So far, the Legislative session is one for the record.
First, the budget was front and center. The Republican leadership finally succeeded in and passing a workable budget. Then, of course, came the expected and inevitable veto by the governor. Now we are back to a typical good and evil struggle to reach a point at which both parties can claim victory without too much undue harm to the taxpayers.
Second, last week was the last when bills could be heard in committees of the original chamber. Therefore, there was a mad rush to get action on as many bills as possible. Other than the sheer number, it was pretty much routine.
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https://azcc.gov Corporation Commission
https://crane.house.gov Eli Crane
https://amac.us
https:/americafirstpolicy.com
https://federationforchildren.org
https://azwomenofaction.com
https://azpolicy.org
https://citizensforfreespeech.org
https://azfree.org
https://ezaz.org
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Resulting from the crossover of bills from one chamber to the other, there was no committee activity, except for Appropriations and Rules.
Did you know each time a bill moves to a new committee you can use RTS again for that bill. Below are a variety of bills and their status.
SB1245 – VLT; cities and towns; counties This bill failed, as well it should. First, this bill would have created an unfair redistribution of funds. It would have done it by taking Vehicle License Taxes and instead of spending the revenue where the tax was collected, it would have placed it in the general fund to be distributed according to population. If that was not enough, it would also mandate that the funds be used for any transportation purpose, thereby allowing them to be used to subsidize public transportation. These revenues are collected for the purpose of building and maintaining roads, not trolleys and trains. An interesting fact about this is that it failed in spite of a YES vote by two Republicans, Kern, and Farnsworth.
SB1221 – health information organizations This bill cleared the committee unanimously, 7-0, but it should not have. It provided for the sharing of the medical record of minors. No matter how noble the cause, this path tends to lead to a slippery slope that no one should favor.
HB2316 – federal government; mandatory vaccinations; prohibition This bill failed as the result of a NO vote by Rep. Gress. At first glance, this bill appears to be quite good. After all, what could possibly be wrong with a prohibition on federal government mandatory vaccinations? The problem is that it would not do that, but one does not find out until one reads the bill carefully. Various attempts to fix this bill via amendments failed, so the only alternative was to kill it and start fresh elsewhere.
SCR1025 – parents’ bill of rights This is a referral to the voters for a constitutional amendment. Undoubtedly, the introduction of this bill was well-intended. If successful, it would transfer, almost verbatim, to the state constitution, the current parent’s bill of rights that currently resides in ARS 1-601 and 1-602. The good thing about doing this is that it would be nearly impossible to weaken this bill of rights. The bad thing is that it would be nearly impossible to improve it. Once something becomes voter protected in Arizona, it is nearly impossible to change. This is not a bad bill, but it is ill-advised because the current bill is working well, and we need the flexibility of a statute to adapt to future changing conditions.
Here is a complete list of what happened this week with the bills we are tracking:
HB2014 – STOs; scholarships; corporate tax credits
ADVANCED
HB2303 – employment; vaccination record; prohibition
HELD
HB2309 – sovereign authority; law enforcement
ADVANCED
HB2316 – federal government; mandatory vaccinations; prohibition
FAILED
HB2416 – technical correction; sports facilities account
ADVANCED
HB2533 – classroom instruction; posting requirements
ADVANCED
HB2539 – school choice; failing schools; notice
ADVANCED
HB2552 – voting; elections; tally; prohibition
ADVANCED
HB2591 – elections; early ballot drop boxes
ADVANCED
HB2617 – carrying of firearms; constables
ADVANCED
HB2667 – disruption; educational institution; concealed weapon.
ADVANCED
HB2691 – elections; ballot chain of custody
ADVANCED
HB2705 – schools; safety training; pilot program
ADVANCED
HCR2033 – primary elections; eligible candidates
ADVANCED
HCR2039 – governor; state of emergency
ADVANCED
HCR2040 – in-person precinct voting; absentee voters
ADVANCED
HCR2041 – initiative; referendum; signatures; legislative districts…
NO ACTION
SB1040 – public schools; restrooms; reasonable accommodations
ADVANCED
SB1054 – middle school students; civics; instruction
ADVANCED
SB1137 – Maricopa county; division; new counties
ADVANCED
SB1140 – elections; voting centers prohibited
ADVANCED
SB1145 – student activity fees; conscience exemption
ADVANCED
SB1221 – health information organizations
ADVANCED
SB1245 – VLT; cities and towns; counties
FAILED
SB1323 – schools; sexually explicit materials; classification
ADVANCED
SB1367 – national guard; active duty; requirements
ADVANCED
SB1433 – employer liability; COVID-19 vaccine requirement
ADVANCED
SB1435 – attorney licensing; suprem102e court
ADVANCED
SB1471 – ballot tabulation; hand count comparison
ADVANCED
SB1565 – ballot processing; electronic adjudication; limitation
ADVANCED
SB1566 – voter registration; reregistration; ten years
ADVANCED
SB1595 – early ballots; identification; tabulation
ADVANCED
SB1597 – early ballot on-site tabulation; requirement
ADVANCED
SB1694 – public monies; ideology training; prohibition
ADVANCED
SB1706 – Arizona empowerment scholarships; quarterly report
ADVANCED
SCR1024 – initiative; referendum; signatures; legislative districts..
ADVANCED
SCR1025 – parents’ bill of rights
ADVANCED
SCR1027 – cities; towns; elections
ADVANCED
SCR1036 – primary elections; eligible candidates.
NO ACTION
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