4:13 - Striker passes on a voice vote. Amended bill passes on a party-line vote. (4-3)
4:10 - Committee considering a Pearce amendment to the main striker to give AZ sheriff's posse members and AZ POST certified officers blanket rights to carry firearms.
4:06 - Cheuvront questions the light penalty (Class 3 misdemeanor) for bringing a gun into a restaurant that doesn't allow them. Also questioning the placing of the onus for keeping them out on to the restaurant owner.
4:00 - Pearce says the bill is "too watered down." Raved about Randy Graf.
3:58 - Pearce wants strict liability - for anyone who restricts people from possessing a firearm.
3:45 - Burton Cahill grilling the NRA guy on how easy it is to get a CCW permit in AZ and how the other states that have a law similar to this proposal make it difficult to obtain a CCW.
3:42 - Lobbyist from the restaurant association weighs in as "neutral." Cheuvront questions this as he is a member of the organization and has yet to meet another member who is in favor of the bill.
3:34 - Lobbyist from AZ Licensed Beverage Association is testifying against the bill.
3:29 - Lost internet connection for a moment. Now NRA lobbyist is testifying in favor of the bill.
During the technical issues, Gray asked Harper which amendments he supported. Harper looked to Paton to find out. Everybody laughed.
3:25 - Harper giving a history of the bill (aka - "guns in bars"), lamenting the veto of the previous Democratic governor. Thanks the NRA for its support and work on behalf of the bill.
3:21 - A striker to SB1113 from Jack Harper to compel restaurant owners to allow handguns on the premises unless the business owner has previously posted signs prohibiting them.
3:16 - Bill passes 4-3 on a party line vote.
3:10 - Miranda states his belief that the bill destroys even the illusion that there is a rehabilitative element to the corrections system.
3:07 - Burton-Cahill expresses hesitation about the effects of the bill's "natural life" sentence for "three strikes" offenders.
2:57 - Pearce wants to execute more under-21 offenders.
2:54 - Huppenthal wants data on the recidivism rate of elderly murderers who had been convicted of murder in their 20s. Wants lots more executions.
He wants to supervise the education of Arizona's children. God help AZ students; God help us all.
2:49 - Kathleen Mayer of the Pima County Attorney's Office is speaking in opposition. Her office opposes the bill for "pragmatic" reasons because it restricts their ability to negotiate plea agreements and to prosecute cases.
2:46 - The younger brother of a murder victim is testifying in support of the bill. Russell Pearce supports the bill because plea agreements exist in the event of weak cases.
I'm not making this up.
2:37 - Next up - SB1112, changing the sentence of "life imprisonment" to "natural life." Aka - life without parole.
2:36 - Bill passes 6-1.
2:33 - Burton-Cahill thinks that municipal and county elections *should* be non-partisan, but doesn't think that this bill will accomplish that in fact. Also questions the near universal support from developers and industry. Votes no.
2:28 - Cheuvront questions why City of Tucson isn't here. Votes aye. Huppenthal says this has nothing to do with partisan politics and voted aye.
2:25 - Stan Abrams, says he's a Democrat and a Tucson businessman, supporting the bill.
2:23 - Rossi, a Tucson real estate guy, is supporting the bill.
2:21 - Paton calls on yet another bib business supporter of his bill.
2:16 - Chair of Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce also supports the bill. Sen. Burton-Cahill brought up the point that calling elections "non-partisan" in theory won't make them non-partisan in fact. The Chair guy agreed, but he still thinks that the ballot designation should be removed from the ballot.
2:10 - First up - SB1123. Ron Shuman (sp?) of some Southern AZ Leadership Council is supporting the bill for "Tucson's future." A lobbyist from a Tucson manufacturer also supports the bill. Not a shock that supporters of Paton's bill are first up.
2:07 - meeting gavelled into order. In addition to the previously listed members, Chuck Gray is present.
2:04 - Paton announced that while the floor session has adjourned, senators move slowly. Some are here already - committee members Huppenthal, Miranda, Waring, and Cheuvront. Harper is in the crowd.
1:44 (continued) - while Paton, the chair of the committee was announcing that the committee was running late, he also announced the order of the bills on the agenda. First up: SB1123, the scheme to
1:44 - meeting was scheduled to start at 1:30, but today is the one year anniversary of the passing of Sen. Jake Flake (R-LD5). They're running late. They are introducing his entire family in the gallery of the Senate.
Turns out that there are lots of Flakes in Arizona.
As near as I can tell, they're all Republicans, too.
:))
4 comments:
Good running summary. Imagine if voters could see -- or took advantage of opportunities to see -- these guys in action. We might finally get real change in Arizona's Clown College.
Good point. I've got an advantage in that department in that by living in Scottsdale, it takes me 20 minutes or so to drive to the Capitol on the spur of the moment. Folks in Flag and Tucson and Yuma and Holbrook and the rest don't have that option.
There is a live streaming video utility on the lege's website and it is good, but it uses fixed cameras that are focused solely on the legislators and any person testifying before the committee.
Like TV broadcasts of baseball games, it doesn't really capture the entire texture of the meetings. On the other hand, it is way better than nothing.
Bring back crAZyspace.com, but with video this time. Find the best clips from Lege TV (there is an archive) that shows Republican legislators behaving like jackasses. You could call it "Republicans Behaving Badly" or "Republicans Gone Wild". It would have entertainment value and inform people at the same time.
Zelph - Great idea. I'm sure the state party will gladly accept your help in culling through hundreds of hours of video.
:)
Seriously, it *is* a good idea, but very difficult to implement completely, though you could see it for certain people who constantly offer up "gems" (like Pearce, Harper, and Kavanagh).
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