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Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs previews 2024 legislative priorities
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs will preview this year’s legislative priorities on January 3, 2024.
Arizona lawmakers are moving ahead with a measure to shed light on the political fundraising of Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and other statewide officials by eliminating a three-year period that does not currently require public reporting. .
The Arizona House of Representatives passed House Bill 2403 on Thursday with bipartisan support. The bill would require candidates for four-year terms such as governor, attorney general, and superintendent of public offices to report their campaign finances four times a year, even during election cycles.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Matt Gress (R-Phoenix), said, “Throughout the year and year after year, people in very powerful roles across the state need to know who contributes to their campaigns. “We have an obligation to let voters know what’s going on,” he said. . “We need to disclose more information, not less.”
The bill now heads to the Senate and will need majority approval to make it to Hobbs’ desk and become law. A similar bill is expected to be voted on in the Senate next week, and the governor has indicated support for both proposals.
The bill is a response to a report in The Arizona Republic detailing changes to state campaign finance law in 2016. The change allows elected officials with four-year terms to wait three years between elections without disclosing their political fundraising. Prior to 2016, reporting was required at least annually, and in some cases more frequently.
Under previous law, Hobbs was supposed to submit a report in January detailing all campaign financing and spending from 2023. After the 2016 amendment, Hobbs will not have to report anything until 2026, when he is expected to seek a second term.
Hobbs is the only four-year official who did not file an annual report this year, a result of her campaign department quickly updating information in the state’s campaign finance reporting software. Ta. The software prompted other officials who did not update their campaign information to submit reports in January, which they did.
Although this law changed many years ago, the reporting gaps it created are now noticeable. Mr. Hobbs proved to be an excellent fundraiser while running for governor, and he promised to use a portion of his proceeds to oust Republicans from Congress. Electing more Democrats would give Hobbs even more allies when it comes to passing her agenda.
Campaign finance reporting laws allow the public to know who is trying to influence politics and policy makers, and provide a measure of accountability to prevent graft and corruption from manifesting.
Gress’ bill would require four-year officeholders to report political fundraising and spending more frequently than was required before 2016. If Gress’ bill becomes law, statewide candidates would have the same reporting deadlines as other groups, including political parties and political parties. Political Action Committee. It would also require statewide candidates to report more frequently than state legislators, who only report quarterly during election years.
Hobbs said this week that she would sign an earlier version of the bill, and her spokesperson assured her that she would sign the House-passed version once it reaches her desk.
“She supports changes that require more disclosure and transparency,” said spokesperson Christian Slater.
Sen. TJ Schopf (R-Coolidge) has introduced a bill in the Senate that would require statewide officeholders to submit a report for two years before an election. This would be more frequent than currently needed, but would apply for a shorter period of time than Gress’ bill.
Shope said he expects Senate Bill 1571 to be voted on in the Senate next week. In the Senate Elections Committee, the bill passed with bipartisan support, 7-0.
“The public has a right to know who their money is being collected from and what it is being used for, especially by public officials,” Schopf said. “In this case, we give more weight to what is being raised.”
Mr. Shope and Assembly Republicans voted in 2016 to overhaul state campaign finance laws, which among other things reduced the frequency of statewide candidate reporting. He said longer political cycles and campaigns require more coverage because “we’re in a perpetual state of campaigning.”
Further employment: As Mr. Hobbs expands his office’s reach, staff will increase by nearly 40%, costing taxpayers $4 million.
Contact reporter Stacy Birchanger. stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669.
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