Highlights

Sen. Carine Werner, R-Scottsdale, closed Arizona's 2026 legislative session with 14 bills signed into law, finishing second in an Arizona Capitol Times effectiveness analysis of every measure that reached Gov. Katie Hobbs' desk. Werner chairs the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, and her portfolio contributed to 31 new healthcare laws enacted this session.

Hobbs signed 264 bills and vetoed 151 in 2026, according to the Capitol Times analysis, which excluded 16 budget bills to avoid skewing results toward appropriations chairs. Her all-time veto total now stands at 541, against 993 bills signed across four sessions. The Phoenix New Times veto tracker notes Hobbs also instituted a bill moratorium in mid-April 2026, promising to veto most bills until Republicans released their state budget plan.

Lawmakers filed 2,116 measures this session, a record confirmed by azfamily.com, Arizona Agenda, and Rural AZ Action. At least 87 of those bills had already been vetoed in prior sessions. About 21% of all introduced measures reached Hobbs' desk, down from roughly 25% a year earlier.

Republican Rep. Selina Bliss of Legislative District 1 topped the rankings with 15 bills signed. Her signature achievement was House Bill 2720, a bipartisan measure with Sen. Flavio Bravo that makes paying for sex under a fee arrangement a class 6 felony and adds a mandatory $200 fine directed to the state's Anti-Human Trafficking Grant Fund. The law also requires courts to seal prostitution conviction records when those convictions are vacated because the person was a trafficking victim.

"This bill was very important to me, looking uniquely at reducing the demand (for prostitution) by increasing the penalty on those that traffic other humans (and) are part of fueling the sex trafficking trade," Bliss said at the bill signing.

Sen. Shawnna Bolick, R-Phoenix, and Rep. Jeff Weninger, R-Chandler, tied for third with 13 bills signed each. Democrats had 10 bills signed in total, all from the House, matching their 2025 output.

On the veto side, Sen. Wendy Rogers led all lawmakers with 14 vetoed bills, nearly half of which had already been vetoed in prior sessions. Sen. Mark Finchem had 12 vetoes. Rogers' signed legislation included Senate Bill 1426, which expedites the eviction of squatters; the law does not alter rights or remedies under the Arizona Residential Landlord Tenant Act and does not apply to current or former tenants, immediate family members, or anyone with a verbal or written agreement to occupy the property.

Hobbs told the Capitol Times on June 30 that she came to office to work across the aisle, not to veto bills, and that Arizonans expect lawmakers and the governor to put politics aside. Werner and Bliss's productivity on health legislation reflects that dynamic: the session's 31 new healthcare laws represent one of the more tangible areas of bipartisan output. Hobbs, at a recent healthcare roundtable at Valle Del Sol Community Health, urged legislators to focus on access, warning that coverage losses from federal H.R. 1 revisions would push uninsured patients to emergency rooms and raise costs for everyone.

The Legislature is adjourned sine die; no further floor votes are scheduled.

Sources

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  1. azcapitoltimes.com retrieved 09/07/2026 18:05

Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 09/07/2026 18:05. Every claim traces to a source.