Rep. Mark Finchem may tell and believe "The Big Lie" but have no doubt - most of all, he wants to win the R primary that he's part of.

Yes, he was part of the January 6th insurrection, and yes, he thoroughly hates (see the proposals he has sponsored and cosponsored) citizens, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, Covid mitigation measures and, of course, voters (which is interesting, because the office that he's running for, Arizona Secretary of State, oversees the state's elections.  So I guess that means he only hates voters who don't agree with him.)

He's running in the R primary for AZSOS against "Beau" Lane and fellow legislators Shawna Bolick and Michelle Ugenti-Rita.  The winner of the D primary, Adrian Fontes or Reginald Bolding, waits in the general.

The culmination of his hate is his sponsorship of HCR2033, wherein he seeks to overturns the 2020 presidential election, but only in Maricopa, Pima, and Yuma counties.  Biden won Maricopa and Pima, and Trump barely won Yuma, and, if they're overturned, combined, the margins in those places would be more than the margin of Biden's victory in AZ.

Finchem is doing his level best to help...Democrats win in 2022, even though they are widely expected to lose control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections.

From Politico's Playbook on 2/7 -

[snip]

DOUG SOSNIK of Brunswick Group argues that “there would need to be a series of developments in order for the Democrats to defy history”:

1. The virus needs to be contained with the country returning to a new normal.
2. Inflation needs to start going down by summer.
3. The economy and the stock market need to maintain steady growth, particularly as interest rates begin to rise.
4. The supply chain needs to return to normal.
5. There is not a global crisis.
6. Biden’s job approval rating needs to be in the high 40s by summer.
7. Republicans need to nominate unelectable general-election candidates and run lousy campaigns. They are capable of this and have done this in recent past cycles, choosing far-right candidates such as TODD AKIN or CHRISTINE O’DONNELL who ended up losing in the general election.
8. Trump and Republicans need to keep talking about the 2020 election.

1 seems to be happening already; 2 will happen (I hope); 3 and 4 are already happening and, I expect, will mirror 1; 5 could be a problem, especially if Putin invades Ukraine; 6 will follow 1, 2, 3, and 4; and 7 and 8 are where Finchem comes in.

I don't know if he's "unelectable" in the general, but, while whining about the election in 2020 and treason may show well in an R primary, it doesn't look good in a general election.

In and of itself, the events of January 6th, and Finchem's part in both it and continuing the "Big Lie" don't make him eligible for the coveted Legislative Loon Award..

Nope, like the Darwin Awards, there are rules for the Legislative Loon Award, and the events of that day caused the deaths of others during and after the events.

Arizona is back to being the laughingstock of the U.S.

It has been said that state legislatures are the labs of democracy; Jon Stewart famously described the Arizona Legislature as the "meth lab of democracy."

He was correct.

From The Hill -

Arizona bill would allow legislature to overturn election results

An arch conservative member of Arizona’s state House of Representatives has proposed a mammoth overhaul of the state’s voting procedures that would allow legislators to overturn the results of a primary or general election after months of unfounded allegations and partisan audits.

The bill, introduced by state Rep. John Fillmore (R), would substantially change the way Arizonans vote by eliminating most early and absentee voting and requiring people to vote in their home precincts, rather than at vote centers set up around the state.

Jeremy Duda of the AZMirror wrote it up approximately 12 hours earlier -

The newest GOP election proposal would allow lawmakers to reject election results

It would also do away with on-demand early voting and require ballots to be counted by hand — in 24 hours

Lawmakers would have the power to reject election results under a sweeping piece of legislation that would make seismic changes to the way elections are conducted in Arizona. 

Rep. John Fillmore’s House Bill 2596 would eliminate no-excuse early voting, which is used by the overwhelming majority of Arizona voters, and would require that all ballots not only be counted by hand, but that those tallies be completed within 24 hours of the polls closing on Election Day, among other changes.

Perhaps the biggest change, however, is that the legislature would be empowered to accept or reject election results in legislative, congressional and statewide races. Under the proposed law, the legislature would be required to call itself into session after an election to “review the ballot tabulating process.” Once that review is completed, lawmakers would decide whether to accept or reject the results. If the legislature rejects the results, any qualified voter can go to court to ask a judge to order a new election.

 

Fillmore's bill is here; it's a long bill, 35 pages long, and the stuff about the legislature overturning elections is on page 33.

I *did* mention this bill in my post about Fillmore's candidacy for the Legislative Loon Award, but I have to admit that I didn't read the entire thing and missed the language about the legislature.

My mistake, and lesson learned.

Rep. John Fillmore - a late entry into the race for the Legislative Loon Award

Fillmore may be something of a backbencher in the Arizona Legislature, but he also has checked most boxes on the R hate list; the breadth of his hatred is simply breathtaking.

