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...

2011 Netroots Nation: scholarship help needed

Netroots Nation, the biggest event of the year for progressive activists, is taking place June 16 - 19 in Minneapolis.  Thousands of grassroots activists from all over the country will gather to teach and learn from each other.  They will exchange ideas and knowledge and simply network with other activists who are dedicated using online work to influence public debate and effect change in the offline world.

One of the sponsors of the gathering, Democracy for America, is offering a number of scholarships to the event to assist activists who want to attend but may not enough personal resources available for the trip.

Two of my friends, local activists Diane Palmer and Lauren Kuby, honored me by nominating me for a scholarship, and I have been humbled by the outpouring of support and votes by friends, family and even people that I've never met but who are regular readers.

I've been saying "WOW" a lot today.

Even if the scholarship doesn't happen (and there are a lot of worthy candidates for just a few scholarships), I've learned that what I've observed and studied and communicated and, on more than one occasion, just simply vented, is appreciated and respected by people who I appreciate and respect.

That's truly the most humbling aspect of this, and regardless of the results of this, I am incredibly grateful to Diane, Lauren, and everyone else who has supported and voted for my application.

Now for the "shameless begging" part -

They and I need your help too.  The voting closes at 11:59 p.m. (EDT) and as many votes as possible are needed.  Please go to my DFA application page and cast a vote for my candidacy.

While this has been a humbling experience (in a very good way), a trip to Minneapolis will be even more humbling -

A couple of friends live live in MN, and I *may* have, on occasion (not more than one or two..OK...one or two *dozen* times), in totally respectful and harmless jest, have mentioned something about MN being a place that has two seasons - "Winter" and "Road Repair."  And about how "Road Repair" season lasts less than a month.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to hear about this whole "working to visit Minnesota" thing.  Loudly.  :)


Thanks everyone!

Event: Immigration: Myths and Misconceptions

Info courtesy the LD8 Democrats:

Immigration: Myths and Misconceptions. A Community Forum
(45 minutes of panel discussion followed by 45 minutes of Q & A)

When?
Tuesday, May 3rd at 6:30pm (doors open at 6:00)



Where?
Scottsdale Community College: Student Center, Turquoise Room

(Just East of the Loop 101 at Chaparral)

Please park in Lot A

Who? (The Panelists)

Alfredo Gutierrez: Former AZ State Senator, radio host

John Loredo: Former AZ State Representative

Todd Landfried: Spokesman, Arizona Employers for Immigration Reform

Lisa Urias: President/CEO at Urias Communications

Terry Greene Sterling: Journalist and Author

Ezequiel Hernandez Immigration Attorney, VP of Somos America

Tobin in as AZ House speaker, Adams out and running for Congress

In a bit of a surprise (to me, anyway), Rep. Andy Tobin (R-LD1) was elected Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives.

From the Arizona Republic story written by Mary Jo Pitzl -

The Arizona House of Representativesgot a new leadership lineup Thursday when members elected Rep. Andy Tobin, R-Paulden, as speaker and Republicans chose Rep. Steve Court, R-Mesa as their majority leader.

Tobin replaces Kirk Adams, who resigned from the House and promptly announced his bid for an open congressional seat in the southeast Valley. Adams revealed U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl as his honorary campaign chairman.

The reason that I was a a little surprised by Tobin's elevation to the speaker's post isn't that I think he is less qualified than the other Republicans (hey - I'm a Democrat, so I think *all* of the Rs are unqualified for the job :) ), but he's a rural Republican, and generally, the center of Republican power in AZ is Maricopa County.  The House hasn't had a Speaker from a rural district since the late Jake Flake in 2003/2004. 

However, the election of Rep. Steve Court as Majority Leader does maintain the rural/urban balance.

The election of Tobin does signal one thing:

Arizona will continue to be the country's embarrassment.


From the press release emailed by the Republican House caucus -

Last – but certainly not least – Speaker Tobin is a devoted Yankee’s [sic] fan...

So, in addition to the anti-immigrant hysteria, the pro-gun fetishism, the "birther" insanity, and more abominations, Arizona has now solidified its position as the America's shame -

We have a Yankees fan in high public office.

...So sayeth the lifelong Red Sox fan... :))

Schweikert two-stepping all over his constituents

From an op-ed written by Congressman David Schweikert and  published in the East Valley Tribune on March 11, 2011 -

"I remain committed, as I have always been, to protecting seniors..."

From Section 501 of H. Con. Res. 34 (page 58 of the linked .pdf), aka "the Ryan budget" that Schweikert voted for a little more than a month later, April 15, 2011 -

(2) For future generations, when they reach eligibility, Medicare is reformed to provide a premium support payment and a selection of guaranteed health coverage options from which recipients can choose a plan that best suits their needs.

Schweikert is holding a "listening session" today.

At a police station in Tempe.

Just guessing here, but if his rationale behind meeting with the residents of CD5 while surrounded by the police is to intimidate dissenters from attending, perhaps he should reexamine his reasoning - his tea party supporters are the ones who think that "disorderly conduct" and "public discourse" are synonymous.

Trying to hide from legitimate dissent by hiding in a police station will only accomplish two things -

1.  His most ardent supporters will have to stay away for fear of picking up a charge or two, which would hurt Schweikert's reelection chances - if you get convicted of a felony in AZ, you lose your voting rights unless they are restored.

2. His strongest dissenters, who tend to know a few things about how to conduct themselves in public and can make their points without getting arrested, will have an easy time locating him.

They're not going to find it difficult to find him and make him aware of their displeasure at the way he has thrown the nation's, and the district's, seniors under the bus.

Still, this whole "first step one way then step the other way" routine is good basic training for his post-Congress gig -

A third-tier celebrity also-ran on "Dancing With The Stars."

Adams resigning as House Speaker

From the Arizona Republic -

State House Speaker Kirk Adams will leave the chamber's top leadership post, his spokesman said Tuesday, and representatives will pick a new speaker to serve out the rest of Adams' two-year term.

Adams did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but spokesman Daniel Scarpinato confirmed that Adams planned to step down as speaker Thursday.

Scarpinato declined to say whether Adams also plans to resign his state House seat.

The move isn't really a surprise, as the worst-kept secret in Arizona politics is that Adams is going to run for Congress next year.

Things *could* get interesting if Adams tries to hang on to his House seat - while Arizona's "resign-to-run" law is all but toothless, it could still impact his ability to raise money between now and the beginning of 2012. 

I expect that he will ultimately resign from the House, not just give up his speakership, because regardless of what the district maps look like, he is likely to face significant primary opposition for the open seat. 

