GOVERNMENT
“Knowing the dangers of the intersection and that it’s one of the worst in the Southwest, it has to be a priority,” she said. In a twist, the lone “nay” during that Feb. 27 vote came from Sen. Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek). He founded the Arizona Freedom Caucus and refers to himself as a “persecuted Trump elector” on the social media platform X. Hoffman waffled in his support of the Riggs Road overpass project when former State Rep. Bret Roberts, a Maricopa Republican, introduced the original bill to fund the project in 2021. Hoffman voted for the bill during a February committee hearing, but he changed his mind just over a week later. It turned out Hoffman was chief among a group of Republicans who deemed the bill “pork” and went “against their conservative fiscal beliefs.” It was among a stack of projects the group believed “must go.” Just another day at the office Martinez’s politics may be ruby red, but her office is royal blue. That’s where we end our day. An hour has passed since Lopez’s first-ever bill, which would allocate over $16 million to widen SR 347, passed with unanimous support. It marked a dramatic reversal from the House Committee on Appropriations’ vote just two weeks earlier. The two representatives are energized. “It was a bit like passing a kidney stone,” Lopez laughs. “Actually, it was very fulfilling. I can’t tell you I enjoyed all that driving after the election to all the orientations and trainings, but when it was go time, I was so glad. It’s very fulfilling because we are making decisions for our constituents and for the entire state.” Martinez commended the bipartisan support, saying, “There are some bills that [Democrats] can say, ‘This is a good bill,’ and then we work together.” This is one of them. Now, only the budget and ADOT’s bureaucracy stand in the way. “They don’t see the road as crucial or important. They finally understand now, but they literally needed to be coerced into doing their job,” she said. Shope said he hopes the momentum continues through the session, to push the governor’s office to understand the urgency. “When you’re a legislator who has one of the most dangerous intersections in the western half of the country in your district, it’s embarrassing,” he said. “I know the patience is wearing thin ... but I hope the people know they have a good team here making sure their voice, the Maricopa voice, is definitely being heard at the Capitol.”
Rep. Chris Lopez checks emails at his office desk at the Arizona State Capitol March 4.
GETTING THEIR ‘REPS’ IN
HB 2728: Allows people convicted of driving under the influence to participate in a religious program or evidence-based psychotherapy for required court-ordered treatment. HB 2753: Allows Pinal County municipalities to assume groundwater replenishment obligations in their service area. HB 2895: Requires state departments to post task order contracts on their websites. Those are agreements where a department issues specific “task orders” for services or goods from a contractor as needs arise, without needing a new contract each time. HB 2896: Appropriates $1 million from the state general fund for municipal, county and tribal law enforcement agencies to purchase drones.
study Pinal County’s transportation needs.
HB 2235: Imposes a $200 fine for drivers left lane camping on Interstates 8, 10 and 40. HB 2340: Penalizes intentional murder of a law enforcement officer with death or natural life imprisonment. HB 2557: Appropriates $16.2 million from the state general fund to widen SR 347. HB 2700: Requires schools to include instruction on the Gulf of America. HB 2725: Increases requirements for social studies classes and re- quires 8th grade students to complete at least one civics education course before promotion. Also appropriates $1 million from state general fund for the Museum of Democracy Presidential Project.
As of publication, the following bills from Reps. Teresa Martinez and Chris Lopez have progressed to the Senate except for HB 2725, Lopez’s so-called “Pledge of Allegiance” bill. It failed during a third reading in the House. HB 2029: Requires schools to provide proof it meets digital citizenship and media literacy standards. HB 2099: Requires state, county and municipalities enforce federal immigration laws through Jan. 20, 2029. HB 2100: Requires nonresidents wanting to rent out watercraft to register the watercraft and maintain proof of insurance. HB 2234: Appropriates $500,000 from state general fund to
InMaricopa.com | April 2025
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