Fighting dangerous drugs, creating career pathways for community college students, and lowering housing costs on the agenda

Phoenix, AZ - Governor Katie Hobbs continued her Arizona Promise Tour, underscoring her investments and legislative priorities with stops throughout the state focused on public safety, workforce development, and housing. The tour highlights the Governor’s plans to restore the Arizona Promise by expanding opportunity, security, and freedom for people across Arizona.

Governor Hobbs called for a pay raise for Department of Public Safety troopers and recognized their outstanding efforts to keep dangerous drugs off the streets and out of communities, with 2,647 pounds of fentanyl seized in 2024.

KTAR: Katie Hobbs says DPS troopers, who seized 2,647 pounds of fentanyl pills last year, deserve 5% raise

• Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs reiterated her desire for a 5% pay raise for troopers with the Arizona Department of Public Safety on Tuesday morning.
• The extra cash is well-deserved because of the massive amount of drugs DPS took off Arizona streets last year, she said during a press conference.
• “This isn’t just the right thing to do so that these men and women can support their families,” Hobbs said. “It’s the right thing to do for the state.”
• “The amount of fentanyl pills seized by DPS has increased exponentially, from 89 pounds in 2018 to 2,647 pounds in 2024,” Hobbs said.
• Furthermore, in a three-month period last year, DPS helped seize 6,500 pounds of illicit drugs, she said.

In Flagstaff, Governor Hobbs visited Coconino Community College’s construction and trades training campus, where she spoke with students about how the program is setting them up for success. She highlighted the state’s Community College Workforce Scholarship Program, which has helped thousands of students further their education.

AZ Family: Governor Katie Hobbs Spotlights Importance of State Funding for Community Colleges and Workforce Development Programs in Flagstaff

Future48 Workforce Accelerators are a cornerstone of Governor Hobbs’ efforts to expand career pathways for Arizonans. She announced a workforce accelerator at Chandler-Gilbert Community College focused on preparing students for jobs in the aerospace and defense industry. She then traveled to Yuma where she joined the groundbreaking for Arizona Western College’s manufacturing-focused workforce accelerator. 

KTAR: New facility to provide training for aerospace, defense jobs coming to East Valley

• A fab facility at Chandler-Gilbert Community College slated to open next year will offer students hands-on job training in aerospace and defense manufacturing.
• The facility will offer training through Future48, a workforce accelerator program funded by the Arizona Commerce Authority.
• Gov. Katie Hobbs spoke in support of the program at a Wednesday press conference held at the campus.
• “We are home to over 1,200 aerospace and defense companies, companies that contribute nearly $15 billion annually to our economy and employ more than 62,000 Arizonans,” Hobbs said. “We need to ensure that Arizonans are reaping the benefits - and this program is one more way to do that.”
• Its laboratories will have industry-standard equipment, along with flexible training spaces that let students transition between lectures and skill-based learning. This way, they can gain hands-on experience in electrical assembly, mechanical assembly and wiring.

13 News: Governor Katie Hobbs secured $6.3 million to support Arizona Western College Future48 Workforce Accelerator

Last week, Governor Katie Hobbs joined the grand opening of the Centerline on Glendale, the first project funded by the state Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. There, Governor Hobbs spoke with residents about their experiences finding stable, affordable housing and what having this home and community means to them. Governor Hobbs proposed extending and expanding LIHTC in her latest Executive Budget.

ABC15: Centerline on Glendale a major success story in the efforts to create more affordable housing options