Center Square News

(The Center Square) – A bill to suspend California’s gas tax for one year failed in committee at the Capitol.

State Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach and author of Senate Bill 1035, told journalists Wednesday afternoon outside the same Sacramento committee room that California prices are only going to rise at the pump. He blamed the state's policies for often allowing price hikes.

“Here in California, because we rely so much on foreign oil, we put ourselves in this position,” Strickland said in response to a question from The Center Square. “Because of anti-business policies, we just lost Phillips 66 and Valero’s shutting down. Now my bill is the only thing we really have right now to give immediate relief to hardworking California families.”

The bill was rejected Wednesday by the Senate Environmental Quality Committee.

In addition to suspending the state’s gas tax for one year, SB 1035 would have suspended California’s low carbon fuel standard and exempt transportation fuel suppliers from the state’s cap-and-trade program for one year, according to a legislative analysis.

Other bills to help ease the pain at the pump have been introduced in the California Legislature this year. Among them is a bill similar to Senate Bill 1035 – Assembly Bill 1745, authored by Assemblyman Jeff Gonzalez, R-Indio.

That bill also proposes to suspend the state gas tax for one year. As of Feb. 23, it had been referred to the Assembly Committee on Transportation for a hearing. Gonzalez’s bill was announced alongside several Republican lawmakers this year.

California has regularly seen the nation's highest gas prices for several years.

Prices recently have exceeded $5 a gallon. In fact, gas could hit $8 to $10 a gallon in the state, according to an oil and gas expert who testified this week in support of SB 1035.

“It’s quite possible – even the [California Energy Commission] has said that,” Michael Mische, CEO and managing Member of Synergy Consulting Group, Inc., told The Center Square on Wednesday.

Tanker prices have gone up to roughly $300,000 a day, well over the most recent price of $130,000 a day, Mische told The Center Square.

“You’re moving the gasoline over on that tanker at one price, and now you’re moving it over at a higher price, and those prices will be reflected in the price at the pump,” Mische added. “So it’s quite considerable that we’re looking at $7, $8 a gallon, and worst-case scenario, that could go over $10.”

The bill’s failure to pass in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee comes as gas prices in California get progressively higher. The average price of gas in California on Thursday hit $5.61 a gallon, well above the national average of $3.88 a gallon, according to AAA’s fuel prices tracker.

Other states with some of the highest gas prices in the country included Washington state, at $5.14 a gallon; Oregon, at $4.70; Nevada, at $4.66; Arizona, at $4.43; Alaska at $4.42 and Idaho, at $3.98. The lowest average price in the country on Thursday was Oklahoma, at $3.24 a gallon.

An official with the California Independent Petroleum Association wrote in an email to The Center Square on Thursday that the organization supported Strickland's bill and testified in favor of it this week. According to the association, California's gas prices are consistently $1.50 more than the national average because of the state's low carbon fuel standard and cap-and-trade.

"Those programs are causing refineries to close," Rock Zierman, CEO of the California Independent Petroleum Association, wrote to The Center Square via email. "We have the resources and infrastructure here. We should employ California citizens to producer California energy under California rules, not ship our wealth and jobs to other countries that don’t share our values.

The Center Square reached out Thursday to a variety of oil and gas associations, as well as the Sierra Club, but responses did not come before deadline.

(The Center Square) - Arizona Senate Republicans passed two medical bills aimed at strengthening patient protections.

Along party lines, state senators passed Senate Bills 1011 and 1557 this week. The legislation now goes to the House for consideration.

SB 1011 mandates county medical examiners or forensic pathologists in cases of a “sudden and unexplained infant death” to review an infant’s immunization and vaccination history.

On top of this, they would be required to look into medical treatments or preventive medications given to infants 90 days before their death.

The bill would require medical examiners to report the infant’s death to a national case registry that tracks “all sudden and unexplained infant deaths.”

The other bill, SB 1557, requires a health care professionals to obtain a “signed informed consent” form before performing any medical intervention on a patient. The form would be kept in the patient’s medical records.

SB 1557 defines a “medical intervention” as a “medical procedure, treatment, device, drug, injection, medication or medical action taken to diagnose, prevent or cure a disease or alter the health or biological function of a person.”

The bill provides exceptions for patients receiving emergency medical care.

"This is about restoring trust at the most vulnerable moments in people’s lives," said state Sen. Janae Shamp, R-Surprise, a former nurse who sponsored the bills.

“Patients deserve to know exactly what is being done to their bodies, and parents deserve real answers when tragedy strikes. These bills ensure that transparency isn’t optional, it’s standard practice,” Shamp told The Center Square by email.

“When the stakes are this high, we should be asking more questions, not fewer,” the senator added.

Shamp said the Arizona House should pass these bills “without delay” and Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs “should sign them into law to ensure every Arizonan is protected by clear, consistent standards in their care."

Republicans hold majorities in both houses, but lack enough votes to override Hobbs' vetoes.

In addition to these bills, the Senate passed Shamp-sponsored SB 1017, which requires licensed physicians, nurse practitioners or physician assistants to get a patient or their surrogate decision maker to sign informed consent forms for surgical procedures. If either of these two is not able to sign, SB 1017 allows a witness to verify on the informed consent form that the patient intended to consent to having a surgical procedure.

The health bills "address real situations happening every day in operating rooms and hospitals across our country,” Shamp told The Center Square.“We need a health care system that prioritizes people over politics, and I will continue to fight until this becomes a reality," she said.

(The Center Square) - A bill making its way through the Arizona Legislature could make land available faster for housing and reduce costs for developers, according to a zoning expert.

The Arizona House passed House Bill 2100 last month, which makes it easier for rural parts of Arizona to develop housing lots. The bill is now in the Senate, but it has not been assigned to a committee.

HB 2100, which was introduced by Rep. Gail Griffin, R-Tucson, creates a new category for small land subdivision, which is property divided between six and 10 lots. The new category would apply to sites that are two or more acres.

Under the bill, the state would no longer treat developments with six to 10 lots as full subdivisions.

The bill gives counties the option to implement it if it becomes law.

Jason Morris, a founding partner of the Phoenix law firm Withey Morris Baugh PLC, said HB 2100 allows small subdivision plots to come to market a year earlier at a much lower cost because they don’t have to go through the normal subdivision process.

If someone is able to create a small subdivision that doesn’t have to go through the normal subdivision regulations, then it will create less expensive home sites, the zoning lawyer told The Center Square.

“It’s actually an innovative solution,” he noted.

In Arizona, without this legislation, people who are interested in doing lot splits on a 15-acre or 20-acre parcel, depending on the regulations where their property is located, may immediately run into regulations, making them create a “full-blown subdivision,” Morris noted.

When this occurs, people will have to build roads and provide for sewers and water, he said.

Provided they have access to groundwater, rural areas in northern and southern parts of Arizona could take advantage of the new legislation, Morris said.

He added that “county islands,” which are unincorporated areas within incorporated cities, could take advantage of HB 2100 to create extra housing. He noted this could mean more homes around Phoenix.

The lawyer said the bill is something a small landowner will look to take advantage of, rather than a national home builder.

