Arizona Legislators Seek Voter Approval for Pay Raises Amid Political Standoff With Governor Hobbs

Arizona state lawmakers are proposing new methods to bypass voter approval for salary increases as Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs remains at odds with the Republican-controlled legislature over how to resolve the issue.

Current pay for Arizona legislators stands at $24,000 a year — a figure unchanged since 1998 when voters approved a raise from $15,000 to the current amount. Despite this decade-long freeze, five proposals would ask voters to scrap the current commission system and implement mechanisms that would allow future pay hikes without requiring another ballot measure.

The Pay Gap

Governor Katie Hobbs, earning $95,000 a year as the state's chief executive, has been critical of legislative pay. When she served as a state senator a decade ago, she was making the same $24,000 annual salary.

"It wasn't enough," she said in a recent message to followers while asking for money for her reelection campaign.

But as governor, Hobbs is showing far less sympathy to lawmakers still being paid that same $24,000.

"It's certainly not sustainable to live on $24,000 a year," she said in response to questions from Capitol Media Services. "But it is intended to be a part-time salary," with sessions lasting just four months a year, at least according to legislative rules, though that hasn't happened in years.

Still, Hobbs acknowledged, for many lawmakers it ends "being more of a full-time job," with other legislative obligations throughout the rest of the year making it difficult to convince another employer to allow them to be gone that much.

The Political Deadlock

Don't look for the governor to champion any of the various efforts being proposed this year to ask voters for more money. The reason is strictly political.

"I think if they want Arizonans to pay them more, they need to show up, they need to present their budget, they need to work with me to get a 123 (education fund extension) passed so we can fund public schools," Hobbs said. "That way they can make the case for voters to give them more."

For their part, Republicans who control both the House and Senate contend it is the Democratic governor who is keeping issues from being resolved. They say her $17.8 billion budget proposal is based on unrealistic revenue predictions, like getting $760 million in reimbursement from the federal government for money spent on border security.

Then there are proposals with no realistic chance of support in the GOP legislature, like putting income caps on families who want voucher funds to send their children to private and parochial schools or home school them in an effort to save $80 million.

And then there's the fact that it was Hobbs who walked away from budget negotiations.

Five Proposals to Change the System

None of that is keeping lawmakers from proposing various ways to convince voters to approve plans that would raise their salaries, in some cases by quite a lot.

The current constitutional language says a special commission is supposed to meet regularly and make recommendations for legislative salaries. But anything the panel proposes has to be ratified at the ballot. Voters approved the last raise in 1998, taking the pay from $15,000 to the current $24,000.

Since then, there have been several attempts to boost the pay, but all were rejected. The commission hasn't met in years because of the failure of state officials — including the governor — to appoint new members.

There are currently five proposals that would ask voters to scrap that system. Each of them, upon voter approval, would eliminate the need for lawmakers to ask voters for future pay hikes.

Senator Shawnna Bolick's Proposal

Republican Sen. Shawnna Bolick crafted a complex proposal to send to voters. Her SCR 1050 would set the salaries of state senators at 30 percent of what members of Congress are paid, which is presently $174,000. Using that calculation, a state senator would earn $52,200.

Bolick's proposal would have state representatives getting half of what senators get, which at current levels amounts to $26,100.

Her proposal would also give state senators four-year terms, leaving representatives at two years. It would prohibit lawmakers from quitting to take jobs in any position created while they were in office and for four years after that.

It would remove drunk and reckless driving from the list of offenses for which lawmakers cannot be arrested during session. And legislative candidates would have to list on the ballot their education level, any vocational training, professional licenses, whether they served in the military and were honorably discharged, and whether they actually voted in the last three general elections.

Her proposal, however, never got a hearing.

Representative Stacey Travers' Proposal

Phoenix Rep. Stacey Travers proposed asking voters to set the salary at $35,000, with automatic cost-of-living increases after that.

To sweeten the deal for voters, her HCR 2002 sought to limit legislative tenure to no more than eight years in the Senate and eight years in the House.

There are current eight-year limits — but no prohibition against lawmakers going back and forth between the chambers forever.

Her bill, too, never got a hearing.

The Stakes

The Arizona Constitution now gives voters the final say on salaries. Anything the current commission proposes has to be ratified at the ballot.

Voters approved the last raise in 1998, taking the pay from $15,000 to the current $24,000. Since then, there have been several attempts to boost the pay, but all were rejected.

The current constitutional language says a special commission is supposed to meet regularly and make recommendations for legislative salaries. But anything the panel proposes has to be ratified at the ballot.

Voters approved the last raise in 1998, taking the pay from $15,000 to the current $24,000. Since then, there have been several attempts to boost the pay, last with offers at $30,000, $35,000 and $36,000. All were rejected.

Why Now?

The Arizona Capitol in Phoenix. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs says when she was a state senator a decade ago, she was making $24,000 a year. "It wasn't enough," she said in a recent message to followers while asking for money for her reelection campaign.

But Hobbs, now governor and making $95,000 a year, is showing a lot less sympathy to lawmakers who are still being paid that same $24,000.

"It's certainly not sustainable to live on $24,000 a year," she said in response to a question from Capitol Media Services. "But it is intended to be a part-time salary," with sessions lasting just four months a year, at least according to legislative rules, though that hasn't happened in years.

Still, Hobbs acknowledged, that for many lawmakers it ends "being more of a full-time job," with other legislative obligations throughout the rest of the year making it difficult, if not impossible, to convince another employer to allow them to be gone that much.

But don't look for the governor to champion any of the various efforts being proposed this year to ask voters — who under the Arizona Constitution now get the final say on salaries — for more money.

And the reason is strictly political.

"I think if they want Arizonans to pay them more, they need to show up, they need to present their budget, they need to work with me to get a 123 (education fund extension) passed so we can fund public schools," Hobbs said. "That way they can make the case for voters to give them more."

For their part, the Republicans who control both the House and Senate contend it is the Democratic governor who is keeping issues from being resolved. They say her $17.8 billion budget proposal is based on unrealistic revenue predictions, like getting $760 million in reimbursement from the federal government for money spent on border security.

And then there are proposals with no realistic chance of support in the GOP legislature, like putting income caps on families who want voucher funds to send their children to private and parochial schools or home school them in an effort to save $80 million.

And then there's the fact that it was Hobbs who walked away from budget negotiations.

But none of that is keeping lawmakers from proposing various ways to convince voters to approve plans that would raise their salaries, in some cases by quite a lot.

What Happens Next?

Voters have to OK Arizona legislator pay increase. Two proposals could be headed to ballot.

The Arizona Capitol in Phoenix. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs says when she was a state senator a decade ago, she was making $24,000 a year.

Sources

• KJZZ: https://www.kjzz.org/elections/2026-04-13/voters-have-to-ok-arizona-legislator-pay-increase-2-proposals-could-be-headed-to-ballot
• eacourier.com: https://www.eacourier.com/news/state/legislative-salaries-remain-a-political-battleground/article_bcadcc02-fa4e-4f9c-9920-b8f800b999a4.html
• tucson.com: https://tucson.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/article_cb05eb34-cda5-4119-a77c-fbd098cf6880.html