Legislative News

Legislative News 

House Passes Abortion Bill
Arizona House Democrats and several Republicans passed a bill Wednesday to repeal the state’s near-total abortion ban. The bill heads over to the Senate, which is expected to vote on the issue on May 1st. If the bill gets through the Republican-controlled Senate and signed into law by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, a 2022 statute banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy would continue as the state’s prevailing law. The Arizona Supreme Court concluded the state can enforce a long-dormant law that permits abortions only to save the pregnant patient’s life. The ruling suggested doctors could be prosecuted under the law first approved in 1864, which carries a sentence of 2-5 years in prison for anyone who assists in an abortion. The law had been blocked since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion nationwide.

Two State Senators Among Indicted
Attorney General Kris Mayes announced on Wednesday that the State Grand Jury has returned indictments in the ongoing investigation into the fake elector scheme in Arizona.
The following individuals are named as defendants in the indictment: Kelli Ward, Tyler Bowyer, Nancy Cottle, State Senator Jake Hoffman, State Senator Anthony Kern, James Lamon, Robert Montgomery, Samuel Moorhead, Lorraine Pellegrino, Gregory Safsten, and Michael Ward.
Additional named defendants have been indicted but redacted from the attached copy. An unredacted version of the indictment will be made available after all defendants have been served. Charges include fraud, forgery, and conspiracy – class 2, 4, and 5 felonies.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law and convicted by a jury of their peers. Indictment.pdf (azag.gov)