home and it will always be my home. i will continue to focus on making our people safer, stronger and freer. to the people of south dakota, thank you for the incredible honor of serving as your state representative, as congresswoman and as governor. thank you for trusting me and thank you for working with me to accomplish great things. but that is enough of that, and we have to keep looking ahead. our state and our nation have even better days in front of us, god willing and the state of our state is strong. with your leadership, it will continue to grow stronger. thank you, god bless you, may god continue to bless the state of south dakota and the united states of america. [cheers and applause]

>> democratic governor katie hobbs of arizona gave her state of the state address at the state capital in phoenix. she highlighted the challenges her administration plans to take on in the coming year, including lowering the cost of housing and childcare. she also pledged to continue efforts to secure arizona's border with mexico. this is about 50 minutes. >> thank you. members of the legislature, honorable katie hobbs, the governor of the state of arizona. [cheers and applause] >> good afternoon. speaker, president, leaders,

members of the house and senate, secretary fontes, attorney general, treasury -- treasurer, superintendent, chief justice and members of the judiciary, tribal leaders, honored guests, and my fellow arizonans. it is our honor to mark the opening of the 57th legislature for its first regular session here on land that will always be connected to the indian community and -- before we go further, let me say my heart is with the people of california impacted by the devastating wildfires. i also want to acknowledge the courageous arizona firefighters who are helping our neighbors

battle the flames. to all those fighting the fires, thank you. [applause] now let me extend my congratulations to both the new and returning faces in this chamber. your dedication to public service is commendable. let us never forget the honor we have in serving this great state . that honor comes from the indomitable spirit of the people who built this land into the thriving culture, economy and innovative place it is today. the ingenious people who first engineered central arizona's canal systems and the tribes who continued to lead on water stewardship policies today. individuals and families who built their lives here because they saw the promise of our

deserts, our diverse geography and our stunning open spaces. leaders like justice sandra day o'connor, governor raul castro, senator john mccain who guided our state and nation. there spirit carries on today. it continues with arizonans like a member of the tribal council. when devastating floods swept through the village last summer and collapsed the surrounding trails, felicia guided more than 100 tourists to a nearby elementary school for shelter. throughout the night, she fielded calls from first responders about people stuck on trails and families looking for loved ones, communicating names and locations to the tribe rangers. her service and heroism show how even in our most devastating

moments, arizonans are there to offer hope and a helping hand. felicia, please stand so we can thank you for your bravery and kindness. [applause] thank you. resilient individuals like these and millions of other good hard-working people built our beloved arizona. a special place that values opportunity and freedom. a place where entrepreneurs, mom and pop businesses, farmers and

international companies launched their next big idea or provide critical services and products that made our modern way of life a reality. a place where your children and grandchildren can triumph beyond our wildest imagination. a place where the promise of tomorrow is as vast as our blue skies and as luminous as the arizona sun. this is our arizona promise. the promise that every day people can find opportunity, security, and freedom. the promise that through hard work and perseverance, you can build a good life for yourself and your family and leave your kids with a better tomorrow. for many years, we lived by this creed and realized this promise but for too many, the arizona promise has slipped away.

our cost of living is too high. people are working harder and struggling more. our freedoms are under attack. our sense of security has faltered. for too long, politicians have focused on the wrong things. chasing headlines, playing politics, and looking toward their next election or their next office rather than standing up for the people we represent. since i became governor, we have made great strides in restoring this promise but we still have much to do. our promise means you shouldn't have to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet. it means your kids should be able to go to college or trade school without taking on a lifetime of debt. it means you should be able to access the medicine and health care you need at a price you can afford. it means if you work hard and

save, you should be able to buy a home where your family can build a life. it means if you immigrate to this country, follow the law, pay taxes and contribute to your community, the arizona promise can be yours too. [applause] the arizona promise is personal to me. i was born right here at saint joe's hospital in phoenix. i grew up at kiwanis park. thanks to scholarships and hard work, i graduated from northern arizona university and arizona state university. as a social worker, i helped homeless youth and domestic violence victims in central arizona. i met my husband while volunteering at church. we raised our children here. and now they are building their

lives right here too. arizona is my home, and like you, i love this state. that love was never diminished when as a kid, my family had to rely on food stamps. it never diminished when my husband and i lost our home during the great recession, or when i took a second job driving for uber so i could buy christmas presents for my kids. it never diminished in the face of any of the countless other battles middle-class families like mine continue to confront. that is why every day, i wake up and fight for this state. that's why i will never give up on the arizona promise. since i became governor, we have achieved much together, by finding common ground. but we must do more. as we go forward, let us work together to make that promise a reality. today and for years to come. having grown up in this state