His quest for the coveted Legislative Loon Award may be rewarded, though he has a *lot* of competition for the award.

So far, his proposals attack education -

HB2276, making legislators the determiners of what is legal or Constitutional in schools

HB2277, giving large property owners in a given change area veto power over school district boundary line changes

HB2279, increasing the total number of students that are in a school district before it can be declared "lapsed" (from eight to 150)

HB2286,  adding an additional layer of parental approval needed for a student's participation in a survey

HB2597, requiring students in grades K - 6 to recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the US and further requiring students in grades 4 - 12 to take a minute to "engage in quiet reflection and moral reasoning" (good luck with that.  It has been <ahem> a while since I was a teenager, but as I remember, telling one that they must do something is a sure way to get one to NOT do that something.)

He also attacks democracy and the administration of elections -

HB2287, barring the establishment of combined voting locations in adjacent precincts

HB2288, barring the establishment of emergency voting centers and emergency voting itself (I think; a lot of language is redlined [deleted] here).  

HB2296, stipulating that government-issued forms of ID are the only forms of ID that are valid for voting

HCR2025,  a proposal to change the state constitution for the same

HCR2011, a proposal to change the state constitution so that legislators decide who the candidates for U.S. Senate are

HB2596, banning early voting and mandating that all votes must be counted by hand and totaled within 24 hours (and other things - there are a lot of additions to language and deletions to language here)

He also attacks the LGBTQ+ community -

HB2285, barring schools from discussing sex ed or AIDS without specific parental permission (to be fair, this one could have been included in the schools section, but this one seemed more like an LGBTQ+ attack) (to be fair2 - this caveat could be included with many of these measures, and not just the anti-LGBTQ+ ones)

HB2292, requiring that birth certificates include a gender of male of female of any child's birth so documented

HB2293, barring public schools from requiring any employee of that school from referring to a student by a gender pronoun of a gender other than what is stated on the student's birth certificate

HB2294, requiring that all government-issued documents that indicate a gender for the recipient have such indication be limited to "male" and "female"

He's not limited to those; he multitasks for Faux News watchers -

HB2291, an anti-CRT measure

HB2282, barring the use of photo radar

HB2280, barring social media websites from controlling the content on their websites

HB2281, an anti-vaxxer measure

Yup, Fillmore is like Mikey in the old Life Cereal ads.

He hates EVERYTHING.

Rep. Jake Hoffman may have been democratically elected by the voters in LD12, but he's using his position to get his hate on for both voters and democracy

He's been heavily involved with efforts to overturn the 2020 election and install Cheeto against the will of the voters of the US, as AZ BlueMeanie at Blog for Arizona has documented here and here.

But that doesn't qualify him for the Legislative Loon Award.

Nope, only stuff that he does and says while the lege is in session does that.

Rest assured, though, he's accomplished a lot there, 

Already he has proposed (with a rogue's gallery of co-sponsors) -

HB2236, Barring the registration of voters unless the voter specifically asks to be registered.

HB2237, Barring same-day voter registration and making it a felony to so.

HB2238, Barring the use of ballot drop boxes.

HB2239, Barring electronic vote "adjudication".

HB2240, Barring centralized voting centers.

HB2241, Requiring voters to present ID to deliver an early ballot.

HB2242, Making it a felony to not "validate" the registration information of a new voter.

HB2243, Adding to the verbiage required to be on voter registration forms (to be fair to Hoffman, this one seems like it may be the least bad of all of his proposals).

HB2491, Requiring that an as yet to be determined number of factors be used to verify each signature on an ealy ballot.

HB2492, Mandating that proof of citizenship be provided when registering to vote with a non-federal form, and making it a felony to fail to do so.

HB2493, Appropriating money from the state's general fund for an "election integrity fund".

HB2494, Requiring that the AZSOS  and county recorders document any attendance at voter registration events that they attend and work, and do so on their websites.

His fans shouldn't worry - while there's a definite pattern to his lunacy and hatred, he's something of a Renaissance Man (though he and his fans may long for serfdom and despise the renaissance).

He's also proposed

HB2235, In only counties with 500K people or more (In AZ, that's the counties of Maricopa and Pima (both of which Biden/Harris won in 2020..[start sarcasm} but I'm sure that's just a coincidence {/end sarcasm]), beginning in 2025, making county supervisors the lowest-paid county-level elected officials.

HB2495, An anti-LGBTQ+ measure, banning the use of "sexually explicit materials" in public schools.  Basically, all sex-ed classes would banned under this measure.

HB2496, Creating a list of exemptions for student activity fees at public universities.

HB2497, the latest attempt to thwart the will of the voters on income tax rates.

HB2498, Banning Covid vaccine mandates.

Yup, Rep. John Kavanagh may be the early favorite for the Legislative Loon Award, but Hoffman is a definite contender for the title.

