Was Sinema's appearance at Davos a job interview or a victory lap?

I'm leaning towards "victory lap."

Pointed at some of this by Taegan Goddard's Political Wire.

From CNBC -

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema pulls in cash from Wall Street, 

real estate titans as she mulls reelection bid

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema raked in campaign cash from corporate leaders at the end of last year as she prepared for a potential high-stakes 2024 reelection bid in the battleground state of Arizona.

Sinema, a centrist swing vote in the narrowly split Senate, switched her party affiliation from Democrat to independent in December. Real estate and private equity leaders, who have long helped to fill Sinema’s campaign coffers, contributed to a healthy cash haul for the senator in the final months of last year.

Her latest FEC report is here.  It shows that she was accepting payoffs contributions from the wealthy long before her appearance at the conference at Davos, well-known as a get-together for the ultra wealthy 

Her behavior at Davos?

From BusinessInsider -

Sinema and Manchin high-five over supporting the filibuster at 

World Economic Forum in Davos

That the United States held a free and fair election in 2022 is evidence that Kyrsten Sinema was right to support a rule that prevents most legislation from passing the Senate without a 60-vote supermajority, or so the newly independent senator from Arizona argued while speaking in Davos on Tuesday.

Sinema, a former Green Party activist turned centrist, left the Democratic Party following last year's vote. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, she attributed the move to her opposition to the two-party system and extremism on the left and right.

It certainly looks like her buyers contributors got their money's worth.

Many words can be used to describe Arizona legislators: "sneaky" isn't usually one of them

Words like "arrogant." "antisocial." and "insane" maybe, but not "sneaky."

That implies a level of subtlety that this bunch, especially the Republicans, don't have.

So I admit to be a little surprised when I did this week's schedule post, looking at committee activity at the legislature.  When doing that, I came across SB1205 from Steve Kaiser (it's scheduled for committee consideration on Thursday by Senate Education).

It has a short title of "foster children; education; best interest" yet there's a section adding an unrelated duty to the list of things the stat's Auditor General is responsible for.

Not a change -

Kaiser's proposed change -

From the rules of the state senate -

Old School vs. New School: The 2024 election will be a test

Is anyone really surprised that the AZGOP went with "old school" on this?

From AP -

Arizona Republicans pick former Trump official to lead party

Arizona Republicans on Saturday selected former state treasurer and 

Donald Trump aide Jeff DeWit to be the party’s next chairman, turning 

to a familiar face with relationships across the fractured party after 

its worst election in decades.

DeWit replaces firebrand Trump ally Kelli Ward, who helped the former 

president in his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and was a vocal 

proponent of his false claim that the election results were fraudulent. 

She broke with precedent in last year’s primary, openly promoting a 

slate of election deniers who went on to lose the general election in 

November.

[snip]

Meanwhile, Arizona Democrats elected Yolanda Bejarano, a senior 

national official in the Communications Workers of America union, 

to be their party chair following the first contested election for 

Democratic chair in 12 years. Bejarano was backed by most of the 

state’s elected Democrats, but newly elected Gov. Katie Hobbs 

supported Steve Gallardo, the only Democrat on the Maricopa County 

Board of Supervisors.

I wish Bejarano well, in what can be an utterly rugged and thankless job, and that DeWit does as well as Ward in his chosen task.

Legislative schedule - week starting 1/29/2023

Well, we've reached that point in the legislative session where most committees have agendas with propaganda bills on the agenda, not good government bills.  It may be best to check ALL agendas.  There are lots of bad bills on committee agendas this week, a trend I expect to continue until the end of March....when the bad bills become the exclusive domain of the respective chambers' Appropriations committees.

Oh, and when I describe something as "propaganda,' I mean "red meat for the Republican primary voter."

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 at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, 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, January 30 

-

House Health & Human Services meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  10 bills on the agenda, including the anti-vaxxer propaganda of HB2474.  There are other bad bills on the agenda.

House Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  Three bills on the agenda, two of which are propaganda.