and raise my family here, i have witnessed how having a home represents more than four walls and a roof. the home i grew up in was somewhere we made memories. it made so much of our lives possible. it's why a safe place to rest your head at night, to celebrate your children's birthdays, to build a life is a pillar of the arizona promise. the home where i made my memories, where i had a safe place to rest my head, was purchased by my parents for $40,000. they bought it back when working-class families could afford to buy a home in this state and live there arizona promise. but today, the high cost of housing is forcing that promise out of reach. from flagstaff to sierra vista, housing shortages and out-of-state -- out-of-state speculators are driving up the price of housing. to combat this, we are taking

action. a few weeks ago, i helped maria contrary us move into her new home. maria is a widow and a hard-working mom of four kids. as a medication technician, she helps keep our seniors healthy. after renting for eight years, maria was finally able to buy a home thanks to down payment assistance from our arizona is home program. [applause] she now has a place of her own, a place to hang a photo of her beloved children and a place to one day passed down to them. maria's story signifies the perseverance of so many eras -- so many arizonans who work hard and saved for years but for many, homeownership remains out of reach. we owe it to them to create more opportunities to find a home,

>> during my time as governor, we lowered costs by cutting government red tape and making historic investments in affordable housing programs. but make no mistake, we must do more. first, we must extend the state low income housing tax credit. this program has enabled the development of affordable homes across arizona from prescott valley to tucson. second, -- owned by out-of-state corporations looking for a quick dollar. these housing speculators are buying up properties and turning family homes into party houses, making housing less affordable in the process. party houses are causing chaos in our communities.

we must end the top-down government mandate that denies our neighborhoods a voice. arizona's want family homes, not party houses. -- arizonans want family homes, not party houses. last year, i announced the arizona is home program and i am proud to share with you today that we will double the number of first-time homebuyers who receive assistance. [applause] >> finally, we must further cut the red tape that is driving up the cost of housing. i am proud of the progress we made spending access to casitas and building duplexes and triplexes.

arizonans are depending on us to find more commonsense solutions that don't expose our neighborhood -- neighborhoods to untested experiments. by taking these commonsense actions, we can lower the skyhigh cost of housing and help families thrive but there is yet more that we can do. more that we must do. no man or woman who served our nation and protected our freedoms should be forced to live on the street. that is why today, i am issuing a challenge to lawmakers and elected officials across the state to fully commit to ending veteran homelessness in arizona in the next decade.

my executive budget will include a down payment to jumpstart this effort with the creation of the homes for heroes fund. but it will take all of us. state and local governments, nonprofits, veterans organizations, and others to see this commitment through. let's work together to ensure our veterans have a place to call home. while we tackle homelessness and the cost of housing, our families are burdened by other costs. we must do more to help them afford day-to-day life. when i travel across the state and i speak to parents, i hear one thing time and again. childcare costs are out of control. on average, an arizona family pays nearly $15,000 a year for child care.

that is more than students pay for in-state tuition to public universities. more than 75,000 arizona children, one in four, have parents who need childcare but cannot access it. and every year, childcare disruptions cost our state billions of dollars in economic activity. i was a working mother who raised two kids and i understand these challenges intimately. that is why i am putting forward the working families child care act to lower the cost of caring for your kids by two thirds. [applause] >> through partnerships with

employers, we can make life easier for families who are struggling with the high cost of raising a child. hard-working families will win. employers will win, and most importantly, our kids will be better off because they have the care they need to learn, play, and thrive. let's work together to lower costs and support families who are raising the next generation of arizonans. lowering costs alone will not bring about the arizona promise. we must embrace a vision of economic opportunity. whether you are chasing your dream job in a trade or launching the next big thing, you should have the chance to succeed and build a better life for yourself and your family. when we create opportunity, arizonans like orrin bates succeed. he has always enjoyed learning how things work. as a kid, he helped his dad fix things in the garage.

