Citing trans students, AZ GOP wanted school shower rules. Gov. Hobbs vetoed the plan

Public school students shouldn't have to share a shower room with students who were born of the opposite biological sex, state Republican lawmakers agreed.

But Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs saw it differently. She vetoed Senate Bill 1182, casting it as an "attack on Arizonans." It was one of 10 vetoes issued Tuesday, bringing her total this year to 52.

She also signed 12 bills into law, including one intended to address housing shortages. Senate Bill 1162 would give cities 30 days to determine if zoning requests are complete, in the hopes of speeding up construction. The bill, from Sen. Janae Shamp, R-Surprise, also will require cities to conduct a housing needs assessment every five years and make it publicly available.

The bill aimed at transgender students as Sen. John Kavanagh sought a "reasonable accommodation" for any student who would feel uncomfortable sharing a shower area with a person who, biologically, was of the opposite sex.

"I'm shocked," said Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, only half joking. "I really thought this might pass."

Kavanagh has been running legislation for more than a decade to ensure students don't have to share bathrooms, shower rooms or hotel rooms on overnight school trips with students born of the opposite biological sex. By narrowing it to showers only, Kavanagh said he thought it would win bipartisan appeal.

His goal, as he has said in the past, is "to protect that 15-year-old student who finds herself standing next to a biological male." He suggested students who felt uncomfortable be allowed to use an employee shower room or a single-occupancy single-shower room.

But Democrats argued many schools don't have such facilities and, more to the point, few students take a shower after gym class because there is little time between classes.

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And they said the bill wrongly targets transgender students. Hobbs agreed in her two-line veto message.

"As I have said time and time again, I will not sign legislation that attacks Arizonans," she said

Kavanagh has said he's done — for now.

"II will bring back the full monty in two years, when we have a Republican governor," he said. Then he'll try again with a wider bathroom ban that covers shared bathrooms, shower rooms and hotels on overnight trips.

Hobbs also vetoed SB 1414, which would have levied tougher penalties on thieves who repeatedly rob retail outlets. It was a key measure from House Speaker Ben Toma, R-Glendale.

Hobbs noted she had already signed another bill that creates a task force in the state Aattorney General's Office that deals with organized retail theft.

She also vetoed a bill intended to give property owners and landlords the ability to quickly crack down on squatters who occupy a space they don't own or rent.

Hobbs said SB 1129 didn't fully recognize the rights of lawful tenants and overlooked the potential for unintended consequences, such as for domestic violence victims.

But Sen. Wendy Rogers, the bill's sponsor, said the governor missed the point: the bill was directed at illegal occupants. "Did she read the bill?" Rogers, R-Flagstaff, asked in a news release.

"We should not further victimize homeowners with a time-consuming, cumbersome, and costly removal process," Rogers said.

Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on Threads as well as on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @maryjpitzl.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona governor vetoes school shower bill centered on trans students