A very cool day...

...and no, I'm not talking about the weather (90+ degrees).

Today I was privileged to spend most of the day with Bob Mings (former D17 Dems chair and father of the current chair) as we shadowed Rep. David Schapira during his day at the legislature.

Bob and I arrived at the lege at around 9 (a remarkably easy drive - Bob knows his Phoenix commute) and met up with David.

We spent the first part of the visit on a brief tour, with David introducing us to various members of the lege in the halls.

After that, we sat in his office (small, but he's made it very functional) as he explained various aspects of the legislative process. For instance, I didn't know that "third read" was also "final passage"; I had thought they were separate. We also got to witness a lobbyist (I'm sure he has a different job title) from Tom Horne's office try to persuade David to support a bill that he had reservations about. Also of interest was watching him work to find a way to spring his HB2206 (Teacher Shortage Student Loan Program) from being held in the rules committee with the other bills that have appropriations attached to them. There's a glimmer of hope, but only a glimmer. It's pretty near impossible for a Democratic-sponsored bill that has an appropriation attached to it to get past Speaker Jim Weiers.

No matter how good the bill is, or how cost-effective the expenditure.

[Personal note: This is just my opinion, but how did we elect as Superintendent of Public Instruction someone who hates public education? ...Yeah, I know - he had an "R" next to his name on the ballot. Still... :( ]

After that, we spent 90 minutes or so in the Democratic caucus as various bills were discussed. In many cases, the caucus meeting is the first place that a lot of members hear about the bills that they will be voting on soon. Given that, between the House and Senate, more than 2000 bills, resolutions, and memorials were introduced this session, the caucus is a vital tool for legislators.

And that number doesn't even include "strike everything" amendments.

Lunch was courtesy of the March of Dimes. One of the bills they have been lobbying for is HB2156, a bill to fund a folic acid education program targeted at women of childbearing age.

Note: During lunch, we saw Sen. Meg Burton-Cahill. Her recovery from surgery is progressing - she's out of the wheelchair and into a walking boot and crutches. Whooo hoooo!

We also saw the other LD17 legislator, Rep. Ed Ableser, throughout the day. He stopped by to talk with us for a while; but like the other legislators there today, he was very busy trying to raise support for good bills and opposition to bad bills.

After lunch was today's third reading calendar of 23 bills.

Most passed without much discussion on the floor; by this point in a bill's life, most of the members have formed an opinion of it. There were, however, a few interesting moments.

HB2498, a bill that was originally a 'technical correction' to Clean Elections; after a strike-everything amendment from Kirk Adams, it is now a bill designed to destroy Health Care Group (HCG). HCG is a part of AHCCCS for employees that are self-employed, working for small businesses, or are working for 'political subdivisions.'

Yes, the Republicans want to kill a program that benefits small businesses. Who'da thunk it??

Strong opposition to this bill from the entire Democratic caucus as well as some Republicans was enough to make the Republican leadership pull the bill from the agenda - they didn't have enough votes to get it to pass and they want more time to twist the arms of their caucus members.

Also skipped, and I'm not sure why, was HB2708, a bill to change tax valuation tables for property used for natural gas fired electric generation facilities. I don't know all of the background of this bill, but it reeks of 'special legislation' - legislation designed to benefit one company. Special legislation is illegal, but that detail is easily dealt with by simply crafting a bill that doesn't name a company but is worded in a way that only one company could possibly qualify.

A disappointment was the passage of HB2757, a bill that allows health insurance providers to exclude coverage for certain services that are currently mandated by statute. Among the services that health insurance providers could exclude under this bill?

Maternity coverage for mothers who are giving up their kids for adoption.

The bill passed 32 -25; every Democrat present voted against it, every Republican voted for it (there were 3 members absent.)

Even someone at partisan as me doesn't think that *every* Republican in the House is this heartlessly corrupt. There had to be some serious arm-twisting in the Republican caucus to gain passage of a bill this rancid.

The highlight of the day was the defeat of HB2382, a bill to raise the fees that teachers have to pay for state-mandated certification tests. Apparently some in the House didn't think that underpaying and overworking teachers was enough of a knife in the back; they thought a bill that twisted the knife was appropriate.

When we (Bob and I) were sitting in Rep. Schapira's office and walking in the hallway with him, this was one of the bills that he discussed with other reps. His hard work paid off, as the bill was defeated on a 26-31 vote.

The bill could still come back as a strike everything amendment to another bill, but this was a victory worth savoring a little.

All in all, it was a great day. David was a great host - he was patient and informative, and he always included us in what was going on (hey, it's called "shadowing" for a reason. :) ).

If any of you have the opportunity to do something similar, DO IT. It's a great experience, and for those of you in the blogging business, seeing some of the 'mundane' activities that go on at any legislature (i.e. - caucus meetings, committee meetings, etc.) can only enhance your understanding of the subject you write about.

Good night!

P.S. - When I said that the highlight of the day was the defeat of HB2382, I fibbed a little.

One thing I neglected to mention was that David obtained floor privileges for Bob and I, and then introduced us at the start of the Third Reading Calendar.

That was seriously cool, and a complete surprise.

Thanks Rep. Schapira!!

Later!