Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Thursday in the House: shrouded by secrecy, budget consideration on tap
Transparency be damned! Stoke the boilers with textbooks, civil rights, and the state's future! Keep the railroad running at full speed!
Tuesday afternoon, House Speaker Kirk Adams formally introduced ("First Read") the 13 budget-related bills passed by the Senate earlier this month and referred them to the House Appropriations Committee for consideration.
Thursday at 9 a.m., the House Appropriations Committee will hold a special meeting to consider the package of budget bills from the Senate.
Place: HHR1, State House of Representatives, 1700 West Washington, Phoenix.
On the agenda, which indicates that strike-everything amendments will be offered for each bill:
SB1612, general appropriations, striker not available as yet
SB1613, capital outlay, striker not available as yet
SB1614, budget procedures, striker not available as yet
SB1615, consolidation, state agencies, striker not available as yet
SB1616, revenue, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
SB1617, K-12 education, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
SB1618, higher education, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
SB1619, health, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
SB1620, welfare, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
SB1621, criminal justice, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
SB1622, general government, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
SB1623, regulation, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
SB1624, environment, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
Even if they pass the bills "as is," the short notice all but blocks any coherent response to the measures from the people affected by the bills. On top of that, if strikers are offered, as indicated by the agenda, there will be absolutely no opportunity for analysis of the proposals before they are heard in committee, and that will be the one and only opportunity for the public to weigh in on the measures.
Convenient, huh?
Tuesday afternoon, House Speaker Kirk Adams formally introduced ("First Read") the 13 budget-related bills passed by the Senate earlier this month and referred them to the House Appropriations Committee for consideration.
Thursday at 9 a.m., the House Appropriations Committee will hold a special meeting to consider the package of budget bills from the Senate.
Place: HHR1, State House of Representatives, 1700 West Washington, Phoenix.
On the agenda, which indicates that strike-everything amendments will be offered for each bill:
SB1612, general appropriations, striker not available as yet
SB1613, capital outlay, striker not available as yet
SB1614, budget procedures, striker not available as yet
SB1615, consolidation, state agencies, striker not available as yet
SB1616, revenue, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
SB1617, K-12 education, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
SB1618, higher education, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
SB1619, health, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
SB1620, welfare, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
SB1621, criminal justice, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
SB1622, general government, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
SB1623, regulation, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
SB1624, environment, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
Even if they pass the bills "as is," the short notice all but blocks any coherent response to the measures from the people affected by the bills. On top of that, if strikers are offered, as indicated by the agenda, there will be absolutely no opportunity for analysis of the proposals before they are heard in committee, and that will be the one and only opportunity for the public to weigh in on the measures.
Convenient, huh?
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Kavanagh amendment targeting universities
...at first glance, it appears he may be serving as the hatchet man for the Goldwater Institute, but to give Rep. John Kavanagh his due, he's a smart man and could have thought of this all on his own.
On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee, chaired by Rep. John Kavanagh (R-Fountain Hills), will consider a strike-everything amendment (aka - "striker") to SB1116.
That proposed amendment reads, in part -
U of A's Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy
ASU's Morrison Institute for Public Policy
The Udall Center focuses on immigration and indigenous peoples, while Morrison tends to focus on economic and governance issues.
The institutes serve as a reasoned counterweight to both the Goldwater Institute and the nativists in the lege (of which group Kavanagh is a leading light).
And neither of those groups like the competition.
Other institutes that could also be targeted, or at least caught up as collateral damage include:
The National Institute for Civil Discourse at U of A
The Global Institute for Sustainability at ASU
I'm guessing neither one of those is the main target here, but none of the Rs in the lege will complain if they go away.
Anyway, the meeting will be Wednesday (tomorrow as of this writing) at 2 p.m. in HHR1 at the state capitol.
On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee, chaired by Rep. John Kavanagh (R-Fountain Hills), will consider a strike-everything amendment (aka - "striker") to SB1116.
That proposed amendment reads, in part -
...universities under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents may not:Based on a cursory examination of the websites of ASU and U of A, at least two possible targets of the measure seem obvious -
1. Provide taxpayer funded programs, scholarships or courses if the purpose of the program, scholarship or course is to advocate public policy.
2. Allow taxpayer funded organizations, institutes or centers to operate on the campus of the university or on behalf of or in association with the university if the purpose of the organization, institute or center is to advocate public policy.
U of A's Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy
ASU's Morrison Institute for Public Policy
The Udall Center focuses on immigration and indigenous peoples, while Morrison tends to focus on economic and governance issues.
The institutes serve as a reasoned counterweight to both the Goldwater Institute and the nativists in the lege (of which group Kavanagh is a leading light).
And neither of those groups like the competition.
Other institutes that could also be targeted, or at least caught up as collateral damage include:
The National Institute for Civil Discourse at U of A
The Global Institute for Sustainability at ASU
I'm guessing neither one of those is the main target here, but none of the Rs in the lege will complain if they go away.
Anyway, the meeting will be Wednesday (tomorrow as of this writing) at 2 p.m. in HHR1 at the state capitol.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Aiming at President Obama, the Republicans may take out the Donald, too...
The Republicans in the Arizona Legislature have revived their "birther" bill (strikers to HB2177 and SB1157) in an attempt to play up to the "birther" wing of their own party, people who insist that the first African-American president must have been born in Africa, not Hawaii.
The striker to HB2177 was approved by the Senate Rules committee on Monday and is scheduled for caucus consideration on Tuesday, setting it up for floor action this week or next.
The striker to SB1157 is awaiting a hearing before House Rules.
The strangely interesting part has been watching the various Republican contenders/pretenders for the race for the presidency try to jump on the birther bandwagon.
It's especially interesting when one of those would-be bandwagon jumpers misjudge their leap and smacks his chin on the wagon's gate -
The most recent example: Donald Trump, who released his birth certificate on Monday after going on Fox News (where else? :) ) to roll in the birther muck.
One problem - the birth certificate released by Trump isn't a legal birth certificate.
From The Smoking Gun (hat tip to Taegan Goddard's PoliticalWire for this) -
The striker to HB2177 was approved by the Senate Rules committee on Monday and is scheduled for caucus consideration on Tuesday, setting it up for floor action this week or next.
The striker to SB1157 is awaiting a hearing before House Rules.
The strangely interesting part has been watching the various Republican contenders/pretenders for the race for the presidency try to jump on the birther bandwagon.
It's especially interesting when one of those would-be bandwagon jumpers misjudge their leap and smacks his chin on the wagon's gate -
The most recent example: Donald Trump, who released his birth certificate on Monday after going on Fox News (where else? :) ) to roll in the birther muck.
One problem - the birth certificate released by Trump isn't a legal birth certificate.
From The Smoking Gun (hat tip to Taegan Goddard's PoliticalWire for this) -
“It’s inconceivable that, after four years of questioning, the president still hasn’t produced his birth certificate,” Trump told Newsmax. “I’m just asking President Obama to show the public his birth certificate. Why’s he making an issue out of this?" To prove how easy it was for a household employee to find his birth certificate, Trump, 64, crowed, “It took me one hour to get my birth certificate.”Oopsie.
As seen above, he provided the conservative web site with what he purports to be his birth certificate.
Except the document is not an official New York City birth certificate, but rather a document generated by Jamaica Hospital, where Trump’s mother Mary reportedly gave birth in June 1946. Official birth certificates are issued (and maintained) by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Office of Vital Records.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Arizona Corporation Commission to hold special meeting on safety at Palo Verde
In the wake of the multiple disasters in Japan - the massive earthquake, the devastating tsunami, and especially the ever more frightening ongoing failure and destruction of a nuclear power plant - people here have raised concerns over the nuclear power plant closest to Phoenix, Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. It is owned by a consortium of companies, including both of Arizona's largest electricity providers APS and SRP. (NRC info page here)
The Arizona Corporation Commission, an elected body that oversees utilities in Arizona, has been swamped with inquiries from constituents, and as a result, will be holding a special meeting on Tuesday to hear about safety measures at the plant.
From a Phoenix Business Journal article by Patrick O'Grady -
The official public notice for the meeting is here.
The Arizona Corporation Commission, an elected body that oversees utilities in Arizona, has been swamped with inquiries from constituents, and as a result, will be holding a special meeting on Tuesday to hear about safety measures at the plant.
From a Phoenix Business Journal article by Patrick O'Grady -
The Arizona Corporation Commission will hold a meeting Tuesday to discuss safety plans for the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station.It sounds like the meeting will be more a pep rally than an actual inquiry, but some useful info may come out of it in anyway.
The special meeting, to be held at 1 p.m. in the commission’s hearing room at 1200 W. Washington in Phoenix, is at the request of at least two commissioners, Bob Stump and Paul Newman.
The official public notice for the meeting is here.
The coming week - legislative edition
As usual, all info gathered from online sources such as the website of the Arizona Legislature, and subject to change without notice.
And given the time of year, unexpected changes should be expected. :)
- There's a rumor that the House will be doing budget work this week, but I haven't been able to track down anything more. It may not happen this week, but traditionally, when the calendar turns to April, legislators start pressing leadership for the end of the legislative session. Expect budget matters to heat up in the next few weeks.
Senate committee agendas can be found here; House committee agendas here. Check back frequently for revisions.
All floor calendars can be found here. Generally speaking, calendars are posted the day before they're scheduled for consideration.
All bill proposals can be found here.
On the Senate side of the Capitol -
Rules will meet Monday at 1 p.m in Caucus Room 1. It serves as a preview of the week's floor action, but other than that, it's a rubber stamp.
Appropriations will meet Tuesday at 2 p.m. in SHR109. As none of the other committees meet any longer, this one becomes the focus of attention for legislators who are trying to keep a favored proposal alive - either by getting a particular bill assigned to and heard in Appropriations or by getting them to hear a strike-everything amendment, or "striker" to a bill that has been assigned to it.
Right now, Sen. Andy Biggs, the chair of Senate Appropriations, is the most popular man in the Senate building.
On the agenda:
...A striker to HB1254, privatizing all correctional health services and removing a cap on costs from existing statute
...A striker to HB2289, making changes to the qualifications to be, and the authority of, county school superintendents. Two of the big changes in the measure are taking the power of the county superintendent to make appointments to fill vacancies on local school district governing boards and giving it to the boards themselves, and to reduce the qualifications to be county superintendent by removing the requirement that superintendents hold a teaching certificate to simply being a "qualified elector" in Arizona.
Murphy is running for the Peoria Unified board, and his background is in real estate, not education.
Hmmm... :)
...A striker to HB2341, exempting aircraft sold to foreign governments from taxation
...A striker to HB2362, mandating that the Arizona Department of Education contract with a private insurance provider to offer liability insurance to teachers (currently, most teachers have liability insurance through their school districts or union). Failed as a stand-alone bill in Senate Education last week, brought back as a striker by Murphy this week.
Hmmm... :)
The Senate's Committee of the Whole, or COW, calendar for Monday is here.
On the House side of the Capitol -
Rules will meet Monday at 1 p.m. in HHR4. As with Senate Rules, this is a rubber stamp that best serves as a preview of the week's floor activities.
Appropriations will meet Wednesday at 2 p.m. in HHR1. As with Senate Appropriations, the chair of this committee, Rep. John Kavanagh, is the most popular member of the House, especially with members who are trying to keep their favorite proposals alive.
On the agenda:
...a striker to SB1012 (no text available yet) for "lakes; non-motorized watercraft; rulemaking exemption" - not sure what this one is about
...a striker to SB1116 (no text available yet) for "universities; taxpayer funded programs; restrictions" - don't know what this one is yet, but it's probably really bad (not that I'm a cynic or anything :) )
...a striker to SB1404 (no text available yet) for "civil actions; attorney fees; recovery" - not quite sure, but the subject line is similar to that of dead bill HB2409, which would have barred the award of attorneys' fees to the state, counties, or municipalities in civil actions related to legal actions to enforce or challenge provisions of laws, regulations, or ordinances.
The House's Monday COW calendar is here.
The lege's Capitol Events calendar is here.
The Arizona Capitol Times' Capitol Calendar is here. Highlight: If you've got $250 and a lot of brain cells that you don't mind wasting, the Center for ArizonaTheology Policy is holding a fundraising event on Saturday. The scheduled feature guest is James Dobson.
Later...
And given the time of year, unexpected changes should be expected. :)
- There's a rumor that the House will be doing budget work this week, but I haven't been able to track down anything more. It may not happen this week, but traditionally, when the calendar turns to April, legislators start pressing leadership for the end of the legislative session. Expect budget matters to heat up in the next few weeks.
Senate committee agendas can be found here; House committee agendas here. Check back frequently for revisions.
