Arizona House GOP

Arizona taxpayers deserve stronger protections against fraud.

House Majority Leader Michael Carbone and House Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Selina Bliss For State Representative - District 1 are calling on Governor Hobbs to join a new federal-state data-sharing partnership designed to identify Medicaid and public-benefit fraud earlier.

Six states have already joined the voluntary effort, which helps investigators connect suspicious benefit payments to shell companies, layered business structures, and other potential fraud schemes.

Carbone and Bliss say Arizona should act now to protect taxpayer dollars and ensure public assistance reaches the families who truly need it.

Read more: https://bit.ly/45RgO3v

💧 Arizona must defend its water future.

The federal government’s new Colorado River plan could bring significant reductions to Arizona’s water supply, affecting communities, agriculture, industry, and long-term economic growth across the state.

Speaker Steve Montenegro is calling for Arizona to remain united and firm by:

✅ Protecting Arizona’s Colorado River allocation
✅ Expanding the state’s water supply
✅ Strengthening conservation and water infrastructure
✅ Preparing rural and urban communities for future growth

Arizona has spent decades conserving water, storing it underground, and building a stronger water system. House Republicans will continue fighting to protect Arizona’s rights and secure the water our state needs to thrive.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4xnmaiX

Arizona’s future depends on a secure and reliable water supply.

Representative Alex Kolodin for AZ Secretary of State is calling on the federal government to give Arizona a larger share of Colorado River water under the new post-2026 operating rules, while demanding stronger leadership to protect the state’s interests.

More water means affordable homes, productive farms, thriving tribal communities, advanced manufacturing, and good-paying jobs.

Arizona should be fighting for every drop.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4bt1AoI

✅House Republicans Call on Governor Hobbs to Join Federal Anti-Fraud Data-Sharing Partnership

Six states have already agreed to help federal investigators uncover fraud

STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX (Monday, August 3, 2026) – Arizona House Majority Leader Michael Carbone and State Representative Selina Bliss, Chairman of the House Health and Human Services Committee, today called on Governor Katie Hobbs to act immediately to bring Arizona into a new federal-state data-sharing partnership designed to identify Medicaid and other public-benefit fraud.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division announced today that state agencies in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina have entered into voluntary data-sharing agreements with the federal government.

The agreements give federal investigators access to publicly available corporate-registration and public-benefit payment data. Investigators can use the information to identify connections between business entities and benefit payments and cut through the shell companies, layered structures, and complex financial trails used to conceal large-scale fraud schemes.

“Arizona families work hard and pay their taxes, and they have every right to expect that not one dollar of their money ends up in the pocket of a fraudster,” said Majority Leader Carbone. “Six states have already signed up to help catch the criminals stealing from taxpayers and from the people these programs are supposed to serve. There is no good reason Arizona should not be next, and no good reason for Governor Hobbs to wait.”

Arizona is already a major focus of federal health care fraud enforcement. The Justice Department recently established a West Coast Health Care Fraud Strike Force covering Arizona, Nevada, and Northern California, and federal officials report disrupting more than $1 billion in fraud schemes in Arizona and neighboring western states since 2024.

Arizona has been publicly identified by federal prosecutors as the sixth-riskiest state in the nation for health care fraud.

Federal prosecutors charged a Pakistani citizen in connection with an alleged $650 million Medicaid fraud scheme involving substance-abuse treatment clinics in Arizona. The state’s Medicaid system was also at the center of one of the largest health care fraud schemes in recent U.S. history, involving sober living homes and behavioral health providers and costing taxpayers approximately $2.5 billion.

“Arizona’s most vulnerable families should not pay the price for fraud and inaction,” Majority Leader Carbone said. “Arizona taxpayers have already lost billions of dollars, and the Justice Department has given states a practical way to identify suspicious payments and business connections earlier. Governor Hobbs should begin the process today.”

Majority Leader Carbone proposed limiting any Arizona agreement to a two- or three-year memorandum of understanding that preserves state control and allows Arizona to evaluate the results.

“Every dollar siphoned off by fraudsters is a dollar that does not reach an Arizona family who needs it,” said Chairman Bliss. “We have seen billions lost to sober living scams and phantom behavioral health clinics right here in our state, and Arizona has been named one of the riskiest states in the country for this kind of abuse. Joining this data-sharing partnership is a common-sense step that can help investigators catch fraud before it grows into another multibillion-dollar scandal.”

“Arizona has already paid an enormous price for fraud,” Majority Leader Carbone said. “Governor Hobbs can act now to help prevent the next scandal. If she chooses to leave Arizona on the sidelines, she should explain why.”