as a boy scout, he earned his first merit badge in electricity . inspired by his scout leader who is an elect tradition, he received -- electrician, he received an apprenticeship. his hard work paid off when he was named apprentice of the year and graduated from the program last month. the money he earned helped him by his first home where he hopes to raise a family one day. he is excited to get started as a journeyman and put his electrical skills to work. please stand. join me in acknowledging him for his hard work and congratulating him on his recent engagement. through our building az initiative, we are creating

opportunities for thousands of talented, driven individuals. we are investing in our construction and trades apprenticeship programs including the one he completed that will in turn help more people build high demand skills. it is the right thing to do because we should expand pathways to having a good job with good wages. it is the smart thing to do because we are meeting the needs of our growing state, providing companies with top-notch talent, and supporting families. just look at the opportunities we are creating in a semiconductor industry. last year, i stood in front of you and i called for the continuation of the arizona commerce authority because they know it is essential to growing business and creating jobs in this state. fast forward to last week, i announced a historic investments through the chips and science act to create arizona's first national laboratory and one of

america's three flagship semiconductor research and develop in facilities. it is an investment made possible because of the commerce authority which partnered with arizona state university to bring this tremendous opportunity to our state. thanks to this historic project and support from public and private sector partners, arizona stands as the epicenter of america's semiconductor industry, an industry putting thousands of people to work in our communities. whether it is the opportunities in the trades, the pathways created through our world-class universities, or the possibilities for ambitious entrepreneurs, arizona offers a model for the nation. today, we have more arizonans working than ever before. we are the top market in the nation for manufacturing

expansion. we rank in the top 10 states for private sector wage growth and since i became governor, we have created nearly 200,000 jobs. through successful public-private partnerships and bipartisan collaboration, we are creating good paying jobs that support industries critical to our national security and economic future. we are leading america's manufacturing renaissance. however, we cannot judge our success by the expansion of large companies alone. arizona's economy thrives because of small businesses at the one founded by alexa rodriguez. after discovering her passion for entrepreneurship, she started an online boutique selling crafts that honor her mexican heritage. while starting a business was

hard, alexa learned securing a loan through traditional channels was even harder. that changed when she got a loan through our micro business loan program which is designed to provide financial support for our state's witness smallest businesses. it has helped her scale up her operation, allowing her to make more products and sell directly to customers at a small kiosk. she's also getting financial education and training so she can execute on future plans. alexa, please stand and join me in congratulating alexa on pursuing her dream and her success as an entrepreneur. [applause] >> >> thank you. >> delivering on arizona's promise means creating opportunities for individuals like alexa and community and

industries across our state. beyond these efforts, however, the best way to ensure we have a strong, thriving economy is by acting decisively to support our public k-12 schools. we must address the impending expiration of prop 123 which provides critical funding for public schools and teachers. renewing it is essential. if we fail to ask, we are throwing away an opportunity to fund teacher pay raises and give arizona's children the opportunity they deserve. all without raising taxes on a single arizonan. when prop 23 originally passed, it was a bipartisan success and proved that republicans and democrats can come together and do the right thing for our students, teachers, and parents. so let's put our kids first again and provide the certainty that they and our schools need.

[applause] >> let's address the aggregate expenditure limit to make sure schools stay open and let's pass a prop 123 extension to fund our schools without raising taxes. i will not waver in my commitment to creating more opportunities for arizonans because every individual who works hard should have a chance to get ahead. a truly thriving economy means security for our families and neighbors and that is why safe communities are a core pillar of the arizona promise and why i

have made border security a top priority. at my direction, the arizona national guard is that our border to support u.s. customs and border protection and stop the flow of dangerous drugs into our state. when i visited the portofino gallas in november, i saw the critical work that these men and women are doing to protect us. they direct traffic through x-ray machines, breakdown vehicles, assess every potential threat coming into our state. they are task force safe and one of its members is staff sergeant everett graves. he is a 17 year member of the arizona national guard and veteran of the united states air force. it is personal. he told me how proud he is to play a role in keeping his family and neighbors safe.

most of all, he is driven by his wife and three children. preston, who wants to serve his country as a helicopter in the millet -- helicopter pilot in the military. and seven-year-old peyton who loves to dance. staff sergeant, will you please stand so we can show our gratitude for your dedication to keeping our state and family safe? thank you. [applause] >> we must remain vigilant in protecting arizonans from the cartels who seek to do us harm. the fentanyl crisis is one of the greatest threats to public safety in our state's history and requires a collaborative

approach across states, local, and federal governments. when we work together, we protect arizona families. since july, the arizona national guard and cbp have seized more than 8 million fentanyl pills and more than 2000 pounds of meth, cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl powder. that means 8 million pills in our communities, 8 million pills that did not destroy fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends, and grandchildren. 8 million pills that are no longer funding the cartels who are shoving poison into our neighborhoods. i will continue working with this legislature to protect our border because until all arizonans feel secure in their communities, you will not be able to deliver on our promise of freedom and opportunity.