If this bill becomes law, Morris said it would return land development in Arizona to how it used to be. He said Arizona got away from this type of land development because it ran into issues ensuring roadways were platted and maintained.

Arizona began changing how it handled lot splits in the 1990s, he noted.

Morris said he thinks HB 2100 is a “good middle ground between where things were historically and where things are today to create a common sense alternative.”

The legislation comes with a set of requirements.

The bill says before developer sells land in these new small land subdivisions, they must file a disclosure report. The report would include information about the property, including road maintenance status, environmental risks, zoning, water supply, utilities and infrastructure such as a septic system or a well.

If Arizona approves the disclosure report, a developer can start selling the land, HB 2100 states.

The bill says if developers sells their lots without filing proper paperwork, they may face up to a $5,000 fine per violation.

If developers lie or omit certain details in a disclosure report, HB 2100 allows buyers to take legal action against them.

(The Center Square) - Temperatures well into the 90s - and beyond - are expected from Los Angeles to Denver this week as record highs are felt across the Southwest.

Experts cautioned people to stay inside with air conditioning and keep hydrated during the unusual March heat wave. Some meteorologists are ringing the alarm for potential wildfires.

“Early Heat Wave in the West, Fire Concerns in the Plains” was a National Weather Service website headline Tuesday, with summer-like heat already hitting the region. Temperatures into the weekend were expected to be between 15-30 degrees Fahrenheit above average.

In Los Angeles, a dangerous heat wave this week triggered extreme heat warnings and a high risk for heat illness between Tuesday and Friday, as record temperatures were expected to push daily highs past 100 degrees.

Further north in the Bay Area, a moderate heat risk was in place for the week, with highs ranging from the 80s into the 90s, peaking in the inland areas.

“We have a very strong high pressure building overhead,” said meteorologist Roger Gass at the Monterey National Weather Service office, which oversees the Bay Area.

“It's currently just off the Central Coast, and it’s going to build inland through Wednesday and strengthen," Gass told The Center Square Tuesday.

Gass said the Bay area temperatures would be 20-30 degrees above average for March, triggering the first March heat advisory in 20 years. Despite the unusual heat, he warned Bay Area residents about the dangers of cold ocean waters.

“If you're flocking to the coast, remember that our water is pretty chilly this time of year,” said Gass. “So I would recommend to not enter the water, unless you're near a lifeguard.”

In the deserts of Arizona, the heat wave was expected to push daily highs into the 100s between Wednesday and Sunday in Phoenix, which would break historic records by nearly 10 degrees.

Extreme heat warnings sprawled the southern half of the state, with the local National Weather Service office warning residents to avoid sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

“It's going to bring well-above normal temperatures to the area, most likely record-setting heat and record highs for [Las] Vegas later in the week,” Las Vegas NWS meteorologist Brian Planz told The Center Square Tuesday. He added that the record-breaking temperatures were ushered in by a sharp increase in air pressure.

In Southern Nevada, the NWS extreme heat warning had already brought near-record highs in the low 90s to start the week. The NWS gave Friday a 50% chance of hitting 100 degrees in Las Vegas, which would be the first 100-degree day recorded in March in the city’s history.

Planz said he was most concerned about non-residents being unaware of the extreme heat while visiting the gambling mecca for spring break.

“Try to stay in air conditioning during the hottest parts of the day. If you are outside, make sure you have sunscreen on and drink plenty of fluids,” recommended Planz. “Try to avoid alcohol during the hottest parts of the day. Stick to water.”

Further east into the plains, red flag fire warnings were in place outside of Denver amid record heat, a dry winter and high winds.

“No precipitation is in the forecast, and we will have critical fire weather conditions,” NWS Denver/Boulder meteorologist Kenley Bonner told The Center Square Tuesday.

Bonner later added, “Be wise. Don't do things that would spark a fire."

He advises people to keep camp stove at homes. "Don't throw cigarettes out the window, and just be smart.”

While the well-above average temperatures seriously increased the risk of fires, Bonner added that the weather in Denver and around Colorado would be unusually nice. “Absolutely go enjoy the nice weather. It's going to be a beautiful weekend – but just do it safely.”

Across the Southwest, the meteorologists recommended people to do the basics during high heat warnings. Stay in air conditioning when possible, hydrate throughout the day and limit intensive activity.

“If you're outdoors, take frequent breaks in the shade,” said Gass. “Remember to stay hydrated, especially with electrolytes – sports drinks with electrolytes – and water is very good.”

The record heat wave comes amid region-wide droughts and more frequent record-high temperature days in recent years as the nation and world, according to scientists, struggle with climate change.

“I think we can absolutely look back at the last few years and see how many records we've been setting. I think there's some correlation to that for sure,” Bonner said of climate change’s role in the current heat wave. “We're also in a weak La Niña [climate] pattern, and that seems to be a little warmer and drier when that's in place. So I think the combination of those things are absolutely playing a part in this.”

(The Center Square) – A federally-regulated prediction markets platform called criminal charges filed against the company in Arizona "seriously flawed."

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed criminal charges against the companies behind the Kalshi prediction markets platform, alleging Kalshi operated an illegal gambling business in Arizona without a license and engaged in election wagering.

"Kalshi may brand itself as a 'prediction market,' but what it's actually doing is running an illegal gambling operation and taking bets on Arizona elections, both of which violate Arizona law," Mayes said. "No company gets to decide for itself which laws to follow."

New York-based Kalshi said the criminal charges in Arizona were intended to bypass the company's federal lawsuit against the state.

"Four days after Kalshi filed suit in federal court, these charges were filed to circumvent federal court and short-circuit the normal judicial process," the company told The Center Square. "They attempt to prevent federal courts from evaluating the case based on the merits – whether Kalshi is subject to exclusive federal jurisdiction."

The 20-count criminal information alleges that Kalshi accepted bets from Arizona residents in violation of state law. The events included professional and college sporting contests, proposition bets on player performance, and wagers on whether the SAVE Act would become law.

Among the charges are four counts of election wagering: Bets on the 2028 presidential race, the 2026 Arizona gubernatorial race, the 2026 Arizona Republican gubernatorial primary, and the 2026 Arizona Secretary of State race.

Arizona law prohibits operating an unlicensed wagering business, and separately bans betting on elections outright.

Last week, Kalshi sued the state over a ban on its business.

"Kalshi is making a habit of suing states rather than following their laws. In the last three weeks alone, the company has filed lawsuits against Iowa and Utah, and now Arizona," Mayes said. "Rather than work within the legal frameworks that states like Arizona have established, Kalshi is running to federal court to try to avoid accountability."

Federal courts recently rejected Kalshi's attempts to prevent bans on its business in Ohio and Nevada.

Kalshi has appealed the decisions.

"These charges are meritless, and we look forward to fighting them in court," the company said.

(The Center Square) - Diversity, equity and inclusion policies are rampant at Arizona universities' honors programs, according to a report from The Goldwater Institute.

The report, called "Desert Brain Drain," details DEI occurring in the honor colleges at the University of Arizona and Arizona State University, both taxpayer-funded public universities.

The report, called "Desert Brain Drain," details DEI occurring in the honor colleges at the University of Arizona and Arizona State University, both taxpayer-funded public universities.

