Senator Jake Hoffman Reappointed as Chairman for Committee on Director Nominations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                          

Thursday, November 14, 2024

Senator Jake Hoffman Reappointed as Chairman

for Committee on Director Nominations

PHOENIX, ARIZONA—On the heels of Governor Katie Hobbs' failed attempts to illegally bypass the Senate confirmation process, Senator Jake Hoffman is doubling down on his commitment to ensuring only highly qualified individuals are overseeing Arizona's critical state agencies as the newly reappointed Chairman of the Senate Committee on Director Nominations (DINO) for the 57th Legislature.

DINO was first established in 2023 by Senate President Warren Petersen to create a clear system of checks and balances over state agency directors, as required by Arizona Revised Statute 38-211. Chairman Hoffman has since led the charge on gathering information and evaluating qualifications of the Governor's executive appointments in order to recommend a course of action for the Senate to take on each individual- confirmation, rejection, or hold for evaluation.

Agency directors have a direct impact on the lives and livelihoods of every single citizen within Arizona. They are tasked with a tremendous responsibility to administer necessary government functions as directed by state law, without attempting to legislate from the executive branch or expand the reach of big government. The Senate confirmation process is a vital and necessary process to ensure that director nominees will faithfully execute the laws of the State of Arizona, free from partisan political agendas or outside influence. Their objectives should align with Arizonans' priorities of protecting public health, safety, and welfare under the least restrictive method of regulation, as specified under Arizona Revised Statute 41-3502. 

Since its inception, the committee has rigorously vetted the Governor's nominees and ultimately uncovered troubling behaviors or backgrounds of several candidates. From medical tyranny, to insubordination and alleged discrimination leading to a forced resignation, to antisemitism and racism, as well as systemic plagiarism, the committee successfully blocked extremists and other inappropriate candidates who demonstrated they were unfit to serve in these roles. In response, Governor Hobbs orchestrated a desperate scheme where she withdrew her nominees from Senate confirmation, then immediately reinstalled these individuals under a made-up title and directed them to continue serving as heads of state agencies. After the Senate took her administration to court, a judge ruled her actions violated state law. Subsequently, she consented to nominating directors for the remaining open positions and sending those nominations to the Senate by the first week of the 57th Legislature, First Regular Session.

"We've seen the tragic fallout from Katie Hobbs' fake director scheme and its impacts on Arizonans in recent months, including the death of a child in DCS custody and a major $2 million fraudulent transfer of taxpayer dollars from DOH," said Chairman Hoffman. "These heartbreaking or otherwise incredibly serious incidents could have been avoided had she followed the law and taken the Senate confirmation process seriously. When her illegal ploy didn't work, she spent millions of dollars trying to flip control of the Legislature to get her radical nominees approved by Democrats and failed miserably. The committee invites Katie Hobbs to come to the table with sane, nonpartisan, qualified nominees, and we will approve them. What we won't do is rubberstamp unqualified radicals."

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For more information, contact:

Kim Quintero

Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus

kquintero@azleg.gov