narratives to explain the desert’s natural history,” Weiss wrote in her report.

Weiss told The Center Square that “Native Americans and non-Native Americans are not being told the real science, and the real history of [Arizona].

“They’re being misled by activists who don’t want certain unsavory facts to come up to be seen,” she said.

The Center Square reached out to the Arizona State Museum for comment, but did not hear back before press time.

If these policies continue, Weiss said, Americans will “lose the ability to study skeletal remains and artifacts through archaeological methods and forensic anthropology methods.”

The anthropology industry will lose the “ability to properly train the next generation of forensic anthropologists and archaeologists,” she said.

Weiss noted she is concerned scientists in the anthropology industry will be ideologically driven.

“Anthropology has unfortunately become the study of self," she said. "We have people who have decided that they want to study anthropology to understand their own modern identity politics better as opposed to what people’s lives were like in the past."

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include more information from the Bezos Academy.

(The Center Square) - The Goldwater Institute is suing Phoenix after the city entered into a contract with a company to buy land in the heart of its downtown at a discounted rate.

The Phoenix nonprofit is accusing the city of selling the land to Pennrose, an out-of-state developer, at a discounted rate with no public benefit in return.

Phoenix sold the land to Pennrose for $1.5 million, even though its market value was around $4.8 million, according to the lawsuit.

If the court rules in favor of the Goldwater Institute, Phoenix would need to “find a purchaser for the land that’s willing to actually spend the value that land is worth," said Tony Napolitano, an attorney for the Goldwater Institute.

This means the deal between Phoenix and Pennrose would be voided.

The Center Square reached out to Phoenix, but the city declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.

The legal case “is not about what the developer’s plans are so much as the insufficiency of what [the developer is] giving to the city in exchange,” Napolitano told The Center Square during an interview.

Napolitano noted that, to his knowledge, Pennrose has not built anything on the land it acquired but is instead in the inspection stage of the deal.

The Goldwater Institute argued in its lawsuit that the Arizona Constitution’s Gift Clause prevents the state government or other local government entities from “making any donation or subsidy to private parties without receiving direct and proportionate consideration in return.”

“By proceeding with this transaction, the city is conferring a substantial financial benefit on a private developer at the expense of taxpayers, while receiving no direct, enforceable and proportionate economic return,” the lawsuit said. The suit was filed May 26 in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix.

Napolitano said the project needs to serve a public purpose.

The Arizona Supreme Court, in a 2020 case called Schires v. Carlat, determined that a public benefit “must equal the amount of value the city or other government subdivision is giving away,” the attorney said.

Schires v. Carlat concerned the Arizona city of Peoria's use of an economic development plan to entice the Indiana-based Huntington University to open a branch campus in the city.

The Schires v. Carlat decision limited the extent to which Arizona local governments could use taxpayer money to entice private companies for economic development.

According to Napolitano, the deal between the Phoenix and Pennrose does not “establish a reason for a $3.3 million discount on this piece of land.”

The lawsuit said Pennrose claims the public benefit would be the revenue stream it generates from the project.

Pennrose listed three potential public benefit sources: “the value of free [early childhood] education, the value of the free lease to Bezos Academy, and the residual value of the permanent affordable units,” the lawsuit said. It added that the affordable housing would be for the LGBTQ+ community.

The Bezos Academy does not plan to open a location at the proposed Pennrose development in Phoenix, spokesperson Aarti Chandorkar told The Center Square Friday afternoon.

Napolitano told The Center Square that he could not see “how a single company receiving a revenue stream from other citizens is a public benefit.”

“If that were true, then literally every business would have a public benefit it could claim just by operating in Phoenix,” he noted.

“[Phoenix] is just giving over $3 million worth of land to a private group without the public having the chance to benefit from that value,” he added.

The “public should be able to take the proceeds from that and turn it into something that actually benefits people,” Napolitano noted.

In addition to accusing Phoenix of violating the Gift Clause, the Goldwater Institute’s lawsuit also claims the agreement is violating state law that prevents cities from mandating “residential units to be designated for lease or sale to a particular class of residents.”

(The Center Square) - Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap is asking a court to hold the county Board of Supervisors in contempt for failing to follow a court order on running elections.

In April, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney ordered the board to hand over Heap’s "IT [information technology] staff, servers, databases, software and websites” so the recorder could carry out his actions “independently” of the supervisors.

According to Heap, the board has still not complied since the judge ruled supervisors must hand back control of certain election functions to the Recorder's Office.

The Phoenix-based board, which governs Arizona's most populous county, is currently appealing the judge’s decision.

Heap told The Center Square that the board has been given ample time to comply with the court order.

But he added the board “seems intent on trying to hold on to the powers that the court” has already told the board it doesn’t have and “keep everything the same until [the county is] too far into this election [cycle] to make substantial changes.”

"Seeking a contempt order was not my first choice," Heap said."For more than a year, my office has repeatedly attempted to resolve these issues through meetings, proposed Shared Services Agreements, direct negotiations and even offers of mediation."

“Unfortunately, despite a clear court order, key personnel, systems and resources necessary for the Recorder's Office to perform what is our statutory duties have still not been returned,” he added.

If the court finds the board members in contempt, Heap said the judge will “give them a specific timeframe to comply with things that are asked.”

“We just want the board to comply with what they were ordered by the court,” he said.

This ongoing dispute between the board and his office is “not helpful to the good administration of elections,” he noted.

Supervisor Mark Stewart told The Center Square this week that he thought Heap’s legal action seeking to hold the board in contempt was “a little aggressive.”

“I understand his frustration with [the board] not accepting the order, but at the end of the day, voters don’t really care about all this infighting,” he said.

Stewart noted that Heap’s actions are hurting relationships between the two sides, adding that legal action is not the best way to resolve the dispute.