House Military Affairs & Public Safety meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  Six bills on the agenda, many propaganda bills, including HB2309, which says

  PURSUANT TO THE SOVEREIGN AUTHORITY OF THIS STATE AND ARTICLE II,  SECTION 3, CONSTITUTION OF ARIZONA, THIS STATE AND ALL POLITICAL  SUBDIVISIONS OF THIS STATE ARE PROHIBITED FROM USING ANY PERSONNEL OR FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO ENFORCE, ADMINISTER OR COOPERATE WITH ANY ACT, LAW, TREATY, ORDER, RULE OR REGULATION OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT THAT IS INCONSISTENT WITH ANY LAW OF THIS STATE REGARDING THE AUTHORITY OF STATE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. 

Senate Elections meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  10 bills on the agenda, all propaganda.

Senate Finance meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  Five bills on the agenda, including SB1108, creating a tax credit for businesses that operate in municipalities that have a minimum wage that is higher than the state's minimum wage, and withholding from such municipalities an amount of state shared revenue in the amount of the tax credit used.

Senate Transportation and Technology meets at 2 p.m. in SHR2.  Six bills on the agenda.

On Tuesday, January 31 

-

Senate Health and Human Services meets at 9 a.m. in SHR1,  Seven bills on the agenda. 

House Commerce meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  Eight bills on the agenda, including HB2108, adding to the hoops that Unemployment Insurance recipients and applicants have to jump through.

House Education meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  Four bills on the agenda, including HB2458, an anti-CRT bill.

House Natural Resource, Energy & Water meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  Six bills on the agenda, including HB2444, which seems like a creation of a conduit for corruption.

Senate Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  Two bills on the agenda.

On Wednesday, February 1 

-

Senate Commerce meets at 8 a.m. in SHR1.  10 bills on the agenda.  An eclectic mix of propaganda here - there are bills protecting the NRA/gun manufacturers and uneducated public employee applicants, demonizing workers' comp recipients, and looking to cut municipal revenues.

Senate Government meets at 8:30 a.m. in SHR2.  10 bills on the agenda, and like Senate Commerce, there's an eclectic mix of propaganda bills on it.  There are bills to protect legislators, real estate developers, and loudmouthed conservatives while attacking voters and voter-initiated ballot questions.

House Judiciary meets at 9 a.m. in HHR4.  Nine bills on the agenda, many bad, including HB2394, stating that federally-imposed costs on guns don't apply in AZ

House Ways and Means meets at 9 a.m. in HHR1.  Three bills on the agenda, including HB2067, on residential leases banning sales taxes on residential leases.  The bill's fiscal note is here.

House Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  Five bills on the agenda

House Municipal Oversight & Elections meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  Five bills on the agenda, all propaganda.

House Regulatory Affairs meets at 2 p.m. in HHR5.  Nine bills on the agenda, a surprisingly enough, some of these are actually good.  Not surprisingly, the good ones were introduced by or are supported by Democratic members of the legislature.

House Transportation and Infrastructure meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  10 bills on the agenda, including HB2411, a bill that looks to be rooted in the City of Scottsdale's refusal to send more water to the unincorporated community of Rio Verde.  It reads "

A. FOR A CITY THAT BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2023 PROVIDES WATER TO CUSTOMERS OUTSIDE OF THE CITY'S SERVICE AREA AND REDUCES OR TERMINATES THAT SERVICE ON OR AFTER JANUARY 1, 2023, THE CITY SHALL MAKE THE SAME REDUCTION IN OR TERMINATION OF THE WATER SUPPLY TO THE MAYOR AND MEMBERS 9 OF THE CITY COUNCIL. 

B. IF A CITY TERMINATES WATER SERVICE AS PRESCRIBED BY SUBSECTION A OF THIS SECTION, THE CITY IS LIABLE FOR THE FOLLOWING WITH RESPECT TO THE PERSONS WHOSE WATER WAS TERMINATED: 

1. FIRE DAMAGE TO PERSONAL PROPERTY. 

2. HEALTH PROBLEMS INCURRED BY CHILDREN AS THE RESULT OF THE TERMINATION. 

3. ATTORNEY FEES.

A shining example of pettiness as proposed public policy.