Sen. Sonny Borrelli: another one who isn't likely to win the Legislative Loon Award, but he's not giving up without a fight

The ride through hell starts tomorrow, when the Arizona Legislature re-enters session, crafting and passing bills to work against the interest of all Arizonans.

Senator Sonny Borrelli, the majority whip in the Senate, can be counted on to introduce many MAGA/"stop the steal" bills designed to entrench the R majority.  He's already done so.

Among the bills that he's introduced are

SB1119, making ballots public records

SB1120, requiring that ballots be on the same kind of paper as bank notes and adding a myriad of conditions to the make up of ballots

But let's be clear - Borrelli isn't a one-trick pony.

He's also proposed

SB1060, repealing a section of state law that allows a legal action against a county sheriff or deputies to continues after the death of the sheriff.

Hang on.  The ride is going to get rough.

Sen. JD Mesnard: probably not going to win the Legislative Loon Award, but he's trying

Former House Speaker JD Mesnard is in the state senate now, and while he may have switched chambers, he's still bad news.  He may not win the Legislative Loon Award (he faces LOTS of competition there), but he's doing his level best to undermine AZ, both in revenues and democracy.  He's already proposed

SCR1011, asking the voters to reduce the amount of revenue available to school districts by taking large swaths of property and exempting such property from property taxes.  He has proposed other measures affecting property taxes, but since I'm not certain of their net effect on revenue, they're not included here

SB1094, invalidating signatures on initiative and referendum petitions unless a specific condition is met

SB1096,  with a couple of very specific exceptions, taking all "non-custodial federal monies" from the recipients and giving the funds to the legislature to appropriate any way it wants to.  This one is proposed in nearly every session of the legislature.

SCR1012, asking the voters to expand the membership of the House of Representatives from 60 to 90.  Each representative would be elected from a separate district, while each senate district would contain three house districts.  As written, if approved by the voters, this change wouldn't take effect until 2033.

Sen. Judy Burges embraces her inner conspiracy theorist

 Of course, with Judy "Birther" Burges, her inner conspiracy theorist isn't exactly "inner."

Not hardly.

She hasn't even proposed any legislation for the coming session yet, but she's already declared her candidacy for the Legislative Loon Award.

From Jerod MacDonald-Evoy at the AZ Mirror -

GOP senator wants Brnovich to investigate collusion to block ivermectin as a COVID treatment

Sun City West Republican Sen. Judy Burges wants Attorney General Mark Brnovich to weigh in on whether doctors and pharmacists can prescribe unproven COVID-19 treatments like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine without being punished by state regulators. 

And she wants the Republican AG to launch an investigation into what she says is a wide-ranging conspiracy by the the federal government, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, state public health officials and regulators to block access to so-called therapeutic treatments for COVID-19.

The FDA advises folks to not use ivermectin for Covid -

Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent COVID-19

COVID-19. We’ve been living with it for what sometimes seems like forever. Given the number of deaths that have occurred from the disease, it’s perhaps not surprising that some consumers are turning to drugs not approved or authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

One of the FDA’s jobs is to carefully evaluate the scientific data on a drug to be sure that it is both safe and effective for a particular use. In some instances, it can be highly dangerous to use a medicine for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 that has not been approved by or has not received emergency use authorization from the FDA. 

There seems to be a growing interest in a drug called ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in humans. Certain animal formulations of ivermectin such as pour-on, injectable, paste, and "drench," are approved in the U.S. to treat or prevent parasites in animals. For humans, ivermectin tablets are approved at very specific doses to treat some parasitic worms, and there are topical (on the skin) formulations for head lice and skin conditions like rosacea.

However, the FDA has received multiple reports of patients who have required medical attention, including hospitalization, after self-medicating with ivermectin intended for livestock.

The American Medical Association (AMA), American Pharmacists Association (APhA), and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) have a similar advisory.

AMA, APhA, ASHP statement on ending use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19

The American Medical Association (AMA), American Pharmacists Association (APhA), and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) strongly oppose the ordering, prescribing, or dispensing of ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19 outside of a clinical trial.

Ivermectin is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human use to treat infections caused by internal and external parasites. It is not approved to prevent or treat COVID-19. Ivermectin is also available to treat certain veterinary conditions; medications formulated or intended for use in animals should not be used by humans. We are alarmed by reports that outpatient prescribing for and dispensing of ivermectin have increased 24-fold since before the pandemic and increased exponentially over the past few months. As such, we are calling for an immediate end to the prescribing, dispensing, and use of ivermectin for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 outside of a clinical trial. In addition, we are urging physicians, pharmacists, and other prescribers—trusted health care professionals in their communities—to warn patients against the use of ivermectin outside of FDA-approved indications and guidance, whether intended for use in humans or animals, as well as purchasing ivermectin from online stores. Veterinary forms of this medication are highly concentrated for large animals and pose a significant toxicity risk for humans.