The board and Heap should have been having these conversations back in 2025, Stewart said.

After Heap sued the board, Stewart said people “dug their heels in” rather than “getting serious” about negotiations. “It’s unfortunate."

“The court has provided clarity. It’s our responsibility to provide leadership." Stewart told The Center Square. "What I’ve noticed is that when communication breaks down, trust breaks down. When trust breaks down, voters lose confidence, and that’s where we’re at today. There’s no winner in this."

He noted board members will “likely meet as a group” to get a legal briefing next week.

Heap said he has not had any conversation with board members since filing the legal request.

However, he told The Center Square that he has requested the board “schedule a meeting with both parties, their staff, and their respective legal counsel to discuss an operational plan for the coming election.”

“Some members of the board are calling for a series of televised public meetings to discuss election administration," Heap said. "The court has encouraged the parties to work together, and I agree with that objective. But public hearings are designed for public debate, not negotiation."

Heap noted he is prepared to work with board members “at any time to ensure successful elections for Maricopa County voters.” However, he said board members need to “be willing to accept the court’s ruling and return the staff, systems and resources [the Recorder's] office needs to carry out [the recorder's] statutory duties.”

Despite the ongoing dispute between Heap and board members, Heap said he thinks “both sides want to make sure [the county has] smooth and clean elections.”

The recorder said the dispute “will not affect how people vote.”

(The Center Square) - Maricopa County has partnered with the city of Phoenix to launch a new pilot program to help people facing eviction.

The Eviction Diversion Pilot Program will focus on Phoenix ZIP codes with the highest level of eviction cases.

According to Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chair Kate Brophy McGee, county justice courts have processed over 80,000 eviction filings for three consecutive years.

“This pilot [program] aims to address our eviction crisis head-on with interventions that are sustainable and effective. They are a hand up, not a hand out,” she said.

Tamara Bridwell, the director of Maricopa County Human Services, told The Center Square that the program would allow the courts to “intervene to see if a landlord is willing to participate” in it.

If the landlord decides to participate in the program, the county “would pay back rent on behalf of the tenant,” with the funds coming from a third party, she said.

In these situations, the third party could be a nonprofit or governmental agency, Bridwell said.

She noted the county is modeling its eviction program after the Texas Eviction Diversion Program, which was used during the COVID-19 pandemic to help Texans pay rent and prevent evictions. The program ended in 2023.

Texas’ program used early eviction techniques and collaborated with state courts, landlords, tenants and others.

According to Bridwell, a stakeholder work group has been working on the county’s program since November 2025. The work group includes a mix of nonprofits, private businesses and local government entities, she added.

Bridwell said what the program will look like is still being worked out.

The work group is requesting a one-time budget adjustment of $800,000 for the county’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget, Bridwell noted. Maricopa County’s full budget will be passed on June 22.

The program could help an estimated 200 households avoid eviction, Bridwell told The Center Square

The county wants to “serve as many households” as it can, but the program is small, she said.

Maricopa County seeks to ensure the program can be implemented locally and will “yield the best results for all parties involved,” such as families, landlords and courts, Bridwell said.

She added that the county will collect data on the program to determine whether it can expand it in the future.

Vice Mayor Kesha Hodge Washington said eviction, along with housing, disrupts “employment, education, health and entire neighborhoods.”

“The data is clear: Preventative measures such as eviction diversion are far more effective and cost-efficient than relying on after-the-fact interventions to address displacement and homelessness,” she said.

Bridwell said she did not think the program would hurt landlords because they have been a part of the work group.

“We feel strongly that we’re going to build a program that helps alleviate the impact of evictions,” she said.

“Landlords in Maricopa County face substantial financial losses every time an eviction occurs,” she said.

Bridwell added that the program helps stabilize matters between tenants and landlords by providing access to supportive services.

(The Center Square) - Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes sued numerous large healthcare companies, alleging they engaged in price-fixing.

The attorney general’s lawsuit accused healthcare cost-management company Multiplan and healthcare insurers such as Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare and others of using a shared algorithm to decide how much patients paid for out-of-network care.

Mayes alleged the healthcare insurers used an identical formula and data and allocated payment decisions to Multiplan, resulting in limited pay across the industry.

“MultiPlan and major insurance companies across Arizona allegedly conspired to keep payments to providers low in a scheme to pad their profit margins,” said the Democratic attorney general.

“By using a shared algorithm to set payments, these companies harmed doctors and patients alike — driving up patients’ risk of paying more out‑of‑pocket costs, depriving providers of fair payment and sometimes forcing them to accept payment below the costs incurred for treatment, and making it harder for Arizonans to get the care they needed,” Mayes said.

“This case is another example of old-fashioned price-fixing using new technology, but it’s against the law all the same,” the attorney general noted.

According to the lawsuit, over the last 10 years, defendants’ “repricing scheme has placed an enormous burden on Arizona’s healthcare system.”

“Arizona residents bear the costs: patients forego needed treatment and grow sicker; patients accrue medical debt; hospitals and other medical facilities, including state-run facilities, face provider shortages; patients are unable to pay their providers; providers’ quality of care diminishes; hospitals and other medical practices close; and healthcare providers and their businesses cannot make ends meet,” the lawsuit said.

Arizona is asking a court for a permanent injunction against the alleged price-fixing scheme and for the defendants to return money to people allegedly harmed by the scheme. The state is also seeking to impose civil penalties on the defendants and to require them to surrender profits from the alleged scheme.

Jen O’Conner, the vice president of brand marketing for Multiplan, told The Center Square by email that the allegations made by Mayes “are without merit, and the company stands by its position that it complies with state and federal antitrust laws.”

“It is not uncommon to see copycat complaints filed in matters such as these, and similar theories have previously been dismissed by courts,” O’Conner said.

She added that Multiplan “will defend” itself “through the legal process and will not comment further on the specifics of the complaint at this time.”

