Arizona House GOP

🌵 Arizona’s state lands play an important role in funding education, supporting economic development, and ensuring the long-term prosperity of our state.

As part of its work to support rural Arizona, the Legislature held the State Land Department accountable for the effective management of millions of acres of state trust land.

Learn more about the session’s accomplishments in the Majority Report.

🚨Hobbs’ Noncompliance Could Cost Arizona Billions in Health Care Benefits

Federal government warns continued Single Audit failures put $18.3 billion in Medicare and other federal funding at risk, including services for seniors and Arizonans with disabilities

STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX (Wednesday, October 7, 2026) – Arizona State Representative Gail Griffin today warned that the Hobbs administration’s continued noncompliance with federal Single Audit requirements is putting billions of dollars in federal funding at risk, including health care and long-term care services relied upon by seniors and Arizonans with disabilities.

Under the Hobbs administration, Arizona has missed the federal Single Audit deadline for four consecutive fiscal years. The Single Audit is the annual review Arizona is required to complete to account for how federal funds are spent and whether the State is complying with federal requirements.

The fiscal year 2025 audit was due March 31, 2026, and remains outstanding. The Auditor General has projected that it may not be issued until March 5, 2027, less than four weeks before the fiscal year 2026 audit is due.

Arizona spent approximately $28.6 billion in federal funds in fiscal year 2024, including approximately $18.3 billion from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Those dollars support the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), including the Arizona Long Term Care System, which pays for nursing home and long-term care services for seniors and Arizonans with disabilities. Federal funding also supports behavioral health treatment, child care assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food assistance, and other safety-net programs.

At a September 21 Joint Legislative Audit Committee hearing, United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources Gustav Chiarello called the Hobbs administration’s response to Arizona’s delinquent Single Audit “inadequate.” HHS has authority under federal law to withhold payments, disallow costs, and suspend or terminate federal awards when a state remains out of compliance.

Video of the JLAC hearing is available here: https://bit.ly/4hnx6YC

“Governor Hobbs has allowed Arizona to remain out of compliance year after year, and now the health care and benefits Arizonans depend on are exposed to federal penalties,” Representative Griffin said. “We are talking about $18.3 billion in HHS funding and services that seniors, people with disabilities, and vulnerable families rely on. These Arizonans should not have to worry about losing benefits because the Governor has failed to meet basic federal accountability requirements.”

Arizona has already seen consequences from its delinquent audits. Federal agencies have withheld or frozen hundreds of millions of dollars from Arizona’s public universities because of the late audits, including approximately $154 million from the National Institutes of Health. The universities ultimately separated from the State’s Single Audit to protect their federal funding.

Assistant Secretary Chiarello also testified that neither Governor Hobbs nor her office had directly engaged with him or his staff about resolving the delinquency since HHS formally notified the Governor in July that Arizona was not in compliance.

“For four years under Governor Hobbs, this problem has gotten worse instead of better,” Representative Griffin said. “Arizona has missed four consecutive federal deadlines, the number of audit findings has grown, and HHS is now warning about federal enforcement. Even after HHS formally notified the Governor that Arizona was not in compliance, her office did not have a direct conversation with the federal official responsible for addressing the delinquency. Four years is more than enough time to get this under control.”

At the September hearing, Assistant Secretary Chiarello told lawmakers that the continuing delays leave federal officials without timely information needed to identify problems, ensure federal funds are properly accounted for, and work with Arizona on corrective action. He called for a more credible timeline, greater discipline, and better communication from the State.

Since the hearing, the Hobbs administration has offered no new timeline for bringing Arizona back into compliance.

“Governor Hobbs needs to take responsibility and fix this,” Representative Griffin said. “Arizona needs a credible timeline, direct engagement with the Department of Health and Human Services, and an immediate plan to bring the State back into compliance. Seniors, families, and Arizonans with disabilities should not have their health care and other essential benefits put at risk because the administration cannot get its financial reporting in order.”

Gail Griffin is a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives serving Legislative District 19, which includes areas of Greenlee, Graham, Cochise, and eastern Pima and Santa Cruz Counties. She also serves as Chairman of the House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee.