He's smart enough to know better than to give the other candidates a big head start, and the duties of even a rank-and-file member of the legislature could get in the way of serious campaigning.

Anyway, House Republicans are expected to choose Adams' successor as speaker on Thursday.  The Republic article speculated that they will choose either Rep. John Kavanagh (R-LD8), chair of House Appropriations, or Rep. Eddie Farnsworth (R-LD22).  Two other names that could possibly percolate in watercooler talk are Reps. Andy Tobin (R-LD1), the current House majority leader or Jim Weiers (R-LD10), a former speaker.

Still, the Republic's speculation is probably in the ballpark - both Kavanagh and Farnsworth are viewed as ambitious, having aspirations to higher office.  A speakership entry on the political resume could definitely help either one in that regard.

Later...

Tuesday's Event: Eat, Drink and Thank Harry

From the Arizona Democratic Party  (follow the link to make a contribution) -



Time to update the Arizona constitution: A few modest proposals

This state is in serious trouble, the kind of trouble that won't be cleaned up for generations (if ever) and even then only if we started in on the mess right now. 

And, pardon my cynicism, I don't expect that to happen anytime soon.

As much as I would like to lay the blame for the mess we're in at the feet of the Republicans in the legislature (and their ideological and corporate masters), they're just a particularly odious symptom of the greater issue.

Voter apathy.

Too many voters don't pay attention to politics or the actions and votes of elected officials until an election is nigh by which time, the rhetoric is less about a calm and honest discussion of facts and more about people screaming into a TV camera - "MY CANDIDATE WALKS ON WATER!" "NO HE DOESN'T!  HE KICKS KITTENS AND DROWNS PUPPIES! - and most casual observers (and many not-so-casual ones, too) are thoroughly turned off and angry.

They look for someone to blame, and end up voting for whichever candidates or party provides them with a bumpersticker-simple slogan that best expresses/stokes their anger, and gives them a convenient target or two to direct their anger toward (i.e. - Russell Pearce, Jan Brewer, John Kavanagh, et. al. and their targeting of immigrants in general and Mexicans in particular).

As such, we end up with a legislature like the one that recently adjourned - corrupt, bigoted, and absolutely opposed to responsible governance.  I'd call it the most craven Arizona legislature ever, but something tells me that this was just a warm up for next year.

I freely admit that it will take someone brighter than me to figure out how to crack the voter apathy problem, but I do have a few ideas for reining in the baser urges of Pearce et. al. and their future equivalents


FIrst up, the BIG ONE:  Fiscal Responsibility and Stability
This is an iffy one because it relies on the same voters I've just criticized for apathy, but it's necessary.

1. The voters need to temporarily suspend the provision in Article 9, Section 22 of the Arizona Constitution that requires a 2/3 vote of the legislature to raise taxes.  When it is re-implemented, it should be with a matching provision that would require a similar 2/3 vote by the legislature to do anything that reduces state revenue, being through repeals, rate reductions, credits, incentives, or whatever.

Simply put, even the "good" members of the legislature are rank amateurs who are heavily influenced by the pressures and vagaries of short-term political need and almost always forego proposals and plans that involve incurring near-term costs while reaping long-term benefits.

It should not be easy to raise taxes (hence the temporary suspension, not a permanent repeal), but that 2/3 provision has been used cripple the state's fiscal stability.  For more than a generation, the state's Republicans have lowered taxes, particularly for the wealthy and corporations, via a simple majority vote, but a small cadre of ideologues has used the 2/3 provision to block any attempts to correct the state's fiscal and revenue situation.

Finally, to make this work, the voters will need to elect Democrats for at least the four years of the suspension.  Some will say that is just my partisanship speaking, but in this case, my thinking is rooted in simple political reality.

It will take at least 47 members (31 House, 16 Senate) to make up the legislative majority needed to do this, and there aren't 47 Republicans in the state with the juice to make it through a primary and the spine to do what's right for the state, much less 47 who'll stand for office.

In very practical terms, the Democrats are needed.

2.  Related to #1, the voters should pass a referendum to require that each and every current legislatively-granted tax credit, reduction, deduction, etc. be referred to the voters over the following three election cycles.  If a particular provision isn't approved by the voters, whether through direct disapproval or because it didn't go before the voters, that provision ceases to exist.  The recipients of special interest tax breaks would have to stand before hundreds of thousands of voters to justify their special treatment, not just slip a few bribes campaign contributions and "educational trips" to a few lawmakers.


Other provisions (some could be done in statute, but others would have be be changes to the AZ Constitution) -

- When speaking or writing or otherwise communicating on public matters, all elected officials and all active candidates for office should be considered to be under oath until Election day (if they lose the election) or until the end of their terms (if they win).  Too much bad public policy is justified on the basis of propaganda and outright lies.

Violations would result in a perjury charge, and conviction on that charge would result in removal from office (or removal from the ballot, in the case of candidates) and ineligibility for elected office for the next two complete election cycles.

-  Any measures passed during "special" sessions need a 2/3 vote of each chamber to pass

- Appropriations and revenue bills cannot be considered or passed during "special" sessions of the lege.

- The budget must be balanced and passed by the end of the first business day in April.  If it isn't balanced and passed by then, all consideration of non-budget measures is suspended until it is done.

- If it isn't complete by the end of the first business day in May, all consideration of non-budget measures ceases for the duration of the legislative session.

- If the budget isn't complete - balanced, passed, and signed into law - by the end of the first business day of June, the governor and the 90 members of the legislature shall be incarcerated until a balanced budget is passed and enacted.  They will be held in a temporary holding facility constructed on the grounds of the Capitol Mall. 

Think Arpaio's tent city, just without the creature comforts, and located at Wesley Bolin Plaza.  And with bleachers set up outside the fence so that the public has the opportunity to observe the legislature in its natural environment.  :))

I figure they hold out for a maximum of three nights, spent try to get some sleep while learning which of the Weiers brothers snores the loudest and trying to ignore the wonderful aroma from the bank of porta-potties wafting through the tent.  :)

- With the exception of ballot referrals specifically required by the voters (such as the affirmation/overturning of special interest tax breaks above), the legislature shall refer no more than five measures to the ballot in any one two-year period, including measures for which a special election is called.

- "Emergency" measures, those that go into effect immediately upon the signature of the governor, currently require a 2/3 vote of each chamber to enact the "emergency" clause.  Unfortunately, the word "emergency" has changed in meaning to that of "politically expedient." 

Witness HB2191, a bill to bar the award of punitive damages to undocumented immigrants. 