Timothy Minella, one of the report's authors, told The Center Square that honor colleges are meant to “enhance the education of the most talented students at public universities."

However, the report shows “these programs have been hijacked by radical faculty," said Minella, director of higher education at the Goldwater Institute, based in Phoenix.

He added that these programs are “using required courses to pursue niche topics and promote DEI.”

ASU’s Barrett Honors College offers a two-semester mandatory class called “The Human Event,” which “focuses on key social and intellectual currents in the history of human thought from the earliest written texts to the present,” according to ASU’s website.

The Goldwater Institute found that more than 70% of the content taught in this class contained DEI content. Examples of DEI content included having students engage with reading “focused on ‘violence and capitalism, power and powerlessness, Europeanesness and Africanness [and] physical violence and environmental violence.”

Furthermore, the report said other class content included readings “promoting identity politics and narratives of systemic oppression.”

Minella said the Goldwater Institute examined 14 syllabi that were not available to students before registration.

Minella said he found in some semesters, up to 85% of course sections did not provide online syllabi, meaning students did not know exactly what they would be learning.

If the syllabi are not posted online, students don’t realize their course will focus mainly on DEI concepts, he noted.

Class curriculum examples that stood out to Minella was a book titled "Postcolonial Love Poem" and an article, “Compulsory Heterosexuality and the Lesbian Experience.”

”The requirement itself does not say students will be dealing with DEI subjects. But then you see the courses offered to students to fulfill this requirement, and it's chock-full of DEI throughout many of these courses,” Minella explained.

In response to the Goldwater Institute's report, an ASU spokesperson said a “university is an academic environment where many viewpoints are discussed and debated.”

“The Human Event is a two-part course that has been taught for decades at ASU and includes the works of Plato, Aristotle and Shakespeare as well as more contemporary readings,” the spokesperson told The Center Square, answering questions by email.

“Currently, more than 50 faculty teach this course resulting in different syllabi and approaches delivering a class in which adult students are required to do the thinking, to conduct research and analysis and to engage respectfully in sharing different ideas and perspectives,” the spokesperson added.

At UA’s Franke Honors College, all students are required to take an “Honors Seminar” course.

Some of the classes students can choose from include “Eating the Globe: The Diverse, Weird, and Queer Food Politics,” “#Black Lives Matter Across the Americas,” “Why Does Difference Matter? Constructing the Self and the Other,” “Cut and Paste: Constructing Identity Through Collage” and “Getting Into Good Trouble: When Government Threatens Civil Rights.”

The Center Square reached out to the University of Arizona, but did not hear back before press time.

To help get rid of DEI content in these colleges, the Goldwater Institute is advocating schools implement provisions from its American Higher Education Restoration Act.

The act would adjust tenure pathways, have professors focus more on teaching than research, create standards for non-STEM research project funding and make sure school boards approve new faculty job postings. ("STEM" stands for science, technology, engineering and math.)

According to Minella, the Goldwater Institute is also advocating for Arizona to pass a proposed constitutional amendment that would eliminate “mandatory DEI courses in curriculum.”

The Arizona state House passed House Concurrent Resolution 2044, which was introduced by House Speaker Steve Montenegro, R-Surprise.

Furthermore, the institute is recommending the Arizona Board of Regents “take a closer look at these courses” and that the state Legislature consider withholding funds until this situation is addressed, Minella said.

He told The Center Square that, despite the efforts of the Trump administration to tackle DEI efforts, the administration said it is not looking into college curriculum, which he called “appropriate” because “curriculum is the province of state governments when it comes to public universities, not the federal government.”

Minella said the Goldwater Institute’s report highlights “the need for states to take a much closer look at what's actually happening at their public universities.”

Many states have closed their DEI offices and stopped using DEI statements, he stated.

However, Minella said states have not exercised sufficient oversight over the academic curricula taught in their public universities.

“They need to take a much closer look at if we’re going to continue rolling back this nefarious DEI ideology on public university campuses,” he explained.

Minella told The Center Square that parents and students need to examine these academic programs and “consider seriously” whether they will enhance their child’s education.

(The Center Square) - Arizona Public Service’s rate increase proposal is an attempt to address the higher costs of maintaining a reliable grid, according to Anne Carlton, the utility’s manager of regulatory compliance.

Last June, APS filed paperwork with the Arizona Corporation Commission to increase its rates by 14%. However, state Attorney General Kris Mayes filed expert testimony opposing the hike last week, saying it should be limited to 3%.

“APS is asking Arizona families to foot the bill for shareholder profits that far exceed what any reasonable investor requires. This is just corporate greed run amok," Mayes said.

In reaction to Mayes’ expert testimony, Ann Porter, APS’ communications director, said the company disagreed with Mayes’ “assertion” that a 3% increase would be sufficient to maintain reliable service and a strong credit rating.”

“The analysis presented does not reflect the realities of running a modern electric company and understates the investments needed for a safe, reliable energy grid,” Porter said, answering The Center Square's questions by email.

The corporation commission is expected to discuss the proposed hike during a hearing set for sometime in May.

If approved by the commission, the rate increase would occur in late 2026 or early 2027, Porter said.

Carlton noted it is not uncommon for intervenors in a rate increase proposal case to have differing viewpoints.

When APS asks for a rate increase, it is saying it thinks “customers should be paying for these expenses,” she explained. “And essentially, that is up for debate."

The manager added that the attorney general is one of many active participants in the rate case.

Carlton told The Center Square that the money from the proposed hike will cover items APS has already spent on, such as grid operations and maintenance and improving wildfire protections.

When APS evaluates rate cases, Carlton said the company looked at how rates are currently collected, which are based on its 2021 and 2022 expenses.

She added that APS compared the 2021 and 2022 rates and found a 14% difference.

Over the last four years, the company’s equipment expenses have increased by 60% or more, Carlton said.

“When [APS] builds new things in the future for things like new customers, that money is not recovered in this type of rate case,” the manager noted.

She added that the rate proposal is “adjusting our costs to reflect current reality.”

In APS’ rate proposal, the company is seeking to raise its return on equity percentage to 10.25%. Its current ROE is 9.55%.

ROE “comes down to borrowing money,” Carlton said, adding that when APS borrows money from its shareholders, the company has to pay them back with interest.

She said APS tries to get as close as possible to this number, but does not always achieve this percentage. Carlton highlighted 2025, when its ROE was below 7% due to increased business.

APS has an “obligation to invest in the grid, even if it means [its] shareholders aren’t seeing as large a return as they could based off of what the commission” has set for the company, she noted.

Carlton said APS is not “able to collect enough money from [its] customers to actually cover the amount of investment” it has made in its grid.

She said utility companies will “often split their borrowing between banks that require interest payments, and then shareholders who expect that return on equity.”

“ROE is essentially like the interest [APS] pays back to banks,” Carlton said.

She noted not all the company's earnings are returned to shareholders. Carlton said the company will reinvest part of it into its capital portfolio, so APS can borrow less money in the future

“We're looking forward in this rate case not to collect money for that growth, but to redo our rate design, to make sure customers like data centers pay for their expenses completely, versus having cost shifts potentially hit other customers,” she said.

