Two Weeks In: Legislative Update
The highs…and lows…of the 2026 legislative session as we approach the end of January.
Hello from the road! Seth and I visited New Orleans this weekend and are on the way to Florida for some meetings; we had to change plans for a rental car thanks to the winter storm impacting the entire eastern half of the country and thousands of flights.
Since we have plenty of time behind the windshield today and tomorrow, now is as good of a time as any to make sure you, my constituents, are up to speed on what’s going on at the Capitol.
Legislation
If you’re interested in which bills I have sponsored thus far, you can review them here. I am the prime sponsor of 23 bills; this is more than I would prefer to push in a session, but they’re almost all constituent-driven, and I work for you.
I’ll continue to keep you updated, as I plan to drop 7 more bills in the near future.
Committees
I am on these four committees this year:
In Government last week, we began to scrutinize the Department of Child Services (DCS). The Auditor General’s office was first up, and validated exactly why so many people are up in arms about DCS for non-compliance with state law and broken promises to the legislature and the people of Arizona.
Representative Walt Blackman, the committee chairman, said he would use subpoena power if necessary to gain full clarity over these issues. When my bill, HB2018, which stops DCS from incentivizing healthcare institutions to over-report child abuse, was presented to the committee, Representative Blackman left the committee room. This led to Democrats doing their usual routine after receiving marching orders and opposing the bill on dubious grounds, questioning the proof we have in abundance.
When Representative Blackman returned, we were told that DCS Director Katie Ptak was told to go back to her office and not testify at the committee as originally planned. This led to the abrupt shutdown of the meeting.
We will be reconvening Wednesday in Hearing Room 5 at 9:00 a.m. if anyone would like to join.
In the Federalism, Military Affairs and Elections Committee, also on Wednesday, Representative Alex Kolodin’s HCR2001 was presented. This is the “Florida Style” vote counting bill, which will also tighten up security on mail-in balloting (by mandating voters to verify addresses and request a mail-in ballot before each election), a measure that voters are begging for so our state isn’t the butt of all elections jokes. It passed the committee by a vote of 4-3 (thank God), but not before all three Democrats on the committee (L. Hernandez, Marquez, Garcia) melted down and regurgitated commentary about voter suppression that doesn’t exist.
Campaign Updates
I still need signatures to get on the ballot. Please sign online here, or pass it on to friends and family you know in the district:
This cycle, we will be up against establishment money to unseat me so please consider donating to my campaign. Any amount helps!
We have a campaign kickoff event in Marana on Saturday, January 31, at noon. If you’d like to attend, please email skeshel@protonmail.com for details.
Rachel Keshel represents voters of the 17th Legislative District in the Arizona House of Representatives. She is a staunch Constitutionalist and defender of our God-given liberties, and encourages everyone to take up the fight for freedom in every facet of life.
Sorry, can’t sign, LD29
Thank you