Michael Carbone is a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives serving Legislative District 25 which includes portions of Yuma, Maricopa, and La Paz Counties. He also serves as House Majority Leader. Follow him on X at .

Selina Bliss is a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives, serving Legislative District 1 in Yavapai County, and Chairman of the House Health and Human Services Committee. Follow her on X at .

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https://azhousegop.com/house-republicans-call-on-governor-hobbs-to-join-federal-anti-fraud-data-sharing-partnership

Arizona House GOP Steve Montenegro Julie Willoughby Neal Carter

🚨Rep. Alexander Kolodin: Arizonans Deserve More Water—Hobbs Failed to Protect It

STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX (Friday, July 31, 2026) – State Representative Alex Kolodin today called on the federal government to give Arizona a larger share of Colorado River water under the post-2026 operating rules released this morning and condemned Governor Katie Hobbs for failing to protect Arizona’s water when it mattered most.

“Arizonans deserve more water, not managed decline,” Representative Kolodin said. “More water means affordable homes, productive farms, high-tech industry with well-paying jobs, thriving tribal communities, and more advanced manufacturing built right here in Arizona. Our state’s future depends on water, and Arizona should be fighting for every drop.”

The new framework allows Arizona’s Colorado River allocation to be reconsidered every two years.

“Arizona families should not be left in perpetual uncertainty as to whether the water beneath their way of life will be taken away. The Central Arizona Project serves more than six million people who should not be sacrificed to the demands of other states.”

Representative Kolodin said Arizona entered the negotiations from a weakened position because Hobbs failed to defend the state’s interests.

“California protected its priority. Other states negotiated aggressively. Katie Hobbs failed to secure Arizona’s water and failed to protect Arizona citizens. Arizonans deserve leaders who understand that water is life. Katie Hobbs clearly does not.”

Alexander Kolodin is an attorney and Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives serving Legislative District 3, which includes North Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, and Rio Verde in Maricopa County. Follow him on X at .

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https://www.azleg.gov/press/house/57LEG/2R/260731KOLODIN.pdf

Arizona House GOP Steve Montenegro Michael Carbone Julie Willoughby Neal Carter

🚨Speaker Montenegro: Arizona Must Defend Its Water Future After Federal Colorado River Plan

State must protect its allocation, expand its water supply, and prepare for long-term growth

STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX (Friday, July 31, 2026) – Arizona House Speaker Steve Montenegro today released the following statement in response to the federal government’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for post-2026 Colorado River operations.

The federal plan includes a range of possible reductions to the Lower Basin, including Arizona, but does not include the specific reductions that Arizona and other Lower Basin states will take in the next two years. Those specific cuts, which will be announced next week with the Record of Decision, are expected to be approximately 20 percent of the Lower Basin’s total 7.5 million-acre-foot allocation.

However, it is unclear at this time how those reductions will be distributed among the Lower Basin states. A 20 percent reduction or less to Arizona’s Colorado River supply would be the best-case scenario, while reductions higher than that could be severe. This is a major water policy decision with broad implications for Arizona communities, water providers, agriculture, industry, and long-term economic growth. Its effects will vary across the state because every community and water provider relies on different water supplies and infrastructure.

“Arizona must be clear-eyed, united, and firm in defense of our water future,” said Speaker Montenegro. “The Colorado River is vital to our state, and Arizona has spent decades preparing for drought, conserving water, storing water underground, and building a stronger water system. Our job now is to stay prepared, continue protecting Arizona’s rights, and defend our economy while making sure decisions in Washington recognize the contributions our state makes to national security and the economy.”

For more than three decades, Arizona has invested in conservation, efficiency, and underground water banking to prepare for drought and potential shortages, including those being faced today. The Colorado River remains a critical part of Arizona’s water supply, but it is not Arizona’s only water resource. Reclaimed water, brackish groundwater, efficiency savings, and future augmentation projects are all available and can help strengthen Arizona’s long-term water security.

Water security is a central priority in the House Republican Majority Plan. House Republicans will continue working with Arizona stakeholders to evaluate the Record of Decision, once it is issued, and advance policies that expand Arizona’s water supply, protect rural and urban communities, and support future growth.

Steve Montenegro is the Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives and serves Legislative District 29 in the West Valley, Goodyear, and Surprise. Follow him on X at .

