Legislative schedule - week starting 5/19/2024

Two Senate committees are scheduled to meet this week to consider some executive nominations, however, I 'm pretty sure there will some floor sessions so the Republicans can speechify over consider their anti-immigrant and anti-voting measures.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one. 

On Monday, 5/20 - Nada scheduled.

On Tuesday, 5/21 -

Senate Education meets at 1 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: no bills, just two executive nominations - Bradley Boute to the State Board for Private Postsecondary Education and Jadyn Shane Fisher to the Arizona Board of Regents.

On Wednesday, 5/22 -

Senate Transportation, Technology and Missing Children meets at 10 a.m. is SHR2.  On the agenda: no bills, just two executive nominations - Bassam M. Elters and Ginaveve L. Howard to the State Transportation Board.

On Thursday, 5/23 - Nada scheduled.

UPDATED Legislative schedule - week starting 5/12/2024

There's some activity on the schedule this week.  It seems to be of the "hatred of voters" genus.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one. 

On Monday, 5/13, Tuesday, 5/14, and Wednesday, 5/15 - Nada.  Note: The Joint Legislative Audit  Committee was scheduled to meet on Wednesday, but that has been pulled from the schedule.

On Thursday, 5/16 -

Senate Elections meets at 10 a.m. in SHR1.  One item on the agenda: a striker to HCR2056, working title of "elections."  Text not available as yet, but with this bunch, it's reasonable to expect it to be fear-based propaganda that has nothing to do with reality.

[Edited on 5/14 to add ]

On Wednesday 5/15 -

House Ethics meets at 4 p.m.HHR4.  On the agenda: they're scheduled to hear the complaint filed by some snowflakes against Democratic Reps De Los Santos and Ortiz over their criticisms of the snowflakes and the snowflakes' unquestioning support for the Civil War-era near total abortion ban.

The text of the striker to be heard by Senate Election on 5/16 is now available.  It should be named "The We Hate Voting Act."

[/end edit]

AZ finally repeals total abortion ban. But thanks to the AZ Supreme Court, it will go into effect anyway.

Unless they update their ruling.

From AZ Mirror, written by Gloria Rebecca Gomez -

The 1864 abortion law is officially repealed, but when it takes effect remains uncertain

With a stroke of a pen on Thursday, Gov. Katie Hobbs struck down a 160-year-old near-total abortion ban. 

Just a day earlier, Democrats in the state Senate succeeded in peeling away enough Republican votes to repeal an abortion ban first passed in 1864, while Arizona was still a territory. The push to repeal it came after the state Supreme Court ruled it was once again enforceable, and Hobbs’ signature ended weeks of turmoil as the Republican-majority legislature grappled with the political fallout. 

[snip]

But while Hobbs’ approval removes that threat from state law, she noted that access to abortion   is still not guaranteed. With the repeal of the 1864 law, a 2022 law banning abortions after 15 weeks takes precedence. 

[snip]

And while the repeal of the 1864 law is now finalized, it won’t be effective until months after the state Supreme Court ruled it can be enforced on June 27. That’s because bills signed by the governor don’t go into effect until 90 days after the end of the legislative session, and with the state budget still being negotiated, that likely won’t happen for several more weeks yet, pushing the repeal’s effectiveness date into the fall at the earliest. 

[snip]

In response to the conflicting timelines, Democrats and abortion advocacy groups have sought to use legal maneuvers to delay the reimplementation of the 1864 law until the repeal can go into effect. Earlier this week, one day before the repeal was successful, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a motion with the state Supreme Court requesting a 90-day reprieve while her office explored the possibility of appealing the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. 

The repeal passed the legislature with the votes of all Democratic members and five Republicans voting for it.

My basic cynicism may show with this, but I truly believe that the Rs who voted for the repeal drew the short straws and engaged in the political equivalent of "taking one for the team."

The original ruling by the AZ Supes that started this drama is here.

UPDATED Legislative schedule - week starting 5/5/2024

There's some activity on the schedule this week.  It seems to be of the "hatred of the other" genus.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one. 

On Monday, 5/6 and Tuesday, 5/7 - Nada.  As in nothing on the schedule at this point.

On Wednesday, 5/8 -

Senate Military Affairs, Public Safety and Border Security meets at 1 p.m. in SHR2.  One item on the agenda:  a proposed striker to HCR2060.  The text of the proposed striker isn't available as of this writing, but given the name of it (which is on the agenda), "border security", it's almost certainly going to be a hate-fest Republican propaganda intended to bypass Governor Hobbs' veto.

