-- SUMMATION --

• Expansion of Religious Exemptions (SB 1062, 2014): As a State Senator, Yee voted in favor of this highly controversial bill that would have allowed business owners to cite religious beliefs as a legal defense for refusing service to LGBTQIA+ individuals. The bill was eventually vetoed by Governor Jan Brewer following significant national backlash.

• Education and "No Promo Homo" Laws: During her tenure, Yee supported maintaining or strengthening Arizona’s former laws that restricted the discussion of homosexuality in schools. For years, Arizona statutes prohibited HIV/AIDS instruction that "promoted" a homosexual lifestyle, a provision repealed in 2019 after being challenged as discriminatory.

• Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) Expansion: Yee co-sponsored the expansion of the ESA program, which allows public funds to be used for private schools. LGBTQIA+ advocates argue these programs harm the community by diverting resources to private institutions that are legally permitted to discriminate against LGBTQIA+ students and staff.

• Anti-Transgender Policy Stance: While Yee moved to the Treasurer’s office before the most recent surge of anti-transgender legislation, she has remained aligned with a Republican majority that has consistently introduced bills to restrict gender-affirming care, participation in sports, and bathroom access for transgender youth.

• Human Rights Campaign (HRC): Has frequently categorized the Arizona legislative majority, including Yee during her leadership years, as advancing a "slim anti-equality majority" focused on discriminatory policies.

• Stonewall Democrats of Arizona: Typically gave Yee a 0% rating during her time in the State House and Senate due to her consistent votes against non-discrimination protections and for bills like SB 1062.

• Yee maintained a 100% rating from the Center for Arizona Policy, an organization that has historically opposed same-sex marriage and transgender rights, while receiving ratings of 0% from progressive groups like Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, which supports LGBTQIA+ healthcare and rights

• Support for Broad Religious Exemptions: Beyond the high-profile SB 1062, Yee consistently supported the Center for Arizona Policy' legislative agendas, which frequently included measures to broaden religious exemptions in ways that critics argue facilitate discrimination against LGBTQIA+ individuals in public life and the workplace.

• Opposition to Non-Discrimination Protections: Throughout her legislative career (2011–2019), Yee consistently voted against or helped block efforts to add sexual orientation and gender identity to Arizona's state non-discrimination laws, which would have provided legal protections in housing, employment, and public accommodations.

• Strict Conservative Fiscal Ties: As a leader in the Senate and active member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), she supported model legislation that often intersected with broader conservative social agendas, which advocacy groups like the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) view as part of a coordinated effort to roll back LGBTQIA+ rights

• Public Records Lawsuit: In late 2025, Yee and State Superintendent Tom Horne were sued by 12News for refusing to release detailed financial records regarding how ESA funds were spent. While Horne eventually released most records, Yee's office continued to withhold or heavily redact documents, claiming they were not in her "legal custody" despite her role in managing the program’s marketplace platform.

• Misspending Investigations: After initial investigations by 12News and the Attorney General found over $10 million in unallowed purchases—including luxury items, gift cards, and electronic dirt bikes—Yee reversed her previous "trust the parents" stance. She called for hiring a new vendor to better catch fraud, a move criticized by Horne as causing "tremendous disarray".

• Retracted "Babysitting" Claims: In July 2025, Yee’s attorney claimed ESA funds were being used to pay minors for babysitting, a claim she was forced to retract days later after education officials labeled the information fabricated.

• Illegal Refusal to Seat Members: In September 2023, Governor Katie Hobbs' administration accused Yee of breaking the law by refusing to seat duly authorized board members at a State Board of Investment meeting. The administration claimed Yee was engaging in "partisan obstructionism" that deprived taxpayers of professional investment oversight.  (ref)

• Clean Elections Commission Clash: Yee has been in a legal dispute withGovernor Hobbs over which office has the authority to appoint a new majority to the Citizens Clean Elections Commission. Critics expressed concern that Yee might appoint members who would fail to enforce "dark money" disclosure laws.

• Anti-ESG Actions: As Treasurer, Yee has been a leading opponent of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investment criteria, pushing the Board of Investment to prohibit their use and criticizing federal labor rules as harmful to Arizona's economy.

• Abortion Legislation: During her legislative career, Yee’s sponsorship of bills like the 2012 ban on abortions after 20 weeks and laws requiring doctors to inform patients about "reversing" medication abortions were struck down in federal court or criticized by groups like Planned Parenthood as "junk science".

• Withholding District Funds: In late 2025, Yee drew criticism for rejecting a $3 million cash advance requested by the Nadaburg Unified School District. Despite approval from the Department of Education, Yee alleged "gross financial mismanagement," a move Superintendent Horne called illegal under state law.