According to Carlton, APS acknowledges that it “is never a good time to change people’s rates, especially what’s been going on economically across the board.”

The way utility companies are regulated in Arizona requires them to ask for rate changes, she noted.

She told The Center Square that the company offers financial assistance for people who may be struggling to pay their bills.

(The Center Square) - Gas prices continued to rise across the nation as the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran went on past its second week.

Since the conflict started on Feb. 28, the average cost for a gallon of gas has increased by nearly 75 cents. With no sense of relief in sight, experts weighed in on the long-term consumer impact in the Southwest.

“We are still reacting, and that's the unfortunate aspect,” GasBuddy Petroleum expert Matt McClain told The Center Square about oil price instability.

As gas prices rise across the U.S., California drivers are paying more than $5.50 a gallon.

“It’s probably going to go up another 10 to 15 cents this week,” McClain said about California.

As of Monday, the average gallon of regular gas in the U.S. had risen to $3.72, up 74 cents from $2.98 immediately before the conflict started and up 24 cents over the previous week, AAA reported.

People in the Southwest were among the most impacted by rising gas prices in the U.S. In California, drivers were paying $5.53 on average for a gallon Monday, up from $5.20 last week.

In Nevada, average prices were up to $4.59 from $4.21 over the last week. In Arizona, there was a 47-cent increase from last week’s $3.86 to $4.33.

Colorado saw price shock as the gallon grew from $3.41 to $3.82.

“The best-case scenario is that the conflict ends in the near term with all the mining and other types of damage,” said Wayne Winegarden, economist and senior business fellow at the Pasadena-based Pacific Research Institute.

The Iranian government has set mine bombs along the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic and narrow trade route that sees some 20% of global petroleum pass its waterways.

“Unfortunately, at this point it feels like a good bit of higher prices will persist beyond the conflict just because of the damage that the conflict created,” Winegarden told The Center Square. He referenced gas prices, as well as many other consumer goods, such as fertilizer, and by extension, food.

“Food is going to be at a higher cost because fertilizer is, which means yields aren’t going to be as plentiful,” he added.

While the national average gas price was still far from the all-time $5.02 high in the summer of 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy said last week that it would release 172 million barrels of oil from its strategic petroleum reserve.

“The release won't necessarily bring prices down again,” said McClain. “It's actually to help fill the shortage in areas of the world who normally heavily rely on Middle Eastern oil. Twenty million barrels a day are not getting out of the Strait of Hormuz, and that 20 million barrels is being used by somebody.”

The U.S. strategic oil reserve release was the second largest in the country’s history. It brought the country’s oil reserve stockpile to its lowest point since 1980. It came as countries around the world released oil reserves totaling around 400 million, according to McClain.

Amid gas price insecurity, some drivers may look to electric cars to avoid similar price shocks that are out of their control. Winegarden was skeptical about any immediate migration to electric cars by American drivers during the conflict with Iran.

“Perhaps longer term once things settle down, more people may turn to their next car as an EV – that this is the final straw,” said Winegarden.

(The Center Square) – Colorado has seen a 17% increase in deaths from fentanyl over the last year, one of the few states where overdose deaths have increased.

Since December 2024, only four other states – Arizona (26.3%), New Mexico (21%), Montana (13.7%) and South Dakota (12.5%) – saw increases in overdose deaths from synthetic opioids, while the national rate is down 21%, according to a report by Common Sense Institute Colorado.

CSI researchers found that if Colorado had seen a decline in deaths like the national trend, the state would have experienced 1,620 fewer deaths.

“If we just followed the national trend, 1,600 people would still be alive in Colorado, and that is a lot of families that have been devastated by this deadly poison,” one of the report’s authors, former Denver Police Chief and current CSI Public Safety Fellow Paul Pazen, told The Center Square.

Colorado’s synthetic opioid death rate peaked at 1,213 in November 2023, then dropped to 803 one-year later. After November 2024, the state’s rate began rising again to 957 deaths in August 2025, while most of the country’s downward trend continued.

Using the Value of Statistical Life of $13.4 million per person, which CSI said can be “used to quantify the benefit of reducing the risk of death,” CSI estimated $18.3 billion in value from the lost lives.

The report noted that in 2019, Colorado lawmakers downgraded the possession of four grams or less of fentanyl and other drugs from a felony to a misdemeanor. Lawmakers reversed course in 2022, increasing penalties for fentanyl, but including a “knowingly possessing” clause. A 2025 bill would have struck the clause but did not advance in the Legislature.

(The Center Square) - The city of Phoenix will not appeal a court’s decision to strike down its prevailing wage law for employees in trade professions.“The City of Phoenix respects the Court of Appeals’ decision regarding our Prevailing Wage Ordinance. While we are disappointed in the ruling, the City has decided not to pursue further legal action,” Dan Wilson, the city’s director of communications, told The Center Square by email. “We remain committed to supporting workers and exploring lawful ways to ensure they receive fair compensation,” he added.In February, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled against Phoenix and Tucson’s prevailing wage laws. Prevailing wages tend to be higher than minimum wages and mean a higher cost for taxpayers.The U.S. Department of Labor defines a prevailing wage as an “average wage paid to similarly employed workers in a specific occupation in the area of intended employment.”

Phoenix enacted a prevailing wage law in March 2023, but repealed it the following month. The city came back in January 2024 and passed another prevailing wage law.

Shortly afterward, the Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute filed a lawsuit on behalf of associations of trade companies against Phoenix over its prevailing wage law, then filed another lawsuit against Tucson after it passed a prevailing wage law that year. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Bradley Astrowsky combined the two lawsuits into one.

In his decision, the judge voided these laws in 2024, arguing they violated state law preventing prevailing wages. In 1984, Arizona voters passed Proposition 300, which banned state and local governments from using prevailing wages on public works contracts exceeding $1,000.In their appeal, the cities said the initiatives passed in 2006 and 2016 gave them the ability to implement prevailing wages.Arizona voters passed Proposition 202 in 2006, which increased the state’s minimum wage. Ten years later, Arizona voters passed Proposition 206, which again raised the state’s minimum wage.In the appeal court’s decision, the judges rejected the cities’ argument, saying prevailing wages don’t qualify as minimum wages under Arizona law.“Our interpretation lets both laws cohabit. Again, the Local Permission Provision uses ‘minimum wages’ to mean ‘the minimum hourly rate all employers in a particular geographic area must legally pay all employees once an employment relationship exists,” the judges wrote. “And ‘a prevailing rate of wages’ does not meet that definition.”

Timothy Sandefur, the vice president for legal affairs at the Goldwater Institute, told The Center Square that a prevailing wage differs from a minimum wage.“A minimum wage is what everybody who works must earn at a minimum. A prevailing wage is a rule that says if somebody’s doing a job for the government, then those people have to be paid based on a really complicated formula that is the average of what people in that industry in that location make for that kind of work,” he explained.As an example of a prevailing wage, Sandefur said when a city hires a contractor to build a government building, instead of paying the market wage, the city will pay the contractor a “much higher rate than the market rate,” determined by a complicated formula. ”The contractors and the unions that make these sweetheart deals with the government, they get paid a lot more for a job than any other contractor would be paid for that job,” Sandefur explained.Sandefur noted that prevailing wages tend to be “much higher” than minimum wages.He called the court’s decision a “major victory for Arizona taxpayers.”The Arizona Court of Appeals decision is a win “because the court explained how to interpret law,” which he said “is going to prove very helpful,” he stated.If any other cities or towns had prevailing wage laws, the ruling from the court of appeals would vacate them, Sandefur said.He told The Center Square that he was “a little surprised” by the city of Phoenix saying it was not going to appeal the court’s decision.The government will appeal decisions it loses “even though it knows it really has no hope of winning” because it is “constantly trying” to expand its powers, Sandefur said.

