Governor Katie Hobbs Launches First 100 Days Initiative

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January 3, 2023

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Hobbs Kicks Off Bold Agenda for First 100 Days with Executive Order on Protecting Employment Opportunity

PHOENIX — Today, Governor Katie Hobbs announced her First 100 Days Initiative, which includes the first 100 actions she will take as governor to help build an Arizona for everyone. The Governor’s bold agenda for her first 100 days in office will focus on her top policy priorities, such as strengthening the economy and making Arizona more affordable, improving public education, and securing the state’s water future.

“Today marks a new era in Arizona, where my Administration will work to build an Arizona for everyone. I am proud to launch my First 100 Days Initiative, which will center around tackling the biggest challenges facing Arizonans, like making our state more affordable and sustainable,” said Governor Hobbs. “It’s time for bold action and I feel ready as ever to get the job done. Let’s get to work.”

To kick off her first 100 days in office, Governor Hobbs signed an executive order on non-discrimination following her swearing-in ceremony at the Arizona State Capitol this morning. Executive Order 2023-01, titled “Protecting Employment Opportunity,” reinforces federal non-discrimination laws and affirms the State’s commitment to equal employment opportunity by directing Agencies to guarantee protections in all aspects of state employment and contracting. This executive order underscores Governor Hobbs’ dedication to ensuring that every Arizonan has an equal opportunity to participate in the workforce.

Improving Education

Economic Growth and Workforce Development

Unleashing Arizonan Innovation and Growing Our Workforce

Right now, Arizona’s working families face ongoing economic uncertainties. Governor Hobbs knows what’s possible when leaders work together to improve the lives of those they represent. That’s why she will work with the legislature to put more money in pockets and provide meaningful relief for so many working families in Arizona.

Governor Hobbs will prioritize:

Lowering costs for families with children through state level child tax credits, sales tax exemptions for diapers, and a sales tax holiday for back to school shopping.
Helping Arizonans get back to work in good-paying jobs by creating more career and technical education opportunities and expanding child care assistance.
Protect the health and well-being of Arizona families with sales tax exemptions for over-the-counter medicines and feminine hygiene products.

By providing much-needed relief to Arizona families, we can also grow our economy and set our state up for long-term prosperity. When more Arizonans are able to afford school supplies, medications, and child care, as well as given the opportunity for training needed for a good-paying job, they become part of a healthier and more dependable workforce. And when more businesses are able to grow, they make our state more competitive and attractive to workers.

Immigration and Border Security

PROTECTING OUR BORDER AND STRENGTHENING OUR COMMUNITIES

For too long, our leaders haven’t been willing to tell the truth and haven’t offered real solutions, which has forced Arizona to continue to bear the brunt of our immigration crisis. Governor Hobbs will use the tools at her disposal to bring resources to our border communities and provide meaningful relief for Arizonans suffering the consequences of decades of federal inaction.

Governor Hobbs knows that our border communities need partnership from the 9th floor. That’s why one of her biggest priorities is communicating with local government officials, law enforcement, community centers, and health care providers to ensure they get the support they need from the state government.

The Hobbs administration is working to:

Boost funding and Department of Public Safety (DPS) assistance for sheriffs and local law enforcement to ensure they have the necessary intelligence and resources to handle migrant crossings humanely and efficiently.
Make sure Arizonans are getting the care they need by funding community centers and hospitals. Our community centers and hospitals — especially in Yuma, Nogales, Douglas, and Pima County — are overwhelmed. They need additional funding to ensure that nobody is denied care due to a lack of doctors, nurses, and other resources.
Use all the tools at our disposal to increase resources for our border communities and provide meaningful relief for Arizonans suffering the consequences of decades of federal inaction.

Far and away, the most impactful solution to our immigration crisis would be for the federal government to finally pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation that secures our border, strengthens our economy, and provides a tough but fair path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in the United States. An act of Congress is the only way to address the root cause of the problem, rather than relying on the bandaid solutions we’ve been getting for decades.