There may be a conspiracy at work here, but it's a conspiracy to not kill people, and Judy Burges is not part of it.

Sen. Kelly Townsend makes her case for the Legislative Loon Award

Senator Townsend is already a full-on trumpkin (displaying the lack of sanity that goes with it) but she's definitely looking to enhance her "nutty" street cred with a Legislative Loon Award.

She's prolific in her insanity, proposing 16 bills for 2022 even before the end of 2021.

Already, this session she has proposed -

SB1052, a broadly-written measure that would bar all requirements for a medical procedure with possible negative complications, including vaccinations.

SB1011, barring school districts from using tax money to pay for membership in a state or national school board association

SB1012, giving access to the state's voter registration database to both the legislature and any entity designated by it; also creating a requirement that county recorders report on voters in their respective counties who can vote only in federal elections

SCR1005, a measure to ask the voters of Arizona to impose a proof of immigration status requirement on federal-only voters

SB1054, a measure to give the legislature the authority to inspect "election equipment security" in counties with more than 500,000 people in them (only Maricopa and Pima counties meet that standard)

SB1056,  invalidating ballots (early and provisional) that are "misplaced" at counting centers and/or polling places.

Rep. Walt Blackman: yet another contender for the Legislative Loon Award

I don't expect him to win the award with this much competition, but anyone as pro-Covid as him merits a mention.

He's running for Congress (and if he wins, he'll fit right in with Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs there).

So far, he's proposed just one bill, but it's a doozy.

HB2029 would bar the state, counties, municipalities, and businesses that do business with them from requiring Covid vaccinations or proof of vaccination.

Rep. Mark Finchem - will he have a Legislative Loon Award to show off while campaigning for AZSOS?

In most other states, he would have already locked up the award, but in Arizona?

He is a dark horse; hardly out of contention, but he's going to have to work at it.

On the other hand, he's in a Republican primary in his quest for Arizona Secretary of State.

He's already been endorsed by Cheeto, and he will run his mouth in an effort to show his loyalty to Cheeto/the right-wing of his party.

He's pre-filed two bills (as of this writing) -

HB2023, making ballots public records.  Finchem has already exhibited a self-serving attitude toward public records.

HB2022, repealing the section of law that allows  public health authorities to mandate treatments and/or vaccinations for those infected with a "highly contagious and highly fatal disease".

Sen. Wendy Rogers - another contender for the Legislative Loon Award

State Sen. Wendy Rogers has proposed a lot of bills that make her eligible for the award.  She's been busy. 

To be fair, I thought she was nuts when she lived in Tempe; her move north into LD6 hasn't improved things in that regard.

Among her proposals:

SB1027, Establishing a Bureau of Elections in the Governor's office and appropriating $5 million for it.

It would have a mandate "to investigate allegations of fraud in any state, county or local government election...any qualified elector may submit a complaint to the bureau".

SB1028, Having to do with vendors of ballot paper.  Not sure what this one does, as it repeals ARS section 16-504...and replaces it with the same language.

SB1030, stating that if someone is acquitted on homicide charge, the state/public has to pay their legal fees.

SB1032, Appropriating $700 million from the state's general fund to build a border wall.  She doesn't specify what she wants to cut to pay for her scheme, but I'm guessing that she will happily sacrifice public education on the altar of her hatred.

SCR1006, a memorial/meaningless letter to the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame to urge the removal of Margaret Sanger from that hall.  She is the founder of Planned Parenthood, and Rogers wants her removed based on Republican talking points/propaganda.

SB1033, Escalating the penalty for what she terms as a riot or unlawful assembly; creating a crime called "mob intimidation"; and imposing something on cities and towns.

Apparently, she *really* hates BLM protesters and sanctuary city policies.

SB1037, legalizing silencers and other sound suppressors for firearms

SB1038, Creating a tax credit for tuition paid to a "non-govermental" (aka- private) school

SB1039, Related to SB1038, this one would reduce adjusted gross income on a taxpayer's state taxes by the amount of tuition paid to a "non-govermental" (aka- private) school

SB1042, Declaring June 14 to be "President Donald J. Trump Day".  June 14 is already Flag Day.

SB1044, Barring contracts with organizations that "provide or promote abortion" to administer personal responsibility education programs

SB1045, Barring health or school professionals from treating gender dysphoria or from informing parents or guardians about their minor child's affliction

SB1046, Related to SB1045.  This one would bar students at any level from participating in sports as other than their birth gender

SB1048, Barring local and county governments from ordering that a business close during a declared emergency

SCR1007, A proposal to change the state's constitution to allow for homeowners to redirect taxes levied by public school districts to private schools; and

SCR1008, A memorial/meaningless letter to Congress urging it to declare Antifa to be a "domestic terrorist organization."

The last time I checked, Antifa is not a real organization such as National Alliance, the World Church of the Creator (WCOTC) and the Aryan Nations.

