Governor Katie Hobbs and Democratic Legislative Leadership React to MAGA Republican Poison Pill Legislation

MAGA Republicans at the State Capitol are willing to appropriate a supplemental funding request to assist children with disabilities.

For a price.

These same MAGA legislators, led by David Livingston, who want Governor Katie Hobbs to sign supplemental funding legislation with no strings attached for their precious welfare for the wealthy program, the Empowerment Scholarship Account Private School Voucher system, have, according to reporting from KJZZ, offered the following poison pill conditions for helping disabled children in HB2945:

• “A 20-hour limit on the parents-as-paid-caregivers program.
• Requiring the Governor to seek legislative approval before asking federal officials to renew it when the initial approval expires in 2027.
• Require state agencies to gain legislative approval for similar waivers in the future.
• Require all state agencies to report on their use of federal funds to the legislature, with plans for what they will do if that funding is cut.
• Shift $122 million to the Division of Developmental Disabilities by redirecting money allocated to other programs, including $74 million from the prescription drug rebate fund and $38 million from the housing trust fund, which helps pay for housing assistance programs and efforts to increase the state’s housing supply. The bill would also pull $10 million from a fund used to attract businesses to Arizona.”

It should be noted that Democratic Assistant House Leader Nancy Gutierrez offered clean legislation (HB2816) to fully fund the assistance with no poison pills attached.

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, who last night (April 8, 2025) attended an event with families who rely on the assistance for disabled children, released a statement against the MAGA Republican “Hostage Taking” Poison Pill Legislation, stating:

“Yesterday, I met with Arizonans who rely on the Division for Developmental Disabilities (DDD) program, a critical lifeline for Arizonans with disabilities including autism, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy. I heard stories of how these services have given them independence and helped them thrive. The DDD program has allowed them to live their lives with dignity.

“In the last 24 hours, since the legislative majority released their proposal, my office has also heard from hospitals, health care providers, health plans, housing advocates, community leaders, and business organizations who are opposed to the far-reaching implications of this bill as written.

“I have had a plan to fully fund the DDD services since January 17th, when I released my budget proposal. When I updated our numbers to show the increasing costs of the ESA program on March 5th, the funding for DDD was once again fully included in my balanced budget proposal. After 80 days of inaction, Monday was the first time Republicans offered any budgetary response to this dire matter, and what they are offering is irresponsible and inhumane. 

“After hearing from affected families and a wide range of organizations, I know the Republican proposal is not right for families, caregivers, or providers, and is not right for Arizona. This proposal comes from unserious lawmakers, but it will have serious consequences for everyday people. It reduces services for disabled Arizonans, adds red tape, and paves the way to ending the Parents as Paid Caregivers (PPCG) program altogether. It slashes funding for down payment assistance for middle-class families. And this reckless Republican proposal will enable attacks on other critical Medicaid programs in the immediate future.

“This bill has made clear the legislative majority is leveraging a crisis of their own creation to gain the power to hold other Medicaid initiatives hostage—programs like KidsCare and housing services for people with serious mental illnesses, to name a few. Today, they are threatening to gut services for disabled Arizonans. Tomorrow, I have no doubt they will slash health care for middle-class children, people with serious mental illnesses, and other populations. I won’t let them do that.

“As they have for months, the legislative majority is continuing to play reckless political games with some of the most vulnerable Arizonans. They’re engaging in pointless political theater while failing to produce a balanced budget plan, as I have repeatedly done. It’s time for them to end their manufactured chaos and hostage-taking and pass a common sense bill to fund these critical services. It’s time for them to meet their moral and legal obligations to these Arizona families and get their hands off our health care.”

Senate Democratic Leader Priya Sundareshan commented to Blog for Arizona:

“The current proposal put forth by House Republicans, sponsored by Representative Livingston, is nothing more than a slap in the face to families who rely on these services. Democrats have consistently brought parental caregivers to the Capitol, shared their stories, and advocated for these families the way the majority would if they cared about issues even when they may not benefit politically. But Republicans continue to shut down Democratic attempts to pass a clean bill to cover this shortfall with General Fund dollars, instead introducing a version that raids other vital services and hampers effective health care administration. We don’t have time for games. People rely on these dollars- Republicans need to act like they care about the state they are supposed to lead at the legislature.” 

Democratic House Leader Oscar De Los Santos also commented to the Blog, offering:

“I spent yesterday evening listening to families and providers who would be directly impacted by Livingston’s bill. Their stories were heartbreaking, and one thing was crystal clear: DDD families and providers reject the Livingston bill. It is time to stop playing political games and holding this critical funding hostage. We must quickly pass Rep. Gutierrez’s HB2816 to solve this crisis.” 

Democratic Assistant House Leader Nancy Gutierrez, who again sponsored a clean supplemental funding bill, commented to KJZZ that the MAGA Republican poison pill measure “It’s offensive to these families that have to have this lifeline funding.”