Edward Woodward dies at 79

Most of the readers of this blog probably aren't familiar with the name, but Edward Woodward was the star of one of the most iconic 80s TV shows, The Equalizer.

Woodward was a highly-respected actor in England. Before accepting the role of Robert McCall, a retired and disillusioned Cold War-era spy who helped the helpless in the mean streets of New York as a way of paying penance for some of the sins he committed in the line of duty, he was probably best known in the U.S. for his role in the film Breaker Morant.

The show was gritty, human and had a GREAT opening theme from Police drummer Stewart Copeland.

The Washington Post has a full bio and obit here; the Indianapolis Star has a report on Woodward's passing, as well as the death of another, much younger, icon from the 1980s, Ken Ober. Ober was the host of MTV's first non-music program, Remote Control. Yes, at one point in time, the "M" in "MTV" stood for "Music." Shocking, I know...

Kevin at Exurban League sums it up thusly - "Great show. Fantastic intro. Gonna miss him."

The folks over at EL are usually spectacularly wrong on all issues political, but they've got some pretty good taste in movies, music, and TV. Though they lose serious points for the David Hasselhoff reference. I know it was the Berlin Wall, but Hasselhoff?

Special session tea leaf reading

Not much to update as yet, but here goes...

The latest rumors are A) that they will try to pull off a one day special session on Thursday, and B) that they'll try for next week before Thanksgiving.

There are obstacles to those potential plans.

As for possibility A, the Governor's public schedule for this week has been posted, and she plans to be in Austin, Texas for the Republican Governors Association annual conference on Wednesday and Thursday.

As for B, there are a number of legislators from both sides of the aisle who will be out of state, and a couple will be out of the country, after this week. Gaining a quorum next week will be difficult; gaining the 31 and 16 votes needed to pass anything will be nearly impossible.

Especially since the Republican Governor, Speaker, and President of the state senate are still adamant in their refusal to work with Democratic members of the lege.

BTW - none of this precludes a special session. The Governor could yet cancel her trip to Austin, or members of the lege could yet cancel their long-planned holiday plans.

Just don't hold your breath waiting for the Capitol leadership to get off of the butts any time soon.

Other lege-related notes:

- Sources report that the Reps had a caucus meeting today. The Governor attended, and when she showed up, the caucus meeting was then closed to the public.

The AZGOP, the party of transparency. Or not.

- Credit Russell Pearce, the State Senator from LD18, with the first bill proposal for the 2nd regular session of the 49th Arizona Legislature. His SB1001 is another attempt to limit the ability of elected officials to put their faces on/publicize themselves in general communications paid for out of public monies.

The only surprise here is that the first bill wasn't one of Pearce's patented anti-Mexican screeds masquerading as a public policy proposal.

On the other hand, it is still early.

- Officially clarifying what had long been expected, LD8 State Rep. John Kavanagh has formed a re-election committee with the AZ Secretary of State's office (filer ID 201000319). Kavanagh, the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, had been rumored (reported here and elsewhere) to be interested in the LD8 Senate seat, currently held by the termed-out-after-next-year Carolyn Allen. However, fellow LD8 Rep. Michelle Reagan is also interested, and she may have a stronger base of support in LD8. Kavanagh couldn't be sure he would prevail in a primary battle with her. On the other hand, he is a near-certain lock to retain his House seat, even in LD8's Republican cattle call in the state representative primary (six candidates and counting).

The coming week...

As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies (except where noted) and subject to change without notice.

This is shaping up to be a busy week as most political entities try to clear as much work as possible off of their dockets before the holiday season hits full force.


...The U.S. House of Representatives is back in session this week, starting Monday afternoon. The official agenda doesn't list "health care reform politicking", but that activity is certain to grab most of the media's attention this week and every week until a final bill is passed by both chambers.

The House does have some regular work to do this week, and while none of the items at hand shape up to be as interesting or contentious as health care reform, this will still be a busy week for politics-watchers.

Of interest to Arizonans -

H.R. 1834, the Native American Business Development Enhancement Act of 2009, sponsored by AZ1's Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick. The purpose of the bill is to "..amend the Small Business Act to expand and improve the assistance provided to Indian tribe members, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians..." CRS summary here. Heard under suspension of the rules, so a 2/3 majority is required for passage.

H.R. 3791, the Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2009. The bill is sponsored by AZ5's Rep. Harry Mitchell. CRS summary is here. CBO analysis here (cost estimate: $2.7 billion thru 2014, $2.1 billion thereafter, assuming funds are appropriated. This is only an authorization bill). This bill will be the subject of a House Rules Committee hearing on Tuesday at 3 p.m. (EST).

- Of more general interest, but certain to generate some serious controvery -

H.R. 3961, the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009. CRS summary here. CBO estimates here (expected to increase federal spending by $210 billion over 10 years).