Many of Rogers' proposals seem to be out of the Cathi Herrod/religious nut playbook, but to be sure, some also seem to be out of the Cathi Herrod/grifter playbook - in her bio, Rogers admits to running a charter school.

People are dying of Covid, yet Rep. Steve Kaiser wants to ignore the science

 Arizona's hospitals have reached their capacity due to Covid hospitalizations and the state is asking for federal help to deal with it, but Republican State Rep. Steve Kaiser has proposed HB2020 to exempt from vaccine requirements those that have had Covid or anti-bodies from it.

The problem?  

His proposal ignores the science.

From the CDC -

Antibodies and COVID-19

Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can be detected in the blood of people who have recovered from COVID-19 or people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Getting a vaccine is safer than getting COVID-19, and vaccination against COVID-19 is recommended for everyone 5 years of age and older. If someone has already had COVID-19, vaccination against COVID-19 increases their body’s antibody response, which improves their protection.

It is important to remember that some people with antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 may become infected after vaccination (vaccine breakthrough infection) or after recovering from a past infection (reinfected). Based on what we know right now, risk of reinfection is low for at least the first 6 months following an infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 diagnosed by a laboratory test. When someone who is fully vaccinated gets COVID-19, it is called a vaccine breakthrough infection. No vaccine is 100% effective, so some breakthrough infections are expected. The risk of infection, severe illness, hospitalization, and death are all much lower for vaccinated people compared to people who are unvaccinated. When reinfections or breakthrough infections happen, having antibodies plays an important role in helping prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death.

For many diseases, including COVID-19, antibodies are expected to decrease or “wane” over time. After a long enough period of time, your level of antibodies can decrease below a level that provides effective protection. This level is called the “threshold of protection.” When antibodies decrease below the threshold of protection, you may become more vulnerable to severe illness. We do not yet know what the threshold of protection for antibodies is for the virus that causes COVID-19 or how long it takes these antibodies to wane. Even after antibodies wane, your immune system may have cells that remember the virus that can act quickly to protect you from severe illness if you become infected. These topics are being researched by scientists all over the world.

­I have COVID-19 antibodies. What does it mean?

A positive antibody test result can help identify someone who has had COVID-19 in the past or has been vaccinated against COVID-19. Antibody tests are not used if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or for diagnosing a current case of COVID-19. This is because it takes most people with a healthy immune system 1 to 3 weeks after getting COVID-19 to develop antibodies. A viral test is recommended to identify a current infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. More information about the role and uses of antibody testing is available.

Most people who have a positive antibody test result can continue with normal activities, including work, but they should still take steps to protect themselves and others, including getting vaccinated.

Studies show that people who have antibodies from an infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 can improve their level of protection by getting vaccinated.

A positive antibody test result alone, especially one from an infection at an unknown time or that was determined by a viral test more than 6 months ago, does not necessarily mean that you are immune to getting COVID-19. If you have had an antibody test, it is important to review your test results with your healthcare provider.

Kaiser is another one that is in the running for the Legislative Loon Award, though I may have to add a "homicidal" criteria to it.

1. Wear a damn mask.

2. Get vaccinated.  

Legislative Loon Award: early frontrunner Rep. John Kavanagh

 It's time to bring the award back, and while previous winner John Kavanagh is the early favorite to win it again, I expect that there will be many contenders for it.

The award will be based on bill proposals, votes, and statements made during the legislative session.  If the criteria were more expansive than that, almost the entire GOP caucus would be up for the award.

If simply being craven and/or corrupt was enough, all of the GOP caucus (as well as some of the Dems) would be eligible but this will be reserved for the nuttiest of the nuts.

Having said that, Rep. Kavanagh is still carrying the water for the bigoted grifter over at the Center for Arizona Policy.  He also wants to censor police body camera footage.

Lastly, he already wants to greatly expand the the definition of what constitutes illegal residential picketing.

It's early, and I'm sure he will provide other examples for his eligibility for the award, but for these things alone, he's the early frontrunner for the award.

Legislative Loon Award: Retired

...at least for two years...

Not because of recent calls for a civil discourse that is more "civil" but because there are too many candidates to choose from, and there will be until the next election (at least!).