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https://www.azleg.gov/press/house/57LEG/2R/260731MONTENEGROFEIS.pdf

Arizona House GOP Michael Carbone Julie Willoughby Neal Carter

🚨Representative Teresa Martinez Statement on Colorado River Water Decision

Rural Arizona has already paid a heavy price and deserves straight answers from Washington

STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX (Friday, July 31, 2026) – State Representative Teresa Martinez, Chairman of the House Rural Economic Development Committee, released the following statement today in response to the federal government’s Final Environmental Impact Statement on Colorado River operations.

The decision will help shape how Colorado River water is managed at a time when Arizona communities, farmers, and water users are already being asked to do more with less.

“Pinal County farmers already lost their Colorado River water. That happened years ago. They took the hit without a bailout, without fanfare, and without much sympathy from anybody.

“So when Washington tells Arizona to cut more, I want straight answers. Who is being asked to cut? Who is being protected? And is rural Arizona once again expected to absorb the pain while others get credit for talking about conservation?

“My district has already paid a heavy price. I will be talking to cities, farmers, growers, and water leaders across Legislative District 16 to find out exactly what this decision means for them. Then I will have more to say.

“What I will not do is support a system where some keep holding onto water while Pinal County farmers are forced to bail out others who are only now feeling the pain. Rural Arizona cannot keep being treated like the first place to cut and the last place anyone thinks about.”

Teresa Martinez is a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives serving Legislative District 16, which includes portions of Pinal and Pima Counties. She also serves as Chairman of the House Rural Economic Development Committee. Follow her on X at .

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https://www.azleg.gov/press/house/57LEG/2R/260731MARTINEZ.pdf

Arizona House GOP Steve Montenegro Michael Carbone Julie Willoughby Neal Carter

Rep. Lupe Diaz Joins U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins for Douglas Port Reopening and Sterile Fly Center Announcement

STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX (Wednesday, July 29, 2026) – State Representative Lupe Diaz, Chairman of the House Land, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, joined U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, U.S. Representatives Juan Ciscomani, Andy Biggs, and Eli Crane, livestock producers, local officials, and agricultural leaders in Douglas today for the phased reopening of the Douglas Port of Entry to live cattle imports from Sonora, Mexico.

Secretary Rollins also announced that USDA will establish a new sterile fly distribution center at Bisbee-Douglas International Airport to strengthen the federal response to the New World screwworm across the western United States.

Following the event, Representative Diaz issued the following statement:

“I want to thank Secretary Brooke Rollins for visiting Arizona and for making the careful and deliberate decision to reopen the Douglas Port of Entry. The Trump Administration acted swiftly and decisively to protect America’s livestock industry from the threat posed by the New World screwworm, making the difficult but necessary decision to close ports until proper safeguards were in place.

“The New World screwworm inflicted severe economic damage on American cattle producers before being generally eradicated from the United States decades ago. Preventing its return remains a national priority. Secretary Rollins put American ranchers first by strengthening our biosecurity and ensuring the port reopened only after careful scientific review.

“The new sterile fly distribution center at Bisbee-Douglas International Airport is another major step forward. It will serve Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and California, giving western states a critical regional resource to combat the New World screwworm and protect our livestock industry. With the only other distribution capability located in Texas, placing this center in Southern Arizona is both strategically important and welcome news for the region.

“The port reopening demonstrates that we can protect American agriculture while responsibly restoring commerce through this vital trade corridor. USDA’s science-based approach includes multiple layers of inspection and strict federal oversight. Those safeguards should reassure Arizona ranchers and feedlot operators that protecting our herds remains the top priority.

“The Arizona Legislature has also done its part. In the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, the state funded two new livestock inspector positions within the Arizona Department of Agriculture to inspect foreign cattle imports for New World screwworm. This will help ensure Arizona has the resources needed to safeguard its livestock and support its ranching families. Protecting this industry requires strong partnerships at every level.

“Beef production is a cornerstone of Arizona’s economy, our nation’s food supply, and our national security. I thank Secretary Rollins, USDA, Representatives Ciscomani, Biggs, and Crane, the Arizona Department of Agriculture, our inspectors and veterinarians, and the hardworking ranchers who have remained vigilant throughout this challenge. Today’s announcements show what can be accomplished when federal, state, and local leaders work together to protect American agriculture.”

LUPE DIAZ is a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives serving Legislative District 19 in Southeastern Arizona and is Chairman of the House Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee. Follow him on X at .

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https://www.azleg.gov/press/house/57LEG/2R/260729DIAZ.pdf

Arizona House GOP Steve Montenegro Michael Carbone Julie Willoughby Neal Carter