(The Center Square) - A new poll shows the vast majority of Arizona voters are undecided in state-level down-ballot races.

Noble Predictive Insights released a poll last week showing that nearly two-thirds of Arizona voters are unsure who to vote for in state primaries.

The NPI poll examined the GOP primary races for secretary of state, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction and corporation commission, as well as the Democratic primary races of the superintendent of public instruction and corporation commission.

Most Arizonans are not focusing on “down-ticket statewide races,” Mike Noble, NPI’s CEO, told The Center Square.

“Political insiders are, but Arizona voters aren’t,” he explained.

Arizonans will start paying more attention to these races once political candidates start spending money and early ballots are mailed to voters, Noble said.

According to Noble, Arizona residents who are not political insiders don’t sit “around the kitchen table” discussing these political races.

Arizona's voters “have a lot going on,” and they are probably still pretty fatigued from the last presidential election,” Noble said.

Of these down-ballot races, the primary race that will be the “most high-profile” will be the state’s Republican superintendent of public instruction race because “education has been a hot-button issue in Arizona politics,” Noble explained. He added that both candidates, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne and State Treasurer Kimberly Yee are " well-known” political figures.

The NPI poll showed that 44% of Arizona registered Republicans were undecided voters, the lowest of all the primary races.

If someone is associated with a down-ticket race, the NPI poll should notify them that Arizona voters are not “paying attention right now” and “fundraising should be critically important at this point,” Noble explained.

Broadcast spending is the “most effective way to move the needle or educate voters” in Arizona, he said.

The numbers show that these political candidates “need to increase their name ID or awareness,” Noble said, adding that they need to “form a favorable impression upon these voters because a lot of them haven’t formed an opinion.”

”When voters start paying attention, they need to have the resources to get their message out and break through the clutter to say who they are. And why they're running and why they should be voted for,” Noble told The Center Square.

The poll’s error rate was ± 5.37%.

(The Center Square) – A Utah County judge on Friday ruled cameras will be allowed in the courtroom at the April 17 hearing for Tyler James Robinson, the 22-year-old man accused of killing conservative leader and Arizona resident Charlie Kirk.

During a pretrial hearing in a Provo, Utah courtroom, Fourth Judicial District Court Judge Tony Graf Jr. ruled against Robinson’s lawyers’ motions to exclude cameras during the April 17 hearing and limit public access to certain documents in the case. The ruling means video and still cameras and microphones will be allowed at the hearing.

"In balance, the defendant has not provided a sufficient basis for the court to find that the interests favoring closure outweigh the interest favoring an open proceeding and the presumptive right to access," Graf said during the hearing, which was broadcast live on Utah TV stations and their websites. A still photographer and videographer were in the courtroom, as they have been at other hearings.

Graf added he may close certain portions of the April 17 hearing. He said defense lawyers had until March 30 to file a motion requesting which segments of the hearing would be closed.

Robinson is charged with seven counts, six of which are felonies. They include aggravated murder and multiple counts of witness tampering and obstruction of justice. Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray has said he will seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted of murder. Robinson is accused of killing Kirk, who cofounded Phoenix-based Turning Point USA, during a rally Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

Earlier during Friday's hearing, Robinson's attorneys argued there was a great deal of prejudicial and inaccurate pretrial publicity that would hurt Robinson’s chances to get an impartial jury and endanger his constitutional right to a fair trial.

But prosecutors countered that information that had already been made public can’t suddenly be classified as private.

And Graf noted Robinson’s rights to a fair trial can be protected by procedures such as voir dire, the process in which attorneys interview prospective jurors; the expansion of the jury pool; and questionnaires for potential jurors.

In arguing against cameras and limiting public access to documents, defense attorney Michael Burt said Robinson’s lawyers are seeking to prevent the “kinds of prejudicial pretrial publicity that has characterized this case so far.”

Burt added he and the rest of the defense team were trying to avoid creating further prejudicial publicity by seeking a closed hearing to make their motions.

And he cited a 1965 case, Estes v. Texas, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that televising a courtroom proceeding over a defendant’s objection violates the constitutional right to a fair trial.

But Graf immediately referred Burt to Chandler v. Florida. In the 1981 case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the presence of cameras was not inherently prejudicial to a defendant’s right to a fair trial.

“You cite Estes, but Estes was overruled by Chandler,” Graf told Burt.

The lawyer later conceded that Chandler puts the burden of proof of prejudicial publicity on the defense.

Burt also cited Kearns-Tribune Corp. v. Salt Lake County Commission, a 2001 case in which the Utah Supreme Court ruled in favor of the commission going into a closed session to discuss an annexation.

“We don’t have to show a clear and present danger (to a fair trial), but a likelihood of prejudice,” Burt said.

Prosecutors told Graf that defense lawyers were not giving specific reasons for their motion to limit public access to documents.

“A general allegation that it discusses evidence that might be inadmissible is not enough to deny public access,” prosecutor Christopher Ballard argued. Ballard added he and the other prosecutors are not representing the media and noted that both defense and prosecution have seen media reports unfavorable to their side.

“To say this is a content tornado, with a barrage of media coverage, doesn’t necessarily mean there’s going to be prejudice against the defendant,” Ballard said.

(The Center Square) - Tim Sandefur, the vice president for legal affairs at the Goldwater Institute, told The Center Square this week that the Arizona Supreme Court was very interested in the arguments presented by an engineer’s legal team about who qualifies as an engineer.

The Arizona Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday for the case of Greg Mills, et al. v. State of Arizona, which has been a legal battle going on since 2019. The Goldwater Institute filed an amicus brief in defense of Mills’ position.

In 2019, the Arizona Board of Technical Registration told Mills he was violating Arizona law by “engaging in ‘engineering practices’ and by advertising their services as ‘engineers’ without first registering” with the state board, according to court records.

ABTR sent him a proposed consent agreement asking him to pay a $6,000 fine, assessed investigation costs and halt his work as an engineer consultant. Mills did not agree to the consent agreement and took legal action.

The Institute for Justice sued ABTR on behalf of Mills, saying the board’s ruling breached Mills’ right promised by the Arizona Constitution to “earn an honest living free from unreasonable, arbitrary, oppressive or monopolistic regulations.”

In 2008, Mills founded Southwest Engineering Concepts LLC, an engineering consulting firm.

According to Sandefur, the hearing lasted around 45 minutes.

During the arguments, he said the state Supreme Court justices did not ask hostile questions to the engineer’s legal team.

“ I counted only nine questions for [Mills’] side and 15 questions for the government side. Which is surprisingly quiet for the Arizona Supreme Court. Usually, they ask a lot more questions than that,” he explained.