Here we are, only into the 2nd week of the legislative session, and 564 bills have been proposed in the House, and another 186 in the Senate.  Highlights include, but are not limited to, the following bills -

HB2001, Rep. Jack Harper's move to turn college classrooms into armed encampments

HB2006, Harper's scheme to allow firearms within game refuges

HB2070, Harper's establishment of a state-sanctioned vigilante force to hunt brown-skinned people near the border with Mexico

HB2077, Rep. Chester Crandell's proposal to require federal agencies to register with the sheriff of any county they operate in, pay a fee, and forward any fees/fines/penalties that they collect to that sheriff for forwarding to the state's General Fund

HB2179, Rep. Carl Seel's plan to require school districts to identify students of parents whose immigration status is undocumented and report the numbers to the state.  It also has criminal and financial penalties for inaccuracies

HB2182, Seel's plan for screwing over teachers by allowing districts to withhold contract offers until July 1 of each year

HB2221, Rep. John Fillmore's bill to put the state in the banking business.  Seriously.  It would mandate the creation of a state-operated bank, accepting deposits and making loans.  Guaranteed by the state's General Fund

HB2222, Fillmore's plan to take the limits off of school tuition tax credits

HB2288, Rep. Jeff Dial's move to require the state's airports to abandon the Transportation Security Administration and hire private security contractors to handle all aspects of airport security

HB2313, Rep. Russ Jones' proposal to allow taking, under eminent domain, of federally-owned land

HB2333, Harper's move to allow former legislators to immediately become professional lobbyists (currently, they have to wait a year)

HB2337, Rep. Justin Olson's proposal to require school districts that still offer full-day K to charge tuition for a half day of that full day

HB2340, Olson's proposal to end the state's equalization property tax (which goes directly to fund education)

HB2472, Another "eminent domain of federal land" bill, this one from Rep. David Gowan

HB2479, a "guns in schools" bill, from Gowan

HB2505, Seel's (and Sen. Russell Pearce's) scheme to cut state education aid to school districts for students whose parents cannot prove their child's immigration status

HCR2011, Seel's proposed amendment to the AZ Constitution to reduce the income eligibility level for AHCCCS

HCR2023, Rep. David Burnell Smith's plan to allow wealthy candidates to skip the bother of talking to voters and gathering nominating signatures in lieu of buying their way onto the ballot

HCR2024, Smith's proposed amendment to the AZ Constitution to end Clean Elections.  Smith was the first legislator removed from office due to violations of Clean Elections' rules.  Think he's still holding a grudge?  Naaahhhhh...couldn't be!  :)

SCR1010, Sen. Linda Gray's proposed amendment to the AZ Constitution to bar state courts from considering the "legal precepts of other nations or cultures" when rendering their decisions.

This isn't meant to be a comprehensive listing of bad bills proposed so far (there are some anti-choice and anti-immigrant bills, but I don't have time to cover them right now - and we haven't seen the "birther" or 14th Amendment stuff yet), but this is just a good start at documenting the beginning of what is shaping up to be an ugly year.

Criticism where criticism is due: A bad Democratic proposal in the Arizona lege

Never let it be said that I don't criticize legislative measures offered by Democrats when I think that they are as bad as anything an R would come up with...


Vaulting into contention for this year's Legislative Loon Award is State Sen. Ken Cheuvront (D-LD15).

He has proposed an amendment to the Arizona constitution, SCR1038, that if approved by the voters, would reduce legislative salaries by 20% for the years 2011 and 2012.

The annual salary for Arizona legislators is $24,000; Cheuvront wants to reduce it to $19,200.

I actually sympathize with the obvious sentiment - state services and state workers have been slashed by the Rs in the lege while the lege has taken almost no cuts to its budget.

However, this is the wrong approach. The lege is already underpaid, a fact that has impacted the quality of candidates interested in running for it. Cutting the pay to even lower levels won't do anything to improve that. It will just allow some people to exercise some vindictiveness.

And to that particular point, one of those people could be Cheuvront himself.

He isn't running for reelection to the Senate this year, instead choosing to mount a primary challenge to a sitting Democratic Justice of the Peace.

Because he can't afford to remain in the Senate. It just doesn't pay enough.

And this is his going-away gift to his soon-to-be-former colleagues? Niiiiiice...


OK, to be honest, a single measure won't elevate Cheuvront to the top of the Loon heap; it won't even put him in the top 5. It is a good start, however, if he plans on mounting a serious run.

The Senator should note that the Loon Award doesn't come with a financial award; it offers something far more valuable than mere cash to the winner - the prestige of being in a club so exclusive that only Russell Pearce, Jack Harper, and the entire 2009 Republican caucus in the lege are members.

OK, so maybe that club isn't all that exclusive.

:)

Jack Harper wants to separate orphans from their extended families

That title sounds counter-intuitive, as State Sen. Jack Harper (R-LD4) is well known to be an ardently pro-family* whackaloon.

*As long as the "family" in question is wealthy, white, and Republican

However, his latest proposed amendment to the Arizona Constitution, SCR1029, is an anti-family measure dressed up as an anti-gay and lesbian measure.