All floor calendars can be found here. Generally speaking, calendars are posted the day before they're scheduled for consideration.
All bill proposals can be found here.
On the Senate side of the Capitol -
Rules will meet Monday at 1 p.m in Caucus Room 1. It serves as a preview of the week's floor action, but other than that, it's a rubber stamp.
Appropriations will meet Tuesday at 2 p.m. in SHR109. As none of the other committees meet any longer, this one becomes the focus of attention for legislators who are trying to keep a favored proposal alive - either by getting a particular bill assigned to and heard in Appropriations or by getting them to hear a strike-everything amendment, or "striker" to a bill that has been assigned to it.
Right now, Sen. Andy Biggs, the chair of Senate Appropriations, is the most popular man in the Senate building.
On the agenda:
...A striker to HB1254, privatizing all correctional health services and removing a cap on costs from existing statute
...A striker to HB2289, making changes to the qualifications to be, and the authority of, county school superintendents. Two of the big changes in the measure are taking the power of the county superintendent to make appointments to fill vacancies on local school district governing boards and giving it to the boards themselves, and to reduce the qualifications to be county superintendent by removing the requirement that superintendents hold a teaching certificate to simply being a "qualified elector" in Arizona.
Murphy is running for the Peoria Unified board, and his background is in real estate, not education.
Hmmm... :)
...A striker to HB2341, exempting aircraft sold to foreign governments from taxation
...A striker to HB2362, mandating that the Arizona Department of Education contract with a private insurance provider to offer liability insurance to teachers (currently, most teachers have liability insurance through their school districts or union). Failed as a stand-alone bill in Senate Education last week, brought back as a striker by Murphy this week.
Hmmm... :)
The Senate's Committee of the Whole, or COW, calendar for Monday is here.
On the House side of the Capitol -
Rules will meet Monday at 1 p.m. in HHR4. As with Senate Rules, this is a rubber stamp that best serves as a preview of the week's floor activities.
Appropriations will meet Wednesday at 2 p.m. in HHR1. As with Senate Appropriations, the chair of this committee, Rep. John Kavanagh, is the most popular member of the House, especially with members who are trying to keep their favorite proposals alive.
On the agenda:
...a striker to SB1012 (no text available yet) for "lakes; non-motorized watercraft; rulemaking exemption" - not sure what this one is about
...a striker to SB1116 (no text available yet) for "universities; taxpayer funded programs; restrictions" - don't know what this one is yet, but it's probably really bad (not that I'm a cynic or anything :) )
...a striker to SB1404 (no text available yet) for "civil actions; attorney fees; recovery" - not quite sure, but the subject line is similar to that of dead bill HB2409, which would have barred the award of attorneys' fees to the state, counties, or municipalities in civil actions related to legal actions to enforce or challenge provisions of laws, regulations, or ordinances.
The House's Monday COW calendar is here.
The lege's Capitol Events calendar is here.
The Arizona Capitol Times' Capitol Calendar is here. Highlight: If you've got $250 and a lot of brain cells that you don't mind wasting, the Center for Arizona
Later...
Saturday, March 26, 2011
The Arizona Legislature Week In Review
- The big news at the legislature this week didn't concern pending legislation, it concerned possible pending charges against Sen. Scott Bundgaard stemming from a February domestic violence incident.
From an Arizona Republic story by William Hermann and Mary K. Reinhart -
They're starting to get sneaky with the strikers, springing strikers to previous strikers, running proposals on short notice and more, as this past week was the last full week of committee meetings. Many bills died for lack of consideration, but a few died because of votes. Many also stayed alive because they received committee consideration before the deadline.
- Bill passed by both chambers and moving to the governor's desk:
HB2443, banning the seemingly nonexistent practice of abortions for race and/or gender selection, passed the Senate on a party line vote. The governor is expected to sign the measure.
- Bills failing in one chamber or the other -
SB1411, limiting the ability of county supervisors to oversee the expenditure of county resources by compelling them to appropriate annual budgets to the other county electeds in a lump sum, meaning people like Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio wouldn't have to explain their budget requests to anyone (not that he does now), failed on reconsideration by a 12 - 17 margin, 1 not voting. All Democrats in the Senate were joined by 8 Republicans in defeating the measure for a second time. This particular bill is now dead, though the language could come back as a strike-everything amendment to a bill that is still alive.
SB1554, mandating that the Arizona Department of Education contract with a private insurance provider to offer liability insurance to teachers (currently, most teachers have liability insurance through their school districts or union), failed in the House Education Committee. Already returning as a striker to HB2362, scheduled for next Tuesday's meeting of Senate Appropriations. Being pushed hard by State Sen. Rick Murphy (R-LD9)
A striker to SB1354 banning all use of photo radar in Arizona failed in the House Transportation Committee
- Bills passing one chamber or the other. Most are probably dead since they haven't been heard in committee in the other chamber, but the rules are rather flexible in that regard when it comes to bills favored by legislative leadership. Look for some interesting items on Appropriations agendas for the next few weeks -
SB1409, expanding the application of Arizona's "English only" law, passed the Senate on a party line vote
SCR1045, a proposed amendment to the Arizona constitution to remove professional evaluations from the appointment process to the commissions to select judges, passed the Senate 20 - 6, 4 not voting. One R crossed over to oppose this measure
SB1548, tying Arizona school funding to the construction of nuclear waste facilities here, passed the Senate on a party line vote
Actually, that was it as far as significant bills moving from one chamber to the other - the House had a quiet week as far a final passage sessions go.
A number of measures to watch (aka - "bad bills") stayed alive by passing committee before the deadline for committee consideration. A number of these bills will need to return to the originating chamber because they were amended to be reapproved, which may or may not happen -
SB1166, exempting self-dealing corporations from paying municipal sales taxes on leases with itself (House Ways and Means)
SB1553, school vouchers under the name "Arizona empowerment accounts" (House Ways and Means)
SCR1024, a postcard to D.C. proclaiming AZ has supreme authority over Arizona-located waters (House Energy and Natural Resources)
SCR1033, a resolution supporting coal-fueled power plants in Arizona (House Energy and Natural Resources)
SB1453, a measure to let parents cite "religious belief" to excuse their children from particular assignments and activities in school (House Education)
SB1593, allowing out-of-state insurers to sell health insurance coverage in Arizona mostly free of Arizona regulation and oversight (House Banking and Insurance)
SB1591, giving employers access to employees' medical private medical information through insurers (House Banking and Insurance)
SB1157, now a birther bill (amended by House Government, so some work will need to be done by the Senate if this one passes the full House)
HB2177, now a birther bill (amended by Senate Government reform, so some work will need to be done by the House if this one passes the full Senate)
Look for a move to "substitute" one of these measures for the other on the floor of one of the chambers
SB1188, giving a preference in adoptions to married couples. Softened from the original language, but still, single people will have to jump through some serious hoops and same-sex couples need not apply (House Government)
SB1286, imposing a 60 day time limit on municipalities and counties to approve/disapprove a permit/license request; after 60 days, the request is automatically approved (House Government)
SB1322, mandating that Tucson and Phoenix put out their municipal services to private bidders (House Government)
SB1379, removing most of the ability of municipalities to regulate consumer fireworks (House Government)
SB1525, restricting municipalites' ability to impose and collect development fees (amended by House Government, so the Senate will need to do some work if this one passes the full House)
SB1598, restricting the ability of municipalties and counties to regulate business and development activities within their jurisdictions (extensively amended by House Government, so the Senate will need to do some work if this one passes the full House)
SB1282, exempting religiious entities that engage in political activities from having to register as a political committee (House Government)
SB1610, solving one of the state's most pressing problems by naming a "state firearm" (House Judiciary)
SCR1028, a proposed amendment to the Arizona constitution barring the use of payroll deductions for political purposes. Aimed at unions, but as passed by the Senate, its provisions also applied to corporations. (House Government)
SB1169, as amended by House Employment and Regulatory Affairs, barring the State Board of Nursing from having any authority to regulate scope of practice regarding abortion. If passed by the entire House, the Senate will have some work to do before it can be sent to the governor
SB1495, establishing a "state guard" force that the governor can utilize for any reason he/she desires, and funded with monies siphoned from the Arizona National Guard (House Military Affairs and Public Safety)
SB1365, barring payroll deductions for political purposes without an annual authorization, exempts public safety personnel (police, fire, corrections) (House Commerce)
SB1222, removing adherence to federal standards in Arizona's ID requirements for public assistance and mandating the eviction from public housing all residents of a public housing unit if one of those residents allows an undocumented immigrant to reside there (House Commerce)
SB1561, allowing the legislature to sweep and reappropriate non-custodial federal monies as it sees fit (House Appropriations)
SB1200, as amended by House Transportation, changing the state's statutes regarding ignition interlock devices (will need some work by the Senate if it passes the whole House)
SB1589, mandating that ADOT/MVD privatize many of its functions (amended by House Transportation, so the Senate will need to do some work if this one passes the whole House)
SB1095, as amended by House Judiciary, essentially banning abortions in rural Arizona (criminalizing the performance of an abortion by a doctor who doesn't have clinical privileges at a hospital within 30 miles), will need work by the Senate if it passes the whole House
SB1201, easing all sorts of firearms laws (amended by House Judiciary, so the Senate will need to do some work if this one passes the whole House)
SB1167, as amended by House Judiciary, imposing a severe time limit on filing legal challenges to referenda referred to the ballot by the legislature
SB1363, protecting employers from the horror of labor actions (yes, "horror" is sarcastic :) ) (House Judiciary)
SB1466, turning justices of the peace into quasi-prosecutors by giving them veto power over prosecutors' decisions to defer prosecution (House Judiciary, on reconsideration)
SB1467, barring educational institutions from adopting or enforcing rules that prohibit the lawful possession of a firearm in a public right-of-way (House Judiciary)
SCR1001, a proposed amendment to the Arizona constitution, as amended by House Judiciary, that would increase political influence over the state's highest courts (too many ways to summarize in one sentence; if you are interested, read the measure at the link)
SCR1002, a proposed amendment to the Arizona constitution, as amended by House Judiciary, that would increase political influence over the state's superior courts (county)
Both of the above will have to go back to the Senate if they pass the whole House
SCR1020, a proposed amendment to the Arizona constitution immunizing crime victims from civil liability for "causing death or injury to a person" involved in a felony; aimed at cases where would-be vigilantes have been found liable for damages when they've violated the rights of undocumented immigrants (House Judiciary)
HB2023, as amended by Senate Finance, would change current law to require that ASU East and ASU West be considered as part of the same budget unit as ASU Main in the general appropriations act of the budget. No sure why this is being done, but since the Democrats on the committee supported it and Sens. Ron Gould and Scott Bundgaard opposed it. I don't understand the purpose of the measure, but with this combo, I'm pretty sure it isn't all bad. If passed the whole Senate, must return to the House for work
HB2619, as amended by Senate Finance, would require employers to pay a special assessment to pay down loans to the Unemployment Insurance Program. Also must return to the House if passed by the Senate
HB2636, lowering taxes on the wealthiest 12% of Arizonans while increasing taxes on the poorest 88% under the guise of establishing a "flat income tax." Fiscal note from JLBC here. Amended by Senate Finance, so if passed by the whole Senate it will need to return to the House
HB2002, barring school districts from expending money to join an organization that attempts to influence the outcome of elections. Amended by Senate Government Reform, so if passed by the whole Senate, it will need to return to the House
HB2644, barring municipalities and counties from accepting federal funds for a project if those funds are conditioned on giving any preference to the use of union labor (Senate Government Reform)
HB2718, a $5 million dollar gift of taxpayer money to Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu for "border security," One problem: Pinal County doesn't share a border with Mexico. Guess it beats appropriating money for transplants...or not (Senate Appropriations)
HB2707, establishing a lower revenue expenditure limit for the state (think: TABOR). Amended by Senate Appropriations so it will need to return to the House, if passed by the whole Senate
HB2301, amended by Senate Appropriations, relating to allowing school districts to use "soft capital" money (books, desks, etc.) for other expenses. If passed by the whole Senate, will need to return to the House
HB2706, amended by Senate Education, requiring "SBE [State Board of Education] to implement guidelines for supplementary training in reading instruction for teachers in an underperforming school who teach grades one, two, three or kindergarten as part of an improvement plan." If passed by the whole Senate, will need to return to the House
HB2604, amended by Senate Judiciary, barring "the enforcement of foreign law if doing so would violate a federal or state constitutional right or conflict with U.S. or Arizona law," exempting businesses from its provisions. If passed by the Senate, will need to return to the House
HB2102, requiring that proof of "authorized presence" be presented before a license to operate a business or perform a service, or a fingerprint clearance card, can be issued (Senate Judiciary)
HB2484, taking the authority to make appointments to fill legislative vacancies away from county boards of supervisors and giving it to the precinctcommitteemen of the same legislative district and party of the vacating member of the lege (Senate Judiciary)
From an Arizona Republic story by William Hermann and Mary K. Reinhart -
Phoenix police say state Sen. Scott Bundgaard likely had been drinking, twice refused a sobriety test and cited legislative privilege to avoid arrest in their full report on his February altercation with his then-girlfriend along a Valley freeway.Legislation-related stuff:
The final report, released Thursday, recommends filing a domestic-violence assault charge against Bundgaard. It largely contradicts a series of public statements the senator has made since the incident.