On Thursday, February 2 

-

Senate Judiciary meets at 9 a.m. in SHR1.  Eight bills on the agenda.  Many are propaganda, but the most utterly hypocritical one may be SB1064, a nugget from (not surprisingly) John Kavanagh.  It proposes sentencing enhancements for violating drug free zones, while ignoring his penchant for weakening gun free zones.

Senate Natural Resources, energy, and Water meets at 9:30 a.m. in SHR2.  Five bills on the agenda.

Senate Education meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  15 bills on the agenda, many of which are propaganda, including SB1205,  which has a working title of " foster children; education; best interest" but contains  an unrelated clause about voter registration lists in Maricopa County.

Short Attention Span Musing

- Let me be clear - I don't wish death on *anyone*...but there are certain folks who I think shouldn't be mourned.

Elected officials who use their positions to turn their private hatreds into public policy fall into that group.

The Arizona House and Senate have unanimously passed HCR2027, a death resolution commemorating the life of the infamous Russell Pearce.

While it talks about the many public agencies he was part of, it glosses over the bigotry and corruption that suffused any agency he was part of.

I'm not going to mourn a stone bigot, and if some folks believe that makes me a bad person, so be it.

- Booze and guns?  This isn't going to end well.

Pointed at this by Taegan Goddard's Political Wire.

From Jezebel via Yahoo! News -

Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidate Is Trying to Open a Gun Range That Serves Alcohol

There’s a pivotal election in April that you may not have heard about: A conservative judge on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is retiring, and four people are running in a race that could tip the body from its 4-3 conservative majority. It’s not hyperbole to say that whoever wins the race will determine whether the state’s abortion ban gets overturned and could rule on the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. (The two candidates in the race who support abortion rights are Judges Janet Protasiewicz and Everett Mitchell.)

According to local news reports, Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow, a conservative candidate, and her husband Brian, are developing an indoor gun range that would not only host weddings and other events, but would also serve alcohol. The couple requested a Class B liquor license to sell beer and wine to members and guests in the “clubhouse.” The range would also sell firearms and accessories on-site. The Dorows said in city documents that they devised an “alcohol safety policy” consisting of hand stamps to prevent members from entering the shooting range after drinking and a breathalyzer to be used on “suspicious individuals.” 

And I thought that AZ had the craziest people...

- AZ GOP legislators vote to protect corruption.  Color me so not shocked.

From NBC via Yahoo! News -

Arizona’s GOP legislators vote to shield themselves from public records laws

Arizona’s Republican-controlled Legislature approved a measure this week exempting itself from the state’s public records law and authorizing the destruction of all emails sent or received by legislators and their staffs after 90 days.

The new rules adopted by both GOP-led chambers effectively shield members and their staff from public records requests, making investigations into any potential wrongdoing far more difficult.

Methinks that it's time to change the AZ Constitution, in ways that both compel publicly elected officials to maintain and transmit all records of their activities and so that the legislature is subject to all of the laws that they craft.

Legislative schedule - week starting 1/22/2023

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 at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, 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, January 23 

-

Both Rules Committees will be meeting.

House Health and Human Services meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  Seven bills on the agenda.  It mostly seems noncontroversial, though HB2227 may be problematical - it would exempt certain after school programs from licensing requirements.

House Military Affairs and Public Safety meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  Three bills on the agenda.  Seems noncontroversial.

Senate Elections meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  Two bills on the agenda - SB1025, banning municipalities from designating more than 10% of its land area as a tourism zone where political signs can be removed; and SCR1002, from insurrectionist Anthony Kern, that, if approved by the voters, would require the support of 60% of voters to amend the state constitution.  It's more than a little hypocritical as the requirement faced by the lege to refer such things to the ballot would remain unchanged at a simple majority.

Senate Finance meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  No bills on the agenda.

Senate Transportation and Technology meets at 2 p.m. in SHR2.  One bill on the agenda; seems noncontroversial.

Senate Finance Committee of Reference meets upon the adjournment of the meeting of the regular Senate Finance Committee.

On Tuesday, January 24 

- 

House Commerce meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  Four bills on the agenda.  Looks noncontroversial.