According to Sandefur, the “most striking moment” was when Justice Bill Montgomery said he didn’t understand why the state Supreme Court keeps “following what federal courts do when it comes to interpreting the Arizona Constitution.”

He added that Montgomery said the court should be “focusing on what the Arizona Constitution says.”

Mills’ legal defense argued that “the right to earn a living without unreasonable government interference has been a basic right of all people since the time when the Arizona Constitution was written,” the vice president explained.

Sandefur noted Mills’ legal defense also said “ it is inescapable that the right to earn a living free of unreasonable government interference is protected by the Arizona Constitution.”

Mills’ legal defense stated the state’s requirements for engineers are “irrational,” he explained.

In Arizona, Sandefur said if engineers are employed by manufacturers, they don’t need a license to be an engineer. However, if they deal with the general public, an engineer's license is required.

He noted this law doesn’t make “any sense” because people “can do the work of an engineer without a license, even if [they] deal with the public, as long as [they] don’t call [themselves] an engineer.”

Sandefur said Arizona’s engineer law was written “at a time when people had in mind things like structural engineering” rather than “electronic engineering.”

The justices “seemed very into Mills’ side of the issue,” he stated.

Sandefur added that the justices were “very skeptical” of the government’s arguments.

According to Sandefur, the government cited 1960s cases saying, “economic liberty is not all that important.” He added that these cases were based on federal law, but Montgomery said he was interested in knowing about what people in Arizona thought about when they wrote the Arizona Constitution in 1910.

“At that time, there’s no denying that economic freedom was as important a right as freedom of speech, freedom of religion or private property,” he noted.

(The Center Square) - The Arizona state Senate passed a bill this week that would require the state's court system to notify federal authorities when a criminal illegal immigrant is released from prison.

Senators passed Senate Bill 1213 along party lines by a vote of 16 to 13, with state Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, absent from the vote.

SB 1213 would also prevent criminal illegal aliens from being allowed probation.

On top of this, the bill allows Arizona legal residents to take legal action against local governments that take any steps to limit the enforcement of federal immigration law. A city may be fined between $500 and $5,000 daily until the policy is ended.

Sen. Janae Shamp, R-Surprise, told The Center Square that she does not think Arizona taxpayers “should be paying for illegal aliens to be on probation” in the state.

"If someone is in this country illegally and commits a crime, the system should not place them back on probation and move on,” Shamp said. “This bill ensures federal immigration authorities are immediately involved so dangerous offenders are not allowed to remain in our communities, especially pedophiles."

She noted SB 1213 came about after an incident in November 2025, when Abel Gblah, a permanent resident from Liberia, allegedly sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl at a Phoenix elementary school.

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Gblah, who came into America on a green card in 2011, was charged with sex assault, abduction, lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, and kidnapping a minor with intent to sexually assault.

During his time in America, Gblah, a registered sex offender, was arrested and convicted on two counts of sexual conduct with a minor in 2021, the DHSstated.

The next year, Gblah was arrested and convicted of smuggling illegal immigrants into America, the DHS noted.

12 News reported that Gblah had been on life-time parole since 2022 and had violated parole numerous times.

Shamp said if Arizona had notified federal authorities “appropriately,” this “little girl would not have had her life changed forever.”

The senator said she has asked to find out the number of criminal illegal immigrants on probation in Arizona, but has not been able to acquire that information.

As a result, Shamp said she introduced SB 1544, which would allow state probation records to be open to public records requests.

This week, SB 1544 failed to pass the state Senate. State senators voted 15 to 14, with state Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, being the only Republican to vote against the bill. Rogers was absent from this vote.

According to Shamp, SB 1544 failed because people are “worried about protecting privacy.”

“It's something that I'm gonna continue to work on. I'm finally getting members to start having the conversation with me about what's going on at probation, and that we cannot get any of the data,” she noted.

Shamp said it takes a few times to run a bill so people can have conversations, make edits and turn a bill proposal “as best as possible.”

Going forward, Shamp called SB 1213 “an extremely partisan bill,” saying Democrats “are doubling down on standing for the rights of criminal illegal immigrants instead of citizens of Arizona.”

If the bill reaches Gov. Katie Hobbs’ desk, Shamp told The Center Square she thinks the governor would veto it.

”We represent the citizens of Arizona first," she said. "And because we're not doing that well enough, a little girl's life will never be the same, and shame on us for allowing that to happen."

(The Center Square) - The Arizona Water Co. received a Designation of Assured Water Supply (DAWS) from the state, which will help increase housing supply in Pinal County by more than 80,000 units.

Gov. Katie Hobbs called the designation “a critical step to building homes, growing our economy, and protecting our water for generations.”

“Pinal County has waited a decade for water solutions like this one, and today we are proving that Arizona has what it takes to conquer our water challenges and deliver real results for our communities,” she said. “Congratulations to Arizona Water Co. and all the stakeholders who have worked for years to make this a reality.”

The county is just southeast of Phoenix.

Fred Schneider, AWC’s president, said the designation “gives our communities the certainty they need to grow with confidence.”

“By working closely with Gov. Hobbs and local leaders, we’ve built a path that secures renewable water supplies while safeguarding ratepayers and supporting economic opportunity across Pinal County,” Schneider said.

Collin Wogenstahl, manager of the Arizona Department of Water Resources’ assured and adequate water supply program, told The Center Square that DAWS is issued to municipal providers such as Phoenix and Tempe.

According to Wogenstahl, DAWS also apply to private water providers such as AWC and Eprcor Water.

For these entities to obtain a DAWS, they have to prove that water can be “physically, continuously and legally available for a hundred years,” Wogenstahl said. On top of this, they need to prove the water is of “sufficient quality” and they have the financial capability to provide the service, the manager added.

These entities also need to demonstrate they can “meet consistency with the active management area,” meaning they can replenish and conserve groundwater, he noted.

Applicants for DAWS must “account for growth that’s going to take place within” the area they are trying to provide water service for, Wogenstahl said.

Besides DAWS, Arizona issues a certificate of assured water supply, the manager explained.

These only apply in active management areas in Arizona, which have a “heavy reliance on mined groundwater," the Arizona Department of Water Resources says.

Arizona states this program “is designed to sustain” Arizona’s “economic health by preserving groundwater resources and promoting long-term water supply planning.”

CAWS covers master-planned subdivisions that are outside a designated water provider, Wogenstahl noted.

The manager explained CAWS are good for 100 years while DAWS need to be changed every 10 to 15 years to “account for population growth.”

Before the company’s designation, home builders would need to get a CAWS and AWC would provide the water for them, Wogenstahl said.

However, with AWC receiving a designation, developers no longer need a certificate when trying to build within AWC’s designated area, the manager said.

This designation has unlocked all of this potential housing in Pinal County, Wogenstahl noted.

He said Pinal County has a new alternative water supply that offsets groundwater use, meaning the county will be growing on “non-groundwater supplies.”

AWC will use water from the Colorado River and treated wastewater, the manager added.

Terri Sue Rossi, vice-president of water resources at AWC, told The Center Square via email that population growth “will be responsible for bringing new non-groundwater supplies to meet those future demands.”