Multiplan remains “focused on working with clients and partners across the healthcare ecosystem to make healthcare more transparent, accessible, and affordable for consumers,” O’Conner said.

Arizona state Sen. Janae Shamp, R-Surprise, who is a nurse, told The Center Square via email that she is “deeply concerned about any practices that undermine fair reimbursement for providers and drive up costs for patients.”

“While Mayes' lawsuit against MultiPlan and major insurers raises important questions about out-of-network payment practices, it is troubling that she chooses to focus resources here while turning a blind eye to far more egregious and widespread fraud within our state's own government programs,” Shamp said.

“From wasteful spending in Medicaid to unchecked fraud in state contracts and bloated bureaucracies that bleed taxpayer dollars, Arizonans deserve an Attorney General who aggressively pursues every form of fraud — not just politically convenient targets in the private sector,” she noted.

Shamp urged Mayes to “address the real systemic failures in government-run healthcare before lecturing private companies.”

“Our rural hospitals and mental health providers are already strained; selective enforcement only exacerbates the crisis instead of solving it," she said.

(The Center Square) - Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bill into law that makes it easier to remove squatters from Arizonans’ property.

Senate Bill 1426 speeds up the process of expelling unauthorized tenants, also known as squatters.

SB 1426 says a person can be found guilty of forcible detainer for refusing to leave a property after being requested by the property owner or the owner’s agent.

The bill does not apply to current or former tenants or people who had a prior verbal or written agreement to “cohabitate with the property owner in that residential dwelling.”

Furthermore, SB 1426 does not apply to property owners’ immediate family members or people involved in pending litigation with property owners.

The bill does not adjust current landlord-tenant “rights and remedies” provided under Arizona law.

SB 1426 requires the Arizona Supreme Court to create rules to allow for quick resolution of squatting cases. If a court rules against an unauthorized tenant, it must issue a writ of restitution “immediately” right after judgment.

State Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, the sponsor of SB 1426, and supporters of the bill held a press conference on Monday to celebrate the bill's passage into law.

She said the SB 1426 closes loopholes, reduces regulation and provides Arizona property owners “the tools they need to protect” their property.

SB 1426 is a “major victory for Arizona homeowners, property rights [and] public safety,” Rogers noted.

The bill will allow Arizona property owners to get squatters out within days rather than weeks, she explained.

The senator said she did not have statistical data on the number of squatters in Arizona, but noted that it is “still a problem.”

With the governor signing the bill into law, Rogers said Arizona is “sending a clear message: Unlawful occupation of someone else’s property will not be tolerated.”

She added that this bill puts Arizona property owners “back in control of their property.”

D’Andrea Turner, who was a victim of a squatting crime in Arizona, said for people to be able to come into her house while she was away from it while taking care of an “elderly person was very heart-wrenching.”

She called the squatting incident a “horrendous experience” for her family. Turner noted the destruction done inside her home by the squatters was not covered by her insurance.

She said she ran into issues getting her property reinstated.

Turner, a real estate agent, thanked Rogers for helping to pass SB 1426.

“I want to be an advocate of protection. If we can protect each other, then this [doesn’t] have to happen because all of us work too hard,” she said.

Scott Blake, president of the Arizona Constables Association, thanked the governor and legislators for passing SB 1426.

The bill’s sped-up eviction process is a “huge help to those who have come and found unlawful occupants in their house,” he noted.

Blake said private property rights “are one of the cornerstones of a free society.”

“The ability to own, enjoy, sell or pass property to future generations is deeply rooted in both the United States Constitution and Arizona law,” he said.

Tim Beaubien, the senior director of government affairs for the Arizona Association of Realtors, said SB 1426’s bipartisan support “shows what an impact this is going to be for Arizona.”

He added that the Realtors association is glad to see the bill become law.

”We have, unfortunately, seen what happens when other states do not prioritize private property rights," Beaubien said. "The Arizona Realtors and the group standing behind you here today are going to continue to be a voice to ensure that does not happen in the great state of Arizona.”

(The Center Square) - An Arizona congressman and the state's superintendent of public instruction support a House-approved bill that prohibits the teaching of gender ideology in public schools.

In May, the U.S. House passed the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act by a vote of 217 to 198, with eight Democrats joining Republicans.

The bill is now being deliberated in the U.S. Senate. Under the legislation, public elementary and middle schools that receive federal funding would not be allowed to teach gender ideology.

U.S. Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Surprise, who voted for the bill, said he knows of “countless Arizona parents and grandparents who are fed up with what’s happening in their children’s classrooms — age-inappropriate gender ideology lessons that are leaving kids confused and families sidelined.”

“Some of these stories are coming out of the primary grades. These aren’t exaggerations — they’re real, they’re heartbreaking, and they’re happening right here in our communities. Parents know best, and their voices will be heard,” Hamadeh told The Center Square, answering questions via email.

The definition used for gender ideology in the bill is the same one used in President Donald Trump’s executive order that recognizes only two sexes.

Trump’s order defines gender ideology as a “biological category of sex with an ever-shifting concept of self-assessed gender identity, permitting the false claim that males can identify as and thus become women and vice versa, and requiring all institutions of society to regard this false claim as true.”

In addition to the ban on teaching gender ideology, the legislation requires public elementary and middle schools that receive federal funding to obtain parental permission before minors change their genders.

Parents would need to sign off on their children having the school change their gender on school records, the use of new pronouns and a preferred name at school and the use of a different bathroom and locker room.

The bill’s policies do not apply to high school students.

According to Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, the bill would prevent gender ideology from being taught in Arizona classrooms.

Horne, a Republican, called the legislation a “valuable bill.”

“You can imagine as a parent how upset you’d be if you found out your child changed gender identity without telling you and the school facilitated it. That would be an outrage,” he told The Center Square.