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https://www.azleg.gov/press/house/57LEG/2R/261007GRIFFINJLAC.pdf

Arizona House GOP Steve Montenegro Michael Carbone Julie Willoughby Neal Carter Matt Gress

🏠 During Arizona’s housing shortage, the Hobbs Administration auctioned nearly 22X more State Trust Land for solar than housing in FY2026.

That included more than 6,700 acres for solar development compared with about 300 acres for residential development, according to findings highlighted by the Joint Legislative Ad Hoc Committee on State Land Oversight.

The committee is raising questions about how State Trust Land is being prioritized as Arizona continues to face a housing shortage.

Read the full press release: https://bit.ly/4hKgzgu

House & Senate Education Chairs Gress, Angius Welcome Regents’ Confirmation of Independent ASU Hockey Review

Board says review will examine what happened to Matthew Mayich and allow witnesses to participate confidentially

STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX (Monday, October 5, 2026) – House Education Committee Chairman Matt Gress and Senate Education Committee Chairman Hildy Angius today welcomed confirmation from the Arizona Board of Regents that former Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Scott Bales will conduct an independent review of the August 20 hockey workout that left 21-year-old student-athlete Matthew Mayich on life support.

On September 28, Chairman Gress and Chairman Angius called for an independent investigation in a letter to Arizona Board of Regents Chairman Doug Goodyear. They asked for an outside review of what happened during the workout, whether university policies were followed, and concerns raised by seven current hockey players.

In his response today, Board Chairman Goodyear said the review will seek to establish more fully what happened on August 20 and in the aftermath, while also examining steps to prevent a similar incident in the future.

Board Chairman Goodyear also confirmed that Chief Justice Bales will have full access to university staff, records, policies, and other information needed for the review. Students and other witnesses may participate confidentially and anonymously, and Chief Justice Bales may bring in outside assistance as needed.

“The Board has confirmed that Chief Justice Bales will examine what happened to Matthew Mayich on August 20 and what happened afterward,” Chairman Gress said. “That is what we asked for. Chief Justice Bales is highly respected, and we appreciate the Board of Regents and ASU giving him the independence and access he needs to get the facts.”

ASU has asked Chief Justice Bales to complete the review by early December.

“The confidentiality protections matter because players have said they are afraid of retaliation,” Chairman Angius said. “They need to be able to tell Chief Justice Bales what they saw without worrying about the consequences. He should hear from everyone involved, get the information he needs, and determine what happened.”

Board Chairman Goodyear’s response letter is attached below.

Follow Representative Gress and Senator Angius on X at and .

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https://www.azleg.gov/press/house/57LEG/2R/261005GRESSANGIUS.pdf

Arizona House GOP Arizona Senate Republicans Steve Montenegro Michael Carbone Julie Willoughby Neal Carter Warren Petersen T.J. Shope

Supporting Arizona veterans through meaningful tax relief.

The 2025 Majority Report highlights property tax relief for qualifying disabled veterans, eliminating property taxes for low-income veterans with a 100% service-connected disability.

The measure was included as part of the Legislature’s tax relief efforts aimed at easing financial burdens for those who served.

Access to quality healthcare depends on having qualified providers, efficient systems, and policies that respond to patients’ needs.

The House Committee on Health & Human Services, chaired by Representative Selina Bliss For State Representative - District 1, advanced bipartisan reforms focused on expanding access to care, improving efficiencies, safeguarding medical freedoms, and strengthening accountability in Arizona’s healthcare system.

Read more about the committee’s work in the Majority Report.

❌ Not every House Republican priority made it across the finish line due to Hobbs' Vetoes.

During the 2026 session, Governor Hobbs vetoed bills advanced in several major policy areas, including AI policy, rural land and agriculture, natural resources, and critical infrastructure technology. Official legislative records confirm vetoes including HB 2592 on AI and state agencies and HB 2134 on critical infrastructure and foreign adversaries.

❌ AI & Innovation
Chairman Justin Wilmeth, District 2
Policies focused on AI modernization and emerging technology.

❌ Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Chairman Lupe Diaz, District 19
Defending private property and protecting agriculture.

❌ Natural Resources, Energy & Water
Chairman Gail Griffin, District 19
Protecting Arizona’s natural resources and energy future.

❌ Science & Technology
Chairman Beverly Pingerelli, District 28
Understanding the technologies transforming government, business, and everyday life.