Veto SB1148 - Politically Motivated Attack on State Bar

I'm asking you to veto SB1148. This bill is a transparent act of political revenge, not sound policy. Senator Mark Finchem sponsored this legislation after the State Bar sanctioned his lawyer for filing a frivolous, bad-faith lawsuit challenging his 2022 loss in the secretary of state race. He was forced to repay almost $50,000 in legal fees. Now he wants to strip the State Bar of its attorney licensing authority and eliminate mandatory Bar membership for licensed attorneys in Arizona. The State Bar exists to protect the public by maintaining professional standards and holding attorneys accountable when they abuse the legal system. Finchem's bill would weaken those protections because he's angry about being held accountable himself. Transferring licensing to the Arizona Supreme Court and ending mandatory membership would undermine the Bar's ability to regulate the profession effectively. Don't let one legislator's personal grudge dismantle an institution that serves Arizona's legal system and protects consumers. Veto SB1148.