PHOENIX — A push to fund Arizona’s Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) and prevent devastating service cuts was blocked Tuesday after Republican lawmakers refused to advance the bill without major program reforms.
House Democrats tried to bring House Bill 2816 to a vote, aiming to fill DDD’s $122 million budget gap, but Republicans stopped the vote, insisting that any funding must include accountability measures.
Democrats, joined by caregivers and families of people with disabilities in the gallery, read emotional letters from constituents pleading for help.
“Please do not dismiss our daughter as a budget-line item that can be cut,” said Rep. Quantá Crews (D-26), reading one family’s story.
But Republican leaders held firm. Rep. David Livingston (R-28), who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, said they won’t approve emergency funding without program changes, blaming “mismanagement” for the shortfall.
“There is no way in hell we’re passing a supplemental with just the money and no reforms,” Livingston told reporters.
The $122 million shortfall threatens services for more than 59,000 Arizonans with developmental disabilities, with DDD expected to run out of money by late April, cutting services in May and June.
Governor Katie Hobbs’ office called the GOP’s actions “inhumane and fiscally irresponsible”, accusing Republicans of holding vulnerable Arizonans “hostage to their political games.”
Advocates like Brandi Coon, co-founder of Raising Voices Coalition, said families feel betrayed. “They’re putting disabled people’s ability to live in their homes and communities on the line just to negotiate their political priorities,” she said.
Some lawmakers even left the floor as letters were read aloud. One advocate, Patricia Huber, who relies on a caregiver, said watching lawmakers walk out left her feeling “angry and disrespected.”
With no agreement in sight, the future of disability services in Arizona remains uncertain as the Legislature’s broader budget talks continue.