They're starting to get sneaky with the strikers, springing strikers to previous strikers, running proposals on short notice and more, as this past week was the last full week of committee meetings. Many bills died for lack of consideration, but a few died because of votes. Many also stayed alive because they received committee consideration before the deadline.
- Bill passed by both chambers and moving to the governor's desk:
HB2443, banning the seemingly nonexistent practice of abortions for race and/or gender selection, passed the Senate on a party line vote. The governor is expected to sign the measure.
- Bills failing in one chamber or the other -
SB1411, limiting the ability of county supervisors to oversee the expenditure of county resources by compelling them to appropriate annual budgets to the other county electeds in a lump sum, meaning people like Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio wouldn't have to explain their budget requests to anyone (not that he does now), failed on reconsideration by a 12 - 17 margin, 1 not voting. All Democrats in the Senate were joined by 8 Republicans in defeating the measure for a second time. This particular bill is now dead, though the language could come back as a strike-everything amendment to a bill that is still alive.
SB1554, mandating that the Arizona Department of Education contract with a private insurance provider to offer liability insurance to teachers (currently, most teachers have liability insurance through their school districts or union), failed in the House Education Committee. Already returning as a striker to HB2362, scheduled for next Tuesday's meeting of Senate Appropriations. Being pushed hard by State Sen. Rick Murphy (R-LD9)
A striker to SB1354 banning all use of photo radar in Arizona failed in the House Transportation Committee
- Bills passing one chamber or the other. Most are probably dead since they haven't been heard in committee in the other chamber, but the rules are rather flexible in that regard when it comes to bills favored by legislative leadership. Look for some interesting items on Appropriations agendas for the next few weeks -
SB1409, expanding the application of Arizona's "English only" law, passed the Senate on a party line vote
SCR1045, a proposed amendment to the Arizona constitution to remove professional evaluations from the appointment process to the commissions to select judges, passed the Senate 20 - 6, 4 not voting. One R crossed over to oppose this measure
SB1548, tying Arizona school funding to the construction of nuclear waste facilities here, passed the Senate on a party line vote
Actually, that was it as far as significant bills moving from one chamber to the other - the House had a quiet week as far a final passage sessions go.
A number of measures to watch (aka - "bad bills") stayed alive by passing committee before the deadline for committee consideration. A number of these bills will need to return to the originating chamber because they were amended to be reapproved, which may or may not happen -
SB1166, exempting self-dealing corporations from paying municipal sales taxes on leases with itself (House Ways and Means)
SB1553, school vouchers under the name "Arizona empowerment accounts" (House Ways and Means)
SCR1024, a postcard to D.C. proclaiming AZ has supreme authority over Arizona-located waters (House Energy and Natural Resources)
SCR1033, a resolution supporting coal-fueled power plants in Arizona (House Energy and Natural Resources)
SB1453, a measure to let parents cite "religious belief" to excuse their children from particular assignments and activities in school (House Education)
SB1593, allowing out-of-state insurers to sell health insurance coverage in Arizona mostly free of Arizona regulation and oversight (House Banking and Insurance)
SB1591, giving employers access to employees' medical private medical information through insurers (House Banking and Insurance)
SB1157, now a birther bill (amended by House Government, so some work will need to be done by the Senate if this one passes the full House)
HB2177, now a birther bill (amended by Senate Government reform, so some work will need to be done by the House if this one passes the full Senate)
Look for a move to "substitute" one of these measures for the other on the floor of one of the chambers
SB1188, giving a preference in adoptions to married couples. Softened from the original language, but still, single people will have to jump through some serious hoops and same-sex couples need not apply (House Government)
SB1286, imposing a 60 day time limit on municipalities and counties to approve/disapprove a permit/license request; after 60 days, the request is automatically approved (House Government)
SB1322, mandating that Tucson and Phoenix put out their municipal services to private bidders (House Government)
SB1379, removing most of the ability of municipalities to regulate consumer fireworks (House Government)
SB1525, restricting municipalites' ability to impose and collect development fees (amended by House Government, so the Senate will need to do some work if this one passes the full House)
SB1598, restricting the ability of municipalties and counties to regulate business and development activities within their jurisdictions (extensively amended by House Government, so the Senate will need to do some work if this one passes the full House)
SB1282, exempting religiious entities that engage in political activities from having to register as a political committee (House Government)
SB1610, solving one of the state's most pressing problems by naming a "state firearm" (House Judiciary)
SCR1028, a proposed amendment to the Arizona constitution barring the use of payroll deductions for political purposes. Aimed at unions, but as passed by the Senate, its provisions also applied to corporations. (House Government)
SB1169, as amended by House Employment and Regulatory Affairs, barring the State Board of Nursing from having any authority to regulate scope of practice regarding abortion. If passed by the entire House, the Senate will have some work to do before it can be sent to the governor
SB1495, establishing a "state guard" force that the governor can utilize for any reason he/she desires, and funded with monies siphoned from the Arizona National Guard (House Military Affairs and Public Safety)
SB1365, barring payroll deductions for political purposes without an annual authorization, exempts public safety personnel (police, fire, corrections) (House Commerce)
SB1222, removing adherence to federal standards in Arizona's ID requirements for public assistance and mandating the eviction from public housing all residents of a public housing unit if one of those residents allows an undocumented immigrant to reside there (House Commerce)
SB1561, allowing the legislature to sweep and reappropriate non-custodial federal monies as it sees fit (House Appropriations)
SB1200, as amended by House Transportation, changing the state's statutes regarding ignition interlock devices (will need some work by the Senate if it passes the whole House)
SB1589, mandating that ADOT/MVD privatize many of its functions (amended by House Transportation, so the Senate will need to do some work if this one passes the whole House)
SB1095, as amended by House Judiciary, essentially banning abortions in rural Arizona (criminalizing the performance of an abortion by a doctor who doesn't have clinical privileges at a hospital within 30 miles), will need work by the Senate if it passes the whole House
SB1201, easing all sorts of firearms laws (amended by House Judiciary, so the Senate will need to do some work if this one passes the whole House)
SB1167, as amended by House Judiciary, imposing a severe time limit on filing legal challenges to referenda referred to the ballot by the legislature
SB1363, protecting employers from the horror of labor actions (yes, "horror" is sarcastic :) ) (House Judiciary)
SB1466, turning justices of the peace into quasi-prosecutors by giving them veto power over prosecutors' decisions to defer prosecution (House Judiciary, on reconsideration)
SB1467, barring educational institutions from adopting or enforcing rules that prohibit the lawful possession of a firearm in a public right-of-way (House Judiciary)
SCR1001, a proposed amendment to the Arizona constitution, as amended by House Judiciary, that would increase political influence over the state's highest courts (too many ways to summarize in one sentence; if you are interested, read the measure at the link)
SCR1002, a proposed amendment to the Arizona constitution, as amended by House Judiciary, that would increase political influence over the state's superior courts (county)
Both of the above will have to go back to the Senate if they pass the whole House
SCR1020, a proposed amendment to the Arizona constitution immunizing crime victims from civil liability for "causing death or injury to a person" involved in a felony; aimed at cases where would-be vigilantes have been found liable for damages when they've violated the rights of undocumented immigrants (House Judiciary)
HB2023, as amended by Senate Finance, would change current law to require that ASU East and ASU West be considered as part of the same budget unit as ASU Main in the general appropriations act of the budget. No sure why this is being done, but since the Democrats on the committee supported it and Sens. Ron Gould and Scott Bundgaard opposed it. I don't understand the purpose of the measure, but with this combo, I'm pretty sure it isn't all bad. If passed the whole Senate, must return to the House for work
HB2619, as amended by Senate Finance, would require employers to pay a special assessment to pay down loans to the Unemployment Insurance Program. Also must return to the House if passed by the Senate
HB2636, lowering taxes on the wealthiest 12% of Arizonans while increasing taxes on the poorest 88% under the guise of establishing a "flat income tax." Fiscal note from JLBC here. Amended by Senate Finance, so if passed by the whole Senate it will need to return to the House
HB2002, barring school districts from expending money to join an organization that attempts to influence the outcome of elections. Amended by Senate Government Reform, so if passed by the whole Senate, it will need to return to the House
HB2644, barring municipalities and counties from accepting federal funds for a project if those funds are conditioned on giving any preference to the use of union labor (Senate Government Reform)
HB2718, a $5 million dollar gift of taxpayer money to Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu for "border security," One problem: Pinal County doesn't share a border with Mexico. Guess it beats appropriating money for transplants...or not (Senate Appropriations)
HB2707, establishing a lower revenue expenditure limit for the state (think: TABOR). Amended by Senate Appropriations so it will need to return to the House, if passed by the whole Senate
HB2301, amended by Senate Appropriations, relating to allowing school districts to use "soft capital" money (books, desks, etc.) for other expenses. If passed by the whole Senate, will need to return to the House
HB2706, amended by Senate Education, requiring "SBE [State Board of Education] to implement guidelines for supplementary training in reading instruction for teachers in an underperforming school who teach grades one, two, three or kindergarten as part of an improvement plan." If passed by the whole Senate, will need to return to the House
HB2604, amended by Senate Judiciary, barring "the enforcement of foreign law if doing so would violate a federal or state constitutional right or conflict with U.S. or Arizona law," exempting businesses from its provisions. If passed by the Senate, will need to return to the House
HB2102, requiring that proof of "authorized presence" be presented before a license to operate a business or perform a service, or a fingerprint clearance card, can be issued (Senate Judiciary)
HB2484, taking the authority to make appointments to fill legislative vacancies away from county boards of supervisors and giving it to the precinctcommitteemen of the same legislative district and party of the vacating member of the lege (Senate Judiciary)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
County redistricting process warming up...
- First, a little bit of good news: the measure that would insert the legislature into county-level redistricting, the striker to HB2289, was held by the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, almost certainly killing the idea. Thursday was the last day for most legislative committees to consider bills.
If they are really serious about foisting off this measure on the state, there are still a few tricks left (consisting mostly of running the measure through Appropriations, which is still meeting), but it seems highly likely that this one fell in the face of some quickly-organized opposition from most of the counties affected, even the Republican-heavy ones.
- Second, time for the educational part of this post.
Over the next six or seven months, Maricopa County will be engaging in its decennial redistricting process.
Here, we have five supervisorial districts, which will be redistricted with the five coterminous districts (meaning that the districts have the same boundaries...I like big words :) ) of the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) and the Maricopa Special Healthcare District (MIHS).
In addition to those, there are also 25 justice court precincts/districts (redrawn every two years, based on workload, not population), seven districts for the Western Maricopa Education Consortium (West-MEC), and nine districts for the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT).
Both West-MEC and EVIT are "Joint Technical Education Districts, or JTEDs, which are comprised of a number of school districts combining resources to deliver technical and vocational education to those of their students who are interested.
West-MEC and EVIT are redistricted separately from the County, yet because of their size (between them, they cover most of the county geographically, other than Phoenix), they do a lot of their redistricting work in conjunction with the County.
Besides those, the county must redraw voting precincts, but that won't be done until the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission redraws the boundaries for Congressional and legislative districts - can't have a voting precinct split into two different Congressional or lege districts.
To assist in county-level redistricting, Maricopa County has put up a redistricting page on its website.
That page includes:
- A Powerpoint presentation on the county-level redistricting process that does a far better job of explaining all of this than I can in a brief blog post.
- A Powerpoint presentation on using the County's redistricting mapping tool.
- The redistricting mapping tool itself. It will allow users to craft suggested maps and submit them to the county for consideration. There are a few points to this:
1. Current electeds cannot be redistricted out of their districts. Their home voting precincts must remain in their districts.
2. The tool allows for working on board of supervisor (BOS) district, justice of the peace (JP) precincts, and West-MEC (WMEC) districts.
3. Selecting "check in plan" will submit plans for all three at once. If you plan on working on more than one plan, don't hit "check in" before all are complete. If you do, all plans, even incomplete ones, will be submitted.