Horne said there is no way of officially knowing how big of a problem gender ideology being taught in classrooms is in Arizona.

The Arizona Department of Education does not keep statistics on the topic, Horne said.

According to Hamadeh, classrooms have “completely abandoned” common sense.

“I’d rather see our teachers properly trained on what belongs in a classroom and what doesn’t, but based on what I’m hearing from Arizona families, that’s not happening,” he said. “What we’re getting is indoctrination, not education. Our kids deserve better, and this bill delivers it.”

“Arizonans are united: Get radical gender ideology out of the classroom, put parents back in charge, and let our children actually learn,” the representative added.

Horne told The Center Square that the bill would not impact the rights of public school teachers.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled a teacher’s First Amendment rights are not violated by being required to follow a school’s curriculum, he noted.

A teacher is “being paid to do a job, and they don’t have the right to do anything they want in the classroom,” Horne explained.

The Center Square reached out to the Arizona Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, but did not hear back before press time.

(The Center Square) - A land-use attorney said one of Arizona’s top housing industries will not be stifled after the U.S. House modified a bipartisan housing bill

The U.S. House recently passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which seeks to limit institutional investors from buying single-family homes as well as reduce burdensome regulation, update federal government housing programs and provide banks with the ability to give more funding.

The House took up the Senate’s version of the bill, modified it and passed the amended bill 396–13. The bill has headed back to the Senate for further deliberations.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Shreveport, Louisiana, said the bill “is transformational legislation that will immediately address the housing affordability problem and bring the American Dream back within reach for millions of young and working American families.”

U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Inglewood, California, described the bill proposal as “the result of a broad, bipartisan and bicameral legislative process, and is a huge step towards finally addressing the affordable housing and homelessness crises in this country.”

“Americans deserve the peace of mind that comes with having a roof over their heads, the opportunity to build wealth through homeownership, and the dignity of knowing that working hard should be enough to afford a place to live,” she said.

A key change in the House’s version was the removal of a clause from the Senate’s version that restricted the build-to-rent industry, which consists of single-family residential communities intended for long-term rental rather than homeownership. These communities feature housing similar to cottages.

The House’s version no longer requires build-to-rent investors to sell their rentals within seven years if they own more than 350 units.

Adam Baugh, a partner of the Phoenix law firm Withey Morris Baugh PLC, told The Center Square that the House’s new version of the bill allows investors to build more units “without the pressure of knowing” that they would be required to sell these types of properties in seven years.

Baugh said people in Arizona's build-to-rent industry experienced a “sigh of relief” after the regulation was removed from the bill.

The House’s version does not include any provisions that would affect the build-to-rent industry in a negative way, he added.

The land-use attorney noted when investors learned they might be forced to sell inventory in seven years, they stopped investing in the industry and turned their attention to townhome communities.

Baugh said that if the provision were still in place, investors would have begun building housing with three or more units to circumvent the regulation.

“The ability to attract investors into that asset class immediately ceased,” Baugh explained.

The land-use attorney previously told The Center Square that Phoenix leads the nation in build-to-rent growth, with 30,000 units citywide and thousands more poised to enter the market.

The House’s bill “improves the outlook for the build-to-rent [industry] in the Phoenix area,” Baugh said.

While the bill is still working its way through Congress, people in Arizona’s build-to-rent industry are in “wait-and-see” mode until it becomes law, according to Baugh.

The House and Senate’s version of the bill proposal “differ materially,” he said.

Even though the provision has been removed in the House’s version, Baugh said he remains cautious about what the Senate will do.

(The Center Square) - Arizona experienced positive year-over-year job growth for the first time in eight months, according to a new report.

The Common Sense Institute Arizona released a report showing that Arizona gained 13,300 jobs year over year in April.

This marked the first time since August 2025 that Arizona saw positive year-over-year job growth.

Arizona grew by 0.41%, ranking 12th in America, the report said, adding that the state’s job growth outpaced the national average of 0.16%.

The April job numbers are more positive than the March statistics, which showed an 8,600-job decrease year over year, said Doug Walls, the labor market information director at the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity.

Walls told The Center Square that it has been harder for Arizonans to find new jobs with the decrease in hiring rates in recent years. However, he said numerous Arizona industries are “picking up steam.”

Walls said Arizona’s recent year-over-year job growth has been driven by private sector growth, which he called a “good sign.”

Arizona wants to see “the private sector growing a majority of the employment growth,” he explained.

Year over year in April, the industries that saw the biggest percentage of job growth were mining and logging at 7.74% and education and health services at 3.21%.

Arizona’s biggest industry - trade, transportation and utilities - saw a 0.5% decrease in year-over-year job growth.

But despite the news about job growth, Glenn Farley, CSI's director of policy and research, said Arizona's job market picture is not entirely rosy. He said the market has not grown for a while.

“Since early 2024 to today, Arizona’s job market trajectory is effectively flat,” Farley told The Center Square.

The year-over-year job losses for the trade, transportation and utilities industry reflects the “underlying trend” in Arizona’s economy, according to Farley.

One of the industries that shrank the most year over year was government, at a decline of 1.56%.

Walls said the government job losses reflect numbers at the federal, state and local levels. He added that job losses in education have contributed to the decline.

Another industry that experienced job loss was manufacturing. The industry shrank by 0.26% year over year.

From March to April, the report said Arizona gained 8,100 jobs, growing Arizona’s economy at 0.25%. This ranked 16th in the country.

Arizona’s April unemployment rate was 4.7%, which remained unchanged from March. Arizona is tied with Alaska and Massachusetts for the nation's 36th-lowest unemployment rate, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Arizona’s monthly job numbers are not providing much information about the state’s economy because of adjustments made to the job statistics by the federal government, Farley said.

He noted the “long-term trend numbers,” such as year-over-year job statistics, are “fairly reliable.”

