By Jordan Gerard | Arizona Capitol Times
Key Points:
- The 2026 legislative session will feature both new and returning topics
- Senate leaders in both parties say crafting the state budget will be a challenge
- Senate GOP leader doubts there will be much bipartisanship
The oncoming legislative session will bring new topics to the halls of the Arizona Legislature, alongside some familiar ones.
The Arizona Capitol Times asked leaders from both parties what lingering topics remain and which new and shiny prospects will be introduced.
The biggest topic that repeats year to year and looms over the session is the state budget, but this year, tax conformity and the federal government’s H.R. 1, also known as the “Big Beautiful Bill,” have continued to complicate discussions.
Senate Majority Leader John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, said the total cost of conformity with federal tax cuts is about $440 million, and lawmakers can’t make headway on the state budget until they decide what to do with conformity.