in this effort, we must better support members of law enforcement who are on the front lines of keeping us safe. officers like captain trevor grath. they also happen to be married. every day, they wake up, put on their uniforms, and bravely protect our families. but their selflessness extends far beyond that. last year, they chose to foster two children. a baby girl and baby boy who had been exposed to dangerous drugs. they were born addicted to fentanyl and cocaine, putting them at higher risk of medical issues. thanks to the paid family leave, my administration put into place , these foster parents were able to bond with their new babies and take them to critical doctor visits, get them healthy come and see them crawl for the first time.

please stand so we can acknowledge and thank you for your service. [applause] >> paid family leave was the right thing to do so that parents can take care of their families. but we must do more for the brave men and women who protect us every day. that is why my executive budget will include a 5% pay increase for our front-line law enforcement including state police and correctional officers. it is why my executive budget will also include a pay raise for the state fire fighters who

run towards danger and keep arizonans safe every day. these well-deserved races will not only reward our hard-working state law enforcement and firefighters but also help us recruit and retain the best. our state police payraise will mean more violent criminals in jail, less crime in our communities, and a greater sense of safety for arizonans. it is time to put our money where our mouth is. if we care about keeping our community safe, if we care about supporting our officers, and if we care about public safety, then we should fund the police and our firefighters. the arizona promise also means freedom, the freedom and ability

to make your own medical decisions and access the health care you need when you need it. my -- my commitment to protecting this freedom is ironclad. as a mother and social worker, i have witnessed firsthand what can happen when that freedom is stripped away. look at the facts. in arizona, our maternal death rate quadrupled from 1999 to 2019 and today, we have a higher rate of preventable maternal deaths than the u.s. average. as a mother, i find it unacceptable that any baby should lose their mom to a preventable condition where that parents have to struggle to get health care for their kids. that is why i am proud we worked together to provide 19,000 more children with health insurance through our kids care program. [applause] >> this year, i will take action

to save the lives of new moms by making our 12 month postpartum coverage permanent. i also call on this legislature to expand access to family planning services to keep moms healthy. i believe it is a moral responsibility to ensure women and their families can access the care they need without government overreach. i am proud to have signed the repeal of the draconian 1864 total abortion ban.

[applause] [cheering] >> but unfortunately, some continue to attack women's freedoms the matter the council. i proudly stood with the overwhelming majority of voters to enshrine their right to abortion in our state constitution. arizonans made their voices loud and clear. we want our freedoms protected. i have been steadfast in calling for the end of the abortion reporting law that requires government surveillance of pregnant women and i again call on this legislature to get rid of this unnecessary, invasive report for good.

further, i call on this legislature to do what is right for arizona women and families by taking commonsense actions. put a bill on my desk to guarantee the right to contraception because every woman has the right to make their own private medical decisions without governments getting in the way. and pass legislation to help a woman's right to access fertility treatments because every arizonan should be able to decide how and when to start a family on their own terms. for one arizonan when she was

diagnosed with leukemia at age 27, her immediate thought was will i be able to have kids? before starting chemo and undergoing a bone marrow transplant, she froze her eggs. today, nicole is six years cancer free and thanks to ivf, she has a beautiful daughter. she hopes ivf is protected so other women will have opportunities like her. there are thousands of arizona women, couples, and families like nicole who deserved to have their rights protected and the opportunity to build the life they want. that is why these aren't just policy positions. they are actions that embody the fundamental values of freedom and family. arizonans have spoken clearly. it is our responsibility to deliver on their mandate.

another of our sacred freedoms is the right to clean water for all. we must protect this most precious of arizona's resources. i will never stop fighting for our water rights because access to water is fundamental to preserving the arizona promise, whether that means combating federal overreach come out of state interests, or exploitation from big corporations that hurt local farmers, securing our water future is essential to preserving our way of life. whether it is our use of canals and dams to provide water to millions of people or the passage of the visionary groundwater management act where the hard work of farmers, ranchers, tribal nations, and the men and women of the arizona

department of water resources, we have always led the nation in water innovation and conservation. but some still lack access to this fundamental resource. judy from the black false community of the navajo nation has lived her entire life without running water. a cistern that once stored rainwater through algae, making it unusable. when she needs water, she drives 30 miles, making as many as three trips a week in the summer months. having reliable access to clean drinking water would be life-changing, she says. so in november, i signed historic water settlements with leaders from four tribal nations , ending decades of litigation

and finally setting their water -- settling their water rights. now, it is time for congress to do their part and pass these settlements so that judy, her community, and future generations have access to the safe clean water they deserve. [applause] >> in addition to the settlements, i have taken decisive action to ensure arizona's water future and defend our state groundwater from other -- irresponsible developers who are focused only on short-term profits. through the work of my water policy counsel, we created a program to build the housing communities need to grow while protecting the groundwater they rely on. and now, i am proud to announce