4. Read the directions and use the "help" files whenever necessary, and don't be afraid to scrap a plan and start over - even the pros are going to have to do that many times.
5. When submitting comments (and plans) to the County, remember that everything submitted is public record and can be read by anyone. In addition, because Arizona is a "preclearance" state under the Voting Rights Act, *all* materials will be submitted to the US Department of Justice for examination and approval before a plan is finalized.
In April and May, County Elections will be holding a series of public meetings to present this to members of the public. They will be held at various community college districts throughout the Valley -
April 4, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
South Mountain Community College
Located in the Student Union Room 100 ABC
7050 S. 24th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85042
April 5, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Rio Salado Community College - Surprise
Located in Communiversity
15950 N. Civic Center Plaza
Surprise, AZ 85374
April 6, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Gateway Community College
Located in MA Room 1100N/S
108 N. 40th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85034
April 11, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Chandler Gilbert Community College - Pecos Campus
Located in the Student Center Conference Suite (SC-140-144)
2626 East Pecos Road
Chandler, Arizona 85225
April 13, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Estrella Mountain Community College
Located in Montezuma Hall Center for Teaching and Learning Community Room
3000 North Dysart Rd.
Avondale, AZ 85323
April 14, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Scottsdale Community College
Located in the Torquoise Room
9000 East Chaparral Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85256
April 18, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Mesa Community College - Red Mountain Campus
Located in the Community Room, on the second level of the Mesquite Building (#5)
7110 East McKellips Road
Mesa, AZ 85207
Campus Information
April 19, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Chandler Gilbert Community College - Sun Lakes
Located in SLC-207
25105 South Alma School Road
Sun Lakes, AZ 85248
April 20, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Rio Salado Community College - Avondale
Located in Community Room
420 N Central Ave.
Avondale, Arizona 85323
April 21, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Paradise Valley Community College
Located in Q Building Room 120A/B
18401 North 32nd St.
Phoenix, Arizona 85032
April 25, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Phoenix College
Located in Osborn Site South Willow Room
1202 West Thomas Road
Phoenix, Arizona 85013
May 3, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Glendale Community College
Located in the Student Union Room 104
6000 W. Olive Ave.
Glendale, Arizona 85302
Later...
If they are really serious about foisting off this measure on the state, there are still a few tricks left (consisting mostly of running the measure through Appropriations, which is still meeting), but it seems highly likely that this one fell in the face of some quickly-organized opposition from most of the counties affected, even the Republican-heavy ones.
- Second, time for the educational part of this post.
Over the next six or seven months, Maricopa County will be engaging in its decennial redistricting process.
Here, we have five supervisorial districts, which will be redistricted with the five coterminous districts (meaning that the districts have the same boundaries...I like big words :) ) of the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) and the Maricopa Special Healthcare District (MIHS).
In addition to those, there are also 25 justice court precincts/districts (redrawn every two years, based on workload, not population), seven districts for the Western Maricopa Education Consortium (West-MEC), and nine districts for the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT).
Both West-MEC and EVIT are "Joint Technical Education Districts, or JTEDs, which are comprised of a number of school districts combining resources to deliver technical and vocational education to those of their students who are interested.
West-MEC and EVIT are redistricted separately from the County, yet because of their size (between them, they cover most of the county geographically, other than Phoenix), they do a lot of their redistricting work in conjunction with the County.
Besides those, the county must redraw voting precincts, but that won't be done until the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission redraws the boundaries for Congressional and legislative districts - can't have a voting precinct split into two different Congressional or lege districts.
To assist in county-level redistricting, Maricopa County has put up a redistricting page on its website.
That page includes:
- A Powerpoint presentation on the county-level redistricting process that does a far better job of explaining all of this than I can in a brief blog post.
- A Powerpoint presentation on using the County's redistricting mapping tool.
- The redistricting mapping tool itself. It will allow users to craft suggested maps and submit them to the county for consideration. There are a few points to this:
1. Current electeds cannot be redistricted out of their districts. Their home voting precincts must remain in their districts.
2. The tool allows for working on board of supervisor (BOS) district, justice of the peace (JP) precincts, and West-MEC (WMEC) districts.
3. Selecting "check in plan" will submit plans for all three at once. If you plan on working on more than one plan, don't hit "check in" before all are complete. If you do, all plans, even incomplete ones, will be submitted.
4. Read the directions and use the "help" files whenever necessary, and don't be afraid to scrap a plan and start over - even the pros are going to have to do that many times.
5. When submitting comments (and plans) to the County, remember that everything submitted is public record and can be read by anyone. In addition, because Arizona is a "preclearance" state under the Voting Rights Act, *all* materials will be submitted to the US Department of Justice for examination and approval before a plan is finalized.
In April and May, County Elections will be holding a series of public meetings to present this to members of the public. They will be held at various community college districts throughout the Valley -
April 4, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
South Mountain Community College
Located in the Student Union Room 100 ABC
7050 S. 24th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85042
April 5, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Rio Salado Community College - Surprise
Located in Communiversity
15950 N. Civic Center Plaza
Surprise, AZ 85374
April 6, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Gateway Community College
Located in MA Room 1100N/S
108 N. 40th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85034
April 11, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Chandler Gilbert Community College - Pecos Campus
Located in the Student Center Conference Suite (SC-140-144)
2626 East Pecos Road
Chandler, Arizona 85225
April 13, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Estrella Mountain Community College
Located in Montezuma Hall Center for Teaching and Learning Community Room
3000 North Dysart Rd.
Avondale, AZ 85323
April 14, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Scottsdale Community College
Located in the Torquoise Room
9000 East Chaparral Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85256
April 18, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Mesa Community College - Red Mountain Campus
Located in the Community Room, on the second level of the Mesquite Building (#5)
7110 East McKellips Road
Mesa, AZ 85207
Campus Information
April 19, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Chandler Gilbert Community College - Sun Lakes
Located in SLC-207
25105 South Alma School Road
Sun Lakes, AZ 85248
April 20, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Rio Salado Community College - Avondale
Located in Community Room
420 N Central Ave.
Avondale, Arizona 85323
April 21, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Paradise Valley Community College
Located in Q Building Room 120A/B
18401 North 32nd St.
Phoenix, Arizona 85032
April 25, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Phoenix College
Located in Osborn Site South Willow Room
1202 West Thomas Road
Phoenix, Arizona 85013
May 3, 2011
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Glendale Community College
Located in the Student Union Room 104
6000 W. Olive Ave.
Glendale, Arizona 85302
Later...
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Legislative Republicans Seeking To Interfere In County Level Redistricting
...and "interfere" is something of an understatement...
State Sen. Lori Klein, late of the controversy over a bigoted letter that she read on the Senate floor, has proposed a strike-everything amendment to HB2289, one that is scheduled for committee consideration at Thursday's meeting of Senate Finance.
It concerns the redistricting of county supervisorial districts.
Her proposed measure would set up an "independent redistricting committee" in counties with five supervisorial districts.
Currently Maricopa, Pima, Cochise, Coconino, and Yuma counties each have five supervisor districts. Because of the population counts of the 2010 Census, Mohave, Pinal, and Yavapai counties will have to go to a five-district plan.
The "independent" committee would be made up of the current supervisors (either five or three, as appropriate) plus *six* members appointed by legislative Republicans and the Governor.
Specifically, the Speaker and majority leader of the House would each get to appoint one person, as would the President and majority leader of the Senate. In addition, the governor would get to appoint two members of each county's "independent" redistricting commission.
Those folks, the legislative leadership and the governor, are all Republicans, who can be reasonably be expected to appoint fellow Republicans. And there is nothing in the proposal to require that the commissions be partisanly balanced or even non-partisan.
So that trend would translate to commissions made up of -
10 Republicans and 1 Democrat (Maricopa)
8 Republicans and 3 Democrats (Pima)
7 Republicans and 2 Democrats (Pinal)
9 Republicans (Yavapai)
9 Republicans (Mohave)
9 Republicans and 2 Democrats (Yuma)
6 Republicans and 5 Democrats (Coconino)
7 Republicans and 4 Democrats (Cochise)
Oh, and in case the partisan gamesmanship behind this isn't obvious already, there are two other clause in the proposal that make it even more obvious -
1. The Republican governor has final approval over *any* county redistricting plan.
2. The new plan sunsets after December 31, 2015, when there will be a new governor and legislative leadership, who may not be (fingers crossed) Republicans.
While slightly more than half of Arizona's counties, 8 out of 15, will be affected by this measure, those counties contain more than 94% of the state's residents
There is a reason that Arizona is, and almost certainly will remain, a "preclearance" state under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
NB - Am I the only person that thinks that Klein and her fellow Republicans have a curiously self-serving definition of the word "independent"? It make the voters' wisdom in creating the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission look better by the day. It may be time to do something similar for the county level.
NB2 - I *really* can't even hazard a guess as to why this one is going before Finance. Yes, Klein is a member of Finance, but she is also a member of Government Reform, which this is a better fit with. Of course, Judiciary is the best fit, but she isn't a member of that committee.
State Sen. Lori Klein, late of the controversy over a bigoted letter that she read on the Senate floor, has proposed a strike-everything amendment to HB2289, one that is scheduled for committee consideration at Thursday's meeting of Senate Finance.
It concerns the redistricting of county supervisorial districts.
Her proposed measure would set up an "independent redistricting committee" in counties with five supervisorial districts.
Currently Maricopa, Pima, Cochise, Coconino, and Yuma counties each have five supervisor districts. Because of the population counts of the 2010 Census, Mohave, Pinal, and Yavapai counties will have to go to a five-district plan.
The "independent" committee would be made up of the current supervisors (either five or three, as appropriate) plus *six* members appointed by legislative Republicans and the Governor.
Specifically, the Speaker and majority leader of the House would each get to appoint one person, as would the President and majority leader of the Senate. In addition, the governor would get to appoint two members of each county's "independent" redistricting commission.
Those folks, the legislative leadership and the governor, are all Republicans, who can be reasonably be expected to appoint fellow Republicans. And there is nothing in the proposal to require that the commissions be partisanly balanced or even non-partisan.
So that trend would translate to commissions made up of -
10 Republicans and 1 Democrat (Maricopa)
8 Republicans and 3 Democrats (Pima)
7 Republicans and 2 Democrats (Pinal)
9 Republicans (Yavapai)
9 Republicans (Mohave)
9 Republicans and 2 Democrats (Yuma)
6 Republicans and 5 Democrats (Coconino)
7 Republicans and 4 Democrats (Cochise)
Oh, and in case the partisan gamesmanship behind this isn't obvious already, there are two other clause in the proposal that make it even more obvious -
1. The Republican governor has final approval over *any* county redistricting plan.
2. The new plan sunsets after December 31, 2015, when there will be a new governor and legislative leadership, who may not be (fingers crossed) Republicans.
While slightly more than half of Arizona's counties, 8 out of 15, will be affected by this measure, those counties contain more than 94% of the state's residents
There is a reason that Arizona is, and almost certainly will remain, a "preclearance" state under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
NB - Am I the only person that thinks that Klein and her fellow Republicans have a curiously self-serving definition of the word "independent"? It make the voters' wisdom in creating the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission look better by the day. It may be time to do something similar for the county level.
NB2 - I *really* can't even hazard a guess as to why this one is going before Finance. Yes, Klein is a member of Finance, but she is also a member of Government Reform, which this is a better fit with. Of course, Judiciary is the best fit, but she isn't a member of that committee.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Klein, Pearce, and letters
Last week, State Sen. Lori Klein uttered one of the most bigoted speeches in the history of the Arizona Legislature, which is saying something. As near as I can tell, the only bit of nativist stereotyping and propaganda that she didn't trot out was "headless bodies in the desert."
Here's the video, courtesy blogger Three Sonorans of the Tucson Citizen -
Apparently, the phenomenon purportedly witnessed by the author of Klein's letter (because she read it, I'm calling it "Klein's" even though copies of the letter that were released to the media show that it was addressed directly to Senate President Russell Pearce, who has a documented history with bigoted missives) isn't confined to public school classrooms in the West Valley.
In the aftermath of Klein's speech, an anonymous reader sent me the following, recounting his/her (it's anonymous, remember? :) ) own eerily similar, yet different, experience* -
This was made up just to make a point - The letter to Pearce has no place in public discourse, and Senators Klein and Pearce should apologize for spouting that hate-filled drivel, and pledge to never utilize a taxpayer-funded platform to so spout ever again.