House Education meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  Six bills on the agenda, at two of which are problems - HB2291, mandating that superintendent's contracts with school districts don't matter; and HB2504, expanding school vouchers.

House Natural Resources, Energy & Water meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  Seven bills on the agenda, many of which are problems.

Senate Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  No bills on the agenda.

On Wednesday, January 25 

-

House Government meets at 9 a.m. in HHR3.  Eight bills on the agenda.

House Judiciary meets at 9 a.m. in HHR4.  Five bills on the agenda, including HB2212, which proposes to criminalize criticism of utility companies.

House Ways & Means meets at 9 a.m. in HHR1.  Four bills on the agenda

Senate Commerce meets at 10 a.m. in SHR1.  Two bills on the agenda.

House Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  Either two or four bills on the agenda (there's a discrepancy between the posted agenda [4 bills] and the lege's website [2])

House Municipal Oversight & Elections meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  Six bills on the agenda; lots of ugly here.  HB2305 would add partisanship to observers of signature verification; HB2308 would require AZ Secretaries of State to remove themselves from running any election in which they are a candidate; HB2319, which is all about the legislature thumbing its nose at judicial opinions it doesn't like;  HB2322, expanding challenges of signatures on early ballots; HB2477, expressing legislative support for the Electoral College; and HB2378, barring someone who runs an election from also being an officer or member of a PAC.

House Regulatory Affairs meets at 2 p.m. in HHR5.  Three bills on agenda.

House Transportation & Infrastructure meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  Four bills on the agenda.

Senate Education meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  Two bills on the agenda,  including SB1054, funneling money to organizations that push propaganda on middle school students.

Senate Military Affairs, Public Safety and Border Security meets at 2 p.m. in SHR2.  Three bills on the agenda, including SB1058, barring the giving of polygraph examinations/lie detector tests to LEO applicants or volunteers for law enforcement agencies.

On Thursday, January 26 

-

Senate Judiciary meets at 9 a.m. in SHR1.  Five bills on the agenda.

Senate Natural Resources, Energy and Water meets at 9 a.m. in SHR2.  Two bills on the agenda

House Appropriations Subcommittee on Fiscal Accountability meets at 10:30 a.m. in HHR3.  No bills on the agenda.

House Appropriations Subcommittee on Budgetary Funding Formulas meets at 10:30 a.m (or 5 p.m.). There's a discrepancy between the posted agenda [10:30] and the lege's website [5] . in HHR4.  No bills on the agenda.

Lies, Broad Language, and Chutzpah: The AZ lege must be back in session

Oh, wait - it *is*. :)

I don't know who is responsible for a bill proposal reference title - the sponsoring legislator, someone at the Legislative Council, or even someone else who pulls a paycheck from the legislature.

Whoever named HB2304 lied though. (The sponsor is Cory McGarr and the list of cosponsors is a rogue's gallery of election deniers.) 

Its reference title is "voting locations; precinct-based". 

Its first line? 

"NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER LAW, IN ALL ELECTIONS ADMINISTERED BY A COUNTY, ALL VOTING SHALL BE CONDUCTED AT PRECINCT-BASED POLLING PLACES"

The reference title *really* should mention that the bill proposes to ban all forms of voting other than votes cast in person at precinct-located places.

Vote by mail, military overseas voting, any form of absentee voting, for that matter, vote centers, early voting, and more - all gone if this proposal becomes law

As bad as this one is (and it's putrid), it may be the epitome of sweetness when compared to HB2212.(scheduled for a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday). Introduced by Gail Griffin, on its face it appears to be a response to the damaging of power substations in North Carolina by gunfire.

Yet, it is so broadly written it seems to criminalize criticism of utility companies and infringes on the authority of the Arizona Corporation Commission.

It actually read like it was written by an industry lobbyist asking for the world but hoping their greed would be masked by real world events.

Which begs one question - did Rep. Griffin use her position to act as an industry lobbyist or did one write this and hand it to her?