Possible consideration of the conference report on H.R. 2847, the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. CRS summary here. This one has some "interesting" provisions, like prohibiting the use of funds "to implement, administer, or enforce any EEOC guidelines covering harassment based on religion."

Who wrote this stuff? Bush appointees?


...Over in the U. S. Senate, expect some serious arm-twisting over health care reform. The Senate's committee schedule is here.


...Back here in Arizona, the Arizona Legislature may or may not be holding a special session this week. And whether or not they do, in fact, hold a session this week, few Capitol watchers expect any significant progress toward a real fix for the budget mess until after the new year.

However, special session or no, the makework schedule continues unabated.

- The Ad Hoc Committee on Energy and Water Development will meet on Monday at 8:30 a.m. in SHR1.

- The Ad Hoc Committee on Mining Regulations will meet on Monday at 1 p.m. in HHR1. The meeting will be chaired by the mining industry's personal representative to the State Senate, Sylvia Allen. She will be asking mining industry lobbyists and executives what kind of government regulations they want for their business.

Look at the agenda (linked above). I'm not exaggerating.

- The Ad Hoc Committee on Agriculture Regulations will meet on Monday at 3 p.m. in HHR1. Agribusiness' personal rep in the State Senate, Steve Pierce, will be in the same place doing the same thing for his keepers that Sylvia Allen was doing for hers two hours earlier.

- The Ad Hoc Committee on Private School Tuition Tax Credit Review will meet on Monday at 1 p.m. in HHR5. It's already apparent that Speaker Adams' hand-picked committee to look into STOs and the tax credit program is less an "inquiry" and more a "pep rally."

One of the scheduled presenters at the hearing is Dr. Charles M. North, an economics professor from Baylor University.

I thought that Waco, Texas (home of Baylor U) was a *little* far to go in search of an economics expert who could discuss the economic impacts of STOs and tuition tax credits on Arizona. U of A, ASU, and NAU have economics faculty who are competent. Even renowned.

And UA, ASU, and NAU are a LOT closer.

Hmmm...I wonder who's paying for Dr. North's trip to AZ? I would love to get a look at the expense records of the lege and a couple of STOs to find out.

Anyway, a little quick research on Dr. North found he has authored publications like "Going to College, Getting a Job: What Happens when Mom and Dad Take Their Kids to Church," "Must the poor always be with us? What do we do?" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger? The Role of Vouchers in Regulating Private Schools."

And that was just stuff from his official bio at Baylor, linked above.

Instead of handing out copies of the agenda before this meeting, why don't they just hand out copies of the script, so everyone can follow along???

- The House Government and Senate Government Institutions Committee of Reference will meet on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. in HHR5. The meeting is for the sunset reviews of the Arizona Legislative Council, the Office of the Auditor General, and the Arizona State Library, Archive and Public Records.

- The Ad Hoc Legislative Committee on Agency Information Technology will meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. in HHR5.

...Anyway, I've got something else to do this afternoon, so I will complete this post later today...

Edit later on 11/15 to complete this post with info from county, local, and other state political bodies/agencies...

...The Arizona Corporation Commission is scheduled to meet Thursday and Friday. The agenda is a long one. Many of the items will impact readers all over the state (rate hikes and related items) but the one that could have the most direct impact on readers in my vicinity (LD17 and environs) is this one -

26. Arizona-American Water Company (W-01303A-08-0227 and SW-01303A-080227) – Application for a Determination of the Current Fair Value of its Utility
Plant and Property and for Increases in its Rates and Charges Based Thereon For Utility Service by its Agua Fria Water District, Havasu Water District, Mohave Water District, Paradise Valley Water District, Sun City West Water District and Tubac Water District; Application for a Determination of the Current Fair Value of its Utility Plant and Property and for Increases in its Rates and Charges Based
Thereon For Utility Service by its Mohave Wastewater District.

The ACC's full hearing schedule is here.


...The Citizens Clean Election Commission is scheduled to meet on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. No agenda posted online as of this writing.


...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has its normal schedule of meetings for the week - an "informal" meeting with an executive session component on Monday and a "formal" meeting scheduled for Wednesday. Both agendas look to be pretty mundane, but there is a *lot* of stuff here as they try to clear the decks in preparation for the holiday season.


...The Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System has a special session on tap for Monday. It will primarily be an executive session discussing the contract of Betsey Bayless, the CEO of MIHS. On Wednesday, the Board has a "retreat" scheduled - discussion of objectives, best practices, and the like.


...The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project doesn't have a full board meeting scheduled this week, but it will still be active.

- On Wednesday, CAP's Systems Operations Advisory Group will meet at 9 a.m.

- On Thursday, their Public Policy Committee will meet at 10:30 a.m.

- On Thursday, the Board (or such members as show up) will hold a work/study session on Recovery Planning/Projects.