There will almost certainly be floor sessions in both chambers as the majority in the lege seeks to continue the session without doing anything.

On Thursday, 5/9 - More nada on the schedule.

[edit on 5/7 to add]

The committee meeting has been moved to SHR1.  The text of the striker is now available.  It should be named "The Attorney Full Employment Act." 

Also, there will be a joint meeting of Senate MAPS and House Judiciary at 1 p.m. in SHR1.  The agenda states that they will be discussing the striker, but I expect that the reality is that any Republican members will simply give a xenophobic campaign speech.

[/end edit]

Legislative schedule - week starting 4/28/2024

There isn't much on the schedule at the legislature...as yet.  I expect that to change as the week goes on. 

The House, with all Democratic votes, and a few Republican votes, passed a bill to repeal Arizona's Civil War-era abortion ban.  Now, that repeal travels to the Senate.  Where they may consider the bill.  Or not.  

Where they may pass the bill.  Or not. 

Also, the House Ethics Committee may meet to railroad through the trumped up complaint against two Democrats for making Republicans feel uncomfortable during the debate on repealing the ban.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one. 

On Monday 4/29 and Tuesday, 4/30 -

Nada.

On Wednesday, 5/1 -

Joint Legislative Budget Committee meets at 9 a.m. in SHR1.  No bills on the agenda, just an executive session for one item and where the other items will be considered with a single vote.

On Thursday, 5/2 -

Nada.

Actually, the most interesting events on the legislative schedule are non-legislative ones:

On Wednesday, 5/1 -

On Thursday, 5/2 -

Guessing that the only way that the Center for Arizona Policy shows up to the first event is to stamp their feet and protest the event.

If they can be bothered to take time away from twisting the arms of state senators.

Legislative schedule - week starting 4/21/2024

This week's post a literal copy-and-paste of last week's...other than pic showing the lege schedule.  This past week, they met and did nothing.

The copied stuff will be italicized.

Nada,  As in no committee or floor activity is yet scheduled...though they will reconvene midweek and pass something to overturn the pre-statehood anti-abortion law that was recently upheld by the AZ Supreme Court...passing something with so many poison pills that it will never be supported by any free-thinking person.

Or else they'll do nothing and adjourn.  Again.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one. 

Legislative schedule - week starting 4/14/2024

Nada,  As in no committee or floor activity is yet scheduled...though they will reconvene midweek and pass something to overturn the pre-statehood anti-abortion law that was recently upheld by the AZ Supreme Court...passing something with so many poison pills that it will never be supported by any free-thinking person.

Or else they'll do nothing and adjourn.  Again.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one. 

AZ Republicans show their true colors

From The Guardian (UK) -

Arizona Republicans block abortion-ban repeal after denouncing court ruling

Republicans in Arizona halted an effort by Democrats on Wednesday to repeal an 1864 law banning almost all abortions, which the state supreme court this week ruled could go into effect.

The move came after Republican lawmakers in the state had denounced the court’s decision, including some who previously expressed support for the law. Donald Trump and other high-profile Republicans, such as the Senate candidate Kari Lake, had also declared their opposition to the ruling with Lake urging lawmakers to “come up with an immediate commonsense solution that Arizonans can support”.

[snip]

Some Republicans in the state had, surprisingly, come out against the court’s decision. “This decision cannot stand,” Matt Gress, a Republican state representative, said. “I categorically reject rolling back the clock to a time when slavery was still legal and we could lock up women and doctors because of an abortion.”

Gress had tried to bring forth a bill to repeal the ban but then voted with other Republicans to move to recess.

The move to adjourn was MIS005.

It passed by one vote

.

That vote -

I don't think that there was any real doubt that the adjournment motion was going to pass.  Nope, the only real question about this was whether the grifters lobbyists at the Center for Arizona Policy (CAP) were busy tugging on the leash that runs between them and the Rs in the AZ legislature or if they spent their time rubbing their hands together gleefully.

My guess is that it wasn't the leash, and I have two reasons for believing that:

1. The AZ legislature doesn't need any prompting to come to CAP's heel.

2. CAP does seem rather gleeful.

Legislative schedule - week starting 4/7/2024

Nada.  As in there are no bills slated to be considered by a committee, though there may be some floor activity when our legislators get back from the vacation, on Wednesday.

Nearly three years ago, I wrote a post about holding an AZ Constitutional Convention to rein in the state legislature.  There were many suggestions that I made then, but recent events have made a couple more seem advisable.

