The Legislature is ignoring five affordability proposals. Here’s how to make them pay attention.

Campaigning on a platform of cost-cutting measures to help Arizona reclaim its title as an affordable place to live was all the rage in 2024. But now that candidates are lawmakers, those campaign promises seem to have evaporated.

The Arizona Legislature is under Republican control for the thirty-third year straight and has spent much of the 2025 legislative session focused on discriminatory government regulations for public restrooms, restrictions on voting access, and expanding police powers.

Cost-saving proposals have largely taken the form of tax breaks for the wealthy and financial incentives for businesses, which Republican lawmakers admit will save working-class households a few hundred dollars while bringing in millions for large corporations.

“When you think about soccer practice for your child or piano lessons, $200 — $300 a year is a big deal for families,” said Rep. Leo Biasiucci, R-Lake Havasu City. “So this, to me, is a no-brainer.”

The ‘affordability agenda’

Elected Democrats, in contrast, have introduced a comprehensive package of eight bills that they say would allow more renters to buy their first home, end prescription price-gouging, and require health insurance companies to provide the coverage promised to Arizonans. So far, Republicans have not scheduled any of these bills to be debated in committee meetings, and the deadline to schedule them is quickly approaching.

In an attempt to protect their bills from becoming partisan casualties, a bipartisan housing and homeless caucus was formed earlier this year, made up of nine Democrats and four Republicans. And, while Republican bills have benefited from this arrangement, the good faith so far is one-sided, as no affordability bills introduced by Democratic lawmakers have received Republican support.

“When I ran for the seat, I knocked on thousands and thousands of doors, and I talked to my community, and I told them that when I got here, I would fight for them, and for things that are important to everyday Arizonans,” said Rep. Stephanie Simacek, D-Phoenix. “We’re seeing bills come through that are focused on expanding culture wars and not dealing with the issues that Arizonans face every single day, like proper housing and health care and public education.”

Here’s what’s in this year’s “affordability agenda:”

De-corporatizing home ownership

Housing for Arizonans First Act: House Bill 2360

Status: Will die Friday, Feb. 21, if not assigned to a committee.

Corporations have a massive advantage over people when it comes to buying power; HB 2360 seeks to level the playing field a little. This law would prevent corporations from purchasing single-family homes until they’ve been on the market for 60 days, giving individuals and families a two-month window where they could shop for a home without the threat of corporate cash looming overhead.

Stop Corporate Homebuyers Act: House Bill 2848 | Senate Bill 1209 

Status: Committee assignment deadline for HB 2848 is Feb. 21, deadline for SB 1209 is March 28.

Hedge funds and corporate landlords bought over 33,000 homes in 2021—or about 30% of all homes that went up for sale that year. This pair of bills would cut future purchases significantly by only allowing corporate investors to purchase 100 housing units every calendar year, leaving thousands of properties available for Arizonans to purchase in a much less competitive market.

“I have a message for the corporate landlords who have come into Arizona, jacked up housing prices, and shoved working families out of the picture: Your time is up,” said House Minority Leader Rep. Oscar De Los Santos. “These bills will put Arizona families first, protect our communities from corporate greed, bring down the cost of rent and mortgages, and ensure that all Arizonans have a fair shot at owning a home.”

Health insurance: getting what you pay for

Affordable Medicine for All Act: Senate Bill 1403

Status: Will die Friday, March 28, if not assigned to a committee.

It’s no secret that pharmaceutical companies bring in excessive profits from selling medicine at high prices to people whose life depends on it. Public healthcare options, like Medicare and Medicaid, limit how much companies can charge their members for drugs so prescriptions are affordable while guaranteeing companies still see a profit.

Those with private health insurance—or no health coverage at all—don’t have this protection, which has led to a wide range of prices for the same drug, and medicine that is inexpensive to produce being sold at an unbelievable markup. One prominent example of obscene markup was in 2015, when insurance providers raised the cost of antiparasitic medicine Daraprim from $13.50 to $750—a 5,400% markup.

Senate Bill 1403 aims to tailor state law after federal regulations for Medicaid and Medicare, and cap prescription costs to what has been determined to be the Maximum Fair Price.

Fair Claims Accountability Act: House Bill 2782 | Senate Bill 1397

Status: Committee assignment deadline for HB 2782 is Feb. 21, deadline for SB 1397 is March 28.

The Fair Claims Accountability Act would create a Healthcare Claims Consumer Assistance Program to help Arizonans navigate health insurance claims and ensure that companies don’t deny claims that are part of their coverage. Thirty other states already have this program in place, and its utilization has saved consumers millions in healthcare costs.

This proposal would also create civil penalties—and potential license revocation—for health insurance companies that “deny or insufficiently cover a valid insurance claim.”

“This legislature can make Arizona more affordable—but some of our lawmakers are prioritizing the wrong things like bills on cryptocurrency, more tax cuts for the rich, and protecting corporate interests,” said Sen. Eva Burch, D-Mesa. “I call on my colleagues to lower costs by passing legislation like this—or at least give it a committee hearing—and finally put working Arizona families first.”

Prohibition on predatory medication prices

Stop Price-Gouging Medication Act: House Bill 2757 | Senate Bill 1402

Status: Committee assignment deadline for HB 2757 is Feb. 21, deadline for SB 1402 is March 28.

Another attempt to keep prescription costs low is the Stop Price-Gouging Medication Act. If passed, off-patent or generic drug manufacturers and distributors would be prohibited from instituting “an unconscionable increase in the price of a prescription drug.” What this means is that any price increase would have to directly correspond with production and distribution costs. And for companies that are caught, the penalties are steep: a $10,000 fine for each violation.

“1 out of every 3 Americans are unable to take their prescription drugs due to the cost, and our elected leaders have to take responsibility for this,” said Burch. “Cost-of-living in Arizona is a challenge enough already, and this bill will protect Arizonans from predatory practices of big pharma.”

Deadlines approaching fast

While any legislator can introduce a bill, it’s up to committee chairs to decide which bills will be debated and voted on. All eight bills under the Affordability Agenda banner have been introduced by Democrats, and Republicans, who chair every single committee, have refused to discuss these bills during committee meetings. Any bill not discussed, or considered, in the House by Feb. 21 will be ineligible for a vote, also known as a dead bill. That deadline is a little later in the Senate, where bills have until March 28 to be considered.

Ben Scheel executive director of the advocacy group Opportunity Arizona, said his organization is in full support of the Affordability Agenda, and they plan to put their money where their mouth is: the group plans to spend $300,000 in the next month to reach out to voters who live in the committee chairs’ legislative districts and encourage them to contact their representative in support of these bills.

“I call on all of us to contact the leadership of these two chambers and the chairs of the committees these bills have been assigned to and ask them why these bills haven’t had a hearing yet,” Said Scheel. “Why have more than 14 bills that cut taxes for the rich and corporations been heard, but not these bills that will help hardworking Arizonans keep a roof over their heads, stay healthy, and get access to necessary healthcare?”

The legislator’s Opportunity Arizona plans to focus on are:

Steve Montenegro, Speaker of the House

Arizona’s 29th Legislative District, West Valley

Jeff Weninger, Chair, House Commerce

Arizona’s 13th Legislative District, East Valley

Selina Bliss, Chair, House Health and Human Services

Arizona’s 1st Legislative District, Yavapai County

Warren Petersen, Senate President

Arizona’s 14th Legislative District, East Valley

Jake Hoffman, Chair, Senate Government Committee

Arizona’s 15th Legislative District, East Valley

Carine Werner, Chair, Senate Health and Human Services Committee

Arizona’s 4th Legislative District, North Valley