It was designed to protect a specific rancher who unlawfully held a number of immigrants at gunpoint and was later ordered to pay damages.  This concept deeply offended the nativists in the legislature, and they used their positions to railroad through this bill in time to exempt the rancher from having to actually pay his debt.

Because of the abuse of the "emergency" clause, it's time to move the enactment threshold to a 3/4 vote.  If the abuse continues, we'll have to move the threshold to a unanimous vote.

- No "suspension of the rules" regarding time requirements would be allowed during special sessions.  Under most circumstances, it takes at least three days to pass a measure.  However, by a 2/3 vote, the rules, such as those requiring a certain amount of notice before a bill can be considered, can be suspended.  Too many bad bills have been all-but-completely-hidden from public view and input by passing them during one day special sessions.

- In cases where a legislator invokes or is granted immunity from arrest for an act committed during the legislative session, the prosecution "process clock" (the best term this non-attorney can come up with) is suspended for the duration of the legislative session.  In most cases, prosecutors have a limited amount of time to bring a case forward and losing 2, 3, or even 4 months to inaction because of "legislative immunity" can potentially impact their ability to seek justice.  Prosecutors with a legitimate case should not be penalized because a defendant is an elected official.

Yes, this is squarely pointed at Sen. Scott Bundgaard's domestic abuse incident.

- If the legislature passes and the governor signs or otherwise allows to become law a measure that is later overturned in federal or state court as unconstitutional, the legislators who voted for the measure and the governor shall be personally liable for the costs that the state incurred defending the measure.  A "good faith" exception would be made for measures that garnered at least a 3/4 vote in each chamber of the legislature.

- Measures cannot be considered by the legislature between the hours of 9 p.m and 7 a.m...this is one that I believe that most sitting legislators won't have an objection to...Particularly ones who have experienced one or more of the lege's infamous overnight sessions.

-  Lastly (for now), ethics and corruption laws would be significantly, even harshly, tightened up.  The lobbyist gift limit, currently set at $10, would become zero.  Meals, even those offered to every legislator, would be disallowed.  Inducements, such as trips and junkets, even "educational" ones, would be completely barred.

Violations would be Class Two felonies for both the givers and the recipients.  Convictions would carry a minimum sentence of five years in state prison per violation, and the terms for multiple offenses would have to be served consecutively.

It's one thing to disagree with an elected official on policy matters - it's politics, and politcs is all about disagreement.  If someone can't accept that with at least a little aplomb and maturity, they should consider staying away from politics entirely.

However, it's another thing entirely when the elected officials involved have no credibility because people have evidence that the electeds are dirty, crafting public policy based on "inducements" (aka - "bribes") from special interests.

Right now, Arizona government in general, and the state legislature in particular, is viewed as unprofessional, petty, and corrupt.

It's long past time to restore the honor and credibility of state government, even if the participants don't like it...and trust me, they won't.


...Thank you for allowing me to vent.  I'm under no illusions here - most of these ideas have no chance of ever becoming law.  However, one of my reasons for starting the blog was to serve as an outlet for expressions of frustration with what is wrong with Arizona.

After watching this legislature in action since January, some frustration has built up.

Coming Attractions: A "special" session of the legislature to turn every state job into a political patronage job

On Friday's edition of Horizon on PBS, three Capitol beat journalists - Howie Fischer (Capitol Media Services), Ginger Rough (Arizona Republic), and Dennis Welch (Arizona Guardian) - discussed the final hours of the legislative session and made one prediction:

Later this year, perhaps in the fall, there will be a special session of the legislature to pass Jan Brewer's scheme to remove the few civil service protections accorded to Arizona state employees.

Brewer was hot to get her proposal passed during the waning moments of the legislative session, to take some of the GOTP thunder from Wisconsin's Scott Walker, who has been on his own anti-worker jihad.

The video archive for the show isn't available as yet, but when it is, it should be here.  The Arizona Capitol Times has a full story here.  That story is behind a subscription paywall, and is chock full o'blather from the likes of Jan Brewer, Russell Pearce and Kirk Adams about how the proposal is really isn't about attacking workers and making them political slaves to Brewer et, al., but is all about helping the economy and weeding out bad employees, but not about undermining the effectiveness of government agencies or simple base patronage.  Here is the money quote:

Pearce said the plan would allow the state to hire good employees and get rid of bad ones more quickly.


“It’s a great thing to hire at-will,” he said. “All it is, is efficiency in government."

That from the same Russell Pearce who was fired, by a REPUBLICAN governor, as head of the Motor Vehicles Divsion (MVD), after, among other things, hiring one of his sons to work there.  A son who was later caught issuing false IDs for his friends.

Well, I probably shouldn't do this, but for them, and you, here's a sneak preview of the main rhetorical thrust of the posts that will go up when they pass this scheme (and it surely will pass):

The have removed the due process protection of right to a trial by jury for those accused of misdemeanor DUI, and now they wish to remove the due process protections for those accused of nothing more than doing their jobs while not being cozy enough with elected officials, lobbyists, or other political hacks.

They should be careful what they wish for.

This is the same group of legislators who take bribes from the Fiesta Bowl, proclaim themselves above the laws that the rest of us live by when they carry guns while parading around public buildings and are simply beyond the law even after assaulting their girlfriends by the side of the freeway.

Weakening due process might not be the brightest idea for this bunch.

Russell Pearce: A flexible man...with the truth anyway.

After the Fiesta Bowl released the report of its internal investigation into illegal campaign contributions and gifts of trips to football games to elected officials, one of the biggest names in the report, State Sen. Russell "The Law Is The Law" Pearce loudly and repeatedly proclaimed his innocence and purity in the matter, sticking to the story that he actually paid for his own tickets and that he had receipts to prove it.

Of course, he never actually produced those receipts.

As such, today's news in the Arizona Capitol Times didn't come as a surprise to most observers.

From the story by Jeremy Duda (subscription required) -

Senate President Russell Pearce amended several years’ worth of financial disclosure reports to include Fiesta Bowl-sponsored trips, and repaid the bowl for several tickets. In a written statement, Pearce said today he repaid the Fiesta Bowl $272 for football game tickets.

A complete AP story, written by Paul Davenport, is here.

#SchweikertFail: Some things aren't dilemmas for true public servants

In baseball, some players are "batting practice heroes," and some are "gamers."


The same is true in politics - there are wannabes, who put on a spectacular show when it doesn't count, and there are actual public servants who do the work in the trenches of public policy, taking positions and casting votes that certain of their supporters won't like (and that they themselves may not particularly like), but that are in the best interests of their constituents.