“As time goes on, AWC will be seeking non-groundwater supplies to reduce existing groundwater pumping. Those new supplies will require investment that could increase water rates modestly,” Rossi explained.

Pinal County Supervisor Stephen Miller told The Center Square that it was “good news” that AWC obtained a DAWS. Miller added that “it’s been a long time coming.”

Miller said this designation will help open up more opportunities for developers in Pinal County to “move forward with their projects.”

Rossi said the company’s designation “covers the cities of Casa Grande and Coolidge and the surrounding Pinal County areas.”

Miller described this as a “very big area.”

Even with over 80,000 projected homes going to be built in Pinal County, Miller said he did not think it would lower home prices in the county.

Miller, who has been a homebuilder for 40 years, said two things drive home costs: lot prices and the other costs associated with building a subdivision, such as streets and curbs.

“All the requirements to build a subdivision today are very expensive,” he explained.

Rossi also told The Center Square by phone that AWC expects new developers interested in building projects, such as subdivisions, to reach out to the company in the second half of 2026 and into 2027.

Rossi noted the level of interest in building in the new designated area depends on the economy and interest rates.

(The Center Square) - Attorney General Kris Mayes is opposing Arizona Public Service Co.’s proposed rate increase.

Mayes’ office submitted expert testimony to the Arizona Corporation Commission showing the company’s 14% rate increase proposal could be reduced to 3%.

“APS is asking Arizona families to foot the bill for shareholder profits that far exceed what any reasonable investor requires. This is just corporate greed run amok," Mayes said.

"Our expert analysis proves that customers are being asked to pay far more than is needed," she said. "Instead of a 14% rate hike, the expert testimony we just filed with the ACC shows that APS can achieve the same reliability with just a 3% increase by aligning what customers pay with APS's actual costs."

Information for the attorney general’s expert testimony came from Mark Ellis, a senior fellow for utilities at the American Economic Liberties Project. Ellis argued that APS’s proposed shareholder profit level exceeds what it costs to entice and hold investment.

Mayes’ expert testimony said her 3% rate proposal would save APS customers an estimated $524 million annually, or $220 per customer per year.

APS’s rate proposal could continue to compensate investors and keep its strong credit rating, according to the testimony.

On top of this, Mayes’ expert testimony stated APS’s financial models are based on unrealistic economic assumptions, such as inflated growth rates and overstated risk estimates.

“What APS is proposing is a half-billion-dollar annual transfer of wealth from Arizona ratepayers to its shareholders," Mayes said.

"Arizonans are already stretched thin," she added. "They shouldn't be paying a premium on their electric bills so APS can deliver outsized returns to its investors."

Nick Myers, the chair for the ACC, told The Center Square by email that regarding APS’ rate proposal, the “commission does not adjudicate cases in the media.”

“There will be a full and open public meeting where all parties, including the Attorney General, will have the opportunity to present their arguments and evidence,” Myers said. “The process allows for a full examination and cross examination of positions.”

Last month, Mayes objected to another proposed rate increase from Tucson Electric Power.

Instead of the company’s 14% rate proposal increase, her office submitted expert testimony stating it should be only 4%.

(The Center Square) - The Arizona Senate unanimously passed a bill that requires law enforcement to report missing children more quickly.

Senators this week passed Senate Bill 1416 by a vote of 29 to 0, with one senator absent.

The bill's sponsor - Sen. Shawnna Bolick, R-Deer Valley - told The Center Square that SB 1416 will now be assigned to a House committee.

The bill requires Arizona law enforcement to submit all available identifiable information of a missing child within two hours to the Arizona Crime Information Center and the National Crime Information Center computer networks.

Furthermore, SB 1416 mandates state law enforcement within 24 hours provide more detailed information to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, such as a recent photo of a missing child as well as information about the child’s date of birth, sex, race and physical appearance.

Also, within 24 hours, law enforcement needs to send information about a missing child to media outlets and post about it on their social media accounts, SB 1614 says.

The bill allows police to delay releasing information about a missing child if it compromises the safety of the child, hinders an ongoing investigation or obstructs capturing a suspect.

After 30 days, Arizona law enforcement will need to enter information about a missing child into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, the bill states. The information includes a photo of a missing child in the last six months, medical records and dental records.

On top of all this, the bill requires law enforcement personnel working on missing children cases to undergo training every other year.

Rhonda Dequier, founder of Missing in America Network, an organization that helps locate missing people, told The Center Square the law enforcement training is “to keep them informed of what the latest laws are and how they can best serve these missing children” in Arizona.

Dequier said the bill came about after she and one of her colleagues noticed that only 30% of missing children in the state’s database had photographs in their profiles.

Bolick added that SB 1416 was introduced after numerous stakeholder meetings.

A recommendation that emerged from the stakeholder process was to require “mandatory photo submission for missing children reports that are posted” by the Arizona Department of Public Safety and other state law enforcement agencies.

Bolick said the bill was agreed upon by her and nonprofits that help locate missing children.

“We want to try to do everything we possibly can to locate kids whenever they are reported missing by their parents,” Bolick said.

According to Dequier, the state has around 500 missing children.

“We’re doing everything we can, including legislation, to help find them when they do go missing. We’re also working on ways to prevent them from going missing,” she said.

Dequier said Arizona police do not have enough resources and are understaffed.

“The state is not in a position right now to fund a lot of extra stuff. They’re focusing on retaining police officers and troopers,” Bolick said.

In addition to law enforcement, communities can help law enforcement when children go missing, Dequier noted, adding that they “can be engaged to help find them and ultimately bring them home.”

Another thing SB 1614 does is require law enforcement to use the term “runaway” in certain situations when a child goes missing. The term “runaway” can be used if police determine that the characterization is “necessary to protect the child’s safety or further an active investigation.”

“ When the public sees the word runaway, they automatically think it's not a big deal; they just ran away. We're just too desensitized to the word runaway. Every child missing, no matter what the reason is that they're missing, is in danger the minute that they're out of their parents' purview,” Dequier said.

Looking ahead, Dequier told The Center Square that she doesn’t anticipate SB 1614 having “any resistance” in the state House.

Bolick said she hopes SB 1416 will provide an additional tool to help bring missing kids home “safely.”

“Hopefully, we can help save more kids and keep families together,” she said.

(The Center Square) - Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed numerous bills attempting to reform the state’s management of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Last year, Congress passed H.R. 1, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which made changes to SNAP to help root out fraud, waste and abuse.

H.R. 1 said if states do not reduce their SNAP payment rate error to under 6% by fiscal year 2028, their SNAP programs will enter a cost-sharing arrangement with the federal government.

If Arizona's SNAP payment rate error exceeds 6%, the state may have to pay between $150 million and $200 million from its general fund in fiscal year 2028.

The bills Hobbs vetoed were Senate Bill 1002, SB 1331 and SB 1334.

SB 1002 would have given the Arizona Department of Economic Security additional tools to check someone’s SNAP eligibility.

SB 1331 would have mandated a work requirement for people 60 or younger to receive SNAP benefits.

SB 1334 would have prevented DES from seeking SNAP work requirement waivers for able-bodied people without dependents.

