Session:

House Member

Personal Information:
Home City: Tucson
Occupation: Educator
Member Since: 1997-2000, 2011-2015
Representative Sally Ann Gonzales was born in Brawley, California and raised in the Yaqui community of Guadalupe, Arizona with her ten sisters and brothers. She is married to longtime Pascua Yaqui tribal councilman Luis Gonzales with whom she has five daughters and 22 grandchildren. Sally holds a BA in Elementary Education from Arizona State University and a Masters in Multicultural Education from the University of Arizona.

In 1992 she was elected to the Pascua Yaqui Tribal Council and served until 1996 when she was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives. There she served two terms in the House representing her legislative district where she sat on the Appropriations Committee, the Government Operations Committee, and as the ranking member of the Public Institutions & Universities committee. A strong proponent for quality education, health care and children’s, women’s, and employee rights; Sally sponsored and/or co-sponsor legislation to improve the lives of women and children that made positive improvements in education and health care for all. Her sponsorship specifically included, among other areas, legislation for foreign language instructions, lead poisoning prevention, solar and clean energy incentives, teacher salaries, maternity benefits, postpartum care, diabetes treatment, gang prevention, class size reduction, and environmental justice.

Before staring her political career, Sally was an education professional. After leaving the legislature in 2000, she continued within her profession, serving as the Education Director of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. Her professional experience includes teaching, teacher training and administration for Tucson Unified School District, Tempe Elementary Schools, Arizona State University, and University of Arizona.

At Arizona State University’s Center for Indian Education (CIE), Sally served as program manager for a year long professional teacher-training program for twenty indigenous teachers from southern Mexico. She was also served as program manager for the Arizona Tri- Universities for Indian Education (ATUIE), the first and only consortium in the country dedicated to improving the condition of American Indian students in higher education.

At the University of Arizona, Sally served as coordinator for two programs. One was Manos a la Vida, a self- intervention research project that worked with women with breast cancer within the Hispanic community in the southern Arizona and the border of communities in Mexico. She also coordinated the Bedouin-Yaqui Project, a unique educational research project working with the Bedouins of Israel and Yaquis from Tucson, Arizona.

Sally was a board member of the Pima Prevention Partnership, founded through the Center of Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) as a grassroots self-help organization to produce a lasting and significant reduction in substance abuse in the community by incorporating collaborative skill building and leadership training to empower community groups to assume responsibility for understanding and acting on substance abuse issues within their communities.

Sally is currently the president of the board of Guadalupe Affordable Housing Inc. (GAHI), a for-profit corporation incorporated to conduct real estate development, specifically single and multi-family affordable housing developments. Its objectives are to promote the availability of quality and affordable housing for low- to moderate-income individuals and families.

Throughout her adult life, she has been involved in a wide range of civic activities to promote the rights of minority populations, especially Indigenous and Hispanic communities who are the historical and cultural foundation of Arizona.

Sponsored Bills

Bill NumberSponsor TypeShort/NOW Title
HB2081Cschools; compulsory attendance age; increase
HB2083Cschools; overrides; ballot language
HB2099CADOT licenses; authorized presence repeal
HB2140CArizona silver-haired legislature
HB2141CDHS; state food standards
HB2142Cfoster parents; training
HB2172Cmedical assistance requests; evidence; mitigation
HB2223Cchild care waiting list; appropriation
HB2323Ccritical health information; emergency responders
HB2327Crepeal; right to work.
HB2328Ccorporate income tax rate; freeze
HB2336Cend-of-life decisions; terminally ill
HB2347Cemployment omnibus
HB2364Cemployment; housing; public accommodations; antidiscrimination.
HB2383Cstate finance review; task force.
HB2391Cappropriation; JTEDs; 9th grade
HB2414Cwage disclosure; employee rights
HB2424Cmitigation monies; school bus fleets
HB2425Cappropriation; highway user revenue fund
HB2426Ccommunity health workers; voluntary certification.
HB2427Cmisconduct involving weapons; firearm storage
HB2428Cprisoners; earned release credits
HB2429Cabortion; admitting privileges; repeal
HB2439Chome health aides; qualifications
HB2442CAHCCCS; dental care; pregnant women
HB2446Ccontracting; investments; prohibition; border wall
HB2453P*schools; prohibited courses; repeal
HB2455Cappropriation; untested sexual assault kits
HB2456Cpresidential candidates, electors; tax returns.
HB2474Cveterans; mental health courts; establishment
HB2478CTPT; Indian tribes; motor vehicles
HB2479CAHCCCS; waivers; tribal exemptions
HB2487Clottery distributions; teacher salary increases
HB2489Conline impersonation; offense
HB2490Cliquor licenses; municipalities; disapproval
HB2500Crelease conditions; pretrial release program
HB2502Cjoint select commission on corrections.
HB2503Ccriminal justice commission; membership; report.
HB2505Cappropriation; adult protective services
HB2519Cappropriation; child care subsidy program
HB2531Cclean elections; county candidates
HB2532Cstate-owned bank task force
HCM2004Curging Congress; affordable care act
HCM2009Cveterans; job recruitment; urging Congress
HCR2012Cratification; equal rights amendment
HCR2015Cright to work; repeal.
HCR2016Ccare enough; get in way
HCR2021Csuicide prevention month
HCR2024CLatina-owned businesses; support
SCR1025CLatina-owned businesses; support.