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Ben Toma |
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Virulently
homophobic, far-right
MAGA Republican
extremist, Ben Toma is a member of the
Arizona House of Representatives,
representing District 27. He assumed office
on January 9, 2023. His current term ends on
January 13, 2025. Toma ran for re-election
to the Arizona House of Representatives to
represent District 27. He won in the general
election on November 8, 2022. Toma began
serving as state House majority leader in
2021, and as state speaker of the house in
2023. Toma ran
for election to the
U.S. House to
represent Arizona's
8th Congressional
District. He lost in
the Republican
primary on July 30,
2024. |
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GOP Lawmakers Fight
Against Testifying
About Transgender
Law's Motives |
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"The state’s top two
Republican lawmakers
are asking a federal
appeals court to
protect them from
having to explain
their motives in
promoting and voting
to ban transgender
girls’ participation
in girls’ sports.
The attorney for
House Speaker
Ben Toma and
Senate President
Warren Petersen
contends that U.S.
District Court Judge
Jennifer Zipps got
it wrong when she
ordered them to
answer questions
from the lawyers
representing
transgender girls
who have sued to
overturn the law." |
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Jul. 24, 2024 |
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Arizona Republicans
Challenge Campaign
Spending Law In
Appeals Court |
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"Arizona legislative
leaders appeared
before the state
court of appeals
Tuesday to challenge
a voter-backed
campaign finance
disclosure law they
say violates the
state constitution.
Senate President
Warren Petersen
of Gilbert and House
Speaker Ben Toma
of Peoria, both
Republicans, say
Proposition 211 — or
the Voters Right to
Know Act — takes
rulemaking authority
away from the
Legislature and
over-delegates that
authority to Arizona
Citizens Clean
Elections
Commission, an
agency of the
executive branch.
Proposition 211 was
supported by more
than 70% of voters
in the 2022 general
election and
requires any person
or organization
making campaign
media expenditures
of more than $50,000
to statewide
elections or $25,000
to local elections
to disclose the
original source of
any contributions
totaling more than
$5,000." |
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May 7, 2024 |
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Arizona Democrat And GOP Lawmakers Booted
From Committee After Backing Abortion Ban
Repeal |
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"Two Arizona state
House lawmakers were removed from key
committees Monday following the chamber’s
vote to repeal the state’s 1864 abortion
ban, with one Republican who voted with
Democrats among them. Arizona state House
Rep.
Matt Gress (R) was removed from the
Appropriations Committee, while Rep. Oscar
De Los Santos (D) was removed from both the
Appropriations Committee and Rules
Committee." [ . . . ] "Arizona House Speaker
Ben Toma (R) and Speaker Pro Tempore
Travis Grantham (R) did not immediately
respond when reached for comment on the
removal of Gress and De Los Santos from the
committees." |
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Apr. 24, 2024 |
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Every name in
RED, as of this date, has now voted 3 times
in two weeks to keep the 1864 Abortion Ban
on the books and the law of Arizona. |
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Apr.
18, 2024 |
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Instead Of Fixing
Arizona Abortion
Law, Republicans
Take A Vacation |
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"Republicans in the
Arizona Legislature
had a chance to
address the 1864
law, they used
another option—they
ran for the exits.
GOP lawmakers
ignored votes to
suspend the archaic
law and instead
voted to take a
recess. Twice.
Republicans aren’t
taking immediate
action. They’re not
even taking
less-than-immediate
action. Their
reaction to efforts
to repeal the 1864
ban was to get out
of town for the next
week." [ . . . ] "Both
Arizona House
Speaker Ben Toma
and Senate President
Warren Peterson
are supporters of
the 1864 law. Toma
and Peterson
provided an amicus
brief in favor of
restoring the Civil
War-era legislation." |
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Apr. 11, 2024 |
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Gilbert Senator Must
Testify In
Vote-Suppression
Case |
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"The state’s top
Republican lawmakers
can’t avoid having
to answer questions
about their backing
of legislation
making it more
difficult to
register to vote.
Without comment, the
U.S. Supreme Court
rejected a claim by
House Speaker Ben
Toma and Senate
President
Warren Petersen
of Gilbert that any
inquiries into the
background of how
2022 legislation
became law runs
afoul of legislative
privilege." |
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Dec. 7, 2023 |
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U.S. High Court:
Arizona Lawmakers
Can't Dodge Voting
Rights Questions |
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"Arizona’s top
Republican lawmakers
can’t avoid having
to answer questions
about their backing
of legislation
making it more
difficult to
register to vote.