Congressman David Schweikert is shaping up as a wannabe, not a real, public servant.

From the Washington Post -

On his 104th day in office, Rep. David Schweikert stepped before about 60 of his constituents here and, like an economics professor, flipped through one scary chart after another to hammer home his point: America faces a tidal wave of debt.
Then he asked for a show of hands: If you were a freshman congressman like him, would you vote to raise the government’s debt limit?

{snip}

This is his dilemma: He knows Congress has little choice but to raise the amount of money the government can borrow to prevent the economic havoc sure to follow if the United States defaults on its loans. He also knows doing so is deeply unpopular — not only among his conservative base, but among some moderates and liberals, too.


“I desperately want to vote ‘no,’ ” Schweikert said at the town hall. “I also desperately don’t want [the economy] to crash.”

If Schweikert finds himself in a difficult political spot, it’s partly of his own making. He and the scores of other Republicans who were elected last fall ran on an unyielding pledge to cut spending, reduce the nation’s debt and generally get the country’s finances in order, a mission that has been fully embraced by party leaders in Washington.

When Harry Mitchell was in Congress, there were a number of times when I disagreed with his votes on certain measures, but I never disagreed with his motivation for those votes - trying to find the best way to serve the interests of the people of the 5th Congressional District.  He was willing to set aside his personal ideology to do what he thought was right by his constituents.

He didn't necessarily like all of the votes, but he cast the votes he thought were necessary.

David Schweikert?

If he played baseball, he'd lead the league in batting practice homers.

Ben Quayle fails geography

Ya know, you'd think that when his father opened up his rolodex of names of competent political campaign staffers to help his son buy his way into Congress, he'd have given his son a name (or two or three) of a competent office staffer, too.

However, based on today's news, you'd think wrong.

From the Arizona Guardian (story is behind subscription paywall, so the link is to the general site):

Congressman Ben Quayle's always been accused of being a carpetbagger of sorts but the GA's thinking this is getting a bit out of hand. It seems Congress' most famous son of an ex-vice president doesn’t even know where he serves these days. It appears that Quayle thinks he works for the good people of Illinois' sixth congressional district and actually wants to nominate the kids there to one if the country's military academies. That's right, according to Quayle's congressional website he says, "I may nominate applicants who are legally domiciled within the boundaries of the sixth District of Illinois."

Well, there's a silver lining in all this for Quayle - right now, his nicknames tend to be potato-based ("li'l spud", "potatoe chip", etc.) but those are based on something his father did, not that he did himself (hmmmm...sounds a LOT like his political career... :) ).

With this, perhaps for the first time in his life, he's earned something completely on his own.

Hereafter (or at least until his next embarrassing screwup) let Ben Quayle be known to all as

Rep. Ben Quayle (R-copy and paste).

Race for Phoenix Mayor: Mulitcultural Conversation event Tuesday

Thanks for the heads-up on this to Felecia Rotellini...

Greg Stanton and the other mayoral candidates in Phoenix be part of a forum tomorrow evening at Phoenix College.

From OneCommunity.co -

Phoenix is a minority-majority city, it is imperative that our next Mayor communicates with our diverse communities. Bring your questions and join us for “A Multicultural Conversation with the Candidates for Mayor" on April 19, 2011 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Bulpitt Auditorium at Phoenix College. The format will include two general questions for each candidate and conclude with questions fielded from the audience.

A Multicultural Conversation with the Candidates for Mayor is presented by Phoenix College, ONE Community, and the Maricopa Community Colleges. Event partners include Arizona Latino Research Enterprise, Arizona Progress, Arizona Small Business Association, Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Informant, Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc., Echo Magazine, Greater Phoenix Black Chamber of Commerce, Greater Phoenix Urban League, Human Rights Campaign, Latino Perspectives Magazine, Local First Arizona, 'N Touch News Magazine, National Association of Asian American Professionals, National Association of Real Estate Brokers, Native American Connections, National Black MBA Association, Inc. Phoenix Chapter, Univision, and Valle del Sol. The forum will be taped and re-broadcast on the Maricopa Community College Television Station – MCTV.

Stanton is the one outstanding candidate in a field filled with tea baggers, corporate hacks, and pretenders.  If you want to take my word for, take the opportunity to see all of the candidates in one place.  Phoenix college is a cool place, and it's easy to get to from the freeway.

Phoenix College Bulpitt Auditorium


1202 West Thomas Road

Phoenix, AZ
April 19, 2011 - 5:30pm - 7:30pm

Sine Die on Tuesday?

MSM outlets like the Arizona Capitol Times and the Arizona Republic are reporting that Senate President Russell Pearce has said that the lege could adjourn its 2011 regular session tomorrow.

From the Republic story (from AP) -

Senate President Russell Pearce says the Arizona Legislature could end its 2011 regular session as soon as Tuesday.

Pearce offered his estimate after the conclusion of the first of several Senate floor sessions expected to be held Monday.

In honor of that plan/scheme/dream, the House is holding a marathon floor session right now, and the Senate is scheduled to begin a floor session tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m., a full five hours earlier than the normal start time for a floor session.

If you want to be bored (they're just voting, with no debate or "explanations of votes) right now, go to this page and click on "View Live Proceedings."

Arizona legislature week in review and preview of the upcoming week

This is a long post, so grab a beer (or your favorite beverage of choice) before settling down to read this one... :)

As the legislative session enters its (expected) final days, they're getting ever more creative in the ways they push through their favored bits of legislation.

From this week's Farley Report, courtesy State. Rep. Steve Farley (courtesy Blog for Arizona):

Let me review for you some of the many ways bills can pass during the dramatic last couple of weeks of our session. All of these methods can happen all at once, creating a dizzying array of dangerous bills coming at us from all angles at blazing speed with virtually no public input. We may not be fully aware of what happened during this crazy time until weeks later. Here's just four bill enactment strategies being used right now:

1) The "simple" old fashioned way -- a bill is introduced in the House by a House member, heard in committee, passed through Rules and Committee of the Whole (COW) on the floor, and voted on in Third Read. Then that process starts over in the Senate. If it gets through the Senate unamended, it travels to the Governor for her signature or veto.

2) As a striker in committee -- The bill in example #1 can be replaced by an entirely different bill in a committee hearing -- often one that had stalled somewhere else in the process. This can be a shortcut to get around a certain legislator who may stand in the way. These can sneak up on you with little warning.

3) As an amendment to a germane bill on the floor in COW -- If a bill with an appropriate subject can be found in COW, a member can amend a bill of a similar topic to that bill so they both travel along their journey together. This happens with much greater frequency in the last couple of weeks as legislators frantically try to save bills that are otherwise on life support. Floor amendments are sometimes not available until a half hour before they are debated in floor, and can get lost in the competing noise of other amendments, so they can slip by nearly unnoticed.