BTW - I don't have any direct evidence that the original letter wasn't genuinely sent to Pearce/Klein by an outside writer, but any teacher who writes that poorly, well, the college that awarded him/her a degree should have its accreditation revoked. This whole thing reeks of a plant.
Here's the video, courtesy blogger Three Sonorans of the Tucson Citizen -
Apparently, the phenomenon purportedly witnessed by the author of Klein's letter (because she read it, I'm calling it "Klein's" even though copies of the letter that were released to the media show that it was addressed directly to Senate President Russell Pearce, who has a documented history with bigoted missives) isn't confined to public school classrooms in the West Valley.
In the aftermath of Klein's speech, an anonymous reader sent me the following, recounting his/her (it's anonymous, remember? :) ) own eerily similar, yet different, experience* -
Dear Senator Pearce,* - Not really. This is just satire. No such letter was sent to me. Not all Hispanic children are gang members or wannabes. Not all children of Republicans are spoiled arrogant snots.
I am compelled to write to you about a recent event that occurred to me.
I currently work as a substitute teacher in private schools in the East Valley area of Scottsdale, Mesa and Chandler. I was called upon to teach history and language arts for 8th grade at a Scottsdale private school. The number of students I had in each class ranged from 8 to 18 children, which were almost all White Republican and a couple of Athletic Scholarship/Quota children. The day started out as usual turning on the television listening and watching the announcements on Fox News and saying the Pledge of Allegiance. During the Pledge of Allegiance I notice the vast majority of students refusing to stand and say the pledge to the Flag of the United States of America.
I asked the students why they refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance and they responded by saying, “we are Arizonans and the U.S. government won't keep Brown People off of our properties and the properties in the same time zone as our properties.” They finally rose and recited the tea party pledge when one of the students stood in front of the class holding the morning's issue of the Wall Street Journal over his head.
The teacher’s instructions were for the students to read a few pages and answer the questions regarding Mark Twain in their history textbook and to finish their final drafts to you, Senator Russell Pearce, thanking you for your position on Illegal Immigration rights. Their teacher apparently had showed them a video with you and Lou Dobbs.
Most of the students came unprepared for class, yelling that Twain was a commie pinko radical RINO, and their parents objected to all course material pertaining to him. They texted messages to their nannies, demanding their chauffeurs come to the school to smack me around for even thinking that Twain was worthy of study. They then held an informal debate over who was the greatest American writer of all time, settling on a choice of two - Ayn Rand and William L. Pierce.
The students’ final drafts to you that I read were basically the same. Most of them stated they were in the country only until their parents could send them to boarding schools overseas, poor and middle class Americans are lazy, and that they deserve everything that their parents and grandparents earned.
I mentioned that I and my wife are "middle class" and we both work, so how could we be lazy? The students retorted that meant that in addition to being lazy, we were also stupid - we should have inherited wealth like any real American.
I asked them to stop texting in class, that it was impolite to ignore the teacher. Their response was to advise me to learn to like it, because in a few years, I would be working for them.
When it came to completing the Mark Twain assignment only 2 students (the Quota students, naturally) completed it out of all my classes. Most of the students refused to open the book, tore the pages out of the book, or threw the textbooks at me. I thought are these the students we are trying to educate with STO tax credits? I have found that substitute teaching in these areas most of the spoiled students do not want to be educated but rather grow up to be banksters and cross-burners. They hate America and are determined to turn our democratic republic into a feudal aristocracy. Removing the brats from our schools would reduce our class sizes and the students who wanted to learn would have a better chance to do so and become productive citizens.
I urge you to make efforts to stop this destruction of American society.
When the citizens of a country are forced to kiss the brats' rear ends, adopt their customs, and forced to support them, are we not a conquered nation? I do not want to see our state and nation turned into something out of the Dark Ages. Thank you for standing up to this intellectual and spiritual virus. You may contact me by phone, e-mail, or mail.
Thank you, again.
Sincerely,
This was made up just to make a point - The letter to Pearce has no place in public discourse, and Senators Klein and Pearce should apologize for spouting that hate-filled drivel, and pledge to never utilize a taxpayer-funded platform to so spout ever again.
BTW - I don't have any direct evidence that the original letter wasn't genuinely sent to Pearce/Klein by an outside writer, but any teacher who writes that poorly, well, the college that awarded him/her a degree should have its accreditation revoked. This whole thing reeks of a plant.
The coming week - legislative edition
As usual, all info gathered from online sources such as the website of the Arizona Legislature, and subject to change without notice.
This is likely the last week with a full committee schedule, though committees will still meet on occasion with permission of the leadership of the appropriate chamber. Strke-everything amendments, or "strikers" are running wild as legislators try to keep favored pieces of legislation alive.
While a number of very ugly bills are facing committee consideration this week, and others are expected to reach the floor later in the week, the worst item could be a presentation before Sylvia Allen's committee in the Senate on Thursday.
All posted full floor calendars can be found here.
House committee agendas can be found here.
Senate committee agendas can be found here.
All legislative bills/proposals can be found here
.
On the Senate side of the Capitol -
- Natural Resources and Transportation will meet on Monday at 2 p.m. in SHR109. Looks quiet so far.
- Judiciary will meet on Monday at 2 p.m. in SHR1. Something other than quiet. On the agenda: HB2006, allowing firearms within game refuges (sorta defeats the whole "refuge" thing, but I digress); HB2102, requiring proof of citizenship/"lawful presence" before a license or fingerprint clearance card can be issued to a person; HB2484, taking the power of county supervisors to make appointments to fill legislative vacancies and giving it to the precinct committeemen (PCs) of the same party and district as the vacating legislator; a proposed striker to HB2064, solving the nonexistent "problem" of Arizona's courts using the laws of other countries when handing down decisions. Interestingly, the language of the striker exempts corporations and other business entities from its restrictions.
- Education will meet on Monday at 2 p.m. in SHR3. On the agenda: HB2301, mandating how school districts spend education money, but "allowing" them to take money away from books and other classroom material needs to cover shortfalls in other areas; HB2706, enacting school vouchers under the name "Arizona empowerment accounts." There is a proposed amendment for this bill, but it doesn't actually seem relevent to the bill. Not sure what is going on there.
- Banking and Insurance will meet on Tuesday at 2 p.m. in SHR3. There are two bills on the agenda, both regarding workers' comp. I don't understand them, but if they are coming from this legislature, they're probably bad news for working people.
- Appropriations will meet on Tuesday at 2 p.m. in SHR109. The agenda is short, but bad. On the agenda: HB2154, relating to the privatization of correctional health services; HB2707, a "TABOR" type of bill, lowering the state's expenditure limit; and HB2718, the lege's $5 million gift to Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu (maybe leading to a new state motto - "Millions for Babeu, but not one penny for transplants!!").
- Public Safety and Human Services will meet on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in SHR3. On the agenda: HB2675, adding to the list of acts that qualify as unlawful use of food stamps. Used to be much worse - as crafted by sponsor Rep. Jeff Dial, it also would have required that food stamp cards be made in a bright orange color with the words "Government Food Stamp Card" in large black lettering. That part was amended out in the House.
- Government Reform will meet on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in SHR1. On the agenda: HB2002, barring school districts from spending money to join an association that attempts to influence an election; a striker to HB2064, relating to barring the use of laws from other countries when courts hand down decisions (may not be considered - this hasn't been assigned to this committee yet, and may not be. It is on the agenda for Judiciary earlier in the week); a striker to HB2177, relating to "presidential election; birth certificate," (no text available as yet, but that sounds like a birther bill); HB2501, mandating that rules, laws, and ordinances related to zoning, permits, and licenses be interpreted in the manner most beneficial to applicants in zoning, permit, or license matters; HB2644, barring municipalities and counties from accepting federal money for projects if that money is conditioned giving preference to union labor in the project; and a striker to HB2701 relating to "elections registration," no text available as yet, but when this bunch starts messing with elections, Arizona ends up on the losing end of an expensive lawsuit.
- Commerce and Energy will meet on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in SHR109. Looks long, but relatively quiet.
- Water, Land Use, and Rural Development will meet on Wednesday at 2 p.m in SHR3. Looks quiet thus far.
- Healthcare and Medical Liability Reform will meet on Wednesday at 2 p.m. in SHR1. Looks quiet thus far.
- Economic Development and Jobs Creation will meet on Wednesday at 2 p.m. in SHR109. Looks quiet thus far.
- Finance will meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. in SHR1. On the agenda: a striker to HB2289, titled "county supervisorial district redistricting committee" (no text available as yet, but keep an eye out for this one - when the lege starts messing with county operations, somebody, maybe a LOT of somebodys, is about to get screwed over); and HB2636, creating a flat income tax by reducing the tax rate to the lowest rate, removing deductions and exemptions that tend to be used by the poor and middle class, and locking in deductions and exemptions that tend to be used by the wealthy.
- Border Security, Federalism, and States Sovereignty will meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. in SHR109. As far as bill consideration is concerned, it looks quiet thus far. However, there is one presentatiion on the agenda with the minimalist title of "Border Security." Last week, this same committee was supposed to hear from Glenn Spencer, the leader of the hate group "American Border Patrol." After some public criticism was brought to bear on the idea of the Arizona legislature lending a platform to such a group, Spencer was "uninvited."
I'm not sure, and it will take some phone calls to find out with any certainty, but this may be a move to bring him back in a low-profile way. One thing that I *am* certain of is that such a move wouldn't be surprising.
No Senate Third Read (final passage) calendar has been posted for Monday yet; their COW calendar for Monday is here
On the House side of the Capitol -
- Rules will meet on Monday at 12:45 p.m. in HHR4. Rubber stamp - no real discussion or debate will take place.
- Ways and Means will meet on Monday at 2 p.m. in HHR1. On the agenda: SB1166, exempting certain commercial leases from locally-imposed transaction privilege taxes (TPTs, or sales taxes to the rest of us) - a benefit to corporations that do business with themselves; SB1553, creating school vouchers under the pseudonym "Arizona empowerment accounts"; a striker to SB1585 relating to "revenue allocation districts; authorities," legislative summary here.
- Energy and Natural Resources will meet on Monday at 2 p.m. in HHR4. On the agenda: SCR1024, a postcard to D.C. asserting that the Arizona lege has supreme authority over water resources contained only within Arizona (I call it the "EPA GO AWAY!" resolution); a striker to SB1517, relating to "transmission lines; environmental compatability certificates."
- Education will meet on Monday at 2 p.m or upon adjournment or recess of the floor in HHR3. On the agenda: SB1141, requiring school districts to acquire and maintain proof of Arizona residency of their students; SB1453, a "parents' rights" measure relating to controlling their childrens' exposure to educational subject matter.
- Banking and Insurance will meet on Monday at 2 p.m. or upon adjournment or recess of the floor in HHR5. On the agenda: a striker to SB1567, halving the notice period that insurers must adhere to when unilaterally changing the conditions of a policy; SB1593, allowing out-of-state insurers to sell health insurance policies in Arizona.
- Government will meet on Tuesday at 2 p.m. in HHR4. On the agenda: a striker to SB1157, turning it into a "birther" bill, from Judy "Birther" Burges herself, of course; a same-subject striker to SB1188, giving preference to married couples in adoptions, in such a way that single people will need to jump through serious hoops to adopt and same-sex couples need not apply; SB1286, imposing upon municipalities and counties a 60-day limit to approve/disapprove permit applications, after 60 days, the permit is automatically considered to be approved; SB1322, mandating that Tucson and Phoenix put out to private bid any services provided by them that cost more than $75K; SB1379, limiting the ability of municipalities and counties to regulate the sale and use of fireworks within their jurisdictions; SB1525, restricting municipalities' ability to assess and collect development fees; SB1598, severely limiting municipalities' ability to regulate business or industrial activities within their jurisdictions; SB1282, exempting religious organizations that engage in political activity from having to register as political committees; and SB1610, addressing Arizona's most pressing need, the lack of an official state firearm.
- Environment will meet on Tuesday at 2 p.m. in HHR5. Looks quiet thus far.
- Employment and Regulatory Affairs will meet on Tuesday at 2 p.m. in HHR3. On the agenda: a striker to SB1169, relating to "scope of practice; nursing; abortion." The language of the striker bars the Board of Nursing from determining the "scope of practice" for nurse practioners relating to abortion; SB1609, the Senate's version of public employee pension "reform."
- Military Affairs and Public Safety will meet on Wednesday at 8 a.m. in HHR3. On the agenda: a striker to SB1373, relating to "military affairs; families; funds; omnibus," no text available as yet; SB1495, establish a military force answerable only to the governor and funded with monies siphoned from the Arizona National Guard, which answers to the President of the United States.
