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Arizona - Adjournment Graphic

The Arizona Legislature adjourned sine die on May 4, ending a busy session that saw passage of bipartisan opioid legislation, the expulsion of Representative Don Shooter on sexual harassment charges, and a statewide strike and massive demonstration at the Capitol by teachers in an effort to boost education funding. The session will also be remembered for the failure of the Republican-controlled legislature to pass GOP Governor Doug Ducey’s water policy and school safety reform initiatives, as well as a failed effort to repeal a controversial school voucher expansion law, sending the issue to the November ballot. The 2018 session culminated in the passage of a $10.4 billion budget bill, which provided for 20-percent teacher pay raises by 2020.

Legislative Highlights

  • On January 22, Governor Ducey called a special session to address the opioid epidemic. The four-day long session yielded a bipartisan bill package that allocated $10 million for addiction treatment, limited initial prescriptions to five-day supplies, and granted legal immunity to those people who report potential overdoses to emergency service providers. The bill (SB 1001) was signed into law just four days after its introduction.
  • After a full day and night of deliberations, the legislature ended the session after passing a 10-bill package providing for a $10.4 billion state budget without raising taxes. Most notable among these was the education budget bill (HB 2663), which provides a 20-percent hike in teacher pay. The bill was a point of contention between legislators and educators over the course of the session, but it was not until a six-day, statewide strike of public school teachers, bringing 50,000 demonstrators to the capital, that the legislature finally gave in. Still, despite the bill’s promises, many believe the governor's plan will prove unsustainable.
  • During his State of the State address in January, Governor Ducey asked the legislature to unite behind his proposal to overhaul the state’s water policy. The legislature ended up introducing its own reform bill, but the battle ended in a draw, with neither proposal passing and current law unchanged.
  • Following the February school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Governor Ducey introduced a school safety proposal that hinged largely on a call for increased gun control. In the end, the bill (SB 1519) died in the House over concerns regarding the bill’s Severe Threat Orders of Protection (STOP order) provisions, which would allow certain individuals to ask judges to order mental health evaluations for potentially dangerous persons and remove firearms from their possession. Governor Ducey has already said he plans to introduce a similar plan in 2019.

Election Preview

Governor Ducey is running for reelection to a second term 2018 and will face former Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett in the Republican primary. This marks the second time the two will compete for the state’s top office. Bennett also ran in 2014, coming in fourth. The primary election takes place August 28, and the general election will be held on November 6. Additionally, the offices of the attorney general and secretary of state are also up for election.


All state Senate seats and House seats are also up for election this year in Arizona. Although Democrats had marginal successes in 2016 elections, Republicans have held both chambers since 2003, and are looking to gain a handful of seats in both chambers to achieve a veto-proof supermajority.