(The Center Square) – Spending more taxpayer dollars doesn't make kids smarter, according to experts.

As K-12 test scores and student proficiency rates continue to decline nationwide, education experts question whether increased education funding is improving student outcomes or merely contributing to inefficiencies within the public school system.

National Assessment of Educational Progress data released in 2024 show that the average reading score for 12th-grade students fell three points since 2019 and is 10 points lower than the first assessment in 1992. Average math scores for 12th graders have also declined by three points since 2019.

Critics argue the issue is not a lack of funding, but how education dollars are being spent

“We don’t have an education funding problem. We have an education spending problem,” Ryan Walters, CEO of Teacher Freedom Alliance, told The Center Square.

Walters said increased funding has often gone toward administrative bloat rather than students and teachers. He said schools should be raising academic standards, improving accountability and implementing school choice programs to give parents more control over their children’s education.

"School choice is a huge factor in this. We need that universally across the country so that if schools are low performing and they don't want to shape up, parents should be able to take their kids somewhere else," Walters said.

School choice also puts parents in the driver seat of their kids' education, which can impact administrators responsiveness to decision making, Walters added.

Nationally, public K-12 schools spent almost $1 trillion in 2024, while the average per-pupil spending nears $18,000. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school revenue increased 16% between the 2010 and 2020 school years, adjusting for inflation.

Patrick Graff, senior fellow with the American Federation for Children, said the decline in student performance began before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Graff pointed to chronic absenteeism, increased classroom screen time and declining academic standards as major contributors to lower performances. According to NAEP, 31% of 12th-grade students reported missing three or more days of school in the month before taking the 2024 assessment.

Graff said accountability systems have weakened over time, as schools focus more on graduation rates and metrics. He pointed to the expansion of credit recovery programs, which allow students who fail a class to complete online coursework to regain credit.

“A graduation rate used to be a much stronger signal in terms of how well a high school is able to move their kids through and get them to reach a bar or graduation,” Graff said. “And over time, a lot of the standards underneath that high school graduation metric have really eroded.”

To ensure accountability, Graff said, schools should receive meaningful feedback from students, parents and teachers to encourage long-term academic growth rather than just meeting performance benchmarks.

Graff noted spending more money does not solve the underlying issues in public education.

“That is a big kind of background crisis within education right now. A lot of people are calling to just spend more, and they just trust that that will lead to better outcomes,” Graff said. “But there are many states in which they have spent a lot more, and they're doing a good bit worse.”

Graff pointed to Oregon as a “cautionary tale.”

Oregon

In Oregon, inflation-adjusted education spending has increased by roughly 45% over the past decade.

Per-pupil spending reached $17,988 during the 2022-23 school year, nearly double the amount spent two decades earlier, according to Common Sense Institute. Despite the increase, Oregon ranked in the bottom nationally in academic outcomes.

Statewide testing in Oregon showed 42.5% of students were proficient in English language arts and 31% were proficient in math.

The solution can’t be throwing more money into a broken system, Graff said.

“I think that has been the case in a lot of states where you don't have a system that is responsive enough to parents and students and their needs, and instead being more responsive to the needs of adults in the system,” he said.

The Center Square reached out to the Oregon Department of Education, but did not receive a response.

Arizona

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said that while increased education spending can be useful, accountability is necessary.

“Increased spending can have the effect of raising student performance, but only if it's used properly to have the academic result,” Horne told The Center Square in an exclusive interview. "Just spending by itself without any accountability can be a waste of money.”

Horne emphasized that his work in Arizona is focused on ensuring education funds are directed toward improving academic performance while maintaining accountability standards.

Like many other education experts, Horne argues that school choice can help restore high academic standards and create healthy competition among schools and students.

While proficiency levels remain below 50% in math and English, Arizona ranks second in the nation in education freedom, as previously reported by The Center Square. Arizona is set to spend $10 billion on K-12 spending, including $1 billion on a school choice program for the 2026 fiscal year.

“School choice will improve public education because competition makes everybody perform better,” Horne said.

Many people have lost the care of providing good education and getting kids to learn as much as possible, Horne noted. “A lot of people have lost that focus, and I'm trying to get that focus back."

California

Results from the 2025 Smarter Balanced assessments show that 49% of California students met or exceeded state standards in English language arts, while 37% met or exceeded standards in math, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

The results come as many California school districts continue to increase education spending while also facing budget deficits.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second-largest school district, projects a $1.6 billion budget deficit by the 2027-28 school year. District officials have attributed the shortfall largely to declining enrollment, which has fallen 46% since 2001 and the end of pandemic relief funding.

The Center Square reached out to LAUSD for an interview to discuss student proficiency, but the district declined the interview and instead provided statements on how student performance has improved since the pandemic.

The district reported that 46% of students met or exceeded standards in English language arts, up 3.4 percentage points from the previous year and above pre-pandemic levels.

In math, 36.76% of students met or exceeded standards, an increase of 3.93 percentage points from the prior year. Science scores also improved, with 27.28% of students meeting standards.

Lance Izumi, senior director of education studies at Pasadena-based Pacific Research Institute, said the gap between education spending and student outcomes remains a concern.

“It’s very difficult to look at these cries for more funding as anything more than just funding the adults in the system and not helping the students,” Izumi told The Center Square.

Izumi also said public schools are facing growing competition from charter schools, private schools and homeschooling options.

Florida

Graff pointed to Florida as an example of a state that has achieved higher student outcomes despite comparatively lower per-pupil spending.

State assessment data showed English language arts proficiency rose to about 57% in 2025, up from 53% in 2024. Math proficiency increased to roughly 59%, compared with 56% the previous year.

According to the Education Data Initiative, Florida spent about $12,689 per student and ranked 47th nationally in K-12 education funding and 46th in spending. Florida ranked 22nd overall in pre-K through 12th-grade education in the latest U.S. News & World Report education rankings.

