Showing posts with label Arizona Legislature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arizona Legislature. Show all posts

Friday, October 31, 2025

Legislator wants to install speed inhibitor devices into the vehicles of speeders

Could someone please explain to me how devices installed into cars are less intrusive than traffic enforcement cameras, which Republican legislators absolutely *hate* (but never go into a vehicle)?

From Arizona Capitol Times , written by Jakob Thorington

Arizona to consider speed-limiting devices to improve road safety

An Arizona representative is trying to make the state’s roads safer by using new technology to tether excessive and frequent speeders to the posted speed limits. 

Rep. Quang Nguyen, R-Prescott Valley, said on Oct. 27 that he’s introducing a bill next session that would allow courts to order a speed-inhibitor device to be installed in the vehicles of motorists who frequently or excessively violate speeding laws. 

The "money line" in the article is the last one in the article...and the emphasis is on "money".

If the bill becomes law next session, Arizona would launch a competitive procurement process for companies to bid and become approved providers of devices that can be used.
 

Don't be shocked if the 2026 bill doing this is written in such a way that only one or two companies can meet the conditions that "approved" device providers will be required to meet.

An enterprising prosecutor could try to establish their professional bona fides by looking for financial ties between those companies and supporters of the measure.

During the 2025 session, Rep. Nguyen introduced HB2786, designed to mandate the installation of such devices.  It failed in the House.  Twice.


Actually, I think I know why Republican legislators hate traffic cameras so much.

They keep catching them doing bad things.


Legislative schedule - week starting 11/02/2025

Like last week, nothing is on the schedule...but two weeks from today, Republican Representative Alexander Kolodin will use his position to campaign for Arizona Secretary of State.

On the taxpayer dime.





Friday, October 17, 2025

Legislative schedule - week starting 10/19/2025

Rerun: Back to the normal intersession schedule at the Arizona Legislature - nothing is on the schedule this week.





Friday, October 10, 2025

Legislative schedule - week starting 10/12/2025

Back to the normal intersession schedule at the Arizona Legislature - nothing is on the schedule this week.





Friday, October 03, 2025

Legislative schedule - week starting 10/5/2025

Wow!  There's another WHOLE meeting this week!

Of course, I expect that this one will be all about Senate Republicans using the meeting as a platform for bashing the things they want bash - public schools in general, and Tolleson Union High School District in particular (and truth be told, they seem to have earned some bashing) and the Arizona Department of Housing.




On Monday, 10/6 - Nada.

On Tuesday, 10/7 


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Joint Legislative Audit Committee meets at 9:30 a.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: no bills, just some bashing.






On Wednesday 10/8 and Thursday, 10/9 - nada.

Friday, September 26, 2025

Legislative schedule - week starting 9/28/2025

Wow!  There's another WHOLE meeting this week!

Of course, I expect that this one will be all about Senate Republicans using the meeting as a platform for bashing the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS, or Arizona's version of Medicaid).




On Monday, 9/29 and Tuesday, 9/30 - 

Nada.


On Wednesday, 10/1 


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Senate Health and Human Services meets at 1 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda:  no bills, no presentations.  

Just comments about AHCCCS.







On Thursday, 10/2 -

Nada

Friday, September 19, 2025

Legislative schedule - week starting 9/21/2025

The isn't much going on at the legislature, but there are signs of life down there.




On Monday, 9/22 and Tuesday, 9/23 - 

Nada


On Wednesday, 9/24 


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Vulnerable Adult System Study Committee meets at 1 p.m.in SHR1.  On the agenda: no bills.


On Thursday, 9/25 -

Nada.


Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Guess all of AZ's problems are solved

Or either the AZ State Senate President has wayyyyy too much time on his hands.

From KXNV (Phoenix channel 15) -

Arizona senate president proposes renaming Valley highway in honor of Charlie Kirk

Arizona's state senate president is proposing new legislation to rename a Valley freeway to honor the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Senate President Warren Petersen says he will introduce legislation to rename Loop 202 in the Phoenix Metro area to the "Charlie Kirk Memorial Loop 202."


Apparently, Arizona's water problems (both quantity and quality), air problems (quality), and heat-related deaths problems have been solved and there's no need for the AZ legislature to consider substantive legislation at this point.

OK - Petersen is running for AZ Attorney General and may wish to secure the MAGA vote is the primary.


Saturday, September 13, 2025

Arizona Legislature 101: The Double Standard

Newbies at the Arizona State Legislature (or perhaps people who are newly-minted lege-watchers) may have an idealized view of it, thinking that it's a legislative body looking out for the best interests of the people of AZ.

The reality of the AZ lege is somewhat different.

If there were a course on it, the syllabus for that course would include a section on "The Double Standard."

