{"id":1952912,"date":"2023-06-21T11:58:02","date_gmt":"2023-06-21T15:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-vetoes-republicans-maricopa-county-bill-on-infrastructure-funding-strategy\/"},"modified":"2023-06-21T11:59:15","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T15:59:15","slug":"arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-vetoes-republicans-maricopa-county-bill-on-infrastructure-funding-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-vetoes-republicans-maricopa-county-bill-on-infrastructure-funding-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs rejects GOP&#8217;s Maricopa County infrastructure funding bill."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Farizona-gov-katie-hobbs-vetoes-republicans-maricopa-county-bill-on-infrastructure-funding-strategy%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1952912&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"post_content\">\n<div class=\"aplayer_app\" data-source=\"https:\/\/vs1.youmaker.com\/assets\/2023\/0621\/70509048-271c-4469-9b4d-79f860f00004\/audio.mp3?length=4667373&#038;duration=389\"><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-76 p Component-p-0-2-66\">Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed Senate Bill 1246 on Tuesday which aimed to extend a transit sales tax of half a cent that has funded transportation projects in the state\u2019s largest county for almost 40 years. While Maricopa residents must vote to again approve the tax, Republican and Democratic lawmakers have failed to reach a consensus on spending the revenue.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-76 p Component-p-0-2-66\">The so-called Prop. 400 sales tax was originally approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985. They voted again in 2004 to extend the tax, which is set to expire at the end of 2025. The tax was proposed to help pay for major Phoenix-area infrastructure projects, and has secured freeway projects, bus services, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/public-transit-security-guard-removed-from-duty-after-video-showed-savage-act-toward-sleeping-man\/\" title=\"Public transit security guard fired for mistreating sleeping man in shocking video.\">light rail system<\/a> for a burgeoning population.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-76 p Component-p-0-2-66\">With their partisan bill to further extend the sales tax, Republican lawmakers aimed to put two questions on the ballot: Voters would be asked whether or not to increase funding for highway projects, and to shift funding from the promotion of such activities as \u201cactive transportation\u201d and \u201cair quality\u201d to arterial road construction. If voters approved the second question, the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) would also obtain the funding they demand for light rail projects.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Hobbs had warned in advance that she would veto the bill if it landed on her desk, as she continues to seek a bipartisan solution that would also prioritize light rail projects.<\/p>\n<h2>Future of Transportation<\/h2>\n<p>The veto is part of a battle over the future of transportation in Maricopa County, one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States and home to some 4.5 million Arizonans\u2014or two-thirds of the state\u2019s population. The bill proposed by Republican lawmakers, who control both the House and the Senate, would prioritize investment in the freeway system, preempt bans on internal combustion engines, and limit the expansion of light rail projects.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur Prop. 400 extension proposal allows voters to fully evaluate the transportation plan on its merits to determine which funding options best fit their preferred commute patterns,\u201d said Senate President Warren Petersen in a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AZSenateGOP\/status\/1668820128279191553\/photo\/1\">statement<\/a>. Petersen\u2019s Republican colleagues criticized Arizona Democrat\u2019s \u201cfixation\u201d on the county\u2019s light rail system, which they described as a \u201ctotal failure\u201d that was \u201cinefficient and unpopular.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-76 p Component-p-0-2-66\">The Governor disagreed with their assessment, however. \u201cI\u2019m dedicated to continuing Arizona\u2019s economic growth, building and attracting businesses, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/buttigieg-becomes-the-first-millennial-confirmed-to-a-cabinet-position\/\" title=\"Buttigieg Becomes The First Millennial Confirmed To A Cabinet Position\">creating good-paying jobs<\/a> for Arizona workers,\u201d Hobbs said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/azgovernor.gov\/office-arizona-governor\/news\/2023\/06\/governor-katie-hobbs-vetoes-partisan-sb-1246-encourages\">statement<\/a>. \u201cThis partisan bill does none of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-76 p Component-p-0-2-66\">\u201cI encourage legislators to vote on the compromise supported by a bipartisan majority in the House and Senate, community leaders, and cities in Maricopa County. Stop playing partisan politics, stop holding Arizona\u2019s economy hostage, and put the bipartisan compromise up for a vote,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5114244\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/03\/10\/hobbs-arizona-e1678466425913-1200x692.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n\t<\/figure>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-76 p Component-p-0-2-66\">The mayors of Phoenix, Mesa, and four other communities in Maricopa County voiced their opposition to the Republican proposal, saying the transportation priorities of the bill\u2019s backers don\u2019t mesh with the realities of a fast-growing county.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"panel-pane pane-token pane-node-body col-md-12 nopadding\">\n<div class=\"margin-top20 clearfix field-name-body margin-bottom20\">\n<p>\u201cThank you, Governor Hobbs, for your leadership on this issue. We hope the Legislature will reconsider the cities\u2019 Prop 400 compromise bill, which would deliver quality-of-life benefits for all residents and strengthen the economy for our region and state. Cities are committed to getting voters a balanced, multi-modal plan,\u201d Mesa Mayor John Giles, a Republican, posted on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MayorGiles\/status\/1671262598036357121?cxt=HHwWgoDUpc2ewrEuAAAA\">Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and other officials are considering other options, including a ballot initiative that could remove the county\u2019s requirement to go through the Legislature or put the tax directly to voters statewide.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMayors, tribal leaders, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-vetoes-republicans-maricopa-county-bill-on-infrastructure-funding-strategy\/\" title=\"Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs rejects GOP's Maricopa County infrastructure funding bill.\">county officials worked diligently<\/a> for years to approve a regional transportation plan for our growing Valley. But the bill that the legislature sent to Governor Hobbs does not honor our commitments to our voters and ultimately does not meet the needs of Maricopa County. I\u2019m grateful to Governor Hobbs for her veto and urge the legislature to send a bill to serve our constituents better,\u201d Gallego said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/azgovernor.gov\/office-arizona-governor\/news\/2023\/06\/governor-katie-hobbs-vetoes-partisan-sb-1246-encourages#:~:text=Phoenix%20Mayor%20Kate%20Gallego%3A,plan%20for%20our%20growing%20Valley.\">statement<\/a>.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-76 p Component-p-0-2-66\">Mar<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed Senate Bill 1246, blocking the extension of a transit sales tax in the state&#8217;s largest county. The tax has supported transportation projects for nearly four decades. Despite the need for voter approval, bipartisan efforts to reach a consensus between Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been unsuccessful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1869,"featured_media":1952913,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4472,3895,3662,6513,4743,8338,8474,3902,8475,3661,5009],"class_list":["post-1952912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-arizona","tag-bill","tag-county","tag-funding","tag-gops","tag-gov","tag-hobbs","tag-infrastructure","tag-katie","tag-maricopa","tag-rejects"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1952912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1869"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1952912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1952912\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1952913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1952912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1952912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1952912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}