Illinois

In Illinois, 41% of students in grades three through eight were reading at grade level in 2024, while 31% of 11th-grade students met proficiency standards in reading, according to data by the Illinois Report Card.

In math, 38% of students in grades three through eight were proficient, along with 39% of 11th graders in 2025.

At the same time, one Illinois school district has significantly higher performance metrics.

The top school district nationally is Glenbrook High School District 225 in Illinois. The clearest pattern is consistent strength across multiple categories, according to Niche, an organization that takes public data to rank and profile K-12 schools and colleges across the United States.

Zach Chatham, public relations manager at Niche, told The Center Square that the company’s Best School Districts rankings are based on a combination of academic performance, student experiences and survey responses.

Chatham said top-ranked districts generally perform well across multiple categories, including Advanced Placement participation and exam performance, teacher satisfaction and salaries, extracurricular activities, facilities, athletics and parent and student survey feedback.

“The rankings are designed to reflect the overall student experience and outcomes holistically, rather than district scale, visibility or national influence alone,” Chatham said.

Ryan Bretag, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning for Glenbrook High School District 225, told The Center Square in an exclusive interview that the district emphasizes what he described as the four A’s: academics, athletics, activities and the arts.

According to district data, Glenbrook High School District 225 reports a 96% graduation rate, with 84% reading proficiency and 80% math proficiency.

While the national average for per-pupil spending is $18,000, the Glenbrook district spends roughly $30,000 per student.

Bretag told The Center Square that community engagement is central to the district’s approach. He added that the district prioritizes gathering community feedback and refining its strategies as part of a broader effort to strengthen the community overall.

(The Center Square) - Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes issued a consumer advisory warning to Arizona military veterans about scams targeting their military benefits and personal information.

"Veterans put their lives on the line to protect every one of us," Mayes said. “The people who prey on them — who look a hero in the eye and steal from them — are among the most contemptible criminals we see.”

“By educating veterans and their families, we can make Arizona the hardest state in the nation to scam a veteran. And for those who try anyway — my office will find you, and we will hold you accountable," she added.

Mayes’ warning comes after she hosted a roundtable with Arizona veterans and consumer advocates last week. Almost 500,000 military veterans live in Arizona, according to the state Department of Veterans’ Services.

John Scott II, director of the DVS, told The Center Square Wednesday that the “biggest takeaway” he had from the event was the “necessity for better communication between our veteran organizations, government agencies and our veterans to ensure that everyone is made aware of the scams out there.”

“The department is committed to ensuring that our veterans do not get scammed and are receiving all of the benefits they have earned with their service,” he said, answering The Center Square's questions by email.

Mayes said Arizona veterans are being targeted by scammers because they tend to have steady income from the federal government, trust in authority and institutions and are at stages of life when they can be financially vulnerable.

According to Mayes, scammers are increasingly using social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram to defraud veterans.

She noted some of the most common scams are people trying to restructure people’s Veteran Affairs assets, offering money to buy out a veteran's benefits and posing as fake veteran charities.

Scott told The Center Square that “the problem of scams targeting Arizona Veterans has become significant in recent years.”

He cited the recent settlement between White Tanks Group LLC and Mayes’ office following the company's alleged misrepresentation of veterans seeking increases in disability benefits. In the settlement, the company had to pay nearly $2 million in penalties.

“Claims sharks” have been a problem for Arizona veterans, Scott said. He described claims sharks as “companies or individuals who charge illegal fees to help file VA benefits.”

Claims sharks charge veterans “thousands of dollars for assistance without a VA accreditation,” he noted.

Scott said there is currently no estimate of how much money scammers have taken from Arizona veterans.

“Much like other scam crimes, it is difficult to track exactly how many individuals scammers have impacted,” he noted.

Scott said to avoid scams, the DVS encourages veterans and their families to “pause before signing any documents or contracts and to make sure whomever they are working with is accredited with the VA.”

He added that the DVS and most veterans service organizations “will not charge” veterans to file their VA benefits claims.

Scott also said several warning signs exist that veterans and their families can watch for regarding scammers, such as a person or company asking for payment via cash, wire transfer or gift cards.

Another example Scott provided was scammers asking veterans for their Social Security numbers or other personal information via email, text or social media.

The DVS director said if veterans believe they have been victims of a scam, they should contact Mayes’ office or local law enforcement. To report fraud, call the Arizona Attorney General's Office at 602-542-5763 or go to azag.gov/complaints/consumer.

(The Center Square) - President Donald Trump has his lowest job approval rating on record in Arizona, according to a new poll.

Noble Predictive Insights released a poll showing that Trump’s current job approval rating is -17.

Mike Noble, NPI’s CEO, told The Center Square on Tuesday that Trump’s current approval rating is worse than it was after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, when it was -13.

Noble said Trump is losing significant support among independent voters.

According to Noble, the drop in overall support “can be tied to the economic pain point, especially gas prices.” NPI released a poll earlier in May showing that gas prices will affect how nearly 70% of state residents vote in the general election, with Democrats being favored if prices remain high.

The new NPI poll found Arizona voters are souring on Trump’s handling of the economy. Approval of Trump’s handling of the economy is at -27, the poll said.

In his first term, Trump had a “lower job approval rating, but his economic job approval rating was better,” Noble explained.

Trump’s economic numbers have taken a big hit since Feb. 28, which is when the U.S.-Israel conflict started with Iran.

In February, Republicans had +63 economic job approval for Trump, but in May it dropped to +43, a 20-point decline, Noble said.

This number suggests Trump is losing some of his voter base, Noble said.

The NPI CEO said Trump saw a 10-point drop in Democrats' and independent voters' approval of the president’s handling of the economy. Democrats went from -81 to -91, and independents, from -34 to -44.