1. The legislature would get one week after the budget is finished in order to finish dealing with any loose ends; after the week, the legislature would be out of session and all payments of public funds, other than their base salary, to legislators would cease unless called into a special session by the governor (and those would be limited to twice a year, and for a week at a time).  Certain legislators find "per diems" (and other payments) to be rather lucrative.

2. All laws crafted by the legislature would have a clause that people who violate them would receive the same punishments regardless of their wealth (or lack of it), well-connected status, or marginalized status.  We can call this the "Charles Ryan" clause.  Any police officer, prosecutor, or judge involved in contravening this clause would receive a year and a day in prison PLUS the harsher of the sentences in question.  And the harsher of the two sentences imposed (that started all of this) would be reduced to the lesser of the two sentences.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one. 

On Wednesday, 4/10 

-

Senate Health and Human Services meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  No bills on the agenda; just some executive nominations.

Legislative schedule - week starting 3/31/2024

This week: Nada is on the schedule. No committees will meet to consider bills, not even the respective chambers' Appropriations committees.  The Rules committees of the respective chambers will meet, but since they only care about whether a bill is Constitutional (though a court may disagree) and don't take testimony on a bill, I don't regard that as "consideration."

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one. 

On Tuesday, 4/2 

-

Senate Health and Human Services meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: no bills, just three executive nominations, if those are assigned to the committee.

Legislative schedule - week starting 3/24/2024

Many bills that died during the legislative session are coming back as strikers this week, and I presume, going forward until the lege adjourns sine die.

There's also a lot a sneakiness on committee agendas this week.  I expect that to continue until sine die, too.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one.

On Monday, 3/25 

-

House Appropriations meets at 1:30 p.m.in HHR1.  On the agenda: 12 bills, eight with proposed strikers.  Most are attempts to resurrect bills that didn't make it through the legislative process.  Lots of propaganda and bad government here, both in the basic bills and the proposed strikers.  However, the one looks to be the most interesting is Rep. David Livingston's proposed striker to SCR1010.  If passed, coming to a ballot this fall would be his plan to give legislators a pay raise by tying their salaries to the rate of inflation.  While this seems sneaky and underhanded and I oppose it for that reason, I am in favor of increasing legislative compensation.  I am a firm believer in "you get what you pay for"...and Arizona pays its legislators garbage.

Which explains some of the stinky nuggets that the AZ state legislature produces.

On Tuesday, 3/26 

-

Senate Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: 10 bills, with two proposed strikers.  Some propaganda here but the paean to "sneaky" is Sen, John Kavanagh's proposed striker to HB2270.  It has the innocuous-sounding working title of "homeless; fund; audit."  But it's much more than that.

Among (many) other things, Kavanagh's proposed amendment would create a crime for someone to "intentionally be present in a drug-free homeless service zone to sell or transfer dangerous drugs or narcotic drugs."  A person convicted of such would be ineligible for suspension of sentence, pardon, probation or any early release except under some specified circumstances, and parole doesn't seem to be one of them.

It would also require that all facilities that serve homeless individuals or victims of domestic violence to post sign designating them as "drug-free zones" (guessing that this measure will be supported by Republicans who rail against gun-free zones) and would also require hotels that serve both homeless persons and the general public to post signs that say "THIS BUSINESS IS BEING USED TO HOUSE HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS ALONGSIDE THE GENERAL PUBLIC. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT ALL GUESTS KEEP HOTEL DOORS LOCKED, SAFELY STORE THEIR BELONGINGS AND REPORT ANY HEALTH OR SAFETY CONCERNS TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT."

Kavanagh *really* hates the homeless.

Actually, his hotel sign may have some merit, if it has a few words changed and goes up in places in addition to certain hotels.

"THIS BUSINESS CATERS TO LEGISLATORS  ALONGSIDE THE GENERAL PUBLIC. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT ALL MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC KEEP DOORS LOCKED, SAFELY STORE THEIR BELONGINGS AND REPORT ANY HEALTH OR SAFETY CONCERNS TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT."

On Thursday, 3/28 

-

Senate Judiciary meets at 9 a.m.in SHR1.  On the agenda:  no bills, just one executive nomination to consider.

Legislative schedule - week starting 3/17/2024

Friday is the last day that bills can be heard in committee, though there are ways around that restriction (bills can still be considered in the respective chambers' Appropriations committees.  Other committees can meet to consider bills, but they'll need the permission of the respective chamber's Rules committees/head.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one.

On Monday, 3/18 

-

House Health & Human Services meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: 15 bills.

House Land, Agriculture, & Rural Affairs meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: seven bills, including a proposed striker for SB1410, relating to the interstate transfer of marijuana and its products.  Requires a 3/4 vote to pass.

