Kevin Volk

Dispatch from the Legislature: Democratic Rep. Kevin Volk penned an op-ed in the Star comparing Arizona’s Legislature to Congress, including the “ideological posturing,” “declaring recess before the job is done” and “not wanting to negotiate the budget.” Volk, who is running for re-election in the Tucson-area’s Legislative District 17, points out that both the Legislature and Congress are run by Republicans and noted “we always have an opportunity to change who’s in charge.” (March 5, 2026)

Budget back-and-forth: GOP state lawmakers should leave the Rio Nuevo district alone, Democratic state Rep. Kevin Volk, who represents the Tucson-area’s Legislative District 17, writes in an op-ed in the Arizona Daily Star. Volk also pointed to proposed cuts to research at the University of Arizona, which he noted would come right after the UA dug itself out of a financial hole. (May 8, 2026)

Keeping busy: State lawmakers are in the middle of a self-imposed, month-long break from legislating, but that doesn’t mean they’re all sitting at home watching Netflix or away on tropical vacations. Tucson-area Democratic Rep. Kevin Volk, for example, said lawmakers are trying not to venture too far from the Capitol, in case they get called back all of a sudden, the Capitol Times’ Jakob Thorington reports. “It’s not like a vacation, but it’s doing work in the community. For me, knocking on doors of constituents, trying to catch up on my personal life, which I put aside doing this,” Volk said of the break. “But I think most of us would rather just get the job done.” (May 19, 2026)

Hardly working: After a two-week vacation, House lawmakers reconvened yesterday to announce they’re taking another two-week vacation. Lawmakers voted on a few remaining bills, but there hasn’t been any news on budget negotiations. Speaker Steve Montenegro said there’s not much left to do bill-wise, so he doesn’t want to call lawmakers back to the Capitol until there’s progress on the budget. Meanwhile, Democrats are not thrilled about the extended vacation. In an oped in the Tucson Sentinel, Tucson Democratic Rep. Kevin Volk noted that lawmakers only have about six weeks left to pass a budget — including the two additional weeks of spring break — and lawmakers haven’t been solving real problems when they do show up to work. “Taking a break from not getting big legislative things done — in order to do nothing — is impossible to understand. And it’s infuriating to be a part of it,” he wrote. (May 21, 2025)