...The Tempe City Council will meet Thursday. The agenda looks pretty boring except for initial consideration of a resolution expressing support for a consolidation plan from the City Manager for Tempe city government.

The Council's Calendar is here.


...The Scottsdale City Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, and the agenda looks to be an interesting one.

- Item 10, on the consent agenda, covers the referral to a special election of charter amendments. Assuming approval, the election would be held on March 9, 2010.

- Items 13 and 14, also on the consent agenda, are related to lawsuits against the City. 13 is funding for the settlement of one suit, 14 is for paying an attorney to fight another one.

An AZ Republic article on the lawsuit behind #14 here.

- Item 23 relates to discussion and possible initiation of a Zoning Ordinance text amendment to update current regulations of live entertainment. This one was requested by Council member Lisa Borowsky.

- Item 24 concerns the appointment of an Acting City Manager (candidates David Ellison, David Richert, and Brent Stockwell, all current City employees) and the establishment of a process for finding a permanent City Manager (includes the creation of a Mayor-appointed "City Manager Recruitment Ad Hoc Committee). This one has a possible executive session component associated with it.

- Item 25 (no hyperlink available) is "requested" by Council member Borowsky but it looks like it is straight out of Mayor Jim Lane's "outsource everything" playbook.

Request: At the request of Vice Mayor Borowsky, discussion and possible action or direction to staff on reorganizing the Government Relations Department, including budgetary matters, possible initiation of the RFP process to use outside contractors to provide government relations services, and location of the Government Relations Department within the city organizational structure.

The City's Charter Review Task Force is scheduled to meet on Monday. Agenda here.

The City's Community Meetings notice is here.

Not scheduled to meet this week: Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District. The Arizona Board of Regents has *something* going on, but I'm not sure what.

Republicans behaving badly: STO meeting shenanigans

On Thursday, Rep. David Schapira (D-LD17) and the Bipartisan Task Force on the Private School Tuition Tax Credits Program held an open hearing on Thursday at the State Capitol to solicit public testimony on the state's troubled STO program.

A number of citizens, from all over the state, journeyed to Phoenix to hear a presentation from the Arizona Attorney General's Office as well as to give their input.

The meeting was well-attended and informative, but don't bother checking out the video archive on the lege's website - apparently, House Speaker Kirk Adams killed the lege's video coverage of the meeting. Perhaps he was trying to keep the AG's office from scoring any points ahead of next year's elections, perhaps he was trying to keep his own hand-picked sham committee from being overshadowed, or perhaps he was simply trying to protect his colleague Steve Yarbrough from some of the criticisms of the STO program (Yarbrough is the head of the largest and most lucrative STO, the Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization).

Whatever the motivation however, Adams' heavy-handed tactics have been garnering notice, even in his hometown paper, the East Valley Tribune (at least it is until it shuts down completely at the end of the year.)

From Saturday's "Cactus Needles" column -

We knew House Speaker Kirk Adams, R-Mesa, faced an uphill battle when he promised to inject more transparency into how his state chamber conducts business. But we certainly didn’t expect to see an Adams-run House turn off one of the best tools for outsiders to keep track of what the Legislature does.

House staff refused Thursday to use taxpayer-funded cameras during a meeting about tuition tax credits organized by legislative Democrats. Usually, far more people watch such meetings on the Legislature’s closed-circuit television, Web broadcasts and dedicated cable channels than attend in person.

Adams’ spokeswoman, Becky Blackburn, offered the lame excuse that the meeting was scheduled too late. But the lead organizer, Rep. David Schapira, D-Tempe, says he filed proper notice more than two weeks before. Besides, we know from past experience it only takes a few minutes to get the House cameras working. So the public could have watched most of the two-hour meeting anyway if Adams had kept his word.

Further supporting Schapira and undercutting the Adams' Family party line story spin from Adams' flack are reports from meeting attendees. They document an interesting phenomenon.

Call it "The Case of The Disappearing Meeting."

When two of them went to sign up to speak at the meeting, the meeting appeared on the system's schedule when the first person signed in, but it disappeared, as if by magic, by the time the next person in line stepped up to sign in.

Hmmm...

Lest one thinks that only the Trib noticed the games Adams was playing, Thursday's meeting has garnered notice in the AZ Republic here. It also made the Arizona Guardian's Guardian Angel column (subscription required) -

Capitol censorship: The Winged One never figured Republican leaders would rule the House like the politburo. But that’s what some Angelinos are saying these days about their Glorious GOP Leaders after they ordered Arizona Capitol Television not to broadcast a Democratic task force that was meeting in one of the House hearing rooms. The crews were ready to roll Thursday morning when word came down that they were forbidden to televise the show because the Democrats didn’t, umm, book the room – at least that’s the official version coming from the Ministry of Information. The GA hears the real story is Republican leaders didn’t want to give Attorney General Terry Goddard’s folks an avenue to score political points on the boob-tube...