One section of the proposal:

(The beginning is not a change)

A. A person commits aggravated criminal damage by intentionally or 33 recklessly without the express permission of the owner: ..."INTERFERING WITH OR OTHERWISE PREVENTING THE PERFORMANCE OF A NORMAL FUNCTION OF ANY UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURE OR PROPERTY OR THE INTENDED COURSE OR PATH OF ANY UTILITY SERVICE."

(The proposed change is in quotes)

As bad as this one is (and it's rancid), it seems like a "good government" measure when compared to HB2319 (scheduled for a committee hearing before House Municipal Oversight and Elections on Wednesday).

Sponsored by freshman rep. (and attorney) Alexander Kolodin, it has the chutzpah to propose that the legislature can thumb its nose at the judiciary.  From the measure -

2. THE LEGISLATURE DECLARES THAT EXISTING COURT OPINIONS RELATING TO THIS CHAPTER DO NOT HAVE PRECEDENTIAL FORCE OR EFFECT IF THE OPINIONS CONFLICT WITH THE RULE OF CONSTRUCTION PRESCRIBED IN PARAGRAPH 1 OF THIS SECTION. 

Of course, it may be fair, because while the legislature in thumbing its nose, most of the people of Arizona are doing something else while the lege is in session -

Holding our noses.

From the "You Just Can't Make This Stuff Up" department: Texan has anti-tank gun at airport

From KXAN -

TSA confiscates an anti-tank weapon from a passenger’s luggage at a Texas airport

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at the San Antonio International 

Airport confiscated a portable anti-tank rifle from a male passenger’s luggage

Monday, according to a Twitter post.

The passenger was on an outbound flight from San Antonio to Las Vegas, 

where he would attend the Shooting and Hunting Outdoor Trade Show. The passenger 

was planning to exhibit the weapon — a de-militarized 84MM Carl-Gustaf M4 

recoilless rifle — at the trade show, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

Does Chuck Todd actually have a spine or is Ron Johnson just low hanging fruit?

From Business Insider -

NBC News host scoffs at Sen. Ron Johnson after he said the media was biased during a charged interview: 'You can go back on your partisan cable cocoon'

During a heated exchange on Sunday, NBC News host Chuck Todd repeatedly shut down Sen. Ron Johnson.

Todd kicked off the "Meet The Press" interview by asking Johnson — the highest Republican on the Homeland Security Committee's Subcommittee on Investigations — for his thoughts on the Justice Department's investigation into classified documents that were found at President Joe Biden's former office and Delaware home.

[snip]

Johnson replied by saying, "You know, part of the problem, and this is pretty obvious to anybody watching this, is you don't invite me on to interview me, you invite me on to argue with me." He continued: "Part of the reasons our politics are inflamed is we do not have an unbiased media. We don't. It's unfortunate. I'm all for free press. It needs to be more unbiased."

Todd refuted: "Look, you can go back on your partisan cable cocoon and talk about media bias all you want. I understand it's part of your identity." Todd said, apparently referring to Johnson's many Fox News interviews. 

Maybe Johnson would have understood Todd better if Todd had just spoken Russian.

Steve Yarbrough (R-Giant Sucking Sound) looking to return to the Arizona legislature

I generally don't write about legislative races, but a name that's a blast from the past has formed a committee to run for a seat in the AZ House.

From the website of the Arizona Secretary of State -

Yarbrough is a former president of the state senate.

From the 2018 member roster for the state senate -

I've referred to him as a "Giant Sucking Sound" because of his penchant for benefitting from funds taken from public education and given to private and charter schools, funds laundered through his entity, the Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization (ACSTO).

He's still involved with ACSTO (as his campaign email address indicates), but is no longer the official head of it -he's *just* a director.

From the Arizona Corporation Commission -

Note: Though his committee formation indicates that it is formed for a run in LD17, I think that he lives in LD12 or 13 now; 17 is his former district designation.  

Since redistricting, LD17 is now a southern AZ district.

Legislative schedule - week starting 1/15/2023

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 propagate 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 at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, 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. 

No Rules Committee meetings are scheduled for this week.

On Tuesday,  January 17 -

Senate and House Appropriations Joint Committee meets at 9 a.m. in HHR1 to receive Governor Hobbs' budget proposal.  No bills on the agenda.

