Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee has vowed not to appoint 13 nominees as state agency directors as she steps in for Katie Hobbs.
Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee has vowed not to appoint 13 nominees as state agency directors while temporarily serving as acting governor of the state.
In a statement, Ms. Yee—who is fourth in line in the Arizona governor succession—said she will be serving as acting governor from the evening of Sept. 27 until mid-morning on Sept. 28, while Gov. Katie Hobbs is out of state.
The Republican state treasurer stressed that while she is “pleased to step in this role,” the governor will eventually be returning to the state.
She did not provide further details as to why Ms. Hobbs, a Democrat, had left Arizona, and the governor’s office did not publish a statement on the matter. However, The Arizona Republic reports that Ms. Hobbs was out of state in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday following a weeklong visit to Taiwan where she met with political and business leaders.
The Epoch Times has contacted Gov. Katie Hobbs’ office for further comment.
Ms. Yee, in her statement, said she would “refrain” from using her new power to name 13 nominees as state agency directors or to call the Legislature into a special session to confirm the nominations amid an ongoing tussle to appoint new state agency directors.
Ms. Hobbs had sought to appoint 13 nominees to various state agency positions but her nominations failed to win enough support in the Republican-led Senate.
“I have been notified that I will be serving as Acting Governor beginning later this evening until mid-morning tomorrow. While I am pleased to step into this role, I will refrain from naming directors to the 13 agencies that currently have vacancies and will not call the Arizona Legislature into session to confirm them,” Ms. Yee said.
“That being said, I do hope when the Governor returns to Arizona, she will promptly name qualified directors to these important state agencies and remove the legal uncertainty that exists for all of the regulatory actions taken by the agencies. I expect to see a swift resolution to this matter, so we can get back to getting the work done for Arizona taxpayers. The people of Arizona deserve leaders who follow the rule of law,” the Republican state treasurer added.