The text of his proposal -

Be it resolved by the Senate of the State of Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring: 1. Article XXXI, Constitution of Arizona, is proposed to be added as follows if approved by the voters and on proclamation of the Governor:

ARTICLE XXXI. PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN
1. Adoption; foster care; restrictions

SECTION 1. IF A CHILD IS BORN TO A HETEROSEXUAL COUPLE WHO ARE MARRIED TO EACH OTHER EITHER BEFORE OR AFTER THE CHILD'S BIRTH, ONLY ANOTHER HETEROSEXUAL MARRIED COUPLE IS QUALIFIED TO SUBSEQUENTLY ADOPT THAT CHILD OR BECOME THE CHILD'S FOSTER PARENTS.

2. The Secretary of State shall submit this proposition to the voters at the next general election as provided by article XXI, Constitution of Arizona.

Based on that language, the children of parents who, say die in a car accident (not an unheard-of happenstance in Arizona, or elsewhere for that matter), couldn't be placed with an unmarried family member (say, a widowed grandparent or divorced aunt or uncle).

Of course, his language also says that while he thinks that the children of heterosexual couples are important, and so rate adoption by his ideal adoptive parents (of the heterosexual couple variety), the children of single parents are less important and don't rate adoption by his "gold standard" of would-be adopters.

But I'm not going there. Harper's proposal is clearly a sloppily-written attack on everyone who isn't heterosexual and/or married.

Harper is clearly trying to regain the Legislative Loon Award that he won three years ago, and proposals like this one make him a favorite.

And the race is on...

...for the most coveted annual award in blogdom, the Random Musings Legislative Loon Award...

Perhaps the challenge of upstart Legislative Loon candidate Judy Burges has served to inspire previous winners Jack Harper and Russell Pearce, but they are getting an early start on their efforts to regain the title (last year's award went to the entire Republican caucus).

They've teamed up on a couple of pretty rancid pieces of "legislation."

One is SCR1006, a proposed amendment to the AZ Constitution to repeal the right of folks to sue to recover damages in the event of death or injury. This is the localized AZ expression of the GOP's obeisance to the insurance industry.

AKA the "their constituents aren't as important to them as are big business lobbying groups" act.

The other is SB1011, a bill to complete the "turning Arizona into an armed encampment" trifecta that they started last year. Last session they passed guns in cars and guns in bars. Next session, they will be trying for guns in schools. Specifically, SB1o11 would allow faculty members to carry concealed weapons on the campus of their university or community college.

If this one passes, students should duck if they show up to class late... as should Appropriations chairs who visit the campuses of the universities whose budgets they are gutting.

In normal years, this kind of nuttiness would barely rate a line, much less an entire post, but given the train wreck of a session this past session and the obvious lack of focus on the parts of Pearce and Harper and the other GOPers on addressing the state's worsening fiscal crisis in the coming session, the complete fiscal insolvency of Arizona looms ever more likely.

Rep. Judy Burges (R-LD4) making an early run for the Legislative Loon Award

It's early (since the 2010 session hasn't actually started yet), but Rep. Judy Burges is making a spirited declaration of her candidacy for the 2010 Legislative Loon Award.

Let's see...

She's a primary sponsor of...

...HB2001, creating a voluntary tax fund for taxpayers who feel that they didn't pay enough. Call this one the "F--- you Arizona" Act.

...HB2005, creating a special license plate for the Arizona Masonic Fraternity, with 68% of the revenue from the fees for that plate going to the Masons. Call this the "43 Special Plates Isn't Enough" Act.

...HB2015, expanding the definition of justifiable use of deadly force to allow deadly force to be used in situations where only the mere display of a weapon ("defensive display of a firearm") had been justified. Call this one the "Violent Paranoiac's Free Pass" Act.

...HB2016, allowing convicted felons with concealed weapons permits from other states to possess and carry firearms in AZ if their rights have been restored in that other state. Not sure what to call this mess.

...HB2017, specifying that firearms instructors working in K-12 schools be certified by either the Arizona game and fish department or the NRA. Changes current language that only specifies "a national association of firearms owners." Call this one the "NRA Employment Act."

...HCR2001, a concurrent resolution asserting the state's sovereignty over the federal government under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Call this one the "Go Away Feds, We Don't Need Your Civil Rights Act, Environment Regulations, Worker Safety Laws, Or Product Safety Laws. Just Leave Lots Of Money Before You Go" Resolution.

Yes, Rep. Burges is making a serious play for the Award, but if she is going to be a real contender, she needs to expand her activities to all areas of legislation. She needs some nativist proposals, some anti-balanced budget stuff, maybe some anti-choice proposals, and, of course, massive tax cuts for the wealthy and for corporations.

Her emphasis on appeasing the gun lobby is admirable (in a "well, it helps identify the wingnuts" sort of way), but she needs to embrace the all around lunacy exhibited by her Senate colleague from LD4, Jack Harper, if she wants a real chance to take the LLA home this coming year.

Later...