4) As a conference committee amendment -- If that bill in example #1 gets amended in the Senate, it has to come back over to the House for the sponsor to either concur or refuse the amendments. If the sponsor concurs, the bill goes to Final Read and is sent to the Governor. If the sponsor refuses, however, the bill goes to a Conference Committee wherein much mischief can happen. Conference Committees have no notice requirements, and are made up of four Republicans and two Democrats. The deal is already done by the four Republicans before the gavel comes down, and the voting happens with little discussion and less testimony.

This past week, #3, the floor amendment in COW, was used a number of times.

- SB1080 passed the House almost unanimously - 55 in favor, 1 opposed (Democrat  Daniel Patterson) and 4 absent.  Relatiing to statutes regarding custodial interference, it was amended twice on the floor of the House, by Republican Reps. Eddie Farnsworth and Terri Proud.  It looks relatively non-controversial, but because of the late amendments, it will need to return to the Senate for final approval.

- SB1195 passed the House 53 - 1 (Republican Judy Burges), 6 absent.  Relating to service companies, it was amended on the floor by Republican Nancy McLain.  It was also have to return to the Senate.

- SB1303 passed the House unanimously.  Relating to school dropout recovery, it was amended on the floor by Republican Nancy McLain and will need to return to the Senate.

- SB1186 passed the House unanimously after it was amended by Republicans Andy Tobin and Jack Harper.  It's basically a "technical corrections" bill relating to tax laws, though whenever Republicans are involved, we should all be a little leery.  It now goes to a conference committee as the original sponsor of the measure, Sen. Steve Yarbrough, didn't sign off on the changes made by the House.

- HB2237 passed the Senate unanimously after it was amended by Republican Rich Crandall.  It relates to joint technical educational districts (JTEDs) and determining student counts.  It returns to the House for final approval.


The above bills were pretty non-controversial and the amendments to them pretty much furthered the intent of the underlying measure.

For the following bills, that's not so true -

- HB2067 passed the Senate almost unanimously (3 Ds opposed) after it was amended by Republican Andy Biggs.  As originally crafted, it served to limit the ability of county boards of supervisors to form and run non-profit entities.  Biggs' amendment turned it into an attack on the Arizona Board of Regents' control of University Medical Center in Tucson.  Yup, Andy Biggs wants to take control of the hospital that saved the lives of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and many of the other victims of Jared Loughner's mass shooting and give it over to a bunch of political hacks.  It now goes to a conference committee to iron out differences.
- SB1313 passed the House by a 38 - 18 - 4 vote that was mostly party line (2 Rs crossed over, 4 Ds absent).  As originally crafted, it requires the voters of a county to approve the establishment of a public health district in that county.  Currently laws allows the county's board of supervisors to do so by a unanimous vote.  Republican Jack Harper, long a favorite of mine (for those readers unfamiliar with the concept, that last bit was sarcasm :) ) however, has amended the bill to mandate what sort of procurement procedures public health districts utilize.

Other bills that passed one or both chambers last week:

- HB2177, Arizona's "birther" bill, passed both the House and the Senate on party line votes.  It now sits on Jan Brewer's desk.  Expectations are that the state is going to need to issue an RFP for all of the pens she will use to sign it into law.

- HB2191, barring the award of punitive damages to undocumented immigrants for any reason, passed the House on a nearly party line vote (1 D crossed over).  It's on the governor's desk awaiting her signature.

- HB2002, barring school districts from expending money to join organizations that "attempt to influence the outcome of an election" passed the House on a party line vote after being amended in the Senate to remove an exemption for joining a chamber of commerce.  On the governor's desk.

- SB1169, taking the Board of Nursing's authority to decide scope of practice matters regarding abortion and giving it to the lege itself, gained final approval in the Senate on a party line vote.  On the governor's desk.

- SB1188, granting a perference in adoption to married heterosexual couples; single people have to jump through serious hoops, and same sex couples need not apply, passed the Senate on a party line vote.  Governor's desk.

- SB1453, creating a set of "rights" saying that parents have almost absolute authority* to control their children's school work - call it the "Algebra is the Devil's Work" bill - passed the Senate on a party line vote.  Signed by the governor on Friday.  * = This is a little over the top.  It allows parents to censor any course material they consider to be too profane, vulgar, sexual, or violent.  On the other hand, you'd be surprised by how many people consider basic math or science to be objectionable.

- HB2565, creating a similar set of rights for post-secondary students, passed the Senate on a party line vote.  Back to the House for final approval.

- HB2193, relating to municipal wastewater charges, passed the Senate on a mostly party line vote (1 R and 2 Ds crossed over).  Back to the House for approval of Senate changes.

- HB2006, allowing firearms within game refuges, passed the Senate on a mostly party line vote (1 D crossing over, 1 D and 1 R absent).  Back to the House for approval of Senate changes.

- HB2102, barring the issuance of professional licenses or fingerprint clearance cards , passed the Senate on a party line vote.  Back to the House for a conference committee.  Republican nativist John Kavanagh is part of the conference, so there is a distinct possibility of serious mayhem here.

- SB1116, barring the state's universities from establishing or participating in institutes that advocate specific public policies, passed the Senate on a party line vote.  Looks to be targeted at ASU's Morrison Institute for Public Policy and U of A's Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy.  On the governor's desk.

- SB1521, relating to the establishment of head injury and concussion policies for scholastic athletes, passed the Senate unanimously.  On the governor's desk.  Originally pushed by Democratic State Rep. Ben Arredondo, his proposal died because the Republicans liked it (mostly) but refused to move any measure that made a Democrat look good.  The Republicans in the Senate demanded that any version passed by them feature a Republican name as the primary sponsor.  Hence, SB1521 passed with Republican Rich Crandall as the lead sponsor.  On the governor's desk.

- SB1167, placing all sort of restrictions on legal challenges to the ballot status of measures referred to the ballot by the legislature, passed the Senate by a party line vote.  On the governor's desk.

- SB1201, a "firearms omnibus" bill, passed the Senate on a party line vote.  Ugly, and on the governor's desk.

- SB1472, mandating certain information be included in judicial retention election publicity pamphlets, passed the Senate on a party line vote.  On the governor's desk.

- SB1593, allowing out of state insurers to sell health insurance in Arizona and not be subject to Arizona regulations (what few there are), passed the Senate on a party line vote.  On the governor's desk.

