Governor Katie Hobbs Announces Bill Moratorium Until Extremist Republicans End Political Theater, Protect Arizonans with Disabilities

Phoenix, AZ – Today, Governor Katie Hobbs announced a moratorium on signing legislation until Republican lawmakers end the political theater and pass a bipartisan supplemental funding bill to protect lifesaving services for Arizonans with disabilities.

The moratorium will apply to any bill that has not yet been transmitted to the governor. Governor Hobbs will act on already transmitted bills in the coming days.

“It is shameful that Reps. Livingston, Gress and other members of the legislative majority continue to hold Arizonans with disabilities hostage to their manufactured chaos,” said Governor Katie Hobbs. “While they leverage a crisis of their own creation to engage in political warfare, Arizonans with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and other disabilities are the ones harmed by their partisan attacks. That’s unacceptable to me, and after meeting with families dependent on these critical services, I know it’s unacceptable to the nearly 60,000 Arizonans who rely on the Division of Developmental Disabilities to live their lives with independence and dignity. Their introduced proposal is unserious and a complete nonstarter.

“However, I am glad to see bipartisan opposition to their political theater. As I have been from day one, I am ready to negotiate with anybody who is willing to discuss a serious supplemental funding bill. In the coming days, I will continue working towards real solutions, starting with the serious proposals already put forward, and exploring funding sources like the Prescription Drug Rebate Fund. But the inaction of a few, extreme Republican lawmakers is unacceptable and business as usual cannot continue until Arizonans with developmental disabilities and their caretakers have the certainty they need.”