Hobbs vetoes bills that would have limited firearm sales tracking, complicated election procedures

Gov. Katie Hobbs recently vetoed two bills: one that would have tweaked Arizona’s gun laws by restricting firearm tracking and one that would have changed the state’s Elections Procedures Manual.

Advocates for SB 1058 said it would have protected the data privacy of legal gun owners by preventing firearms from being tracked through government records and credit and debit card transactions.

However, Hobbs said that came with potential consequences she couldn’t abide.

“Like I said when I vetoed the same legislation last year, merchant category codes are vital tools that help law enforcement crack down on illegal gun trafficking to transnational criminal organizations,” Hobbs said in her veto letter.

What was the firearms tracking bill that Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed?

Republicans wanted to add language to Arizona law that would ban government registries of privately owned firearms or firearm owners. However, there would be exceptions for criminal investigations, prosecutions or records required by law.

The bill also would have stopped payment card networks from requiring or encouraging the use of a merchant category code that identifies firearm retailers separately from other businesses.

A merchant category code is a number that card networks, such as Mastercard and Visa, use to classify businesses by the type of goods or services they provide.

Another major effect of the bill would have been preventing banks, payment processors and other businesses from assigning gun-specific merchant category codes. In other words, firearm retailers could not be given a unique code that sets them apart from other retailers.

“This recycled proposal would make it harder for law enforcement to catch violent criminals,” Hobbs said in her veto letter.

What about the election procedures manual bill Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed?

Years of litigation have haunted the state’s Elections Procedures Manual, which explains the rules and procedures county election officials must follow when carrying out Arizona election laws.

Every other year, the Arizona secretary of state — currently Adrian Fontes — is responsible for updating the manual. Under current law, the secretary of state must submit the manual to the governor and attorney general for approval.

SB 1237 would have added more steps to that process. If passed, the bill would have required the secretary of state to consult with county recorders and the leaders of the Legislature’s elections committees before making changes to the manual.

“There is no need for a statute requiring consultation with specific legislative members,” Hobbs said in her veto letter for that bill. “All legislators are welcome to submit comments on the draft manual during the public comment period that I began when I held the office of secretary of state.”

In addition to vetoes, Katie Hobbs signed one bill into law

On the same day that she wielded her well-worn veto stamp, Hobbs also signed SB 1294, which will change how county assessors handle property that has been destroyed by a fire, flood or other natural disaster.

The main impact of this law will be that if a property is destroyed, the county assessor could keep the property’s existing tax classification for up to five years or until the property’s use clearly changes.

That matters because a property’s classification can affect how it is taxed. The bill could help property owners avoid an immediate tax classification change after a disaster while they rebuild or decide what to do with the property.

It applies retroactively to Sept. 13, 2024.

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