PHOENIX — Governor Katie Hobbs offered little explanation this week when asked how her administration will address oversight concerns with Arizona’s state psychiatric hospital.
Earlier this month, lawmakers gutted a bill that would have created a new governing board for the Arizona State Hospital, which houses up to 300 of the most vulnerable patients with severe mental illness.
Senate Bill 1710 had advanced through the legislature with near unanimous support.
RELATED: Governor Hobbs' veto threat ends effort to change State Hospital oversight
But on the floor before final votes, lawmakers said they stripped the bill from creating a new governing board after a veto threat from the Governor’s Office.
ABC15 asked Hobbs the following questions about the issue at a press event on Tuesday:
ABC15: Given what we’ve seen at the Department of Health Services, as it relates to homicides and suicides at the State Hospital, why are you opposed or does it seem like you're opposed to a separate Governing Board to see what goes on over there?
HOBBS: I don’t believe I’ve expressed a position on that at all. And that was stripped from the bill that got to my desk.
ABC15: You had nothing to do with that being stripped?
HOBBS: No.
The governor’s answers contradict previous public statements by key lawmakers and her own staff.
“I sponsored the amendment at the request of the bill sponsor, (Sen. David Gowan), to reflect what was negotiated by the Senate with Governor Hobbs’ office to prevent a veto,” according to an email sent to ABC15 from Rep. Steve Montenegro.
A spokesperson for Gov. Hobbs also previously confirmed the office raised concerns about the bill. But when later asked to provide an official comment, the governor’s communication team did not provide one despite multiple requests.
Proponents of the original bill said it eliminated a fundamental flaw: The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) should not be in charge of the same hospital it is also required to inspect and regulate.
In recent years, ABC15 has obtained records, videos, and photos from multiple critical incidents, including a homicide, suicides, and an escape. But those incidents have not shown up in public inspection reports or resulted in deficiencies and enforcement actions.
At Tuesday’s press event, Hobbs faced additional questions about her plans to oversee the hospital.
“I think oversight is good,” she said. “I don’t know specifically what that would look like.”
The governor continued, “I would like to see how it would look before I committed one way or the other.”
SB1710 was not a mystery or under the radar.
Lawmakers first began hearing the bill in February. During the legislative process, the Arizona Department of Health Services officially signed in opposition to the bill.
Contact ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing at Dave@ABC15.com.
