The coming week...

As usual, all committee agenda and schedules subject to change without notice...

I'm guessing that the stores in the area of the state capitol have experienced a run on lip balm due to an epidemic of chapped lips centered on 1700 West Washington.

The session of the legislature has reached the point where the only committee that can hear bills are the respective chambers' Appropriation committees, when means that every Republican legislator (Democrats need not apply) with a proposal that he or she would like to keep alive is kissing up to the chairs of the Appropriations committees, Rep. John Kavanagh and Sen. Don Shooter.

Hence the epidemic of chapped lips, and the run on lip balm. :)

This is the week when the appropriations committees begin to earn their pay.  No, they aren't considering budget bills (and they don't even "work" on those, unless you think that rubberstamping whatever the Republican leadership of the lege puts in front of them to be "work") but the approps agendas this week are as long as that of all committee agendas combined during a normal week.  This week's committee meetings will take hours.


Items of interest on the agenda for Wednesday's meeting of House Appropriations (HHR1, 2 p.m.):

- A striker to SB1153 with the subject of "rental cars; liability insurance; subrogation".  No text available as yet, but Arizona's Republican legislators don't pull out all the stops for good governance measures.

- SB1231, giving a quarter million dollars to Tom Horne so that he can sue the US Forest Service (USFS) over forest thinning on USFS lands (the Rs want more logging of public lands for private profit)

- SB1333, creating a council empowered to mount legal challenges to any federal law or policy that it doesn't like, and authorizing appropriations for such purposes

- SB1495, mandating drug testing for applicants for and recipients of unemployment insurance payments.  In a particularly vicious clause, it further mandates that the applicants/recipients pay for the drug tests.  You know, the people who have no jobs and no income to use to pay for the drug tests.

- A striker to SCR1030 with the subject of "photo enforcement; speeding; prohibition".  No text available as yet, but I don't think that they are proposing a measure to prohibit speeding.


Items of interest on the agenda of Tuesday's meeting of Senate Appropriations (SHR109, 10 a.m.):

- A striker to HCR2056, a proposed amendment to the Arizona Constitution to "simplify" language regarding the state land fund.

- A striker to HB2127, regarding tax incentives for motion picture productions in Arizona

- A striker to HB2388, regarding the pharmacy board and rules regarding controlled substances

- A striker to HB2486, subject "minors; reporting duty; deceased; missing", no text available as yet

- A striker to HB2557, affecting the definition of "intersection" on Arizona's roads.  Looks like a resurrection of Sen. Frank Antenori's SB1313, which was defeated in a House committee on Thursday.  Antenori, ever accustomed to getting his way, expressed his displeasure at the defeat.  Energetically.

- A striker to HB2493, creating another tax credit for big business (paired with SB1495 above, this two-step perfectly illustrates the Rs contempt for the average Arizonan and their adoration of the 1%)

- HB2571, turning the state's merit employment system into a spoils system benefitting Jan Brewer and her allies in the legislature...

- HB2815, creating a business tax credit for expenses incurred due to a government regulation, and docking the regulating entity for the amount of the credit

- A striker to HB2848, attacking public unions, including taking away the right to strike

- A striker to HB2410, expanding an already-existing business tax credit


The agendas of the Rules committees of each chamber serve as a good preview of upcoming floor activity - House Rules' agenda is here; Senate Rules' is here.

Speaking of floor action, on Monday, the Senate will consider HB2035 (undermining "clarifying" the voter-enacted (and voter protected) Medical Marijuana Act (this one needs a 3/4 vote to pass under the provisions of the Voter Protection Act, and it didn't receive that in the House, so I think this one will still have to go back to the House for a revote if it passes the Senate), HB2386 (an ALEC bill, lessening corporate liability on asbestos-related claims), and HB2640 (allowing "hunters" to use ammunition magazines of unlimited size), among others.

A couple of other Senate committees are scheduled to meet to consider executive branch nominations.  The most notable of those, at least for regular readers, is the nomination of former State Senator Carolyn Allen (R-Scottsdale) to the Biomedical Research Commission.  Her nomination will be heard on Wednesday by Healthcare and Medical Liability Reform.

All floor calendars can be found here.
All Senate committee agenda are here; House committee agendas are here.
The lege's Capitol Events calendar is here; the Arizona Capitol Times' Capitol Calendar is here.