In addition to these bills, Hobbs vetoed House Bill 2206, which would have required Arizona to reduce its SNAP payment error rate to below 3% by 2030.

Senate Majority Leader John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, introduced SB 1002, SB 1331, SB 1334 and HB 2206’s state Senate companion bill, SB 1333.

Kavanagh told The Center Square on Monday that if Arizona doesn’t bring its current SNAP payment error rate, around 8%, below 6%, then Arizona could be forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars per year in SNAP administrative costs.

Kavanagh said he had hoped Hobbs, a Democrat, would have sign the SNAP bills to push Arizona’s payment error rate “down and free other money up for other uses rather than paying the administrative costs to Washington, D.C.”

In her letter explaining why she vetoed SB 1002, SB 1331, SB 1334 and HB 2206, Hobbs said these bills contain “yet more unfunded mandates and not a dollar to help our state agencies implement these changes now, or to modernize our systems for the future.”

“SNAP is the most robust and effective anti-hunger tool we have in Arizona – I know this firsthand. It’s also the most secure, thanks to strong anti-fraud measures and oversight. Instead of creating more needless frustration for Arizona families, I invite you to join me in actually lowering costs for them,” Hobbs said.

Kavanagh told The Center Square that Hobbs is “keeping people on” these government programs “who shouldn’t be on, and she’s not letting us take people off who should be taken off.”

The majority leader see the vetoes as obstacles to economic progress.

He noted Republican-implemented low regulations and taxation have helped Arizona’s economy grow.

Kavanagh said he expects to see the state’s economy grow in the future, but the “failure to control” abuse in these government programs is “gonna slow down that advancement.”

If a Republican becomes governor, the Legislature will pass these bills into law next session, Kavanagh said.

(The Center Square) - Gas prices have risen above $5 a gallon in California as the Southwest and the rest of America feel the impact of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

The average at the Golden State's pumps hit $5.16 a gallon Sunday and increased to $5.20 Monday, according to AAA. That's an increase of 54 cents from the March 2 average of $4.66 a gallon in California, which consistently has had the most expensive gas in the U.S. for several years.

Similar increases were seen elsewhere in the Southwest. In Arizona, prices were up from $3.32 on March 2 to $3.86 on Monday. Colorado saw prices rise from $2.89 on March 2 to $3.41 on Monday. And Nevadans saw their gas average rise from $3.70 on March 2 to $4.21 on Monday.

California consistently has the nation's highest prices, and the national average nearly passed the $3.50 per gallon average.

Gas prices, which largely reflect delayed oil prices, are expected to come down from a near 50-cent increase over the past week, if oil prices remain low in the coming days, according to AAA.

“Most of what we should think about right now is what oil's doing today,” AAA Mountain West Group Spokesperson John Treanor told The Center Square Monday. The crude oil market peaked Sunday night over $118 and quickly came down overnight into Monday, according to OilPrice.com.

Gas prices, however, remained high in reaction to the sharp increase in oil prices from the war’s start on Feb. 28. The U.S. average gas price for a regular gallon was $3.48 Monday, up 48 cents from $3 last week, according to AAA.

The rapid increase of gas prices has impacted every state in the U.S., including in the Southwest where gas prices were already among the highest in the country.

The oil price dip Monday came after President Donald Trump said the war could end “very soon.” Later the same day, Trump said, “We will hit them so hard that it will not be possible for them or anybody else helping them to ever recover that section of the world,” according to media reports.

“For every dollar increase in crude oil, you can expect a 2- to 2.5-cent increase in the cost of gasoline at the pump,” Auto Club Group Spokesperson Skyler McKinley in Colorado told The Center Square. “And so I think it's notable that [oil] prices have fallen since Friday, but we haven't even priced those in yet on what we're paying at the pump. We're just now starting to probably price that swing in.”

McKinley added that while gas prices could be expected to come down in line with oil prices, it would be difficult to know how soon that might be, as the war continues to quickly change. As of Monday afternoon, the price of oil was at $87, its lowest since last week, according to OilPrices.com.

The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran quickly caused global oil and gas prices to rise, largely on speculation of a drawn-out war. Since the war began, Iran has attacked at least 10 vessels moving through the trade chokepoint that is the Strait of Hormuz. In 2024, around 20% of global petroleum liquids passed through the strait, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

“The price swing we've seen in gasoline has been lesser at the start of this conflict than when Russia invaded Ukraine, when the national average jumped 60 cents in a seven day period,” said McKinley. He added later, “We've had expensive oil before. We've had expensive gas before. It is painful. It makes everything else in our economy more expensive, but I don't hear a lot of folks talking about 2022 right now, despite it being the most expensive year on record, which shows you how short memories are with regard to some of these energy considerations.”

The average U.S. gallon of regular gas has not passed $3.50 since June 2024 and peaked over $5 in the summer of 2022, according to the U.S. EIA, after several months of Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

“The interesting thing is what are prices going to look like tomorrow?” said Treanor. “But this will show you how quickly things can swing.”

(The Center Square) - Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne told The Center Square that the Empowerment Scholarship Account’s error rate is lower than that of other Arizona government programs.

Katie Ratlief, executive director for Common Sense Institute Arizona, said the school choice program's error rate is around 1%.

The rate is the same as in 2018, before it became universal in the state, Ratlief said.

She told The Center Square that nearly 2 million transactions occur each year.

Matt Beienburg, director of education policy at Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute, said people can use ESA funds for anything from private school tuition to special education therapy curriculum and supplemental materials.

He said the Arizona Department of Education uses risk-based auditing, the same method the Internal Revenue Service uses to audit taxpayers.

DOE will “audit purchases based upon the risk profile of those purchases,” Beienburg said.

Before the risk-based auditing policy, Arizona families who used ESA funds did not get “their reimbursements” because of the high volume of orders DOE had to process, he told The Center Square.

Horne said in cases of fraudulent purchases, DOE suspends those accounts.

In extreme cases of fraud, Horne said he sends names to Attorney General Kris Mayes, requesting that they be prosecuted.

The superintendent noted only a small percentage of ESA purchases “are actually fraud.”

Compared to other government programs, Arizona's ESA error rate is much lower.

As an example, in 2024, Arizona’s unemployment insurance program error rate for improper payments was 22%, Ratlief noted.

And the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s payment error rate in Arizona is around 10%, according to Glenn Farley, CSI’s director of policy and research.

The ESA’s payment rate is also lower than the national Medicaid improper payment rate of 6.55%.

According to Beienburg, if Arizona doesn’t get its SNAP payment error rate under control, it could cost the state up to $200 million. Under H.R. 1, also known as Congress' Big Beautiful Bill Act, states will face penalties beginning in fiscal year 2028 if their chosen SNAP payment error rate in fiscal year 2025 or fiscal year 2026 exceeds 6%.

Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, vetoed House Bill 2206 in February, which would have required Arizona to bring its SNAP payment error rate below 3% by 2030.

The bill was designed to help Arizona avoid potential financial penalties for having a high SNAP payment error rate.

Hobbs said in her veto letter that the bill “contains yet more unfunded mandates and not a dollar to help our state agencies implement these changes now, or to modernize our systems in the future.”