House Land, Agriculture, & Rural Affairs meets upon the adjournment of the first LARA meeting in HHR3.  On the agenda: one bill, SB1403, which, with certain exemptions, would bar a "foreign principal" from a designated country from owning land in AZ.  The report containing the list of countries is here.

House Military Affairs & Public Safety meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: 11 bills, including a proposed striker for SB1196.  There two, related but different, strikers listed; I think that I've linked to the one that will be considered, but the other one is here.  Includes SCM1040, a love letter to Congress urging the creation of a Space National Guard.

House Military Affairs & Public Safety meets at upon the adjournment of the first MAPS meeting. in HHR1.   On the agenda: one bill.

Senate Elections meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: 11 bills, including a proposed striker for HB2497.  The agenda looks to be mostly propaganda.

Senate Finance and Commerce meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda:15 bills, including HB2504, allowing insurers to not pay for genetic sequencing, organ transplants, etc., if a "foreign adversary" is involved and HB2661, mandating that all tablets and smartphones manufactured after 1/1/2026 that filter out "obscene" material for minors. I initially thought that this bill was pure propaganda...but as I was writing this a TV ad came on for a company that provides devices that do just this.  To many members of the lege this is just political propaganda; to others, it may be corruption.  To me, it's evidence that many legislators are capable of multi-tasking.

Senate Transportation, Technology and Missing Children meets at 2 p.m. in SHR2.  On the agenda: nine bills, including a proposed striker to HCR2049.  It, like much of this agenda, is pure propaganda.  On the plus side, this agenda includes a bill about missing children, which is kind of rare for this committee.  HB2479 seems to be about requiring DCS to do what it does in response to reports of abducted, missing, or runaway children...only quicker. There is a clause at the end of the bill that looks to be about enabling corruption -

Legislators get to decide if someone is following the laws crafted by the legislators themselves, and will siphon public funds into private pockets in response.

Hmmm...

On Tuesday, 3/19 

-

House Commerce meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: five bills, three of which have proposed strikers.  While one seems bad, the really bad one is a proposed striker to SCR1040, a scheme fronted by Rep. Justin Wilmeth to allow employers to pay tipped employees 25% less than the mandated minimum wage.

House Education meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: two bills; both are propaganda.

House Natural Resources, Energy & Water meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: six bills, including two with proposed strikers.  Both seem bad, but the one for SB1242 would siphon public money into private pockets.  Both these and the other bills on the agenda read as if they were written by industry lobbyists.

Senate Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: 11 bills, including HB2506, mandating that people acting as agents of a "country of concern" register with the state's AG.

Senate Health and Human Services meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: 12 bills.

On Wednesday, 3/20  -

House Judiciary meets at 8:30 a.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: Lots of ugly. 13 bills, including SB1687, expanding the definition of drive by shooting.

House Government meets at 9 a.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: seven bills.  Lots of usurping of municipal authority here.

House Ways & Means meets at 10 a.m. is HHR1.  On the agenda: eight bills. mostly running the gamut from pure propaganda, thru conduits for corruption, to simply bad government.

House Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: six bills.

House Municipal Oversight & Elections meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: nine bills, mostly propaganda.  My personal favorite (that's sarcasm, folks) - SCR1044, removing term limits from judges subject to specific term lengths or retention elections, with specified exceptions.

House Regulatory Affairs meets at 2 p.m. in HHR5.  On the agenda: five bills.

House Transportation & Infrastructure meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: nine bills.

Senate Education meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: four bills, including HB2095, expanding eligibility for STO scholarships (school vouchers).

Senate Military Affair, Public Safety and Border Security meets at 2 p.m. in SHR2.  On the agenda: eight bills, including two with proposed strikers (text not available as of this writing.)  The one that raises the most red flags has a working title of  "military; public safety".  This agenda has lots of propaganda on it, including two bills to make undocumented immigration a state crime, HB2748 and HB2821.

On Thursday, 3/21 

-

Senate Judiciary meets at 9 a.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: eight bills. including two with proposed strikers.  The texts aren't available as of this writing, but one has a working title that raises red flags - "elected officials."  Lots of propaganda on this agenda.

Senate Natural Resources, Energy and Water meets at 9 a.m. in SHR2.  On the agenda: two executive branch nominations and 17 bills, three with proposed strikers  (texts not available as yet).  All bills read as if they were written by industry lobbyists.

Senate Government meets at 1 p.m. or upon adjournment of the other committees in SHR1.  On the agenda: 21 bills. Includes HB2591, barring public entities and public power entities from entering into or renewing contracts with persons or companies that utilize forced labor or "oppressive child labor."  I don't disagree with the sentiment but have to ask -

Would this impact companies controlled by Cheeto or Vanky?