House Education Committee of Reference meets in HHR4 upon the adjournment of the regular House Education Committee.  No bills on the agenda.

Senate Transportation and Technology meets at 10:30 a.m. in SHR2.  No bills on the agenda.

House Commerce meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  Four bills on the agenda; seems fairly noncontroversial.

House Education meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  No bills on the agenda.

House Natural Resources, Energy & Water meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  No bills on the agenda.

Senate Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in SHR2.  Three bills on the agenda.  Appears to be fairly noncontroversial.

Senate Health and Human Services meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  Three bills on the agenda.  Seems fairly noncontroversial.

On Wednesday, January 18 -

House Government meets at 9 a.m. in HHR3.  Two bills on the agenda: HB2001, changing the rule making standards for the Arizona Department of Health Services; HB2017, ending the requirement that a deputy or assistant to an Arizona elected official be a resident of Arizona.  Pardon my cynicism, but my guess is that this one would benefit a deputy or assistant to a Republican legislator.

House Ways and Means meets at 9 a.m. in HHR1.  Five bills on the agenda; one may be problematical: HB2061, exempting food to be consumed at home from a municipal sales tax.  This bill may not actually be problematical, but I would like to know its impact on municipal revenues before supporting it.

Senate Commerce meets at 9 a.m. in SHR1.  No bills on the agenda.

Senate Government meets at 9:30 a.m. in SHR2.   Three bills on the agenda, all from the fetid mind of John Kavanagh, all bad.  SB1006 would alter the posting requirement for municipal notices and ordinances; SB1011, regarding regarding municipal elections becoming partisan; and SB1021, mandating that the state's AG must defend all laws passed by the legislature and signed by the governor.

House Ways and Means Committee of Reference meets upon the adjournment the regular House Ways and Means committee in HHR1.  No bills on the agenda.

House Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  Two bills on the agenda.  Seems noncontroversial.

Senate Education meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  Four bills on the agenda, all from John Kavanagh, all bad.  Though at least two may have been influenced by Cathi Herrod.  SB1001, barring employees or contactors of school districts from referring to a student by their preferred pronoun if said pronoun is for a gender that is different from the student's biological sex; SB1013, expanding conservaspeak "free speech zones" on university and community college campuses; SB1040, requiring public schools to provide single occupancy rest room to people who won't use a multioccupancy rest room designated for their sex; and SB1044, changing requirements for how a student suspended for nonattendance is dealt with.

Senate Military Affairs, Public Safety and Border Security meets at 2 p.m. in SHR2.  Three bills on the agenda and you may have heard this before, but all are from John Kavanagh, all are bad.  SB1022, barring people from selling goods, seeking donations, or begging in traffic medians and criminalizing the same; SB1024, criminalizing homelessness; and SCR1001, a love letter from the legislature expressing support for dealing with violent crime with evidence based strategies.  The "not love" part?  It cites on Democratic-run cities when it mentions a crime wave.

On Thursday, January 19 -

Senate Judiciary meets at 9 a.m. in SHR1.  Four bills on the agenda, three from Kavanagh, one from Anthony Kern, who sued  then-State Rep.. Charlene Fernandez because he objected to be termed an "insurrectionist" over his participation in the riot at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

SB1005, all but barring courts from awarding attorney fees to governmental entities who have been sued by parents;SB1009, criminalizing defacing, damaging, or tampering with a "public or private monument, memorial, or statue" (should we just call this one "Kavanagh's Confederate Memorial Protection Act"?); SB1023, criminalizing picketing or demonstrating in front of an individual's residence (all from Kavanagh); and SB1027,  increasing penalties for the manufacture of fentanyl or carfentanil and reducing the "threshold" amounts for the same (from Kern)

Senate Natural Resources, Energy and Water meets at 9 a.m. in SHR2.  No bills on the agenda.

House Appropriations Subcommittee on Budgetary Funding Formulas meets at 9:30 a.m. in HHR4.  No bills on the agenda.

House Appropriations Subcommittee on Fiscal Accountability meets at 9:30 a.m. in HHR3.  No bills on the agenda.

