How Much Do You Know About the Issues Facing the Arizona State Senate?

By John Nelson, Terravita PC

Researching the Arizona State Senate turned up a handful of issues that don't always make the headlines but shape daily life across the state, including here in LD3. Some of it confirmed what most residents already sense. Some of it was genuinely surprising. Before getting into the full breakdown, test your knowledge with a quick ten question quiz on the topics likely to define the next legislative session.

1. What has made Arizona's budget process messy in recent years? A) Too much extra revenue sitting unused B) One time fixes that push problems further down the road C) Too many public budget hearings

2. What does the next Senate need to work through when it comes to water? A) Groundwater management and drought planning B) Building new water parks C) Reducing water testing requirements

3. What program has changed how Arizona funds education? A) The Empowerment Scholarship Account program B) The National School Lunch Program C) The federal Head Start program

4. Where do most Arizona students still attend school? A) Online charter academies B) Traditional public schools C) Private boarding schools

5. What does the state legislature have real influence over when it comes to immigration? A) International trade policy B) Enforcement, law enforcement cooperation, and border security funding C) Federal visa approvals

6. What has climbed faster than wages in most of Arizona? A) Housing costs B) Grocery prices C) Utility bills

7. What could help make housing more affordable? A) Banning new home construction B) Zoning reform and addressing permitting delays C) Raising rental taxes

8. Which part of Arizona feels behavioral health provider shortages the hardest? A) Rural areas B) Downtown business districts C) College towns

9. What funding topic is expected to be a major focus for the next Senate? A) State lottery proceeds B) Medicaid funding and behavioral health infrastructure C) Corporate tax incentives

10. What has outpaced road construction and maintenance in many parts of Arizona? A) Public transit ridership B) Arizona's growth C) Bicycle commuting rates

Answer Key

1. B. One time fixes and shifting revenue estimates have made recent budget cycles harder to predict and plan around.

2. A. Groundwater management and drought planning stand out as the water challenges lawmakers cannot avoid.

3. A. The Empowerment Scholarship Account program has reshaped how education dollars flow through the state.

4. B. Traditional public schools still educate the majority of Arizona's kids, even as funding debates shift.

5. B. State lawmakers hold direct influence over enforcement, cooperation with federal agencies, and border security funding.

6. A. Housing costs have risen much faster than wages across most of the state.

7. B. Zoning reform and permitting delays are frequently cited as barriers to building more affordable housing.

8. A. Rural communities face the steepest shortages of behavioral health providers.

9. B. Medicaid funding and behavioral health infrastructure are expected to draw significant attention.

10. B. Arizona's growth has outpaced road construction and maintenance in many regions, especially fast growing suburbs.

However you scored, these ten issues are the ones most likely to shape debate in the next Arizona Senate. Here's a closer look at each one and what it could mean for LD3.

Why We Need Jeff Fortney: What's at Stake for in the Next Arizona Senate

Why Jeff? In his own words... https://electfortney.com/

Election seasons bring plenty of noise. Ads, mailers, yard signs on every corner. Underneath all of it, though, are decisions that will affect daily life in Legislative District 3 regardless of who wins in November.

Water bills, school funding, road repairs, housing costs. These aren't abstract policy debates. They're the things that decide how far a paycheck stretches and whether kids get a solid education close to home. This report lays out the major issues without picking sides, so LD3 residents can weigh them for themselves.

Keeping the Budget on Solid Ground

Arizona's budget process has been rocky in recent years. Shifting revenue estimates and one time fixes have made it harder to plan ahead, and problems that get pushed off tend to resurface later, often bigger than before. The next Senate will need to decide whether to keep patching gaps as they appear or build a budget approach that holds up over multiple years, even when election season pressure pushes toward short term answers.

Water Security Isn't Optional

Anyone living in Arizona already knows water isn't a side issue. It affects your property value, whether growth continues, whether agriculture stays viable, and whether the state remains livable for the next generation. Groundwater management, drought planning, and how to balance the needs of cities, farms, and tribal communities are all on the table. There's no simple fix, and the tradeoffs are real. What happens here will affect water bills and availability well beyond the next election cycle.

Public Education and the Voucher Debate

Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account program has changed how the state funds education, and that shift shows no sign of slowing down. Lawmakers will need to look closely at what universal vouchers mean for the state budget, while also making sure traditional public schools, which still teach most Arizona students, get the resources they need. Parents want good options for their kids and also want assurance that public dollars are spent responsibly. Balancing those two goals will likely stay a central debate.

Immigration and Border Enforcement

Arizona sits at the center of the national immigration conversation, and the state legislature has direct authority over enforcement, cooperation with federal agencies, and border security funding. Views on this issue vary widely across LD3 and the state as a whole. The next Senate will need to weigh community safety alongside the economic and human realities that come with sharing a border with Mexico.

Housing Affordability and Smart Growth

Anyone who has tried to buy a home or find a decent rental recently has felt this firsthand. Housing costs have risen much faster than wages in most parts of the state. Zoning reform, permitting delays, and incentives for builders to create housing that working families can afford are all part of the conversation. Arizona's growth isn't slowing down, and how lawmakers plan for it now will shape neighborhoods for years to come.

