Arizona lawmakers mistakenly vote for Medicaid cut

PHOENIX - Two Democratic state senators mistakenly voted that a proposed cut in Medicaid eligibility wouldn't violate a state constitutional protection for voter-approved laws.

Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Olivia Cajero Bedford voted yes with majority Republicans when the Rules Committee voted Thursday that the bill authorizing a Medicaid waiver request would be constitutional.

Sinema opposes the bill and had told the committee that she doesn't think it's legal under the Arizona Constitution. She later told a reporter that she and Cajero Bedford voted that the bill is constitutional because they thought the vote was only on a technical amendment.

Both Sinema and Cajero Bedford are veteran legislators but are new to the Senate and its procedures.