Steve Kirwan, Author at Arizona Globe

Montenegro Claims Victory after Judge Flips AZ Housing Water Rule

June 10, 2026 4:15 pmJune 24, 2026 7:47 am

PHOENIX — Arizona House Speaker Steve Montenegro is claiming vindication after a Maricopa County judge ruled that the state illegally required developers to secure substantially more water than their projects would use before receiving approval to build. Montenegro joined the Home...

AZGOP Leaders Tout Trump-Friendly Bipartisan Budget Deal

June 9, 2026 5:17 pmJune 24, 2026 7:47 am

PHOENIX — Republican legislative leaders and Gov. Katie Hobbs have reached a bipartisan agreement on an $18.29 billion state budget that GOP lawmakers say will make Arizona the only state in the nation to deliver President Donald Trump’s federal tax...

Finchem Eyes Fiduciary Reforms After Elder Abuse Hearing

June 4, 2026 1:50 pmJune 18, 2026 10:47 am

PHOENIX — Arizona Sen. Mark Finchem (R-1) says lawmakers may pursue changes to state law after a Senate committee heard testimony alleging financial exploitation and oversight failures involving court-appointed fiduciaries, guardians ad litem, and conservators. Finchem, who chairs the Senate Ad...

Petersen, Montenegro Fight Judge over School Funding Deadline

June 3, 2026 9:20 amJune 18, 2026 10:48 am

PHOENIX — Arizona Republican leaders are asking the state Court of Appeals to block, or at least delay, enforcement of a ruling first issued Aug. 13, 2025, that found the state’s public school capital funding system unconstitutional. Attorneys for Senate President...

Rogers’ Anti-Squatter Bill Heads to Hobbs after Clearing Legislature

May 27, 2026 12:47 pmJune 18, 2026 10:48 am

PHOENIX — Arizona lawmakers just sent Gov. Katie Hobbs a Republican-backed property rights bill aimed at speeding up the removal of unlawful occupants from private homes. Senate Bill SB1426 forces Hobbs to decide on a proposal supporters say is crucial...

Mayes Eyes Suing Hobbs Over Issue Petersen Called ‘Frivolous’

May 25, 2026 10:27 amJune 5, 2026 4:52 pm

PHOENIX — Arizona’s top two Democratic statewide officials could soon be on opposite sides of a courtroom, as Attorney General Kris Mayes weighs renewed legal action against Gov. Katie Hobbs over the state’s use of opioid settlement funds. The dispute...

Montenegro Frames Pima Election Suit As Test Of Fontes’ Authority

May 21, 2026 2:40 pmJune 5, 2026 4:52 pm

Arizona House Speaker Steve Montenegro (R-29) is again drawing a hard line against Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D), as a new federal lawsuit challenges whether Fontes’ election manual gives local officials too much power to police speech around polling...