the arizona water company has taken the first steps to obtaining designations of assured water supply using alternatives to groundwater. arizona communities from sun city to cassa grand will be able to grow while using less groundwater and that is just the beginning of this innovative program. when we fail to take action to protect our groundwater, big corporations will recklessly over pump this finite resource, regardless of the people and communities they hurt. take, for example, janet randall . the land beneath her home is sinking. she first noticed things like doors not closing and then came the cracks in the floor and then a layer of bricks collapsing in her living room. now, you can see daylight through the kitchen wall. in her community and across cochise county, wells have gone

dry, forcing residents to make an impossible decision. pay big bucks to deepen their well or move. local family farmers are being squeezed and feeling the consequences of overcome pumped groundwater -- over pumped groundwater. through hard work, they made that dream to form a reality. there is a lot they would like to do to grow their business, upgrade equipment, purchase attachments for their tractor, hire more workers. it over the years, the water in their well has gone down and down and down. instead, they will -- they had to borrow tens of thousands of dollars to drill a new well with a new pump, a debt they will be paying off for years. to fight the dangerous consequences of excessive groundwater pumping, something had to be done to help janet,

mark, and their entire community . that is why i designated the wilcox groundwater basin an active management area. as i said when i stood before you last year, we must act now to protect arizona's water. when the legislature did not, i did. [applause] >> i remain committed to true bipartisan reform to protect our groundwater but mark my words, if this legislature fails to act, i will again.

>> further, any bills that attack our assured water supply program undermine our water fourth or cover for this lack of action will meet my veto pen. finally, securing our long-term water supply means defending our right full share of the colorado river. whether i'm meeting people in the state or other tkpwhofrs my message is the same. i will always stan up for arizona's water rights. i'm proud to have protect the them from forced cuts through 2026 but solutions won't come

from washington, d.c. they will come from western states working together, not against each other. arizona has led the nation in water management for generations. it is our responsibility to continue that ensure your water future and protect the arizona promise for those that follow our footsteps. finally, our children deserve the best public education. from page it douglas more than 90% of our connection 12 students go to public schools. that is why our path demands bipartisan solutions to maintain the schools they deserve. public education is the key to

opportunity, security and freedom. it is the arizona promise. success means outstanding teaches in every classroom. it means smaller class sizes to enable meaningful engagement. and it means equipping kids with the tools to succeed. and it means bringing overdue accountability to the programs that cost taxpayers nearly $1 billion every year. [applause] >> members of this legislature

must act themselves until we put guard rails around e.s.a. to protects against fraud, waste and abuse or continue to write a blank check r check with taxpayer money. do we lower cost or subsidize the rich. do we provide life saving care to new mothers and their children or continue paying for grand pianos in multimillion dollar homes. do we give our police a raise an secure our border or pay for ski resort packages. the current program is unchecked, flawed and rife with exploitation. [applause] >> three years ago it went far beyond its original purpose which was to support kids with

special needs and military families. today it has ballooned into a billion dollar boondoggle increasingly scamming arizonans. other entitlements funded by taxpayers have strict oversight and income requirements but the e.s.a. program has the privilege of virtually no safeguard. my budget offers a balanced solution that supports families and brings effective guard rails. institute responsible income tax, ensure taxpayers know about their money is going and create real accountability for taxpayer dollars. it is time to bring common sense to this program and same fiscal responsibility to e.s.a.'s that

away demand from every other program in state government. [applause] >> the arizona promise depends on it. in his opening message to the first regular session of the 35th legislature, the following words were delivered. the tax is not an easy one. the role of the critic is always easier than the problem solver. i'm confident we can reserve that which is good in our hedge and accept the challenge of the future. so as we put solutions together let's remember those words. arizonans are counting on us to be their voice, to lower costs, to support our schools and

secure our border. to defend their freedom and keep their communities safe. to deliver the arizona promise. we are all arizonans. we love it, the people, the natural beauty, the opportunities and the freedoms. we know what is possible when we put our differences aside and do what is right. no obstacle is too great and no divide too wide. thank you for your commitment for serving and building a better state today and for the future and for helping to restore the arizona mom -- arizona promise. now let's get to work. thank you. [applause]

brad little delivers his 2025 state of the state. he prepared it to the plan president trump promises and praised the record of government efficiency and efforts to cut taxes increase infrastructure investment and expand school choice. this is about 25 minutes. >> we look forward to your words of wisdom and advice today.

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