Legislative schedule - week starting 3/10/2024

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one.

On Monday, 3/11 

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House Health & Human Services meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: 11 bills, including a couple of pure propaganda bills - SB1407, expanding the religious exemption for employer required vaccines and SB1511, an anti trans bill.

House Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: five bills, including SB1146, an anti animal vax propaganda bill.

House Military Affairs & Public Safety meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: 10 bills, including a proposed striker to SB1196, allowing the use of first responder flashing lights under specified conditions.  Also includes SCR1042, a love letter from Arizona's legislative Republicans to Texas Governor Greg Abbott expressing support for his craven (and homicidal) anti-Mexican acts.

Senate Elections meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: four bills, almost all propaganda.

Senate Finance and Commerce meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: one presentation and 14 bills, including a proposed striker to HB2199.  Most of the propaganda will be in the presentation - a lobbyist for cryptocurrency will be giving it.

Senate Transportation, Technology and Missing Children meets at 2 p.m. in SHR2.  On the agenda: eight bills, including HB2545 and HB2546, exempting vehicles built after 2018 from emissions testing and HB2586, making commercial entities liable for damages for providing "material harmful to minors" without also performing a "reasonable", but unspecified age verification process.

On Tuesday, 3/12  -

House Commerce meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: five bills. 

House Education meets at 2 p.m.in HHR4.  On the agenda: four bills, all bad.

House Natural Resources, Energy and Water meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: two bills that read as if they were written by an industry lobbyist.

Senate Health and Human Services meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: 12 bills, including HB2502, requiring SNAP recipients participate in, with certain exceptions, a work training program.  One of the exceptions?  Working already.  Also includes HB2503, barring DES from granting waivers to that requirement and HB2621, stipulating that states are responsible for securing their borders with another country.

On Wednesday, 3/13 

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House Judiciary meets at 9 a.m.in HHR4.  On the agenda: six bills.

Senate Government meets at 9 a.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: 14 bills; at least half of the agenda is propaganda of the anti-Maricopa County, ant-UN, anti-affirmative action, anti-federal government variety...actually, anti any level of government other than the state legislature and pro-hatred.

House Government meets at 10 a.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: seven bills.  Two or which are pure propaganda and five of which (including the two) are simply bad government.

House Ways & Means meets at 10 a.m.in HHR1.  On the agenda: three bills.

House Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: three bills, including SCR1020, an example of the legislature trying to get around the governor by abdicating their budgetary duties.

House Municipal Oversight & Elections meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda:10 bills, mostly propaganda.

House Regulatory Affairs meets at 2 p.m. in HHR5.  On the agenda: 11 bills, at least five of which fall under the "bad for society/buttress corporate profits" heading

House Transportation & Infrastructure meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: six bills, including SB1299, increasing the requirements that municipalities (and others) must meet in order to designate a traffic light-controlled intersection as a "no right turn on red" one.

Senate Education meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: four bills and two presentations.  Tom Horne is slated to give one of them, so it should be a colorful one.

Senate Military Affairs, Public Safety and Border Security meets at 2 p.m. in SHR2.  17 bills, including HB 2506, barring people from acting as foreign agents for "countries of concern," unless they're registered with the Attorney General. As Russia is listed as one such country, certain members of the lege may have to register.

On Thursday, 3/14 

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Senate Judiciary meets at 9 a.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: 13 bills, including HB2843, expanding the definition of "premises" for the purposes of self-defense.

Senate Natural Resources, Energy and Water meets at 9 a.m. in SHR2.  On the agenda: 21 bills, including HB2628, working title "department of environmental quality; omnibus".  Omnibus bills always worry me, and this one seems sneaky bad.  There are a few clauses that appear to be worrisome, like the one that repeals section 49-257 of AZ law, which concerns the applicability of federal definitions regarding the underground injection control program in the safe water drinking act.

On Friday, 3/15 

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Novel Coronavirus Southwestern Intergovernmental Committee meets at 10 a.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: no bills, but there will be much propaganda spewed here.  The committee membership includes Congresscritters Eli Crane and Paul Gosar, AZ state legislators Sens. Janae Shamp, TJ Shope, and Rep. Steve Montenegro, and Peter McCullough, a cardiologist who's a noted trafficker in Covid lies.  And if that rogues' gallery isn't convincing of the propagandistic purpose of this misuse of public facilities and funds, the chosen acronym for this committee (NCSWIC) is a QAnon invention.