While Adams was successful in preventing the lege's own cameras from providing coverage of the meeting for the members of the public who were unable to attend it in person, he wasn't able to completely block all coverage - video of Rep. Schapira's post-meeting comments is available on the website of the Guardian, and a full piece in the East Valley Trib is here.

In addition to those sources, David Safier at Blog for Arizona has some great in-depth coverage here, here, and here.

And since she was there, and addressed the committee (brave woman, she), Jen at Mindless Mumblings of a Martyr Mom should eventually post her take on the meeting. Once she calms down enough to press the keys on her keyboard, as opposed to punching them through the desk underneath that keyboard. :))

Later...

When you outlaw laws, only outlaws will have laws

Tedski at Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion has covered this already, but it's worthy of more coverage.

Especially in light of the apparent fizzling out of next week's likely-to-remain-a-rumor special session of the lege to address the ongoing budget deficit...

Russell Pearce likes to tout himself as a "rule of law" type, but it seems that his enthusiasm for obedience to the laws of the state and country doesn't exactly apply to Pearce himself obeying the law.

From the Arizona Capitol Times -

Sen. Russell Pearce told our reporter yesterday he is advocating lawmakers "simply ignore" the maintenance of effort requirements for K-12, universities and healthcare funding that the state agreed to when it accepted the federal stimulus aid earlier this year.

{snip}

"Our economy is worse than theirs. We simply cannot do it," he said. "It’s time to tell the federal government, 'Sorry, we can’t do it.' I intend to balance the budget without tax increases."

Of course, federal law regarding budget matters is the least of the budget-related laws that Pearce ignores at will.

Consider the highest law in the state, the Arizona Constitution.

From Article 9, Section 3 (emphasis mine) -

The legislature shall provide by law for an annual tax sufficient, with other sources of revenue, to defray the necessary ordinary expenses of the state for each fiscal year. And for the purpose of paying the state debt, if there be any, the legislature shall provide for levying an annual tax sufficient to pay the annual interest and the principal of such debt within twenty-five years from the final passage of the law creating the debt.

No tax shall be levied except in pursuance of law, and every law imposing a tax shall state distinctly the object of the tax, to which object only it shall be applied.

All taxes levied and collected for state purposes shall be paid into the state treasury in money only.

From Article 9, Section 4 -

The fiscal year shall commence on the first day of July in each year. An accurate statement of the receipts and expenditures of the public money shall be published annually, in such manner as shall be provided by law. Whenever the expenses of any fiscal year shall exceed the income, the legislature may provide for levying a tax for the ensuing fiscal year sufficient, with other sources of income, to pay the deficiency, as well as the estimated expenses of the ensuing fiscal year.

Arizona - the place where the loudest lawmakers are also the loudest lawbreakers.


Note on the special session talk: if it does happen next week (and according to sources, it's not completely dead quite yet, though it's thisclose to being kaput), it may just be a one day session where the members show up, vote without reading what they are voting on, collect their per diem, and head back to the hills.

The original "plan" (such as it was) was for a three-day session from Monday to Wednesday.

Except that the Speaker of the House, Kirk Adams, will be out of town on Monday, and there are all sorts of events on Tuesday that will keep members away from the Capitol on Tuesday until mid to late afternoon, when they have another meeting scheduled.

And then other members will be heading out of town in preparation for the holidays later in the week.

Also, in all of the tentative budget patches/fixes that are being floated around unofficially (in other words, nothing available online yet), more massive cuts to K-12 education and DES are featured but nothing to address revenue has been included, including the Governor's proposed referendum on a sales tax hike. That was supposed to be considered, MAYBE, in a December special session that would have set up a March election on the matter.

While something *could* still happen next week, at this point I'd bet on nothing happening until January at the earliest.

Later...

A little light reading for a good cause...

A couple of books have hit the streets recently, and both are worthy of picking up.

- The first up is the cookbook "How To Roast An Elephant." It was put together by D20 Democratic activists Jean Cappello and Judy Wade with nearly 200 recipes submitted by Maricopa County Democrats. Whether to show your support for the Democratic Party's grassroots or just to put a great meal on the table (with a "Turning the County Blue cocktail as the libation ;) ), this book is a great idea for a holiday gift for your favorite Democrat...or your favorite Republican with a sense of humor (there *are* a few, ya know) and an appreciation for good food.

LD20's ActBlue page for the book is here; a copy can be ordered from the D17 Democrats here (approximately 1/3 of the way down the page).

- Second up is The Blue Pages 2nd Edition, from Angie Crouse and the Center for Responsive Politics. Angie is a political researcher, Vice-Chair of the LD17 Democrats, board member of EmergeArizona, and a friend.

The 2nd edition of The Blue Pages is a compilation of major corporations' political contributions, labor relations, lawsuits, and community and charitable involvement. And it comes in a handy pocket size.