Health Care and Behavioral Health

Access to care, particularly mental health and behavioral health services, remains out of reach for many families. Rural areas feel this most acutely, often facing provider shortages that mean long drives for basic care. Medicaid funding and behavioral health infrastructure are expected to be major topics in the next session, with potential for bipartisan cooperation given how widely these shortages are felt.

Transportation and Infrastructure That Keeps Up

Arizona's growth has outpaced road construction and maintenance in many areas, and LD3 residents notice it in daily traffic that didn't used to be there. Funding for road repairs, transit, and infrastructure that can handle continued growth will be a recurring theme. It isn't the most attention grabbing issue on this list, but it touches every commute and every business that depends on getting goods where they need to go.

Why This Matters for LD3

These issues don't exist in isolation. Budget decisions affect how much funding is available for schools, health care, and roads. Growth affects water demand, housing costs, and traffic all at once. Understanding how these pieces connect helps make sense of what's actually being debated in Phoenix, beyond the slogans and campaign messaging.

We’ll continue tracking these issues as the next legislative session takes shape. Staying informed is the first step toward understanding how decisions made in the State Senate will show up in everyday life across LD3.

Sources and Further Reading

The issues outlined above draw on official state reports, university research, and established news coverage. Readers who want to dig deeper into any topic, or check for updates since publication, can consult the sources below. Policy details and figures can shift as legislative sessions progress, so it's worth checking these links directly for the most current information.

Budget and Revenue

1. Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee, FY 2026 Appropriations Report, https://www.azjlbc.gov/26AR/426.pdf

2. Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee, FY 2025 Appropriations Report, https://www.azjlbc.gov/25AR/433.pdf

3. Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee, FY 2026 State General Fund Budget Summary, https://www.azjlbc.gov/26AR/bh3.pdf

Water Management and Drought Planning

4. Arizona Department of Water Resources, Drought Management, https://www.azwater.gov/drought

5. Arizona Department of Water Resources, Active Management Areas, https://www.azwater.gov/active-management-area-ama

6. Arizona Water Innovation Initiative at ASU, 45 Years of the Arizona Groundwater Management Act, https://azwaterinnovation.asu.edu/45-years-arizona-groundwater-management-act

7. NASA Science, Arizona's Declining Groundwater, https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/arizonas-declining-groundwater-154567/

Empowerment Scholarship Accounts and Education

8. Arizona Department of Education, ESA Quarterly Reports, https://www.azed.gov/esa/esa-quarterly-reports

9. Arizona Department of Education, FY25 ESA Executive and Legislative Report, https://www.azed.gov/sites/default/files/2025/06/ESA%20FY25%20Q3%20Executive%20%26%20Legislative%20Report%20Final%20submitted%205.30.25.pdf

10. Arizona Department of Education, Public Data Sets, https://www.azed.gov/data/public-data-sets

Immigration and Border Enforcement

11. Cronkite News, Arizona Senate Bill Would Force Sheriffs and Local Police to Help ICE Enforce Immigration Law, https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2026/03/05/arizona-senate-bill-would-force-sheriffs-and-local-police-to-help-ice-enforce-immigration-law/

12. Arizona Attorney General's Office, Investigative Report on Immigration Enforcement Authority, https://www.azag.gov/sites/default/files/2026-04/2026-04-29%20Investigative%20Report%20%28SB26-002%29.pdf

13. Tucson.com, Arizona Attorney General Asks Judge Not to Block New Border Law, https://tucson.com/news/local/border/article_9d046a3b-6f74-4e2b-9af9-804bacc62203.html

Housing Affordability

14. Morrison Institute for Public Policy, Housing Arizona 2026 Background Report, https://morrisoninstitute.asu.edu/morrison-institute-public-policy/publication/housing-arizona-2026-background-report

15. Common Sense Institute Arizona, Housing Affordability in Arizona 2026, https://commonsenseinstituteus.org/arizona/research/housing-and-our-community/housing-affordability-in-arizona-2026/

Behavioral Health Access

16. Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, Rural Health Transformation Program, https://azahcccs.gov/AHCCCS/Initiatives/RHTP/

17. University of Arizona Center for Rural Health, Quantifying Arizona's Mental Health Workforce Shortage, https://crh.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/2025-01/250108_MH_HPSA.pdf

18. University of Arizona Center for Rural Health, Arizona Health Workforce Profile Report, https://crh.arizona.edu/resources/interactive-data-visualizations/arizona-health-workforce-profile-report

Transportation Infrastructure

19. Arizona Department of Transportation, Five Year Program, https://azdot.gov/planning/transportation-programming/five-year-program

20. Arizona Department of Transportation, Transportation Board Approves Five Year Construction Program Update, https://azdot.gov/news/transportation-board-oks-update-five-year-construction-program-0

This list reflects the sources used to frame the general background on each issue. It is not an exhaustive record of every bill, hearing, or dataset related to these topics, and readers are encouraged to check for newer reports as the legislative session unfolds.