Brewer vetoes, signs a number of bills

Arizona's Governor Jan Brewer has signed a slew of bills passed by the legislature this year, and has also vetoed a larger-than-expected number of them.

While she usually lists technical reasons for her veto of a bill, her real reasons for vetoes usually boil down to either payback for past conflicts (see the linked story regarding her veto of SB1322) or protecting the turf of the governor from legislative encroachment.

From an Arizona Republic article by Alia Beard Rau and Jim Walsh -

Gov. Jan Brewer closed out this year's legislative session with a flurry of vetoes, nearly doubling what she blocked last year.

She issued a total of 29 vetoes, 14 of them coming at nearly 8 p.m. Friday night. She signed 357 bills into law.

Among her Friday night vetoes: a bill that would have required cities to allow the sale of fireworks during certain weeks of the year, one that would have removed 11 phrases from the state's 9/11 memorial and one that would have allowed most of the state's counties to turn many of its workers into at-will employees.

The 9/11 bill is HB2230; the fireworks bill is SB1379; the "put the screws to county employees" bill is HB2650.

AZBlueMeanie at Blog for Arizona has some good insight on the enactment of SB1333 here.  It's one of Sen. Frank Antenori's "I hate Tucson, even though I represent part of it" bills.  He has the info on many changes to election law here.

Dave Safier of BfA offers his perspective on two of Brewer's vetoes here.

Some of Brewer's veto/signing letters for specific bills (not just those dealt with Friday) include -

- SB1593, veto, health insurance, interstate purchase

- SB1088, veto, interstate compact, health care.  Turf protection - it mandated something to the governor.

- SB1322, veto, privatizing city services in Phoenix and Tucson (Brewer listed some valid reasons for her veto, but the Republic's Mary Jo Pitzl points out the fact that Brewer and Phoenix City Council member Sal DiCiccio, the bill's main proponent, aren't exactly close personal friends.

- HB2707, veto, general fund revenue limit

- HB2335, enacted, making some changes to ballots for presidential and vice-presidential candidates (NOT a birther bill).  An imperfect bill, but she signed it anyway, saying that sponsor Jack Harper has promised to run a bill making corrections next session in time for the fall election.

- HB2177, veto, a birther bill.  Possibly the most surprising veto in the bunch.  Look for an "after-birther" bill next year, just in time for the presidential election.

- HB2700, veto, creating an 11th paid holiday for state employees.  Once every hundred years.

- SB1525, enacted, limiting the ability of municipalities to impose and collect development fees

- SB1186, veto, a "tax corrections" bill.  An annual bill to simply sync up state tax laws with federal tax laws, it was hijacked by Sen. Steve Yarbrough with an amendment that added language expanding the state's school tuition tax credits.

- HB2577/SB1561, veto, taking the ability to allocate certain federal funds away from the governor and giving it to the legislature.  Turf protection.  Not sure why the lege passed this one twice in one session.  Maybe they think she's dumber than they are and wouldn't notice (I may not agree on almost anything with her, and she isn't exactly the most intellectually impressive member of the Arizona political world, but she *has* been in one office or another for over two decades.  She's got to have something going for her.)

This isn't a complete list of vetoes or enactments, but one can be found here on the lege's website.  Right now, it doesn't include Friday's bill dispositions.  It should be updated on Monday, however.

In addition, any remaining bills outstanding have to be vetoed/signed no later than Monday, otherwise they become law without the governor's signature.

Later...