This handy guide is the perfect stocking stuffer for all of your politically active friends, no matter where they fall on the political spectrum. Democrats will be able to find out which companies are good corporate citizens and spend their hard-earned money with those companies, while Republicans can find out which companies are good corporate citizens and avoid them.

:)

Later...

Not good news for Jan Brewer's nascent campaign

From AZCentral.com -

Pew report: Ariz. ranks among worst facing budget woes

Arizona lags only California in the magnitude of its state budget woes, according to a new report released today.

The state's high foreclosure rate, year-over-year drop in tax collections and yawning budget gap make it second-worst in the nation in term of budget problems, the Pew Center for the States concludes in a special report, "Beyond California, States in Fiscal Peril."

More details, and the entire report, can be found on the Pew Center's website here.

Brewer has increased her pace of "unofficial" campaigning, with nine items on this week's public schedule, compared to two items on the schedule from a mere five weeks ago.

However, all the campaigning in the world isn't going to erase the aroma of failed leadership wafting from the ninth floor (and the offices of the House Speaker and the Senate President) and surrounding the Capitol. Even if the rumored latest special session goes off next week (no guarantee that - rumors are that she and the lege leadership can't agree on the scope of the special session, and no one is sure that they will even get a quorum if they do actually call the special session), most efforts seem to be focused on kowtowing to pure ideologues (in AZ and DC) and "kicking the can down the road," not dealing with the state's situation responsibly and professionally.

The scary part is while they (Brewer and the lege leadership) have failed to address the worsening deficit in the current year's budget, next year's deficit is projected to be over $3 billion.

And that is an early projection; revenues are worsening and most of her caucus in the lege is dedicated to further cutting revenues. Plus every bit of this year's deficit that they don't deal with now will just be pushed into next year budget.

In short, she needs a miracle to look good enough to win election as an incumbent, and neither she nor the people around her seem to be the "miracle worker" type, nor do they even seem to be the "buckle down and work their way of the the mess" type.

Brewer will have enough trouble getting through the GOP primary; gaining enough support of independent voters to prevail in the general election will be nearly impossible.

Of course, most GOP governors-wannabe will face the same problems next year; many of the "big names" could take a look at the electoral landscape, and cede next year to the Democrats.

They'll wait for 2014 and hope the lege pulls its collective head out of its collective ass by then.

Apparently, it's my week for going "hmmmm..."

...well, in between coughs and sneezes and sniffles, anyway. :)

This is definitely one of those times when I wish I had better sources at the Capitol.


First, there was the scheduled (and then cancelled) meeting of the lege's Joint Committee on Capital Review that was supposed to take place on Tuesday. One of the main items on that agenda was an executive session on a request for information on a "prison concession agreement."

Then, on Tuesday there were a number of hits on this blog (>5) from at least two computers in the office of the Texas Legislative Council (IP address 204.65.67.155) . The same Texas where private prisons are a huge business. The kept visiting the weekly schedule post that mentioned the above meeting.

Finally, Tuesday evening while checking out new committee formations on the AZSOS' website, I came across this one -

Committee Name: Prison Health Services, Inc. Political Action Committee

Status: Active

Filer ID: 201000299

Committee Type: Segregated Fund

Registration Date: 11/9/2009

Last Amended Date: 11/9/2009

Mailing Address: 105 Westpark Dr Ste 200, Brentwood TN 37027

Phone: (615) 376-0693

Email: jparr@pacout.com

Committee Address:105 Westpark Drive, Suite 200, Brentwood TN 37027

Chairman: Walker, Jonathan

Treasurer: Sprouse, James


PHS has some contracts in Mohave County right now, but they are certain to be looking to scavenge some revenue (via a "concession agreement"?) from the lege's push to privatize everything.

Now, let's be clear - I have absolutely nothing beyond by own cynicism to tie these together (especially the Texas Legislative Council stuff), but I learned a long time ago that in politics, coincidence is a rare commodity.

Rarer even than bipartisanship in the Arizona legislature.


The funnest part of this?

Check out the email address of the PAC, PACOut.com.

That's the domain name for PAC Outsourcing LLC, a firm for handling outsourced PAC functions.

In other words, the AZ lege is outsourcing government functions, and seems to be doing so to a corporation that has outsourced its governmental relation functions.

There's a definite kind of symmetrical poetry there...

Congressman Harry Mitchell - "Honoring Our Nation's Veterans

From an email message from Congressman Mitchell -

This Veterans Day, I want to make sure we all take a moment to give thanks to our men and women in uniform. I sought out a seat on the House Veterans Affairs’ Committee because I believe that the best way to honor the sacrifices of our veterans is to ensure they receive the care and dignity they have earned.

