Gov. Hobbs breaks record for most vetoes in single Arizona legislative session

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- Governor Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) has broken the record for the most vetoes in a single Arizona legislative session.

On Tuesday, Hobbs was on track to veto an additional 11 bills from the 50 bills she is due to take action on as the legislative session wraps up this week. In total, the governor vetoed 63 bills, beating Janet Napolitano’s session record of 58 vetoes that was set in 2005.

Earlier this month, Arizona’s Family reported that Hobbs was on track to make a veto record. At the time, Republicans appeared undeterred by that warning and her growing list of vetoes and continued to push bills that seemed destined to get rejected.

“Just because the governor may veto a bill is no reason for us not to attempt to get it through,” said Sen. John Kavanagh, a Republican from Fountain Hills. “I came here to represent my constituents who believe in a lot of the things we’re pushing, and if it gets vetoed it gets vetoed.”

In recent weeks, the governor has vetoed bills that have garnered widespread reactions from lawmakers including her push against a bill that would ban public K-12 schools from teaching “critical race theory” to students that carried a punishable fine, her disapproval of a Republican-backed tax bill that would prevent municipalities from taxing groceries, and another law that would ban tents in public places. Other bills that have gotten the veto treatment include SB 1331 and HB 2332 to allow guns in schools in certain circumstances.

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