From modernizing and investing in our ports of entry to addressing labor shortages and ineffective policies, it’s imperative that President Biden and Congress take every step necessary to increase border security and give our border communities the tools they need to keep people safe while expanding legal immigration. Additionally, any comprehensive immigration plan must give DREAMers – young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children – the opportunity to become full American citizens.

Affordability and Housing

Scaling Affordability and Empowering Consumers

As inflation continues to raise the price of everything from gas to groceries to medicines, one thing in particular has a disproportionate impact on our state’s rising costs: housing.

Access to affordable housing is essential for building long-term prosperity, our workforce, and building strong families to ensure our kids receive a quality education. Today, the accessibility of home ownership is slipping further and further out of reach for too many. Arizona’s homelessness crisis has become a repudiation of our state’s public policies. Since 2014, the number of people experiencing homelessness has increased by nearly 500%. Governor Hobbs’ first job after she got her degree in social work was working with homeless youth in Phoenix. So she understands how complex this problem is.

Whether it’s the rising cost of rent or homeownership, the lack of affordable housing, or the homelessness crisis, our leaders must tackle this challenge in a methodical, forward-looking, and compassionate manner. That’s why Governor Hobbs has a comprehensive plan to address these crucial issues.

Governor Hobbs will bring community leaders, housing advocates, local governments, and our legislature together to:

Empower local communities to build more affordable housing.
Cut needless bureaucracy and unleash American innovation.
Protect Arizonans and address core reasons for rising housing costs.
Address the homelessness crisis in a comprehensive manner.
Lower costs for renters and homeowners.

The only way we can achieve the goal of making Arizona the best place to live, work, and raise a family is by working together. A “one-size-fits-all” mandate that treats all communities the same doesn’t make sense. Municipalities must be able to craft incentives that make the most sense based on their unique needs. That’s why Governor Hobbs will prioritize working with the legislature to help local governments expand access to low-interest financing for housing developments. This will also include incentivizing local communities to provide land for affordable and workforce housing for low-income persons and families to ensure every Arizonan has the opportunity to succeed.

Water and the Environment

Building a Resilient Arizona and Securing Our Water Future

Arizona should be the best place to live, work, and raise a family. But today, compounding threats — to our water, our natural resources, and our climate — are already disrupting our economy, our livelihoods, and our way of life. Outdated management and infrastructure leave too many of our neighbors without clean, safe, and reliable water. Wildfires, extreme heat, and drought are wreaking havoc on our forests, parks, rivers, and lakes. And as the effects of climate change become more extreme and unpredictable, the need to transition to a sustainable clean energy economy becomes increasingly urgent.

Governor Hobbs will prioritize addressing the burgeoning water crisis, preserve our natural resources, and build a 21st-century clean energy economy that puts Arizona on a path to long-term prosperity. Governor Hobbs will:

Secure and modernize Arizona’s water supply by better conserving and managing our water, investing in and upgrading our infrastructure, and providing the leadership needed to bring Arizonans together so that every stakeholder has a seat at the table.
Protect Arizona’s precious natural resources, like our forests, parks, and bodies of water, from the devastating effects of climate change that we’re already experiencing.
Invest in a 21st-century clean energy economy that lowers costs for Arizonans, diversifies our energy infrastructure, and addresses the challenges brought by climate change.

Arizona is one of just a handful of states without a dedicated state agency charged with overseeing sustainability and energy programs. That’s why Governor Hobbs will also establish the Governor’s Resiliency Office, tasked with securing our water supply and advancing a clean energy economy in partnership with state agencies, businesses, underserved communities, and tribal communities.

In order to build a future with long-term prosperity, we cannot rush to implement ideas that need to be thoughtfully and collaboratively developed. Governor Hobbs knows we need everybody at the table, which is why she will prioritize stakeholder cooperation and planning, regional discussions and negotiations on Colorado River issues and groundwater management, and advancing negotiations of tribal water settlements. That’s how, together, we can build a sustainable, resilient, and more livable Arizona.