- SB1598, restricting the ability of municipalities and counties to regulate within their jurisdictions, passed the Senate by a mostly party line vote (1 D crossed over).

- SB1166, exempting corporate self-leases from sales tax, passed the House on a mostly party line vote (1 R crossed over).  On the governor's desk.

- SB1171, mandating that Pima County transfer any county-owned and operated sewage facilities located in Marana to Marana , passed the House by a mostly party line vote (4 Rs crossed over).  On the governor's desk.

- SB1326,  making the Gadsden flag, the "Don't Tread On Me" flag commandeered by the tea party movement as its symbol, exempt from HOA regulations, passed the House on a mostly party line vote (1 D crossed over).  On the governor's desk.

- SB1592, directing the governor to enter into a new Confederacy alliance/interstate compact regarding health care, passed the House on a party line vote.


That's a lot of [insert your own perjorative term here], and the coming week should be even crazier -

On Monday's House Third Read (final passage) Calendar -

- SB1088, amended in House COW to become a new Confederacy alliance/interstate compact act related to health care.  Will need to return to the Senate when passed by the House.

- SB1200, serving to reduce the use of ignition interlock systems for drivers convicted on DUI.  Amended on the House floor by Republican Vic Williams here and here, so it will need to return to the Senate when passed by the House.

- SB1226, limiting the ability of municipalities to levy secondary property taxes.  This was part of a committee striker in the House, so it will need to return to the Senate for them to approve the changes.

- SB1334, allowing hunting within city limits and barring municipalities from regulating it.  Amended on the House floor by Republicans Eddie Farnsworth and Amanda Reeve, so it will need to return to the Senate after passage by the House.

- SB1357, creating a $25 fee that must be paid by AHCCCS patients for missed appointments before they can make another appointment with a doctor/health care provider.  Also, there's a provision that would allow political subdivisions (counties, municipalities, etc.) to pony up the necessary money for health care to qualify for federal matching funds.  There's nothing in it to say where those subdivisions will find the money, but that's just a minor detail, right?

- SB1365, barring, under most circumstances, payroll deductions for political purposes.  Aimed at unions.  Amended on the House floor by Republican Andy Tobin, so it will need to return to the Senate for approval of the changes.

- SB1406, relating to a new Confederacy alliance/interstate compact relating to the construction of a fence across the border with Mexico.  Amended on the House floor by Republican Russ Jones to create a border security commission designed only to include nativist sheriffs such as Joe Arpaio and Paul Babeu.  When passed by the House, will need to return to the Senate.

- SB1465, barring the acceptance of consular-issued cards as valid identification.  Doesn't look to have been amended, so it will go to the governor upon passage.

- SB1495, establishing an armed military force separate from the national guard, answerable only to the Governor of Arizona, and funded by money siphoned from the national guard.  Goes to the governor upon passage.


The Senate's Third Read Calendar for Monday is here.

The Senate Rules Committee will meet on Monday at 11:15 a.m. in Caucus Room 1.  They'll be seeking permission for the late introduction of a bill relating to "Arizona Ombudsman-Citizens' Aide."  Has a similar basic title as HB2382, which never moved forward.  It was sponsored by Democrats.  However, the text of the late bill hasn't been posted as yet, so it may be a totally different measure.

If the measure is introduced, it will be heard in Senate Government Reform on Monday at 4 p.m or upon adjournment of the floor session, in SHR1.



Other events this week: 

The Legislature's Capitol Events calendar is here.  Tone-deaf highlight of the week:  Just a few weeks after the revelations that Fiesta Bowl lobbyists plied legislators with laundered campaign contributions and junkets to college football games, legislators and lobbyists are getting together Monday to party play a game of softball in honor of a late lobbyist.

The Arizona Capitol Times' Capitol Calendar is here.

Whew!

Top Secret!

Know the definition of "good" satire? 

You read it and think "this could really be true."

This is VERY good.


By Brent Abrahamson, of The Massachusetts Observer.  Gratefully reprinted with permission.

For Your Eyes Only


Gentlemen, thank you for joining me here today. For obvious reasons, I must ask that no notes of any kind be taken during our discussions. Recording devices of any kind are prohibited. Before you leave, you will pass through a scanner to ascertain that you have complied with our requests. Cell phones, of course, were to have been left outside this boardroom. Any questions before we begin? Good.


Now, Gentlemen, we know the problem. Our laboring class only has a certain number of productive years. Beyond that, they become a burden. As we plan for the future, we must capitalize on labor’s productive years while reducing each laborer’s longevity. Only then can we realize the maximum profits our shareholders demand.


Fortunately, we have greatly improved the landscape with our Tea Party promotions. This was a brilliant idea. Through strategic financing we have created what appears to be a grass roots movement from among the laboring class itself. There has been some minor vocal opposition, but this can be handled. Our advertizing folks tell us that just a bit of tweaking will make the Tea Partiers emerge as the voices of reason, the voices of morality, the voices of fiscal restraint, and the voices of patriotism. This is perfect.


It is therefore imperative, Gentlemen, that every proposal have those four elements. Each proposal must be seen as being reasonable, moral, fiscally responsible, and patriotic. And from our point of view, Gentlemen, each proposal must raise labor’s productivity while reducing labor’s longevity. When Wall Street teams up with Madison Avenue, nothing is impossible.


Here’s an example. Think tobacco. Think smoking. We need to reverse our policies here. We know, Gentlemen, that cigarette smoking can reduce the lifespan of the participant; yet public money is spent trying to get people to quit smoking. This works at cross-purposes with our goal, Gentlemen. The good news is that we can reverse this.


First, we must drop all taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products. This will be seen as a victory for freedom. Then we must subsidize our tobacco industry so that buying a pack of cigarettes will be possible for even the poorest laborer. We must eliminate any age restriction on its purchase and use. And, Gentlemen, we must repeal restrictions on where the product may be used. It must be welcomed in restaurants and bars and clubs. Faculty rooms, break rooms. Anywhere people gather. Now some of you Gentlemen may be objecting that you might be subject to this second-hand smoke. Think about it for a moment, Gentlemen. You aren’t going to be going to those places and the places that you do frequent are out of labor’s price range.


We must allow for free enterprise by removing all restrictions on advertising cigarettes. Smoking must be “sold” in a variety of ways. It’s fun. It’s sexy. It’s macho. It’s for the modern woman. Above all, it is patriotic. Americans will be supporting an American industry.


People who are anti-smoking are anti-American. No public funds may be expended to determine health effects because we have already settled the case. Smoking is American. It’s cheap. It’s a way to help your country while helping yourself.