As Chairman of the House Veterans’ Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, and as someone who represents more than 65,000 veterans, I have been working hard to deliver the benefits and care our veterans have earned. I believe this is critical in meeting the needs of the 363,000 veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan in need of care over the last three years.

The care of our veterans, servicemen and servicewomen are not just Democratic concerns or Republican concerns. They are American concerns. And we have worked together to help deliver results:

•Service Members Homeownership Tax Act, H.R. 3590: while helping to stabilize our housing industry, this bill ensures our service men and women can take full advantage of the $8,000 Homebuyer Tax Credit

•Military Spouses Residency Relief Act, H.R. 1182/S.475: allows service members to maintain their residency for various purposes including voting, income taxes, and personal property taxes.

•Veterans Retraining Act, H.R. 1168: authorizes a monthly training assistance allowance of upwards of $1,400 for each month that a veteran is enrolled in an employment-training program that teaches a skill in demand.

•The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, H.R. 1: provided a $1.4 billion increase for the Department of Veterans Affairs for maintenance at VA medical facilities, construction of veterans’ extended care facilities, and veteran cemetery repairs and $250 stimulus payments to disabled veterans.

I am also working with the VA and our committee to make sure we are keeping the promises we’ve made to our veterans.

•New Electronic Medical Records: continued to examine the progress being made by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs in ensuring electronic health record interoperability when transitioning to civilian life.

•Diseases Associated with Agent Orange: established a service-connection for Vietnam Veterans with B cell leukemia’s, such as hairy cell leukemia; Parkinson’s disease; and ischemic heart disease.

•Challenged the VA to ensure veterans receive their GI Bill benefits: called on VA to lay out a plan to prevent more untimely delays of GI Bill benefits. No veteran should fall behind because of the VA’s inability to deliver the benefits our brave veterans have earned.

Earlier this year I had the honor of being presented its ‘Distinguished Legislator Award’ by the American Legion Department of Arizona for my commitment and work on behalf of the nation's veterans. Previous Distinguished Legislator Award recipients include Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl. And while I was humbled to be recognized by the American Legion, I believe strongly that our veterans have stood for us and it is our duty to stand for them.

There’s still much work to be done. This Veterans Day, make sure to take a moment to give them thanks.

Sincerely,

Harry

P.S. To stay updated, please visit my website to learn more what I’m doing to honor those who have served us.

Quelland on his way out

From AZCentral.com -

For the second time this year, a state authority has determined that Rep. Doug Quelland must forfeit his office over campaign-finance violations.

On Monday, a state administrative law judge upheld the May finding of the Citizens
Clean Elections Commission that Quelland violated a number of campaign-finance laws, including using private funding while running under the state's public campaign-finance scheme, and failing to report a $15,000 contract with political consultant Larry Davis.

The penalty for these violations is removal from office and $30,500 in fines, judge Thomas Shedden concluded.

Quelland was out of town when the decision was handed down, but his attorney promised to appeal the decision. Of course.

The judge's decision, also courtesy AZCentral.com, is here.

He'll fight it, but like David Burnell Smith before him, he'll lose this one.

Soon-to-be-former Rep. Quelland may have been unavailable for comment today, but Don Bivens, chair of the Arizona Democratic Party was -

"Rep. Quelland pledged to follow the rules when he agreed to run as a Clean Elections candidate. When public officials violate the law, they also violate the trust of Arizona voters. The residents of District 10 deserve better during these difficult times."

Quelland may be in office during the still-only-a-rumor special session on tap for next week, but unless the courts completely shut down due to lack of funds or something (not entirely out of the realm of possibility with this travesty of a legislature), he should be out of office by the time the 2nd session of the 49th Arizona Legislature begins in January.

Best wishes on a speedy recovery to State Sen. Al Melvin

Like everybody I know (and I expect most of the readers of this posting), I've had family members get cancer. The fight against it, successful or not, is usually painful, always stressful, and invariably expensive, both financially and emotionally.

Some things are far more important than mere partisan politics, and this is one of them...

The Arizona Capitol Times has the story -

Sen. Al Melvin, a Tucson Republican, disclosed Nov. 9 that he has been undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Melvin said the disease is not interfering with his work and he expects a full recovery. Melvin, in fact, has been holding hearings on energy and water during the past several weeks. He said he was lucky it was detected early.

Information about Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) can be found here, courtesy the National Cancer Institutes.

In short, it's a cancer of the white blood cells. It can be fatal, however it is also treatable, depending on the type of NHL and how soon it is detected. And the earlier, the better.

I wish Sen. Melvin (and his loved ones) all the best in his fight against this disease. While the partisan in me wants to see him out of office, I want it to see it happen when Cheryl Cage defeats him, not this.

Later...

The coming week...

As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies (except where noted), and subject to change without notice...

...After the rare Saturday hubbub in the U. S. House (over health care reform), the House will be in recess for a week. Which probably explains the need to hold a Saturday session...