Arizonans are blaming Trump rather than Gov. Katie Hobbs for current economy, Noble said.

This is a “big deal” because the Democratic Arizona governor is running for reelection this year, Noble said.

The poll noted Hobbs' job approval is at +5, while her handling of Arizona’s economy breaks even.

The survey also found Democrats have a 1-point advantage over Republicans on a generic congressional ballot in a state where Republicans have a 7.5-point voter registration advantage.

Noble told The Center Square that this is “huge” for Democrats because there are more Republicans than Democrats in the state.

Democrats have an advantage over Republicans because independents lean toward Democrats by about 13 points, Noble said.

Around 10 years ago, Noble said independents were leaning toward Republicans rather than Democrats.

Noble said Trump’s low job approval rating will be hard for Republicans to get around and that it will affect GOP candidates running in November.

The NPI poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1%.

The Center Square reached out to the gubernatorial campaigns of Hobbs and a Republican gubernatorial candidate, U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, but did not hear back before press time. Biggs is ahead of U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, R-Fountain Hills, by 30 points in an NPI poll for the state's Republican primary. Hobbs is running unopposed in the Democratic primary. Both parties' primaries will take place on July 21. The winners will face each other in the Nov. 3 general election. The NPI poll shows Hobbs ahead of Biggs by 4 points if a general election took place today.

(The Center Square) - Gas prices in Arizona will affect how state residents vote in November, with Democrats potentially picking up more votes, according to a new poll.

Noble Predictive Insights released a poll showing that gas prices will influence how 68% of Arizonans vote in the general election.

The poll found 90% of Arizona voters are concerned about the gas prices in the state.

As of Tuesday, Arizona had an average gas price of $4.78, which puts the state among the 10 jurisdictions with the highest prices, according to AAA. The national average is $4.49.

According to the poll, 75% of Democratic voters in Arizona are very concerned about gas prices. Compared to the other groups, 63% of independents and 54% of Republicans are very concerned about gas prices.

Mike Noble, Noble Predictive Insights' CEO, told the Center Square that hyper partisanship in American politics played a factor in the poll numbers.

If gas prices continue to remain high in Arizona until Election Day in November, Noble said it would benefit Democrats over Republicans. He said that's because of blame being put on the Republicans controlling the White House and Congress for the state of the economy.

The poll found that 80% of Arizona voters said the high gas prices are impacting their household finances. Ninety percent of voters ages 18 to 29 said high gas prices have affected their finances a great deal. On top of this, the poll found 88% of Hispanic voters were greatly affected by rising gas prices.

Among Arizona’s white voters, 77% said their finances were impacted a great deal by rising gas prices in recent months.

Compared with Arizona's white demographic, Noble said Hispanics “are more price sensitive.”

“They typically have less disposable income,” he added.

The top issues Arizonans care about, such as housing affordability and economic conditions, tend to impact Hispanics harder, Noble said.

NPI released a poll earlier in May showing that U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, has a 30-point lead over U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, R-Scottsdale. The poll also found Hobbs leading Biggs and Schweikert in hypothetical general election matchups.

According to Noble, gubernatorial candidates should not be focusing on social issues currently, but rather on pocketbook issues.

“Voters are saying they’re getting squeezed right now financially,” Noble said, adding that they want solutions and do not want politicians to “sweep it under the rug.”

NPI's poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1%.

Gas prices have climbed since the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran started Feb. 28.

Aldo Vazquez, AAA’s Mountain West Group public relations manager, told The Center Square by email that “crude oil prices have the biggest impact on the price of gas, accounting for roughly 60% of the price at the pump.”

“Because oil is a global commodity, prices tend to spike during sudden market changes, such as natural disasters, geopolitical tensions, oil refinery issues, or major disruptions in fuel transportation,” Vazquez said.

“While seasonal gasoline blends also play a factor, disruptions to the oil market will have the biggest impact on fuel costs," he added.

(The Center Square) - The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution outlining the locations of drop boxes for the upcoming early voting period without consulting Recorder Justin Heap.

The board approved the resolution while it continues to deal with an ongoing lawsuit with Heap about who runs specific election functions.

In April, a judge ruled in favor of Heap, saying the board members need to hand over control of specific election functions to his office.

The board sought a stay of the motion, but the Arizona Superior Court denied it. The board announced it will appeal the lower court’s decision.

“Our job is to deliver secure, accurate and stable elections for Maricopa County voters. That takes careful planning and steady leadership, not rushed decisions driven by uncertain court rulings,” Board of Supervisors Chair Kate Brophy McGee said in a statement to The Center Square.

“We look forward to presenting our argument to the Arizona Court of Appeals,” she said.

In response to the board's approval of the resolution on Wednesday, Heap said he was not consulted about the drop-box locations.

“The law is not optional. The Court has already ruled that the Board does not possess unlimited authority over election administration, yet the Board continues attempting to exercise powers Arizona law assigns to the Recorder," Heap said.

"Voters deserve lawful, professional election administration, not political gamesmanship and last-minute public ambushes," he added.

Heap said he was not given any time to review the proposed locations.

Supervisor Mark Stewart told The Center Square that the Maricopa County Elections Department and the recorder's team worked together to compile a list of drop-box ballot locations for early voting, adding that these negotiations had been ongoing for a few months.

The problem arose when the board put forth a resolution about the drop-box locations without collaborating with Heap, he said.

Stewart told The Center Square that he had a discussion with Heap about the drop-box locations and said Heap was fine with them, but Heap just wanted to be able to sign off on them.

If the board had gone to Heap and discussed the proposed drop-box ballot locations and procedures, none of this would have happened, and the item would have gone to the consent agenda, he said.

According to Stewart, the board discussed the resolution in executive session on Monday, then added it to the agenda for the upcoming meeting on Tuesday morning.