Don’t you see, Gentlemen, how perfect this is? When we couple this with no access to real health care, we can’t lose. (note: We need to allow free access to euthanasia. We must sell this option as “patriotic” and as a “family value.” “Lingering on robs your kids”).


This is only one example of so much more we can do, Gentlemen. I hope you great thinkers will get things rolling. The time to strike is now. Here’s a toast, Gentlemen. Long live our class.


©2011 The Massachusetts Observer

Guest Column: Stop! Thief!

Written by friend of the blog, and friend of the blogger, Jerry Gettinger.

Stop! Thief!

They are stealing from your children. I mean they are taking away an important item from your child. Why aren’t you angry? If you came home one night after seeing a movie and discovered that your new flat screen TV had been taken by a thief, you probably would be quite angry. You would be even angrier if you found out that the person who took the TV was the same person you asked to watch your house while you were out that evening.


In a manner of speaking, that is what is happening to your child. They are taking away his or her knowledge that they will most surely need when they have to compete against those whose parents didn’t allow anything to be taken from their children. Why have you allowed them to do what they said they would not do…take your children’s education away. Oh sure, the schools are still open. But they are rapidly becoming warehouses where young people go to spend a day trying to get the teacher’s attention because they didn’t have a solution to a problem. 35 kids in a kindergarten classroom! What a nightmare!


What did they do with the money that they took from our children? They gave some to a sheriff to use to defend his county against illegal immigrants. Oh, by the way, his county isn’t on the border. They also gave Sheriff Joe some of that money to rescue a dog. I’m not against dogs; it’s just that we need to get our priorities straight.


My children are grown. I had six and they all received a good education. It shows now that they are adults. They are able to compete for good jobs, they learned how to reason and arrive at conclusions that aid them in making decisions. Sure, I paid higher taxes. But they went to school with a pencil box and 4 pencils. Everything else was supplied.


Think about it. They have taken from your children an education, they have taken the ability to compete, and most of all, and they have stolen the ability to reason.




Why aren’t you angry? You elected these people to represent you and what they did was take from you and yours. Why aren’t you angry?


Somebody yell “stop thief!”

Nearly $100 million is missing!! Somebody call the sheriff! Oh wait...

From AP, via the Washington Post -

An examination in Arizona’s Maricopa County has found that the sheriff’s office, widely known for efforts against illegal immigrants, inappropriately spent $99 million from two jail funds over the last eight years to pay for other law enforcement operations — including immigration patrols.


The $99 million figure released Wednesday is an update to an estimate made in September by budget officials who said the sheriff’s office was believed to have used $60 million and $80 million over four or five years from a jail tax on other purposes. Since then, officials said they discovered that the sheriff’s office had inappropriately spent money from a second jail account.

Hmmm...it seems that calling the sheriff to investigate this case would be like calling the fox to investigate a missing hen.

...On second thought, at $100 million, it's more like calling the fox to investigate a missing hen house.

...Actually, on third thought, at that price, make that "the missing hen house at the Taj Mahal".

SB1460: A "birther" bill aimed at neighborhood activists

Some people, including a few that I'm related to, scoff when others, including me, make the argument that the Republican Party's real agenda is, and has been for years, the protection and furtherance of the interests of Big Business and the wealthy (yeah, that's a little redundant, but just go with it  :) ).

Sometimes they don't hide that fact - witness the never-ending stream of tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest 1%.

Other times, they try to hide it by burying it deep in "housekeeping" bills such as omnibus measures that make a lot of small changes to law.

Witness SB1460 (House floor amendment here), which passed House Committee of the Whole (COW) consideration on Monday.

It started its legislative existence as a short measure with the innocuous-sounding subject of "liquor licensees; records." 

And it actually *was* innocuous, being little more than a technical change.

Then it was amended in the Senate into a "liquor omnibus" bill, pushed by current state senator and likely future Congressional candidate Michele Reagan (R-North Scottsdale).


Buried among all manner of small revisions to liquor law is one rather stinky nugget regarding the ability of neighborhood groups to have input on proposed liquor licenses in their neighborhood (from the House amendment) -

"...the written argument shall contain the natural person’s complete name, street address or post office box address and written or electronic signature. If the written arguments are filed by a person on behalf of a corporation or other legal entity or association, the written arguments must be accompanied by a copy of the entities organizing document, a designation of the office or position that the person holds within the organization and a copy of the written appointment of the person to speak on behalf of the organization."

Current law contains no such provisions, and in the case of many neighborhood organizations, the required documents may not now be available, if they ever even existed.

It's sort of like the birthers' insistence on the presentation of a mythical "long form" birth certificate to prove eligibility for office.

Other facets of this that are designed to inhibit neighborhood input and opposition efforts:

- The requirements for arguments against a particular liquor license don't apply to those submitting arguments in support of that license

- Under the provisions of the bill, people couldn't argue against a permit application based on the applicant, only the location.  The late Jeffrey Dahmer could apply for a liquor license and neighbors could only speak about the place, not the cannibal

- If the ownership of a facility holding a non-transferable license changes and it becomes necessary for there to be a hearing on the issuance of a new license for a new owner, there will be a presumption that the license is needed and appropriate.  The burden of proof will then be on the neighborhood to prove otherwise if they have problems with the license location

All of the above provisions from Reagan/the liquor industry seem to be designed to promote profitability at the expense of community input.

However, these aren't the only provisions that sacrifice good governance in favor of industry whims.

One provision allows the expansion of previously existing licensed businesses that are within 300 feet of schools, churches, and recreational areas adjacent to schools.  Others remove the ability of cities and towns to manage local zoning or to collect administrative fees relating to liquor license applications, even when the municipality incurs costs relating to liquor licenses.

I know that Sen. Reagan is the chair of the Senate's Economic Development and Jobs Creation, but it seems that the only "economy" she is trying to develop is the economy of an "industry" that does nothing to enhance society (and I say this as someone who has been known to imbibe occasionally).

SB1460 is scheduled for Third Read (final passage) in the House on Tuesday.  If it passes, and I presume that it will, it will then need to go back to the Senate for approval of the changes made by the House.  It should then reach the Senate floor on Thursday or early next week.

Arizona legislature: Week in review and preview of the coming week

In a development this past week that is both "review" and "preview," Senate President Russell Pearce threatened/promised to bring back some of his anti-immigrant measures that failed to pass earlier in the session.

From a Howard Fischer-written story, courtesy the East Valley Tribune -

Unwilling to accept defeat, Senate President Russell Pearce is going to make one last bid to convince Republican colleagues to approve new state laws aimed at illegal immigrants.