Without comment
Monday, the U.S.
Supreme Court
rejected a claim by
House Speaker Ben
Toma and Senate
President
Warren Petersen
that any inquiries
into the background
of how 2022
legislation became
law runs afoul of
legislative
privilege. The
justices did not
explain their
decision." |
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Nov. 27, 2023 |
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Petersen And Toma
Trying To Torpedo
Deal That Would Lead
To State’s
Obligation To Pay
For Gender-Affirming
Surgery
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"Top Republican
lawmakers are trying
to torpedo a deal
that would result in
a court order that
would forever
obligate the state
to pay for
gender-affirming
surgery for its
employees and
dependents. And, if
nothing else, they
don’t want the state
on the hook for
$500,000 in legal
fees claimed by the
attorneys that sued.
In arguments filed
in federal court,
Senate President
Warren Petersen
and House Speaker
Ben Toma say
they are not trying
to block the state’s
insurance program
from covering the
hysterectomy sought
by Russell Toomey
who filed suit four
years ago. That,
they said, already
is going to happen,
pointing out that
Gov. Katie Hobbs
signed Executive
Order 2023-12 in
June directing the
Department of
Administration, the
state’s personnel
arm, to remove
language exempting
“gender reassignment
surgery” from the
health care policies
now available to
state and university
employees and
retirees." |
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Sep. 4, 2023 |
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Arizona Lawmakers
Move To Block "Dark
Money" Law |
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"In a new court
filing, Senate
President
Warren Petersen
and House Speaker
Ben Toma contend
that Proposition 211
infringes on the
constitutional right
of the Legislature
to make laws. Now
they want Maricopa
County Superior
Court Judge Frank
Moskowitz to
override what voters
approved just last
year. The new
litigation comes
less than two months
after a different
Maricopa judge
tossed out a
challenge filed by
the Arizona Free
Enterprise Club and
the Center for
Arizona Policy.
Scott McCoy rejected
their claims that
the requirements of
the law to disclose
the true identity of
those who spend
money to affect
candidate races and
ballot measures
violates the rights
of donors." [ . . .
] "Proposition
211, approved in
November by a 3-1
margin, was designed
to close that
loophole." |
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Aug.7, 2023 |
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Arizona GOP
Legislative Leaders
File Emergency
Motion To Uphold
Transgender Athlete
Ban Law |
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"Senate President
Warren Petersen
and House Speaker
Ben Toma filed
Wednesday’s motion
to stop the federal
injunction" |
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Aug. 2, 2023 |
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Toma Calls Executive
Order On Conversion
Therapy Illegal,
Unconstitutional |
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"The top House
Republican contends
a new order by Gov.
Katie Hobbs banning
the use of public
funds for
“conversion therapy”
is illegal and
appears to violate
the rights of
parents to make
decisions for their
children. In a
letter Monday to the
governor, House
Speaker Ben Toma
acknowledged that
some states have
banned the practice.
But he said that is
something that can
be done only by the
Legislature." |
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Jul. 3, 2023 |
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Top Arizona
Republicans Ask To
Defend Trans Athlete
Ban In Court |
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"Trans
people, and women in
particular, have
been repeatedly
singled out by
Republican
politicians in
recent years, as the
party has weaponized
biological
essentialism to push
discriminatory
legislation and
appeal to the
fringe." |
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May 2, 2023 |
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GOP Arizona
Legislators,
Including Leaders Of
The House And
Senate, Subpoenaed
To Testify In
Special
Counsel Probe Of
Trump |
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"At least three
Arizona Republican
state legislators
have been subpoenaed
by the U.S. Justice
Department’s special
counsel, Jack Smith,
as part of the
criminal
investigation into
former President
Donald Trump and his
efforts to reverse
his 2020 election
loss. The federal
grand jury subpoenas
were issued to
Senate President
Warren Petersen,
Sen.
Sonny Borrelli
and House Speaker
Ben Toma. And at
least one former
state senator,
Michelle Ugenti-Rita,
who led the Senate’s
Election Committee
in 2021, received a
subpoena. All four
have been ordered to
produce records and
travel to
Washington, D.C., to
testify." |
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Feb. 17, 2023 |
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In other words,
as PROVEN by this bill, Republicans and
ammosexuals find it wrong to discriminate
against inanimate objects but have no
problem discriminating against people. |
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Battle Lines Drawn In Arizona Gay Discrimination Case |
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Dec. 24, 2018 |
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Council Candidate Investigated |
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Sep. 18, 2014 |
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