To whit (because this stuff would be certain to be covered in such a course) -

From KXNV (Phoenix channel 15), written by Rachel Louise Just, dated 9/5 -

Sen. Analise Ortiz faces ethics investigation over ICE warning repost

State Senator Analise Ortiz is facing an ethics investigation and calls for expulsion from the Arizona Senate after she reshared a post that included the location of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation.

This week, State Senator Jake Hoffman, R-LD12, formally asked for an ethics investigation into Ortiz, hoping it would lead to her expulsion.

"I think it's a clear violation of that oath of office," Hoffman told ABC15.

Yet, 


From AZMirror, written Jerod MacDonald-Evoy -

Ethics Committee won’t investigate Islamophobic comments from Republican representative

The House Ethics Committee will not investigate an ethics complaint by Democratic leaders against Kingman Republican John Gillette, after he called Muslims “f***ing savages” and posted a series of Islamophobic comments on social media calling members of the faith “terrorists” from “sh*t hole countries” intent on destroying America.

House Ethics Committee Chairman Lupe Diaz, R-Benson, said he would not be taking the matter further and claimed that Democratic leaders were “weaponizing” the House Ethics complaint process. Diaz has not responded to multiple requests for comment about Gillette’s comments or the ethics complaint from the Arizona Mirror.

 

Whatever could be the difference between the two members? (that's sarcasm folks - I know what the difference is)

Friday, September 12, 2025

Legislative schedule - week starting 9/14/2025

Did anything interesting happen this week or is expected to happen next week? :)

Nothing is on the schedule at the Arizona Legislature -





Saturday, August 23, 2025

Legislative schedule - week starting 8/24/2025

Wow!!!

There's two whole committees on this week's schedule at the Arizona legislature this week!  Two!

Of course, there's a holiday the following week, so they may be doubling up in lieu of doing anything in the aftermath of the holiday.




On Monday, 8/25 - Nada.

On Tuesday, 8/26 


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Joint Ad Hoc Study Committee on Correctional Practices and Facility Safety meets at 10 a.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: no bills; two presentations/testimony about the Arizona Department of Corrections. 

One of the entries on the agenda is a rather vague "Expert testimony relating to the Department of Corrections".  The agenda states that no public testimony will be taken at the meeting.

The press release from House Rs on the meeting says some of the testimony will be from "subject matter experts".  Which may be the R way of saying "Who needs facts?  We're just going listen to want to hear."

The press release states one purpose of the meeting will be to examine a rise in inmate deaths in state prisons.  What the press release *doesn't* state is if the Rs controlling the committee want that number reduced or increased.

The press release goes on to say that another "focus" of the meeting will be to look into a "growing number of custody-level overrides".

Wonder if Ghislaine Maxwell will be one of the "subject matter experts" giving testimony.


On Wednesday, 8/27 


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Joint Legislative Ad Hoc Committee on Family Court Orders meets at 9 a.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: no bills; just testimony.  Unlike the other meeting, the Rs running this one actually want testimony from members of the public...so long as they felt the "impact of" (OK, disagree with) an order from a family court.


On Thursday, 8/28 - Nada.


Friday, August 15, 2025

Legislative schedule - week starting 8/17/2025

Well, unlike the last couple of weeks when there was nothing on the schedule at the legislature, there's a little going on.

But only a little.

And it's on the schedule for Monday.




On Monday, 8/18 


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Senate Health and Human Services meets at 2 p.m.in SHR1.  On the agenda: no bills; presentations from Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS), Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), Arizona Attorney General's Office (AZ AG), and the Maricopa County Attorney's Office (MCAO).


On Tuesday, 8/19, Wednesday, 8/20, and Thursday, 8/21 - Nada


Friday, August 01, 2025

Legislative schedule - week starting 8/3/2025

There's absolutely nothing on the legislative schedule at this point.

That may change, so keep an eye out, but as it's August, I don't expect that to change.





Friday, July 25, 2025

Legislative schedule - week starting 7/27/2025

There's no legislative activity scheduled to take place at the Capitol, but there is one committee meeting scheduled in Payson.

Can you say "Taxpayer-funded road trip"?!?





On Monday, 7/28 - nada.

On Tuesday, 7/29 


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Fire Preparedness Committee House Ad Hoc meets at 10 a.m. at Gila Community College - 201 N. Mud Springs Rd, Payson, AZ 85541.  On the agenda: presentations from the Department of Forestry and Fire Management and SRP.  


Saturday, July 19, 2025

Legislative schedule - week starting 7/20/2025

Now that the legislature has adjourned, there isn't much going on down there, but there a little bit going on this week.

OK, just a little bit. :)




On Monday, 7/21 




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At 9 a.m. Joint Legislative Audit Committee meets in HHR1.  On the agenda: three presentations, one of which involves ESAs (school voucher scam).  One portion will be given by the state's office of the Auditor General (controlled by the ESA enablers in the legislature) and the other portion will be given by the Arizona Department of Education (headed by ESA apologist Tom Horne).

It doesn't seem to be unreasonable to expect an ESA propaganda session.