Grand Canyon Times

On November 14, 2024, Senator Jake Hoffman was reappointed as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Director Nominations (DINO) for the 57th Legislature. This comes after Governor Katie Hobbs' attempts to bypass the Senate confirmation process were deemed illegal. Senator Hoffman emphasized his commitment to ensuring that only qualified individuals oversee Arizona's state agencies.

The DINO committee was established in 2023 by Senate President Warren Petersen to ensure checks and balances over state agency directors, as mandated by Arizona law. As chairman, Hoffman has been responsible for evaluating the qualifications of the Governor's executive appointments and recommending actions such as confirmation or rejection.

Agency directors play a crucial role in administering government functions according to state law. The Senate confirmation process is designed to ensure nominees execute laws faithfully without political bias. Their objectives should align with protecting public health, safety, and welfare under minimal regulation.

Since its creation, the committee has rigorously vetted nominees and identified concerning behaviors among some candidates. In response to these findings, Governor Hobbs withdrew her nominees from Senate confirmation but reinstalled them under different titles. A judge later ruled this action violated state law, leading Hobbs to agree to submit nominations for open positions by the first week of the new legislative session.

"We've seen the tragic fallout from Katie Hobbs' fake director scheme and its impacts on Arizonans in recent months," 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."

Hoffman invited Governor Hobbs to present qualified nominees for approval but stated that unqualified candidates would not be accepted.

Kim Quintero

Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus