Arizona
Some Republicans want to mitigate Arizona abortion ban. Democrats call it backpedaling
Arizona state Sen. Eva Burch responds to the Arizona Supreme Court’s abortion ruling
The Arizona Supreme Court upheld a 160-year-old abortion ban that could shutter abortion clinics in the state.
A handful of Arizona Republican lawmakers and officials called for action on Tuesday to mitigate the impact of a court decision reinstituting a 160-year-old ban on nearly all abortions in the state.
Former Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, called on officials to “address this issue with a policy that is workable and reflective of our electorate.”
Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, called on Republican leaders to immediately repeal the 160-year-old law, saying “the law cannot stand.” Sen. T.J. Shope, R-Coolidge, also called for a repeal of the law. Both lawmakers favored a ban on abortions after 15 weeks.
The statements, while made in reaction to a shocking court decision that will reverberate for months if not years, were dismissed by Democrats as GOP backpedaling.
The statements come during an election year in which Democrats have sought to make abortion rights a mobilizing issue to get voters to the polls. In addition to driving support for a state constitutional amendment on abortion rights, Democrats hope their policy positions will win favor with voters and tip the scales in competitive races on the ballot.
“Arizonans remember Gov. Doug Ducey and the Republican legislature pushing through a 15-week ban after Donald Trump was able to get Roe overturned,” Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Yolanda Bejarano said in a statement.
“Arizonans will usher in a pro-choice Democratic majority in our legislature, send Joe Biden back to the White House, and once again reject abortion extremism to secure the US House and Senate.”
In 2022, while the U.S. Supreme Court was considering a case that later overturned abortion rights nationally, Arizona GOP lawmakers and Ducey enacted a ban on abortions after 15 weeks. It was more restrictive than what was allowed at the time in the Grand Canyon State, and supporters acknowledged it was a contingency plan to put a more stringent law in place if the U.S. Supreme Court permitted doing so.
Ducey said on social media Tuesday that he signed the 15-week law because it was “thoughtful conservative policy, and an approach to this very sensitive issue that Arizonans can actually agree on.”
“The ruling today is not the outcome I would have preferred, and I call on our elected leaders to heed the will of the people and address this issue with a policy that is workable and reflective of our electorate,” the former governor wrote.
Democrats say GOP backpedaling on Arizona abortion ban
Those words, however, drew the ire of Democrats who noted the 2022 law included language that it did not repeal the pre-statehood ban. The state’s top court relied on that language in upholding the 1864 law on Tuesday, banning abortions at any point in gestation except to save the life of the mother. A person who aids in an abortion can face prison time.
Also noted by Democrats were Ducey’s efforts to expand and pack Arizona’s top court when he was governor. Ducey in 2016 signed a bill to increase the court from five to seven justices — even though the justices opposed the expansion.
In his eight years as governor, Ducey appointed justices to five of the seven seats. The other two, who dissented from the majority decision on Tuesday, were named to the bench by former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, also a Republican.
The Arizona Republic requested an interview with Ducey, but a representative declined, saying Ducey stood by the statement.
At a news conference on Tuesday with female Democratic lawmakers in the state, Sen. Eva Burch, D-Mesa, and Rep. Stephanie Stahl-Hamilton, D-Tucson, called out Republican lawmakers as they began releasing statements against the territorial ban.
Stahl-Hamilton specifically called out Gress, who sponsored “fetal personhood” bills in 2023 that would have allowed child support and tax credits to be paid during pregnancy, enhanced domestic violence penalties for people who assault pregnant women, and allowed pregnant women to use HOV lanes. Those bills were either vetoed by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs or died in committee.
Gress disputed that those bills gave fetuses personhood rights akin to a separate state law dealing with abortion and shared a 2022 campaign flyer that says he opposes the pre-statehood abortion ban and supports exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother.
“This is about providing support, financial support and resources for women,” Gress said of his bills. “It’s about empowering women and protecting women. I’ve been pretty consistent in that.”
Shope said the Arizona Supreme Court “ignored our legislative intent” in its ruling. Shope voted in favor of the 15-week law in 2022 and said he would work to repeal the 1864 law.
Burch shut down any idea of compromising with Republicans on ending the territorial ban in favor of the less strict 15-week ban.
“Am I willing to compromise the lives of pregnant people after 15 weeks to have the appearance of being diplomatic?” Burch asked. “Absolutely not.”
Burch made national headlines in March after revealing on the Senate floor that she was pregnant and obtained an abortion because her pregnancy was not viable.
Despite Republicans like Gress and Shope pledging support for the 15-week law instead of the 1864 ban, Burch said she doesn’t expect action from her Republican colleagues.
A bill to repeal the 1864 ban was introduced earlier this year and has made it nowhere in the GOP-majority Legislature. Lawmakers are convening once a week now and will have voting sessions on Wednesday.
“I really appreciate and respect my Republican colleagues; I co-sponsor bills with my Republican colleagues. We agree on some things, and we disagree on others,” Burch said. “Do I think that they are going to now become champions for reproductive health care because of this ruling and their fears about what the political consequences might be?
“Not even then, absolutely not.”
160-year-old law upheld: Abortion in Arizona set to be illegal in nearly all circumstances, state high court rules
Republic reporter Mary Jo Pitzl contributed to this article.
Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669.
Reach reporter Reagan Priest at rpriest@gannett.com.
Arizona
NAU launches first-of-its-kind engineering degree to fast-track Arizona’s future workforce – The NAU Review
As Arizona’s semiconductor and advanced manufacturing industries continue to grow at a rapid pace, Northern Arizona University’s Steve Sanghi College of Engineering is launching a new degree program designed to help meet the state’s workforce needs.
