Tensions at the Arizona Capitol have escalated as recent events highlight various uses of taxpayer-funded resources by state lawmakers. According to ABC15, House Democrats, now require the express permission of Republican leaders to access conference rooms. The restrictions were enforced after a controversial event was orchestrated by state Rep. Lorena Austin featuring a drag performance intended to spotlight LGBTQ+ activists from history. In response to the situation, Republican House Speaker Ben Toma banned the Democrats from using meeting rooms "until trust can be restored," stating that Austin's office had not disclosed the involvement of a drag performer in advance.
Meanwhile, state Sen. Anthony Kern faced repercussions after utilizing Capitol broadcast facilities for an interview with a known Holocaust denier and white nationalist, Stew Peters. In the interview on "The Stew Peters Show," Peters made baseless allegations connecting the drag event to pedophilia. Although Kern denied Toma was a pedophile, he echoed several of Peters' sentiments. Following the incident, Senate President Warren Petersen's spokeswoman confirmed that Kern's privileges to use the broadcasting resources had been revoked. Despite the situation, Kern has not addressed the punishment in-depth, only noting his support for Israel and implying that the media could be antisemitic, according to statements made on his Twitter account.
In a separate matter, Arizona legislators are coming under scrutiny for pocketing hefty allowances while the state's legislature drags its feet on adjourning for the year. 12News highlights that lawmakers are set to collect over $400,000 for a two-day work period, catching flak from Governor Katie Hobbs, who criticized them for "getting per diems every day for not doing any work." The current legislative schedule has drawn out the session until August, and since mid-May, lawmakers have only been working for two days at the Capitol.
While Arizona legislators earn a base salary of $24,000 annually, the irregular session could score them extra per diem payments, especially for non-Maricopa County lawmakers who receive $119 per day. This could amount to nearly $10,000 each during the extended session. These per diem rates were raised two years prior by a supermajority vote but were not signed into law by the then-Governor Doug Ducey. This extended legislative session is unprecedented, stretching beyond 200 days and surpassing previous records by a significant margin.
