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.

Brnovich (mis)uses his position as AZAG to have the public pay for those who wish to threaten the public

From Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services, published by the Arizona Capitol Times -

AG: Parents can take schools to court over quarantine

If your child is sent home to quarantine when school resumes because of possible exposure to Covid, you have the right to challenge that in court. 

And the state will even pay for your lawyer. 

That bit of information comes because state Sen. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, decided to ask Attorney General Mark Brnovich about a section of the state Health Code that gives state and county health officials various powers during a state of emergency. And one of them specifically allows those agencies to “require isolation or quarantine of any person.” 

The opinion is here.

Not sure who is more craven here - Townsend, in her quest to use her position to ignore the science and endanger others or Brnovich, in his quest to win the R primary for US Senate by siphoning money from society in order to pay those who wish to threaten it.

OK - it's Brnovich.  

Townsend is simply a lousy human being, which hardly makes her unique at the state legislature; it just makes her eligible for the Legislative Loon Award.

Brnovich is a public employee who is looking to sacrifice the public on the altar of his lust for high office.

1. Wear a damn mask.

2. Get vaccinated.  

State Senator Victoria Steele - working for Arizonans

Victoria Steele represents LD9 (southern AZ) in the state senate, where her peers have shown their respect for her to have elected her as Democratic Whip there, making her a part of leadership in the senate.

She's got a history of making strong practical proposals for Arizona.

Already she has introduced bills about groudwater pumping (a big issue in AZ) and domestic violence and sentencing for violence.

In short, she's NOT a candidate for the Legislative Loon Award, though she may become a candidate for higher office.

pic from her candidate website

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.

The Arizona Legislature: 2010 preview

The next session of the Arizona Legislature is shaping up to be a lot like the last session, only more so.

...One of the harbingers of the discord took form last December, even before the session started. In a major surprise, the House Republican caucus deposed Jim Weiers as Speaker, installing Mesa Republican Kirk Adams in his place. According to the R blog Sonoran Alliance, there's a possibility that Weiers is going to try to return the favor, but don't hold your breath. It will probably be a year, and by then, the Democrats will be in charge. (Hey, I freely admit I put the "partisan" in "partisan hack." :) )

...Adams pledged to have a "transparent" process. Yet by the end of his first few weeks in his new position, the pattern had already been set - GOP leadership (Adams, Senate President Burns, Governor Brewer) would nestle themselves behind closed doors and negotiate budget packages that catered to the whims of their own caucus' membership while ignoring the input and ideas of Democratic legislators and even average constituents. Then they would present those packages for a public vote, passing them with only Republican votes and no real public hearings (Approps committee hearings with minimal notice don't qualify a "real." No matter how loudly the Rs claim that they do.)

By the time the Fifth Special Session of the lege rolled around in December of this year, they weren't even bothering with the pretense.

And still not getting the job done.

Anyway, to sum up the 2009 legislative session: Things started off badly, and went straight downhill from there.

First, some summaries of the 2009 session of the lege that are more neutral and dispassionate than mine -

Arizona School Boards Association



Arizona Capitol Times



Arizona Catholic Conference (OK, these folks are less "dispassionate" and more "really, really, really conservative)

Arizona Municipal Water Users Association

(State of) Arizona Land Management Department

A tax law firm's summary for CPAs

Arizona Game and Fish Department

Arizona Department of Health Services



Arizona Department of Revenue



Arizona Department of Insurance



Arizona Department of Transportation



Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club





Now that the "neutral" part of the post is over, on to the more partisan part - the 2010 predictions...


2009 Legislator of the Year, Arizona Capitol Times version: Rep. Ray Barnes (R-LD7)

2009 Legislator of the Year, County Supervisors Association of Arizona version: Sen. Sylvia Allen (R-LD5)

2010 Legislators of the Year, Random Musings version, or "Legislators who should stay away from cameras if they want a chance at being repeat winners of more mainstream awards" - Ray "Bisexual Principals" Barnes and Sylvia "5000 Years" Allen.

Not to be confused with the Legislative Loon Award, which is based on bill filings, this one is based on crazy utterances. While other contenders are certain to step up (Russell Pearce, John Kavanagh, Jack Harper, et al,) those two seem to have a lock on the award.


Most likely area of contention: What else? The budget. They haven't finished the current year's budget, which will take up the first few weeks of the new session, and hopefully no more than that. After that, they will start work on the FY2011 budget, which looks to have a deficit that's even larger than this year's. And most of the one-time fixes will have been used up already.


Bad bill most likely to make a comeback, non-revenue category: Guns in schools. A version directed at universities and community colleges has already been filed for next year's session, so a K-12 version can't be far behind.

Bad bill most likely to make a comeback, revenue category: Repeal of the equalization tax. The Rs have made it clear that they want to destroy public education in Arizona; getting rid of a dedicated revenue source for public education is a step in that direction.

Good bill most likely to pass: None. There may be a few "harmless" bills ("technical corrections" and the like), but nothing good is expected to come out of next year's legislative session...making it a lot like this year's session.


Institutional memory, elected/insider category: Rep. Jack Brown (D-LD5). First entered the lege in 1963, before many of his colleagues were potty-trained (and in more than a few cases, before they were born) and has served continuously since 1987. Has more knowledge and wisdom than most of the rest of the lege combined. Norman Moore, Chief Clerk of the House, was in contention for this one, but after three decades of service, he has retired to go into the private sector as a lobbyist.

Institutional memory, "outsider" category: Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services. He *is* Capitol Media Services, working as its sole employee. Every media outlet in the state uses his stories. Has been covering the Capitol for more than a quarter century. "Outsider" is in quotes because with his longevity, he isn't really an outsider, but he doesn't work for the lege, so he falls into this category.


Legislator most likely to piss off his own caucus: Who else could it be, but Sen. Ron Gould? With his stomping out of his own party's Governor's speech and spending the spring, summer, and fall working to scuttle any balanced budget deals, he's had this one sewn up for months. The runner up, and the House's "winner": Rep. Sam Crump. A second-termer, he was briefly stripped of a committee chairmanship early in the 2009 session for trying to out-harsh his own Speaker, Kirk Adams. He had been "exploring" a run for AG, challenging State Superintendent of Public of Instruction Tom Horne and (rumored) Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas. He has announced that he is seeking reelection to the House, however. Democrat Jack Brown could gain some traction in this category because he is easily the most conservative Democrat in the legislature, but there is so much respect and affection for him that no one really objects when his votes don't always gibe with his caucus-mates'.

Legislator most likely to piss on the other caucus: One could make a case for most (though not all) of the Rs in this category, but the hands-down winner in this category is our old friend, Sen. Jack Harper. A complete list of his credentials for this award would take up the rest of the post, but the highlight of his year was when he equated legislative Democrats with a pre-Iraq War Saddam Hussein and the ruling Sunnis in Iraq.

Legislator most likely to claim at one point to only follow the "will of the voters" while at another point to claim that the "will of the voters" is meaningless: Russell Pearce. Basically, it all matters if he agrees with the "will of the voters." If the matters under discussion are nativist measures approved via referendum, he believes that the voters are brilliant; if the matters under discussion are voter-mandated social spending, he thinks they are misguided, or worse, and seeks to overturn the Voter Protection Act so that he can kill all social spending in AZ.

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.