{snip}

But Pearce said there are "enforcement provisions" in his SB 1611, one of the defeated bills, that he believes can get sufficient support for approval.

One section, for example, would require public housing authorities to evict any family where even just one member is an illegal immigrant. Other provisions would make it a crime for an illegal immigrant to drive a vehicle in Arizona and restrict the ability of those not here legally to register a vehicle.

There also is another bid to deny illegal immigrants admission into any state university or community college.

That will probably pop up later in the week, as most of Monday's agendas have already been posted:

- On Monday's House's "Final Read" calendar, signing off on changes to previously approved House bills that the Senate added before forwarding the measures to the Governor -

HB2103, exempting "baked and confectionary goods from the Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS) rules relating to food safety, if the product is made in a private home for commercial purposes, is not potentially hazardous and is properly labeled.  Requires DHS to establish an online registry of persons who are authorized to prepare the exempt product." (Quoting the legislative summary for this measure)

HB2191, a retroactive "emergency" measure (meaning that it will go into effect immediately upon the signature of the Governor, if passed by a 2/3 vote), barring the award of punitive damages to undocumented immigrants.  This is essentially a "private" bill to help out a rancher who held a number of immigrants at gunpoint and lost a lawsuit over the incident.  However, it's a private bill with long-term public effects.


- On the House's Third Read (final passage) calendar for Monday -

SB1166, exempting from sales taxes commercial leases between two entities of the same corporation

SB1171, allowing Marana to take over a wastewater treatment facility run by Pima County.  Dueling op-eds on the issue here and here

SB1326, barring HOAs from restricting the display of the "Gadsden" flag (the one that says "Don't tread on me") that has been commandeered by tea party types


- The House COW (Committee of the Whole) calendars for Monday are here, here, here, here, and here.

- The House Rules Committee agenda for Monday (1 p.m. in HHR4) is here.

Both of the above categories can serve as a preview of House action later in the week.


- Over in the Senate, they haven't posted a Third Read calendar as yet, but their Monday COW calendar is here.

- Monday's agenda for the Senate Rules Committee (10:30 a.m., Caucus Room 1) is here.

- Four Senate committees are scheduled to meet on Monday to consider executive nominations - Natural Resources and Transportation (SHR109), Education (SHR3), Judiciary (SHR1), Commerce and Energy (SHR109, after Natural Resources and Transportation) - and one, Water, Land Use, and Rural Development, is scheduled to meet on Wednesday in SHR109 at 11 a.m. or upon adjournment of the floor session, also to consider an executive nomination.

The legislature's Capitol Events calendar for the week is here (highlight: on Monday, they're going to travel to the Ben Avery Shooting Range and play with their guns); the Arizona Capitol Times' Capitol Calendar is here.


Last week was relatively quiet on the bill passage front..."relatively" being the key word here - lots of bad bills passed, one already being signed into law by Jan Brewer:

SB1288, allowing "professionals" a free pass on unprofessional conduct that is based on their religious beliefs.  Passed the House on a mostly party line vote (1 R crossed over, 1 D absent)

SB1403, barring any state agency or political subdivision (counties, municipalities, school districts, etc.) from conditioning the award of public works contracts on the use of union labor, passed the House on a party line vote on Monday and signed into law by the Governor on Wednesday

SB1165, prohibiting "municipalities from contracting with or employing auditors on a contingent fee basis for the purpose of auditing any transaction privilege tax (TPT) or affiliated taxes levied and from contracting with a third party for the collection, administration or processing of those taxes, with exceptions" (quoting the legislative summary), passed the House on a somewhat party line vote (8 of 20 Ds supported, 3 of 40 Rs opposed, 1 D absent)

SB1412, revisions to early voting rules, passed the House on a party line vote Tuesday and the Senate concurred with House amendments on Wednesday in a mixed vote (2 Ds and 1 R opposed, 2 Ds absent).  The key provision makes it a Class 5 felony to offer or provide, or receive or agree to receive, a "consideration" in exchange for an early ballot, be it voted or unvoted.  "Consideration" is not defined.  This bill was and is targeted at Democratic efforts to elevate voter turnout by accepting voted early ballots and delivering them to polling places/county elections.  I'm not sure, but offering to help someone save time or gas or anything else needed to turn in a ballot could now be a felony

HB2064, prohibiting the application of a foreign laws by Arizona's courts, agencies, or political subdivisions, but specifically exempting businesses and business associations from the prohibition, passed the Senate on a mostly party line vote (1 D supporting, 2 Ds absent) on Tuesday with the House concurring with Senate amendments by a party line vote on Thursday

HB2384, banning public monies from being used for providing training in the performance of abortions, passed the Senate on a party line vote.  Could result in the decertification of Maricopa Medical Center as a teaching hospital, resulting in the loss of its federal funding, a significant chunk of its annual revenue

HB2581, greatly expanding the school tuition tax credit for businesses, passed the Senate on a party line vote.  Should be called the "Steve Yarbrough Needs More Revenue" act

SB1553, school vouchers, now euphemistically called "Arizona Empowerment Accounts," passed the House on a party line vote Tuesday and House amendments to the measure were appoved by the Senate Thursday on a party line vote

HB2002, barring school districts from spending money on membership in organizations that attempt to "influence the outcome of an election", passed the Senate on a party line vote and now returns to the House for approval of Senate amendments to the bill

HB2301, allowing school districts to redirect funding for "soft capital" (books, desks, and other classroom needs) and using those monies to pay for operations and maintenance expenses, funding for which has been severely cut by the legislature , passed the Senate on a mostly party line vote (1 D supporting, 2 Ds absent) and now returns to the House for approval of Senate amendments ot the bill


Later...

What's the difference between the Tea Party and a black hole?

One is incredibly dense and sucks all of the light and energy from a collapsing stars and other things around them, and the other is an astonomical phenomenon.  :)

First, today's politics lesson from Republican House Speaker John Boehner, courtesy ABC News' George Stephanopoulos -

Speaker of the House John Boehner said he is in lockstep with the Tea Party on budget negotiations despite claims from Democrats that there could be a deal if only he could buck the Tea Party.


“Listen, there’s no daylight between the Tea Party and me,” Boehner told me today during our exclusive interview.

Now, today's science lesson, courtesy NationalGeographic.com -

Black holes are the cold remnants of former stars, so dense that no matter—not even light—is able to escape their powerful gravitational pull.


While most stars end up as white dwarfs or neutron stars, black holes are the last evolutionary stage in the lifetimes of enormous stars that had been at least 10 or 15 times as massive as our own sun.