...The U. S. Senate is also expected to recess for a week, though their committee schedule will continue...


...Here in Arizona, the budget is still out of balance and the legislature is still out of session.
There are rumors that a special session is in the works, but a special session hasn't actually been called yet.

The intersession makework schedule continues, however -

- On Monday, the House Health and Human Services and Senate Healthcare and Medical Liability Reform Committee of Reference will meet in SHR1 at noon for sunset reviews of the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Board of Psychologist Examiners, Advisory Council on Aging, Board of Homeopathic and Integrated Medicine Examiners, Department of Health Services, Maricopa Integrated Health System, and Arizona Athletic Trainers Association.

Note: Some of the Auditor General's sunset review audits can be found on their website.

- On Tuesday, the House Judiciary and Senate Judiciary Committee of Reference will meet at 10 a.m. in HHR5 to consider the sunset review of the Arizona Department of Gaming.

- On Tuesday. the Joint Committee on Capital Review will meet at 2 p.m. in SHR109. The agenda includes an executive session on a prison concession agreement.

- On Thursday, the House Military Affairs and Public Safety and Senate Public Safety and Human Services Committee of Reference will meet at 10 a.m. in HHR5 for the sunset review of the Department of Juvenile Corrections.

- On Thursday, the Bipartisan Task Force on the Private School Tuition Tax Credits program will meet at 1 p.m. in HHR2. This meeting will include a presentation from the Attorney General's office on the status of their investigation in the abuses by STOs, as well as a call to the public for their input on the matter.

Not to say that the Republican leadership of the lege is showing their pettiness, but this committee is chaired by a Democrat (D17's own Rep. David Schapira) and it is *not* included on the schedules of activities at the lege. The committee hearings chaired by their members are, and yesterday's Nazi rally at the Capitol was (as is a teabagger rally coming up on Wednesday), but not this.

Hmmm...


...The Arizona Corporation Commission doesn't have any meetings of the full Commission scheduled, but their hearing schedule is here. It's a light one, with a holiday on Wednesday and an off day on Friday.


...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has a few things on tap this week.

- On Monday, they are holding a special meeting, with both executive session and open session components. This one involves continuing an agreement with the MCSO over computer use and operation. This one should be simple, but given the rancor between MCBOS and MCSO, this could blow up at any moment.

- On Tuesday, the Board is holding another special session, though this one will be less contentious - it's ceremony to honor Veterans' Day on Wednesday.


...The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project does not have a regular meeting scheduled for this week, but it still has the "eye-opener" of the week, at least as far as this list of events is concerned.

- On Thursday, the CAWCD Insurance Company, Inc. (insuring the Central Arizona Project) is holding its annual membership meeting and its annual directors meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii.

A little pre-Thanksgiving junket to Hawaii? Nice work if you can get it...

There's a good reason for it, though (really!! :)) ) - this corporation, which exists solely to insure CAP, a quasi-governmental entity in Arizona, is incorporated in Hawaii. Not in Arizona.

Hmmm2...


...The Scottsdale City Council isn't meeting this week, but their Community Meetings notice is here.

...The Tempe City Council also is not scheduled to meet this week; their Council Calendar is here.


Also not scheduled to meet this week: Arizona Board of Regents, Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System, Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District.

The Number 1 Reason Bob Burns And The Republicans Are Unqualified For Office

Quote of the week, from AZCentral.com -

"You've got to have a healthy host for the parasite." - Senate President Bob Burns, saying Arizona needs a healthy economy to provide the tax revenue that feeds the government.

Ummm, yeah.

With an attitude like that, something tells me that Burns and his merry band have never stopped to consider the fact that while they consider government to be a "parasite", they've controlled government in AZ for generations.

And don't even start with the number of Democratic governors that AZ has had - most western states use a "weak executive" model of government, and Arizona is no exception to that rule. Governors here can't do much without at least a little cooperation from the lege.

If government here is "parasitic", it's been shaped that way by successive generations of Republican Kool-Aid drinkers.


To use a sports analogy, electing Republicans to offices that run government is like hiring me to run the New York Yankees.

We might go through the motions for a little while, but eventually... :)

BTW - I don't know why, but I'm feeling tactful tonight. I thought about using a "hiring Republicans to run government is like hiring Jack Kevorkian as your elderly mother's doctor" metaphor, but I didn't go there.

I don't know what came over me. Must be the cold meds or something. :)


Now, I really, REALLY, have to go to bed...

Harry Mitchell's reply to my letter from yesterday

On Friday, I wrote a letter to Congressman Harry Mitchell (and the Blue Dogs). It must have been an incredibly eloquent and persuasive letter, given the success of tonight's vote (my supply of endearingly undue modesty is apparently running low :) ).

Here is his reply, just received via email -

Dear [Craig],

Thank you for contacting me regarding The Affordable Health Care for America Act, H.R. 3962. This is an incredibly important and complex issue, and I appreciate hearing from you.

