(RepublicanReport.org) – House Bill (HB) 2570, or the Arizona Starter Homes Act, was a bipartisan effort to address the housing crisis in the state. It proposed dropping excessive requirements that increase the costs of home ownership, making buying possible for more residents. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) just shattered the effort with a veto, angering Republicans as well as Democrats who supported the bill.
Arizona laws currently hurt residents dreaming of owning their own houses by mandating costly homeowners associations, limiting the allowable ranges of house and plot sizes, and forcing owners to comply with requirements for fencing, amenities, and other costly extras. HB 2570 would have ended all of those restrictions, putting affordable housing within more people’s reach. It calls property rights “fundamental” to a person’s “individual rights and personal freedom” as per Article II, Section 2, of the Arizona Constitution and claims that current conditions restrict that right.
In her explanation, Hobbs called the bill “expansive,” alleging it would force residents to take part in an “experiment with unclear outcomes.” She also claimed that hundreds of residents, along with several agencies and state leaders, reached out to her with concerns over the legislation and asked her to move forward with the veto. She agreed that the state needed to find solutions to the housing crisis, and she was open to discussions, but HB 2570 wasn’t the answer.
Several groups and state leaders responded to the decision on X, the social media outlet formerly known as Twitter. AZ Senate Republicans accused Hobbs of “sid[ing] with cities and their lobbyists” instead of her constituents. State Rep. Analise Ortiz (D) had been pushing Hobbs to sign the bill, claiming even a delay in passing it would harm tenants, and state Senator Anna Hernandez (D) said she was “deeply disappointed” in the decision. She added that too many residents were currently being expected to live in their cars or tents and desperately needed a better alternative.
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