- Higher Education, Innovation, and Reform will meet on Wednesday at 9 a.m in HHR2. On the agenda: SCR1005, professing the legislature's adoration of the utter wonderfulness that is private sector post-secondary educational business entitities in Arizona.
- Health and Human Services will meet on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in HHR4. On the agenda: SB1214, an interstate compact/new Confederacy bill for uniting with other states that reject federal health care reform.
- Commerce will meet on Wednesday at 9:15 a.m. in HHR5. On the agenda: SB1365, barring, in the absence of annual written permission, payroll deductions for political purposes aimed at unions in general and teachers' unions in particular.
- Appropriations will meet on Wednesday at 2 p.m in HHR1. On the agenda: a striker to SB1398, relating to "moving violations; assessment; equipment; enforcement," no text available as yet; SB1561, allowing the lege to take and reappropriate, as it sees fit, "non-custodial" federal monies such as community block grants; and SCM1005, a postcard to D.C. asking that Congress pass a Constitutional amendment requiring that the federal budget be balanced.
- Transportation will meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. in HHR3. On the agenda: a striker to SB1200. relating to "driving under the influence;interlock," no text available as yet, but almost certainly intended to weaken the statute regarding ignition interlock devices for those convicted of DUI; and SB1402, establishing a slew of new "special" license plates, including a tea party plate. It also establishes and funds a "tea party committee" that will give grants of money to groups that support tea party "principles." May violate Article 4, Part 2, Section 13 of the Arizona Constitution which requires that pieces of legislation pertain to one subject only. Ask a lawyer about that possiblity.
- Technology and Infrastructure will meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. in HHR1. Placeholder agenda right now with no items on it.
- Judiciary will meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. in HHR4. On the agenda: SB1201, a firearrms omnibus bill, with all sorts of nasty provisions, most recent lege summary sheet here.
- Agriculture and Water will meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. in HHR5. On the agenda: SB1522, relating to harvested rainwater (rainwater that is captured for future use prior to it reaches a ground channel. Pushed by former state senator Carol Springer, lobbying for Yavapai County (she's a county supervisor there), which is looking for a way to supplement its dwindling groundwater supply and opposed by water management professionals.
Monday's House Third Read calendar is posted here.
Other events:
The legislature's "Capitol Events" schedule is here.
The Arizona Capitol Times' Capitol Calendar is here.
Whew! Starting next week, this post shouldn't be so long. :)
This is likely the last week with a full committee schedule, though committees will still meet on occasion with permission of the leadership of the appropriate chamber. Strke-everything amendments, or "strikers" are running wild as legislators try to keep favored pieces of legislation alive.
While a number of very ugly bills are facing committee consideration this week, and others are expected to reach the floor later in the week, the worst item could be a presentation before Sylvia Allen's committee in the Senate on Thursday.
All posted full floor calendars can be found here.
House committee agendas can be found here.
Senate committee agendas can be found here.
All legislative bills/proposals can be found here
.
On the Senate side of the Capitol -
- Natural Resources and Transportation will meet on Monday at 2 p.m. in SHR109. Looks quiet so far.
- Judiciary will meet on Monday at 2 p.m. in SHR1. Something other than quiet. On the agenda: HB2006, allowing firearms within game refuges (sorta defeats the whole "refuge" thing, but I digress); HB2102, requiring proof of citizenship/"lawful presence" before a license or fingerprint clearance card can be issued to a person; HB2484, taking the power of county supervisors to make appointments to fill legislative vacancies and giving it to the precinct committeemen (PCs) of the same party and district as the vacating legislator; a proposed striker to HB2064, solving the nonexistent "problem" of Arizona's courts using the laws of other countries when handing down decisions. Interestingly, the language of the striker exempts corporations and other business entities from its restrictions.
- Education will meet on Monday at 2 p.m. in SHR3. On the agenda: HB2301, mandating how school districts spend education money, but "allowing" them to take money away from books and other classroom material needs to cover shortfalls in other areas; HB2706, enacting school vouchers under the name "Arizona empowerment accounts." There is a proposed amendment for this bill, but it doesn't actually seem relevent to the bill. Not sure what is going on there.
- Banking and Insurance will meet on Tuesday at 2 p.m. in SHR3. There are two bills on the agenda, both regarding workers' comp. I don't understand them, but if they are coming from this legislature, they're probably bad news for working people.
- Appropriations will meet on Tuesday at 2 p.m. in SHR109. The agenda is short, but bad. On the agenda: HB2154, relating to the privatization of correctional health services; HB2707, a "TABOR" type of bill, lowering the state's expenditure limit; and HB2718, the lege's $5 million gift to Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu (maybe leading to a new state motto - "Millions for Babeu, but not one penny for transplants!!").
- Public Safety and Human Services will meet on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in SHR3. On the agenda: HB2675, adding to the list of acts that qualify as unlawful use of food stamps. Used to be much worse - as crafted by sponsor Rep. Jeff Dial, it also would have required that food stamp cards be made in a bright orange color with the words "Government Food Stamp Card" in large black lettering. That part was amended out in the House.
- Government Reform will meet on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in SHR1. On the agenda: HB2002, barring school districts from spending money to join an association that attempts to influence an election; a striker to HB2064, relating to barring the use of laws from other countries when courts hand down decisions (may not be considered - this hasn't been assigned to this committee yet, and may not be. It is on the agenda for Judiciary earlier in the week); a striker to HB2177, relating to "presidential election; birth certificate," (no text available as yet, but that sounds like a birther bill); HB2501, mandating that rules, laws, and ordinances related to zoning, permits, and licenses be interpreted in the manner most beneficial to applicants in zoning, permit, or license matters; HB2644, barring municipalities and counties from accepting federal money for projects if that money is conditioned giving preference to union labor in the project; and a striker to HB2701 relating to "elections registration," no text available as yet, but when this bunch starts messing with elections, Arizona ends up on the losing end of an expensive lawsuit.
- Commerce and Energy will meet on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in SHR109. Looks long, but relatively quiet.
- Water, Land Use, and Rural Development will meet on Wednesday at 2 p.m in SHR3. Looks quiet thus far.
- Healthcare and Medical Liability Reform will meet on Wednesday at 2 p.m. in SHR1. Looks quiet thus far.
- Economic Development and Jobs Creation will meet on Wednesday at 2 p.m. in SHR109. Looks quiet thus far.
- Finance will meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. in SHR1. On the agenda: a striker to HB2289, titled "county supervisorial district redistricting committee" (no text available as yet, but keep an eye out for this one - when the lege starts messing with county operations, somebody, maybe a LOT of somebodys, is about to get screwed over); and HB2636, creating a flat income tax by reducing the tax rate to the lowest rate, removing deductions and exemptions that tend to be used by the poor and middle class, and locking in deductions and exemptions that tend to be used by the wealthy.
- Border Security, Federalism, and States Sovereignty will meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. in SHR109. As far as bill consideration is concerned, it looks quiet thus far. However, there is one presentatiion on the agenda with the minimalist title of "Border Security." Last week, this same committee was supposed to hear from Glenn Spencer, the leader of the hate group "American Border Patrol." After some public criticism was brought to bear on the idea of the Arizona legislature lending a platform to such a group, Spencer was "uninvited."
I'm not sure, and it will take some phone calls to find out with any certainty, but this may be a move to bring him back in a low-profile way. One thing that I *am* certain of is that such a move wouldn't be surprising.
No Senate Third Read (final passage) calendar has been posted for Monday yet; their COW calendar for Monday is here
On the House side of the Capitol -
- Rules will meet on Monday at 12:45 p.m. in HHR4. Rubber stamp - no real discussion or debate will take place.
- Ways and Means will meet on Monday at 2 p.m. in HHR1. On the agenda: SB1166, exempting certain commercial leases from locally-imposed transaction privilege taxes (TPTs, or sales taxes to the rest of us) - a benefit to corporations that do business with themselves; SB1553, creating school vouchers under the pseudonym "Arizona empowerment accounts"; a striker to SB1585 relating to "revenue allocation districts; authorities," legislative summary here.
- Energy and Natural Resources will meet on Monday at 2 p.m. in HHR4. On the agenda: SCR1024, a postcard to D.C. asserting that the Arizona lege has supreme authority over water resources contained only within Arizona (I call it the "EPA GO AWAY!" resolution); a striker to SB1517, relating to "transmission lines; environmental compatability certificates."
- Education will meet on Monday at 2 p.m or upon adjournment or recess of the floor in HHR3. On the agenda: SB1141, requiring school districts to acquire and maintain proof of Arizona residency of their students; SB1453, a "parents' rights" measure relating to controlling their childrens' exposure to educational subject matter.
- Banking and Insurance will meet on Monday at 2 p.m. or upon adjournment or recess of the floor in HHR5. On the agenda: a striker to SB1567, halving the notice period that insurers must adhere to when unilaterally changing the conditions of a policy; SB1593, allowing out-of-state insurers to sell health insurance policies in Arizona.
- Government will meet on Tuesday at 2 p.m. in HHR4. On the agenda: a striker to SB1157, turning it into a "birther" bill, from Judy "Birther" Burges herself, of course; a same-subject striker to SB1188, giving preference to married couples in adoptions, in such a way that single people will need to jump through serious hoops to adopt and same-sex couples need not apply; SB1286, imposing upon municipalities and counties a 60-day limit to approve/disapprove permit applications, after 60 days, the permit is automatically considered to be approved; SB1322, mandating that Tucson and Phoenix put out to private bid any services provided by them that cost more than $75K; SB1379, limiting the ability of municipalities and counties to regulate the sale and use of fireworks within their jurisdictions; SB1525, restricting municipalities' ability to assess and collect development fees; SB1598, severely limiting municipalities' ability to regulate business or industrial activities within their jurisdictions; SB1282, exempting religious organizations that engage in political activity from having to register as political committees; and SB1610, addressing Arizona's most pressing need, the lack of an official state firearm.
- Environment will meet on Tuesday at 2 p.m. in HHR5. Looks quiet thus far.
- Employment and Regulatory Affairs will meet on Tuesday at 2 p.m. in HHR3. On the agenda: a striker to SB1169, relating to "scope of practice; nursing; abortion." The language of the striker bars the Board of Nursing from determining the "scope of practice" for nurse practioners relating to abortion; SB1609, the Senate's version of public employee pension "reform."
- Military Affairs and Public Safety will meet on Wednesday at 8 a.m. in HHR3. On the agenda: a striker to SB1373, relating to "military affairs; families; funds; omnibus," no text available as yet; SB1495, establish a military force answerable only to the governor and funded with monies siphoned from the Arizona National Guard, which answers to the President of the United States.
- Higher Education, Innovation, and Reform will meet on Wednesday at 9 a.m in HHR2. On the agenda: SCR1005, professing the legislature's adoration of the utter wonderfulness that is private sector post-secondary educational business entitities in Arizona.
- Health and Human Services will meet on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in HHR4. On the agenda: SB1214, an interstate compact/new Confederacy bill for uniting with other states that reject federal health care reform.
- Commerce will meet on Wednesday at 9:15 a.m. in HHR5. On the agenda: SB1365, barring, in the absence of annual written permission, payroll deductions for political purposes aimed at unions in general and teachers' unions in particular.
- Appropriations will meet on Wednesday at 2 p.m in HHR1. On the agenda: a striker to SB1398, relating to "moving violations; assessment; equipment; enforcement," no text available as yet; SB1561, allowing the lege to take and reappropriate, as it sees fit, "non-custodial" federal monies such as community block grants; and SCM1005, a postcard to D.C. asking that Congress pass a Constitutional amendment requiring that the federal budget be balanced.
- Transportation will meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. in HHR3. On the agenda: a striker to SB1200. relating to "driving under the influence;interlock," no text available as yet, but almost certainly intended to weaken the statute regarding ignition interlock devices for those convicted of DUI; and SB1402, establishing a slew of new "special" license plates, including a tea party plate. It also establishes and funds a "tea party committee" that will give grants of money to groups that support tea party "principles." May violate Article 4, Part 2, Section 13 of the Arizona Constitution which requires that pieces of legislation pertain to one subject only. Ask a lawyer about that possiblity.
- Technology and Infrastructure will meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. in HHR1. Placeholder agenda right now with no items on it.
- Judiciary will meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. in HHR4. On the agenda: SB1201, a firearrms omnibus bill, with all sorts of nasty provisions, most recent lege summary sheet here.
- Agriculture and Water will meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. in HHR5. On the agenda: SB1522, relating to harvested rainwater (rainwater that is captured for future use prior to it reaches a ground channel. Pushed by former state senator Carol Springer, lobbying for Yavapai County (she's a county supervisor there), which is looking for a way to supplement its dwindling groundwater supply and opposed by water management professionals.