2009 Legislative Loon Award

It's been tough finding a "winner" of this year's Legislative Loon Award. The problem hasn't been a dearth of candidates, because the rightward lurch of the GOP caucus in the lege has created a surfeit of them. (And so ends this blog's Thesaurus sentence of the year :) )

As in previous years, the likes of State Sens. Russell Pearce and Jack Harper were frontrunners for this award, as was Representative John Kavanagh. In addition to their nativist enthusiasms, Pearce and Kavanagh are the chairs of their respective chambers' Appropriations Committees, and have the influence to further the more radical parts of their ideology. Harper is, well, *Harper,* the man who never met a bill or utterance too outlandish or ignorant for him to put his name to it.

In a normal year, there would be no more than one or two others in serious contention (Trish Groe will be missed...OK, not really.)

But this year, a huge percentage of their colleagues have given free rein to their inner whackjob, in ways that go beyond the usual "appeal to the wingers back home" bills that go nowhere, and were never meant to.

Before we even enter into a discussion of some of the horrific bills proposed this session, there's the "colorful" utterances of some of the legislators to consider -

- Rep. Frank Antenori, a resident of Tucson and elected to represent part of Tucson, expressed objections to newspapers designating him as "R-Tucson." Apparently, he has a problem with the "hippies" that run the city.

- Sen. Pam Gorman, from her blog, on the prospect of devastating budget cuts for education and the rest of the state's budget (emphasis mine) - "Essentially, we will get to sit around in small groups brainstorming on ways to cut government spending instead of the normal nauseating disputes about how to spend more. Yippee! Now, where’s my party hat? "

- Sen. Jack Harper, responding to a story that Arizona, the rate of people applying for food stamps is rising at twice the pace of the U.S. as a whole (from Seeing Red AZ) - "One of the reasons so many people are signing up for welfare is due to so many welfare offices being opened up by the state and making it easy:," followed by a listing of all DES offices in the state.

No acknowledgement that maybe the reason that more people are applying for food stamps and other assistance is that more people *need* the assistance.

- Rep. John Kavanagh, speaking gleefully on the effects of cuts to the state's universities - "Since our cuts are going to send ASU back to the Middle Ages, the question is how many monks will they need?"

And that's just skimming the surface.

Then we move on to the transparency of the budget process (and balancing the state's budget in the face of the current fiscal crisis), something that the wingers complained about on an annual basis, when the moderate Republicans in the lege worked out a budget with then-Governor Napolitano and were able to garner enough support for it on both sides of the aisle to pass it. So what do the wingers do now that they've ousted most of the moderates in the Republican caucus and have fellow traveller Jan Brewer in the Governor's office?

Determine which programs to cut, and how savagely, behind closed doors.

They've even made their blog, Capitol Ideas (http://azhousegop.blogspot.com/), available to "invited readers" (i.e. - "true believers" in their view, "fellow Kool-Aid drinkers" in mine) only.

And then there are the bills.

In addition to their now-annual moves to repeal the state's equalization property tax, a dedicated funding source for education (SB1107, among others) or moves to repeal other taxes (HCR2034, et. al.), they've got the bills with the usual nativist pablum (with Russell Pearce lending his name to at least 16 of them), the anti-choice screeds (such as HB2564), and, of course, the gun fetish bills (SB1270, HB2171, and others).

But wait, there's more -

- The myriad bills against the use of photo radar, the most colorful of which may be Rep. Andy Biggs' HB2124, which won't allow photo radar to be used to issue tickets for going less than 35 mph in a school zone or less than 85 mph on a freeway. (Thanks to blogger Mike McClellan at AZCentral.com for the heads-up on HB2124)

You know, I can understand the 85 mph requirement in the rural portions of the state, where the speed limit is 75 mph, but 35 mph in a school zone? If there is one area that calls for strict enforcement of speed limits it's school zones.

- Sen. Ron Gould's SB1359, which would allow cities and towns to "construct, operate and finance the construction of toll roads within the corporate limits of the city or town."

- Sen. John Huppenthal's SB1393, a measure written so broadly that it would turn the public school system into a religious school system.

- Rep. Warde Nichols' scheme to disband the Arizona Board of Regents, HCR2002.

- SB1123, a Republican move to make Tucson's municipal elections non-partisan, mostly because Democrats win in Tucson.

- SB1147, which would bar state agencies from adopting any rules or policies regarding greenhouse gases or fuel economy without the express direction of the lege. The same lege that is run by Republicans who think that scientific evidence regarding global warming and human impact on the environment is a fraud.

There are more, but the point is made - Pearce, Kavanagh, and Harper have a LOT of company this year down on West Washington.

As such, the winner of this year's Legislative Loon Award is...


The entire Republican caucus of the Arizona Legislature.


God help us all.


Note: to be fair, I should note that there are still a few members of the Rep caucus who take the idea of public service seriously, however, most of them have to keep silent or face a primary challenge from hardliners. And in today's AZ Republican Party, the reality is that few of them are safe from such a challenge.