Beginning this fall, NAU will offer a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Engineering Technology, a flexible, workforce-focused degree pathway that prepares students for careers in microelectronics, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing in as little as three years. The 90-credit bachelor’s degree creates a more accessible pathway into engineering careers through a hands-on, applied curriculum and a streamlined transfer model with Arizona community colleges.
The program follows a 45-45 completion structure, allowing students to complete 45 credits at a community college and 45 credits through NAU. Courses will be delivered through synchronous remote instruction at NAU’s North Valley campus in Phoenix and at Pima Community College in Tucson, increasing access for statewide students.
Addressing Arizona’s growing semiconductor workforce
Designed with workforce readiness in mind, the program emphasizes practical engineering application, systems implementation, testing, quality control, systems analysis, manufacturing, fabrication, process control and project management. Students will gain technical and problem-solving skills aligned with the needs of Arizona’s rapidly evolving manufacturing economy.
“This new bachelor’s degree empowers students to identify real-world engineering challenges and develop practical solutions,” said James Palmer, associate dean for academic affairs at the Steve Sanghi College of Engineering. “We are creating a more accessible pathway into engineering careers while preparing graduates to support Arizona’s growing microelectronics and semiconductor industry.”
Arizona has emerged as one of the nation’s fastest-growing semiconductor hubs, with more than $200 billion in semiconductor-related investments announced in the Greater Phoenix region since 2020, including expansions from Intel, TSMC and Amkor Technology. TSMC alone has committed up to $165 billion toward Arizona operations, including multiple fabrication plants and advanced packaging facilities expected to create thousands of technical and manufacturing jobs.
Industry demand continues to grow for professionals with applied engineering and advanced manufacturing skills in areas such as process engineering, manufacturing systems, equipment operations and yield enhancement. NAU’s new degree program was developed to help students quickly enter these high-demand career fields while supporting Arizona’s long-term economic growth and domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity.
The program also aligns with NAU’s strategic commitment to expanding access to affordable, student-centered educational opportunities that prepare graduates for meaningful careers and long-term success.
Students interested in learning more about the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Engineering Technology program should contact SCE@nau.edu.
PHOENIX (AP) — The two Republican congressmen running for Arizona governor pitched themselves at a debate Wednesday as the only candidate with broad enough voter appeal to unseat Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs amid the state’s affordability struggles.
U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, who is the GOP primary’s frontrunner and has the endorsement of President Donald Trump, portrayed himself as being able to cross party lines and having the right experience to be the state’s chief executive.
“There’s not a doubt in my mind, if you look at the polling data that you’re going to find, I am the most competitive with Katie Hobbs of anybody on this stage in any Republican in the state,” Biggs said.
U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, who has survived three tough Democratic challenges in recent years, believes his focus on government finances and his drive to bring new business to the state make him the singular Republican candidate.
“These are wonderful people, but they’ve never actually been in the great battle,” Schweikert said of Biggs and two other Republican opponents.
Businessman Scott Neely, who ran an unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign in 2022, said after the debate that if Biggs wins the primary, Republicans will lose the election.
The winner of the July 21 primary will face Hobbs, who’s running unopposed in the primary.
Biggs has served five terms in the U.S. House, representing a heavily GOP district in the eastern Phoenix suburbs and serving at one time as chairman of the ultra-right U.S. House Freedom Caucus.
Before that, Biggs served in the Arizona Legislature from 2003 through 2016, including four years as president of the state Senate. He battled with then-Republican Gov. Jan Brewer on a Medicaid expansion in 2013 and pushed school choice measures and bills targeting abortion providers.
Biggs is one of Trump’s top defenders in Congress and supported Trump’s false claims the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.
Schweikert, a budget hawk known for railing against government debt, has represented an affluent district that includes parts of northeast Phoenix and Scottsdale for eight terms. He served in the Arizona House in the 1990s and as Maricopa County’s treasurer in the 2000s.
Schweikert has focused his congressional career on sounding the alarm about the federal budget deficit and the ballooning U.S. debt, often in late-night speeches to a nearly empty House chamber and bleary-eyed C-SPAN viewers. Schweikert has praised Trump’s 2017 tax cuts but has called for more spending cuts to reduce federal borrowing.
His reputation was tarnished by ethics scandals. In 2022, he received a $125,000 fine by the Federal Election Commission for misappropriating campaign funds. Two years prior, he agreed to pay a $50,000 fine and accept 11 campaign finance violations after an investigation by the U.S. House Committee on Ethics. In his last three general campaigns for Congress, Schweikert staved off challenges from Democrats. Biggs voiced support for Arizona’s recent passage of a three-year moratorium on tax incentives for new data centers – a move Hobbs also has touted. “They shouldn’t be given a break,” Biggs said, noting the large amounts of power and water that data centers use.
Schweikert bemoaned Arizona’s unfavorable affordability rankings as “pretty miserable,” but said consumer prices don’t come down magically. He vowed to aggressively recruit businesses to Arizona and push for wage growth.
Both congressmen were asked about the expired healthcare subsidies for those getting coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
“We’re going to have to deal with the reality of subsidization of everything in the economy is not going to work,” Schweikert said.
Biggs said he introduced legislation in Congress to bring down healthcare costs and also voiced support for Trump’s proposal to send money directly to Americans for health savings accounts so they can handle insurance and health costs as they see fit.
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