The Joint Committee of Reference for Senate Natural Resources, Energy and Water and House Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs meets at 1:30 p.m. in HHR1.  No bills on the agenda.

Other events of note:

The Arizona Free Enterprise Club will be publicly blowing their smoke/spreading their largesse on Wednesday.

When they ask "Will that be cash or credit?", they won't be talking about *accepting* payments.

State Sen. John Kavanagh: Full of weasel words and hate

From Lowe's Home Improvement,
mostly because I don't want Kavanagh's preferred hate symbol to be the first image in this post.

John Kavanagh, doing AZ proud.  Again.

There's no doubt that John Kavanagh is a highly intelligent man.

There's also no doubt that high intelligence is often wasted on people with low character

This time, he's introduced SB1049, a bill that seemingly protects hate symbols like Confederate flags from homeowners and condo associations.

From his proposal -

A. Notwithstanding any provision in the condominium documents, an association shall not prohibit the outdoor display of any of the following: 

...

8. ANY HISTORIC VERSION OF THE AMERICAN FLAG, INCLUDING THE BETSY ROSS FLAG, WITHOUT REGARD TO HOW THE STARS AND STRIPES ARE ARRANGED ON THE FLAG. 

It's kind of impressive how he tries to hide his actual intent behind weasel words like "including the Betsy Ross flag".

OK, not really.  :)

Many words can be used to describe him.  "Subtle" is NOT one of them.

What Kavanagh wants to protect,
from JSTOR

And the first one out of the gate for 2024 is... (for an AZ seat in Congress, anyway)

Horne is a dentist and is running for the seat in CD1, currently held by David Schweikert.

The first thing that Republican members of the US House do is to help the wealthy

Well, the 2nd thing.

:)

They may have been divided on who their Speaker would be, but they were united on this.

From Quartz via Yahoo! -

Republicans’ first bill makes tax fraud easier for high earners

Republicans set the tone for their next two years running the House of Representatives by enacting legislation that would add $114 billion to the deficit over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The bill in question, passed by House Republicans on Monday, repealed new funding for the IRS that the government authorized last year as part of its Inflation Reduction Act. That funding—some $80 billion—would have gone to hire new staffers, upgrade technology, and generally strengthen enforcement. The goal of the funding was to reduce the estimated 13% of taxes that are annually owed but never paid to the government, equal to about $428 billion last year, or about a third of the federal deficit.

Kevin McCarthy wins a MAGA beauty contest. Is clusterf*ck a category in one?

It took three days, a slew of compromises with the most rabid members of the GOP caucus, and a record 15 votes, but Rep. Kevin McCarthy is finally Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

A lot of effort was expended by and for a probable one-termer, if he even lasts a a full term as speaker.

Either the Democratic Party regains control of the House in 2024 or he'll tick off some of the more extreme members of his caucus and they'll depose him the next time he runs for Speaker.

But this time, he won.  Eventually.

From CNN -

How McCarthy survived the House chaos to win the speaker’s gavel

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz strode into House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy’s office on Monday night with a list of demands. Among them: The chairmanship of a key House Armed Services subcommittee.

McCarthy rejected the offer. That decision set in motion a chain of events that left Gaetz and McCarthy locked in open confrontation on the House floor late Friday night. Gaetz, McCarthy’s staunchest opponent, dramatically denied McCarthy the final vote he needed to become speaker – then Gaetz and the last holdouts abruptly changed course allowing McCarthy to win the speaker’s gavel on his 15th attempt.

McCarthy may have won the election, there were some hard feelings in his caucus.

From WRAL (NC) -

U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson of NC seen restraining GOP colleague on House floor

North Carolina U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson stepped in to stop a heated confrontation on the House floor late Friday. The flap, between Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz and Alabama Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, had escalated after a tense vote for the House speaker.

U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy was ultimately elected House speaker early Saturday after a 15th vote.

Actually, describing them as "hard feelings" may be understating the situation.  It got downright messy on the House floor,

Get ready - Congress' next couple of years will be rocky.  And entertaining.  

But mostly rocky.