Monday's House Third Read calendar is posted here.
Other events:
The legislature's "Capitol Events" schedule is here.
The Arizona Capitol Times' Capitol Calendar is here.
Whew! Starting next week, this post shouldn't be so long. :)
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Arizona Legislature week in review -
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...
OK, so that's a little overwrought, and more than a little unoriginal. :)
It was definitely a "mixed bag" sort of week, with some genuinely horrible legislation moving forward while some equally horrible legislation was (surprisingly) defeated.
Oh, and the Senate majority leader lost his position as leader, though not his seat, due to a domestic violence incident.
On the bad side, in fact, the UGLY side, of the ledger:
- The Republicans in the Arizona Senate, led by Senate President Russell Pearce, gathered behind closed doors and crafted a draconian budget proposal. Once that was done, they suspended all rules regarding public notice and railroaded it through the entire Senate process in a single day.
The package of bills -
SB1612, general appropriations - passed by a party line vote, 21 - 9
SB1613, capital outlay - party line vote
SB1614, state budget procedures - party line vote
SB1615, consolidation of certain state agencies
SB1616, revenue budget reconciliation bill, or BRB (making changes to law to make the budget work) - party line vote
SB1617, K - 12 Education BRB - passed 20 - 10, 1 R crossing over
SB1618, higher education BRB - passed 20 - 10, 1 R crossing over
SB1619, health BRB - party line vote
SB1620, welfare BRB - party line vote
SB1621, criminal justice BRB - passed 19 - 11, 2 Rs crossing over
SB1622, general government BRB - party line vote
SB1623, regulation BRB - party line vote
SB1624, environment BRB - party line vote
The Democratic caucus of the Arizona Senate has a statement on the passage of the package of bills here.
All of the bills have been transmitted to the House for consideration, but they haven't been assigned for committee consideration as yet.
- Sen. Lori Klein (R-Anthem) infuriated and insulted people from all over the state when she read an "anonymous" letter, purportedly from a substitute teacher, stating that Hispanic students only want to be gang members and gangsters.
The letter was a mish-mash of various nativist propaganda and stereotypes, and both reads and sounds like a desperate attempt by Pearce and his fellow travelers to salvage the nastiest of this session's anti-immigrant measures from defeat.
Blogger Three Sonorans of the Tucson Citizen has the video of the bigoted speech here.
Note: Senator Klein gained some notoriety early in this year's legislative session when news broke that she carried a pistol in her purse on the floor of the House during the governor's state of the state address.
On the good side of the ledger:
- Five of Pearce's most stridently nativist measures went down to defeat on Thursday -
SB1308, an interstate compact/new Confederacy bill "birther" bill went down 12 - 18, with all nine Democrats joined by nine Republicans in opposition. One of the Republican "no" votes is Sen. Frank Antenori, and given his heretofore absolute adherence to the Pearce line, I'm guessing that he is the R designated to "move to reconsider" the measure on Monday. In addition to Antenori, Rs Barto, McComish, Driggs, Crandall, Yarbrough, Reagan,, (Steve) Pierce, and Nelson voted against the measure -
SB1309, a birther bill, went down 11 - 19. Same list of Rs against the bill, with the addition of Bundgaard. Another designated reconsiderer?
SB1405, turning Arizona's hospitals into immigration checkpoints, went down 12 - 18, with pretty much the same list of Rs voting no, except Antenori voted for it, while Linda Gray voted no.
SB1407, similar to SB1405 above, except it would have turned school teachers and administrators into immigration enforcement agents, went down 14 - 16, Gray remaining a "no" vote, but Barto, Yarbrough, and Antenori voting "yes."
SB1611, Pearce's attempt to out-SB1070 last year's SB1070, went down 11 - 19, with Sylvia Allen joining the same list of "no" votes as for SB1405, above. She could be the designated "reconsiderer," but I think her "no" might be legit - she voted against the measure in committee, too.
While some are trying to portray the defeat as a triumph of moral and legal sense over extremism, the fact is that the Chamber of Commerce finally weighed in on Pearce's agenda, coming out in opposition.
Having spent a significant amount of time watching the denizens of 1700 West Washington in action, I feel safe in saying that issues of morality and legality have no importance to the majority there.
Money does.
Any or all of these bills could come back via a "move to reconsider" or as a strike-everything amendment to a previously harmless measure, so don't exhale yet.
- Glenn Spencer, the leader of a hate group who had been publicly invited to speak before a Senate committee was "uninvited" when the planned visit started to garner some harsh attention. However, the "powers-that-be" in the Senate seem to be aiming for "clever" and "sneaky" - next week's agenda for the same committee includes an uncredited item -
SB1322, requring cities with a population greater than 500K (read: Phoenix and Tucson) to put out to private bid any service that costs more than $75K, passed 18 - 10, 2 Rs crossing over, and 2 Ds not voting
SB1339, repealing ALL agency rules and requring that future rules be enacted as statutes by the legislature, FAILED 11 - 17, 10 Rs crossing over, 2 Ds not voting
SB1345, limiting the number of employees that Phoenix and Tucson may have, and how much they may conpensate those employees, FAILED 12 - 16, 9 Rs crossing over, 2 Ds not voting
SB1380, mandatory "random" drug testing for recipients of public assistance, party line vote (even if this one goes nowhere in the House, its clauses are part of the Senate's budget package)
SB1453, granting parents the right to pre-censor any school course material that they feel is objectionable or possibly "harmful" to their children, passed 22 - 6, 1 D crossing over, 2 Ds not voting
SB1467, barring educational institutions from enacting or enforcing a policy or rule against carrying a firearm in a "public right of way" (aka - most any place other than a building), party line vote
SCR1028, a proposed amendment to the Arizona constitution barring payroll deductions for political purposes without an annual written authorization, passed 22 - 6, 1 D crossing over and 2 Ds not voting. The one D crossover, Sen. Steve Gallardo, did so as part of a deal to gain support for his amendment to the measure adding "corporations" to the list of organizations barred from taking payroll deductions for political purposes.
SB1222, requiring that applicants for public housing present proof of citizenship before public housing assistance can be offered to them, and requiring the public housing authorities evict any residents who allow any undocumented persons to live in their units, party line vote
SB1538, prohibiting texting while driving, PASSED 18 - 12, 9 Rs crossing over
SB1589, privatizing most ADOT/MVD functions, party line vote
SCR1035, a proposed amendment to the Arizona constitution expanding Arizona's "English is the official language" law. party line vote
SCR1016, calling for a constitutional convention to amend the US Constitution to require that Congress gain the approval of a majority of state legislatures before raising the federal debt limit, failed on a 15 - 15 tie, on reconsideration (it had failed once before). 6 very conservative Rs crossed over on this one
Other bills of interest that went before the House:
HB2154, relating to the privatization of correctional health services, passed with 3 Ds crossing overr
HB2636, creating a flat income tax rate for Arizona, including the repeal of certain "normal" exemptions and deductions for things like being blind, over 65, or a dependent, while permanently enacting certain deductions and exemptions for business and the wealthy (summary prepared by lege staff here), party line vote
HB2706, school vouchers, under the name "Arizona empowerment accounts," party line vote
HB2301, placing restrictions on the way that school districts can spend their budgets, but "makes up" for it by allowing districts to take money from "soft capital" (books, desks, etc.), party line
HB2313, stating that the state can use eminent domain to take federally-controlled land, party line vote
HB2070, creating an "Arizona State Guard" military force whose activation isn't contingent on the AZ National Guard being busy first. Rep. Ruben Gallego amended the measure to include a provision that members of the state guard take an "oath to uphold the United States' Constitution," party line vote
HB2089, banning, with certain exceptions transporting minors (<18 years old) in the open bed of a pickup truck, PASSED with 16 Rs crossing over to vote with all of the Ds
A preview of next week coming up tomorrow...
OK, so that's a little overwrought, and more than a little unoriginal. :)
It was definitely a "mixed bag" sort of week, with some genuinely horrible legislation moving forward while some equally horrible legislation was (surprisingly) defeated.
Oh, and the Senate majority leader lost his position as leader, though not his seat, due to a domestic violence incident.
On the bad side, in fact, the UGLY side, of the ledger:
- The Republicans in the Arizona Senate, led by Senate President Russell Pearce, gathered behind closed doors and crafted a draconian budget proposal. Once that was done, they suspended all rules regarding public notice and railroaded it through the entire Senate process in a single day.
The package of bills -
SB1612, general appropriations - passed by a party line vote, 21 - 9
SB1613, capital outlay - party line vote
SB1614, state budget procedures - party line vote
SB1615, consolidation of certain state agencies
SB1616, revenue budget reconciliation bill, or BRB (making changes to law to make the budget work) - party line vote
SB1617, K - 12 Education BRB - passed 20 - 10, 1 R crossing over
SB1618, higher education BRB - passed 20 - 10, 1 R crossing over
SB1619, health BRB - party line vote
SB1620, welfare BRB - party line vote
SB1621, criminal justice BRB - passed 19 - 11, 2 Rs crossing over
SB1622, general government BRB - party line vote
SB1623, regulation BRB - party line vote
SB1624, environment BRB - party line vote
The Democratic caucus of the Arizona Senate has a statement on the passage of the package of bills here.
All of the bills have been transmitted to the House for consideration, but they haven't been assigned for committee consideration as yet.
- Sen. Lori Klein (R-Anthem) infuriated and insulted people from all over the state when she read an "anonymous" letter, purportedly from a substitute teacher, stating that Hispanic students only want to be gang members and gangsters.
The letter was a mish-mash of various nativist propaganda and stereotypes, and both reads and sounds like a desperate attempt by Pearce and his fellow travelers to salvage the nastiest of this session's anti-immigrant measures from defeat.
Blogger Three Sonorans of the Tucson Citizen has the video of the bigoted speech here.
Note: Senator Klein gained some notoriety early in this year's legislative session when news broke that she carried a pistol in her purse on the floor of the House during the governor's state of the state address.
On the good side of the ledger:
- Five of Pearce's most stridently nativist measures went down to defeat on Thursday -
SB1308, an interstate compact/new Confederacy bill "birther" bill went down 12 - 18, with all nine Democrats joined by nine Republicans in opposition. One of the Republican "no" votes is Sen. Frank Antenori, and given his heretofore absolute adherence to the Pearce line, I'm guessing that he is the R designated to "move to reconsider" the measure on Monday. In addition to Antenori, Rs Barto, McComish, Driggs, Crandall, Yarbrough, Reagan,, (Steve) Pierce, and Nelson voted against the measure -
SB1309, a birther bill, went down 11 - 19. Same list of Rs against the bill, with the addition of Bundgaard. Another designated reconsiderer?
SB1405, turning Arizona's hospitals into immigration checkpoints, went down 12 - 18, with pretty much the same list of Rs voting no, except Antenori voted for it, while Linda Gray voted no.
SB1407, similar to SB1405 above, except it would have turned school teachers and administrators into immigration enforcement agents, went down 14 - 16, Gray remaining a "no" vote, but Barto, Yarbrough, and Antenori voting "yes."
SB1611, Pearce's attempt to out-SB1070 last year's SB1070, went down 11 - 19, with Sylvia Allen joining the same list of "no" votes as for SB1405, above. She could be the designated "reconsiderer," but I think her "no" might be legit - she voted against the measure in committee, too.
While some are trying to portray the defeat as a triumph of moral and legal sense over extremism, the fact is that the Chamber of Commerce finally weighed in on Pearce's agenda, coming out in opposition.
Having spent a significant amount of time watching the denizens of 1700 West Washington in action, I feel safe in saying that issues of morality and legality have no importance to the majority there.
Money does.
Any or all of these bills could come back via a "move to reconsider" or as a strike-everything amendment to a previously harmless measure, so don't exhale yet.
