Has the number of bills introduced by Arizona legislators increased over the past decade?

Arizona lawmakers have introduced, on average, about 1,650 bills each regular legislative session since 2020. That’s roughly 400 more than the average over the five years prior. During the current session, expected to run through late June, legislators introduced about 1,680 bills. 

Republicans have held majorities in both legislative chambers for more than two decades. Since Democrat Katie Hobbs became governor in 2023, vetoes have increased, with Hobbs rejecting more bills over three regular sessions than her Republican predecessors did in the previous decade. 

More vetoes, coupled with about 5% fewer bills reaching the governor’s desk each session, have led to a sharp drop in the share of bills becoming law under Hobbs. From 2015 to 2022 — excluding the 2020 session, which the pandemic cut short — about 27% of bills introduced became law, on average. Since Hobbs took office, that average has fallen to 14%.