On Wednesday, Heap’s attorney, James Rogers of the America First Legal Foundation, sent the board a letter before its meeting.

In the letter, Rogers said the board’s effort to control the drop-box locations could expose board members and staff to criminal liability.

“Only the Recorder has the power to designate these locations, and only drop boxes established under the Recorder’s authority can satisfy the statutory and regulatory requirements for lawful operation,” the letter said.

Stewart called the letter a “little over the top.”

Regarding this whole situation, Stewart said his “only goal is to try to create some bridge of solutions for the public. It’s not what the voters expect; they expect us to just get things done.”

“Now it’s a drama fest, and it’s unfortunate because a phone call or a meeting would’ve solved this,” he said.

Despite the ongoing division between the board and recorder, Stewart said the staff members in the recorder’s office and county election department “are working well together.”

Stewart said the drop boxes will be located at “city halls and monitored locations throughout the valley.”

“People will be able to use them to drop off their ballots,” he added.

Stewart said the elections in Maricopa County will “work fine” and voters will not “have to worry about anything.”

Earlier in May, Stewart sought to have a judge appoint a professional mediator to broker negotiations between the board and the recorder.

However, he told The Center Square that a judge rejected his request because the judge “didn’t feel like the two parties could work in good faith with one another.”

“Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to make any headway, and people are just butting heads,” Stewart said.

“We don’t need any more outlandish letters back and forth [or] name-calling. We need business-minded folks to get to a table and get this thing figured out,” he added.

The Center Square reached out to Heap’s office for comment, but did not hear back before press time.

(The Center Square) - U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, has increased his lead in the Arizona GOP primary, according to a new poll.

Noble Predictive Insights released a poll showing that Biggs has a 30-point lead over U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, R-Scottsdale.

Biggs has expanded his lead over Schweikert since March, when he had a 21-point advantage.

NPI CEO Mike Noble told The Center Square this week that Biggs is ahead of everyone else because he was the first to announce in January 2025.

On top of this, he also has President Donald Trump’s endorsement, which is impactful in Republican primaries, Noble added.

Sixty percent of Republican primary voters are “more likely to vote for the candidate” if the person has Trump’s endorsement, Noble said.

Biggs has raised large sums of money and polls well with “core demographic groups,” he noted.

NPI’s poll showed that Biggs has a significant advantage over Schweikert among men, women, senior citizens, conservatives, Trump supporters and Hispanic Republicans.

Schweikert has not gained any traction in the polls, Noble said.

After Karrin Taylor Robson dropped out of the race in February, Noble said Biggs obtained 75% of her voters’ support while Schweikert got 25%.

Noble said Schweikert is doing well with self-identified moderates and suburban voters.

Drew Sexton, a senior adviser for Biggs' gubernatorial campaign, told The Center Square by email that Biggs' campaign is "very pleased to see Republicans of all backgrounds from across Arizona unite behind" the representative.

Sexton described Biggs as the "only candidate building the support and momentum needed to defeat the weak and ineffective Katie Hobbs."

"Andy has taken his message of Restoring the American Dream to every corner of the state, earning the support and trust of the Arizona voters we need to win in November," Sexton said.

"Our campaign is continuing to focus on Andy’s optimistic vision and its clear contrast with Katie Hobbs’ failures, from our state falling to 45th in affordability to the investigation of Hobbs’ alleged participation in a pay-to-play scheme of $4M in taxpayer funds," the senior adviser noted.

"Arizonans will choose competence over chaos in November, and that’s why Andy Biggs will win," he added.

But even with Biggs gaining momentum in the GOP primary, the poll showed Biggs losing to Gov. Katie Hobbs in a hypothetical general election by 4 points. This represents a 1-point improvement since February.

Michael Beyer, the communications director for Hobbs' gubernatorial campaign, told The Center Square by email that her campaign expects "this to be a competitive race through the end."

"Gov. Hobbs is focused on what matters to Arizonans: cutting taxes, eliminating medical debt for more than 485,000 Arizonans, and securing the border to go after criminals and get drugs off our streets," Beyer said.

"While her opponents push the same D.C. chaos and extremism that’s hurting families in Arizona, Katie Hobbs has built a bipartisan record of lowering costs and getting things done, and that’s why she’ll win in November,” he added.

NPI’s poll factored in the No Labels candidate Hugh Lytle, who qualified for the ballot. He got 5% of the vote in the hypothetical matchup with Hobbs and Biggs.

If Schweikert were to secure the GOP gubernatorial nomination, the poll showed Hobbs beating him by 7 points.

“Biggs is getting stronger with Republicans, but that strength has not yet translated into broader general election movement,” Noble said.

Compared to February, Hobbs is sitting in a better position, according to Noble.

He said the governor has a massive “cash on hand advantage” compared to Republicans and does not have a primary opponent.

Noble also said Arizona’s generic ballot is Democrat plus one, with Republicans holding a 7.5-point registration advantage.

According to Noble, the president’s job approval rating on the economy among Arizona voters is -27 points. He noted Hobbs’ job approval on the state’s economy with Arizona voters breaks even.

Arizona voters are blaming the state’s economic woes on Trump rather than Hobbs, Noble said.

He noted the gender gap in the gubernatorial race has “never been bigger.” Despite the gender gap, the poll found Hobbs and Biggs are tied among male voters. The poll said both candidates are garnering 42%.

“Biggs should be up with males,” Noble said.

Hobbs has the advantage with females, according to Noble. The poll said Hobbs is up 40% to 32% over Biggs amongst women voters.

Among undecided voters, there are “two to one more females than males,” Noble said.

He questioned why Republicans were still having a competitive primary when Hobbs has “all the advantages right now.”

Arizona’s Republican and Democratic primary races are on July 21

The poll had a margin of error of ± 3.1%.

The Center Square reached out to the campaigns of Schweikert and Lytle but did not hear back before press time.