- Glenn Spencer, the leader of a hate group who had been publicly invited to speak before a Senate committee was "uninvited" when the planned visit started to garner some harsh attention. However, the "powers-that-be" in the Senate seem to be aiming for "clever" and "sneaky" - next week's agenda for the same committee includes an uncredited item -
4. PresentationOther bills of interest that went before the Senate ("party line vote" means that all members of a party voted the same way on a given measure, number not casting a vote noted only when there were crossovers):
Border Security
SB1322, requring cities with a population greater than 500K (read: Phoenix and Tucson) to put out to private bid any service that costs more than $75K, passed 18 - 10, 2 Rs crossing over, and 2 Ds not voting
SB1339, repealing ALL agency rules and requring that future rules be enacted as statutes by the legislature, FAILED 11 - 17, 10 Rs crossing over, 2 Ds not voting
SB1345, limiting the number of employees that Phoenix and Tucson may have, and how much they may conpensate those employees, FAILED 12 - 16, 9 Rs crossing over, 2 Ds not voting
SB1380, mandatory "random" drug testing for recipients of public assistance, party line vote (even if this one goes nowhere in the House, its clauses are part of the Senate's budget package)
SB1453, granting parents the right to pre-censor any school course material that they feel is objectionable or possibly "harmful" to their children, passed 22 - 6, 1 D crossing over, 2 Ds not voting
SB1467, barring educational institutions from enacting or enforcing a policy or rule against carrying a firearm in a "public right of way" (aka - most any place other than a building), party line vote
SCR1028, a proposed amendment to the Arizona constitution barring payroll deductions for political purposes without an annual written authorization, passed 22 - 6, 1 D crossing over and 2 Ds not voting. The one D crossover, Sen. Steve Gallardo, did so as part of a deal to gain support for his amendment to the measure adding "corporations" to the list of organizations barred from taking payroll deductions for political purposes.
SB1222, requiring that applicants for public housing present proof of citizenship before public housing assistance can be offered to them, and requiring the public housing authorities evict any residents who allow any undocumented persons to live in their units, party line vote
SB1538, prohibiting texting while driving, PASSED 18 - 12, 9 Rs crossing over
SB1589, privatizing most ADOT/MVD functions, party line vote
SCR1035, a proposed amendment to the Arizona constitution expanding Arizona's "English is the official language" law. party line vote
SCR1016, calling for a constitutional convention to amend the US Constitution to require that Congress gain the approval of a majority of state legislatures before raising the federal debt limit, failed on a 15 - 15 tie, on reconsideration (it had failed once before). 6 very conservative Rs crossed over on this one
Other bills of interest that went before the House:
HB2154, relating to the privatization of correctional health services, passed with 3 Ds crossing overr
HB2636, creating a flat income tax rate for Arizona, including the repeal of certain "normal" exemptions and deductions for things like being blind, over 65, or a dependent, while permanently enacting certain deductions and exemptions for business and the wealthy (summary prepared by lege staff here), party line vote
HB2706, school vouchers, under the name "Arizona empowerment accounts," party line vote
HB2301, placing restrictions on the way that school districts can spend their budgets, but "makes up" for it by allowing districts to take money from "soft capital" (books, desks, etc.), party line
HB2313, stating that the state can use eminent domain to take federally-controlled land, party line vote
HB2070, creating an "Arizona State Guard" military force whose activation isn't contingent on the AZ National Guard being busy first. Rep. Ruben Gallego amended the measure to include a provision that members of the state guard take an "oath to uphold the United States' Constitution," party line vote
HB2089, banning, with certain exceptions transporting minors (<18 years old) in the open bed of a pickup truck, PASSED with 16 Rs crossing over to vote with all of the Ds
A preview of next week coming up tomorrow...
Thursday, March 17, 2011
A glimmer of sanity: Five nativist bills go down to defeat in the Arizona Senate
I really enjoy the idea of having a new job (and I really enjoy the job itself, but that's irrelevant to this post), but it does have one downside - I miss all the good stuff that happens during the day.
And today, there was some actual good stuff going down at the Senate.
Five, count 'em - FIVE - of Russell Pearce's pet nativist measures went down to defeat in the Senate today, Thursday, March 17, 2011 -
SB1308, an interstate compact/new Confederacy bill "birther" bill went down 12 - 18, with all nine Democrats joined by nine Republicans in opposition. One of the Republican "no" votes is Sen. Frank Antenori, and given his heretofore absolute adherence to the Pearce line, I'm guessing that he is the R designated to "move to reconsider" the measure on Monday. In addition to Antenori, Rs Barto, McComish, Driggs, Crandall, Yarbrough, Reagan,, (Steve) Pierce, and Nelson voted against the measure.
SB1309, a birther bill, went down 11 - 19. Same list of Rs against the bill, with the addition of Bundgaard. Another designated reconsiderer?
SB1405, turning Arizona's hospitals into immigration checkpoints, went down 12 - 18, with pretty much the same list of Rs voting no, except Antenori voted for it, while Linda Gray voted no.
SB1407, similar to SB1405 above, except it would have turned school teachers and administrators into immigration enforcement agents, went down 14 - 16, Gray remaining a "no" vote, but Barto, Yarbrough, and Antenori voting "yes."
SB1611, Pearce's attempt to out-SB1070 last year's SB1070, went down 11 - 19, with Sylvia Allen joining the same list of "no" votes as for SB1405, above. She could be the designated "reconsiderer," but I think her "no" might be legit - she voted against the measure in committee, too.
Many of the "no" votes may have been influenced not by morality or public opinion, but instead by the fact that one of the biggest GOP benefactors, the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, has *finally* weighed in on the goings-on at the Capitol, sending Pearce a letter advising him to cool it with the bigoted stuff - it's seriously cutting into their bottom lines.
There was other good news at the Senate today - Glenn Spencer, the leader of the hate group American Border Patrol, was "uninvited" from an appearance before the Senate Border Security, Federalism, and States Sovereignty Committee. I wrote about this scheduled appearance last week, and this week, a number of MSM outlets also shed some light on Mr. Spencer and his nativist and anti-semitic acts and rants.
Enough pressure finally mounted to force Pearce and his close friend, committee chair Sylvia Allen, to alter course.
Of course, these failed bills could come back as soon as Monday (move to reconsider) or could come back via a strike-everything amendment at any time before sine die (the end of the legislative session).
And Mr. Spencer could be invited back at any point in time when Pearce, Allen, and the others think that no one is paying attention.
However, for now, we all get to enjoy one weekend this spring - ASU baseball has a three game set against Oral Roberts University on tap, and the Cactus League is in full swing (and this late in the spring, some of the regulars are playing almost 2/3 of a game! :) ). If baseball isn't your thing (for shame! :)) ), the Arizona Renaissance Festival is still going strong this weekend.
And if you just can't stay away from politics, at least do something that will let you enjoy the weather - volunteer to join the effort to Recall Russell Pearce in Mesa.
Monday will be here soon enough.
And today, there was some actual good stuff going down at the Senate.
Five, count 'em - FIVE - of Russell Pearce's pet nativist measures went down to defeat in the Senate today, Thursday, March 17, 2011 -
SB1308, an interstate compact/new Confederacy bill "birther" bill went down 12 - 18, with all nine Democrats joined by nine Republicans in opposition. One of the Republican "no" votes is Sen. Frank Antenori, and given his heretofore absolute adherence to the Pearce line, I'm guessing that he is the R designated to "move to reconsider" the measure on Monday. In addition to Antenori, Rs Barto, McComish, Driggs, Crandall, Yarbrough, Reagan,, (Steve) Pierce, and Nelson voted against the measure.
SB1309, a birther bill, went down 11 - 19. Same list of Rs against the bill, with the addition of Bundgaard. Another designated reconsiderer?
SB1405, turning Arizona's hospitals into immigration checkpoints, went down 12 - 18, with pretty much the same list of Rs voting no, except Antenori voted for it, while Linda Gray voted no.
SB1407, similar to SB1405 above, except it would have turned school teachers and administrators into immigration enforcement agents, went down 14 - 16, Gray remaining a "no" vote, but Barto, Yarbrough, and Antenori voting "yes."
SB1611, Pearce's attempt to out-SB1070 last year's SB1070, went down 11 - 19, with Sylvia Allen joining the same list of "no" votes as for SB1405, above. She could be the designated "reconsiderer," but I think her "no" might be legit - she voted against the measure in committee, too.
Many of the "no" votes may have been influenced not by morality or public opinion, but instead by the fact that one of the biggest GOP benefactors, the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, has *finally* weighed in on the goings-on at the Capitol, sending Pearce a letter advising him to cool it with the bigoted stuff - it's seriously cutting into their bottom lines.
There was other good news at the Senate today - Glenn Spencer, the leader of the hate group American Border Patrol, was "uninvited" from an appearance before the Senate Border Security, Federalism, and States Sovereignty Committee. I wrote about this scheduled appearance last week, and this week, a number of MSM outlets also shed some light on Mr. Spencer and his nativist and anti-semitic acts and rants.
Enough pressure finally mounted to force Pearce and his close friend, committee chair Sylvia Allen, to alter course.
Of course, these failed bills could come back as soon as Monday (move to reconsider) or could come back via a strike-everything amendment at any time before sine die (the end of the legislative session).
And Mr. Spencer could be invited back at any point in time when Pearce, Allen, and the others think that no one is paying attention.
However, for now, we all get to enjoy one weekend this spring - ASU baseball has a three game set against Oral Roberts University on tap, and the Cactus League is in full swing (and this late in the spring, some of the regulars are playing almost 2/3 of a game! :) ). If baseball isn't your thing (for shame! :)) ), the Arizona Renaissance Festival is still going strong this weekend.
And if you just can't stay away from politics, at least do something that will let you enjoy the weather - volunteer to join the effort to Recall Russell Pearce in Mesa.
Monday will be here soon enough.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Senate Railroad Is Chugging Right Along...
As we speak, the Senate is conducting floor consideration of Russell Pearce's "budget" bills.
The bills were introduced late on Tuesday (yesterday), received committee consideration this morning and afternoon, Caucus consideration this evening, and now is going into Committee of the Whole, or COW, to consider amendments.
The live stream of COW can be found here.
Chooooo, chooooooo....
The bills were introduced late on Tuesday (yesterday), received committee consideration this morning and afternoon, Caucus consideration this evening, and now is going into Committee of the Whole, or COW, to consider amendments.
The live stream of COW can be found here.
Chooooo, chooooooo....
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Pearce's budget proposal is up
As he threatened/promised, Senate President Russell Pearce has put out a budget proposal and he plans to railroad it through tomorrow. A special meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., with a Rules Committee session to follow immediately after.
I don't have time for a complete analysis tonight, but a glance through a couple of them...well, it's ugly.
Pearce's budget contains, from Rep. Steve Farley, via his emailed Farley Report:
Here they are, and I'm linking to the bill summary page instead of my normal practice of linking to the bill text because while lege staff hasn't had time to put up a summary for each bill, they will do so eventually. To see the actual text of the bills, click on the link, then on "show versions", and then on ".pdf" or "html," whichever you prefer -
SB1612, general appropriations 2011-2012
SB1613, 2011-2012; capital outlay
SB1614, 2011-2012; state budget procedures
SB1615, consolidation; state agencies
SB1616, revenue; 2011-2012; budget reconciliation
SB1617, K-12 education; 2011-2012; budget reconciliation
SB1618, higher education; 2011-2012; budget reconciliation
SB1619, health; 2011-2012; budget reconciliation
SB1620, welfare; 2011-2012; budget reconciliation
SB1621, criminal justice; 2011-2012; budget reconciliation
SB1622, general government; 2011-2012; budget reconciliation
SB1623, regulation; 2011-2012; budget reconciliation
SB1624, environment; 2011-2012; budget reconciliation
I don't have time for a complete analysis tonight, but a glance through a couple of them...well, it's ugly.
Pearce's budget contains, from Rep. Steve Farley, via his emailed Farley Report:
--> Nearly $1.3 billion in cuts, including nearly $750 million to K-12 public education, $310 million to universities and community colleges, $70 million more from health and human services, child protective services, and elder protective services, and $40 million more spread out across all state departments.
--> Like the Governor, 280,000 people kicked off healthcare, including 5,200 seriously mentally ill.
--> Cash-poor counties will have to come up with $150,000,000 more to pay back to the general fund, and hundreds more millions in state shared revenues will be taken from our struggling cities -- both these move will endanger local police and fire protection.
Here they are, and I'm linking to the bill summary page instead of my normal practice of linking to the bill text because while lege staff hasn't had time to put up a summary for each bill, they will do so eventually. To see the actual text of the bills, click on the link, then on "show versions", and then on ".pdf" or "html," whichever you prefer -
SB1612, general appropriations 2011-2012
SB1613, 2011-2012; capital outlay
SB1614, 2011-2012; state budget procedures
SB1615, consolidation; state agencies
SB1616, revenue; 2011-2012; budget reconciliation
SB1617, K-12 education; 2011-2012; budget reconciliation
SB1618, higher education; 2011-2012; budget reconciliation
SB1619, health; 2011-2012; budget reconciliation
SB1620, welfare; 2011-2012; budget reconciliation
SB1621, criminal justice; 2011-2012; budget reconciliation
SB1622, general government; 2011-2012; budget reconciliation
SB1623, regulation; 2011-2012; budget reconciliation
SB1624, environment; 2011-2012; budget reconciliation
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