As I meet with people throughout the district, it seems that everyone has a passionate opinion on this deeply personal issue. Many people who have insurance have been denied the care their doctors prescribe by their insurance companies. Some have been dropped altogether when they get sick and some can never get coverage because of pre-existing conditions. Others who have insurance and are happy with their coverage and their doctors want to make sure they will be able to keep what they have, and be able to afford it going forward. Small businesses owners are finding it harder to cover their employees and remain competitive due to rising premium costs and seniors want to make sure that Medicare is strengthened and protected.

One point on which almost everyone agrees is that something needs to be done. Doing nothing is not an option. Yet, most folks in Washington are more concerned with scoring political points for an election than delivering the reform we need. Doing nothing is always the politically safe thing to do. But playing it safe, which I could do, is why big problems - like healthcare and immigration reform - have yet to be tackled by Congress.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act, H.R. 3962 is far from perfect, but I believe we need to continue the legislative process and work with the Senate to bring about desperately needed health insurance reform. That is why I voted for H.R. 3962 on November 7, 2009, when it passed the House by a vote of 220 to 215.

I do believe further improvements need to be made and the House needs to work with the Senate to get it done. I believe this bill can be better in order to improve our health insurance system. I also agree with the recent remarks of Republican Senator Olympia Snowe when she said that when history calls, history calls and that there should be no mistake about it: my first vote on H.R. 3962 is my first vote to advance reform. And it in no way forecasts my vote for a final bill in the future if improvements are not made. But we can only make improvements if we move the ball forward.

Right now, the rising cost of health care is severely hurting families in Arizona and around the country - especially those with insurance. According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study, the average family policy now exceeds $13,000 a year, and absent some kind of reform, it is likely to increase to $24,000 a year over the next decade.

Even worse, these families are being forced to pay for those without insurance, who show up at emergency rooms and get treated despite their inability to pay. It is estimated that the average American family is already paying an extra $1,100 a year in premiums to pay for costs associated with treating the uninsured, a cost that will continue to grow as well.

Small businesses, which make up 73 percent of Arizona's businesses, are facing a full-blown crisis. Since 2000, health-insurance premiums for small businesses have risen 130 percent, and insurers are warning that they will go up another 15 percent next year. In other words, a premium that cost $4,500 per employee in 2008 - and $4,800 this year - will cost $5,500 in 2010.

Bigger employers are hurting as well. Unable to keep up with the rising cost of health insurance, employers are increasingly shifting the costs to their workers and their families. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that "in 2010, nearly two-thirds of employers plan to shift more of the cost of care to workers and their families through higher premium contributions, deductibles, and copayments." The report went on to say that one in five companies plan to eliminate higher-costs plans and instead select plans for their employees with reduced benefits.

But perhaps worst of all, many who want insurance and are willing to pay for it, are unable to do so because insurers refuse to cover them if they have a pre-existing condition - even if the condition is as benign as acne. An increasing number of Arizonans are finding themselves one medical emergency away from raiding their 401k, going into foreclosure, or declaring bankruptcy.

When employees are afraid to change jobs because they're afraid they'll lose health insurance, and employers are afraid to hire because they can't afford to provide coverage, that's not just bad for our health, that's also bad for our economy.

These are the problems we face. All of us. Republicans, Democrats and Independents. They will continue to get worse, not better, and that means doing nothing is not an option.

Some on the left have suggested that we eliminate private insurance, and replace it with an all government-run system. Some on the right have suggested that we eliminate our employer-based system, and build a new one based on tax credits.

I do not believe we need to get rid of our entire health insurance system and create a new one. I continue to oppose a government takeover of our national health insurance system. I believe we need to keep what works and fix what doesn't. I also believe that, despite the long and heated debate, there is common ground upon which we can build.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act, H.R. 3962 is not perfect, but I believe it can be improved, and I believe Congress should continue working to bring about reform.
Many people have told me they already have insurance, and they ask what this reform would do to help them. The Affordable Health Care for America Act would spur greater competition between health insurers and bring greater choice to consumers. Among others, it has been endorsed by the American Medical Association (AMA), the nation's largest physician organization, as well as the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), a leading voice for seniors.

To increase competition, the bill would establish an insurance exchange through which businesses and individuals could comparison shop for policies that best meet their needs. While more complex, the exchange would function, in a sense, like the system we currently use to purchase airline tickets online. Just as the airlines bid for your travel business, health insurers would bid for your insurance business. To participate in the exchange, insurers would have to meet certain minimum standards. Most notably, insurers would no longer be allowed to refuse to cover someone because of a pre-existing condition, or place a cap on annual or lifetime coverage. Members of Congress and federal employees have long had access to a system like this, and it has worked well. So well, in fact, that Congress is frequently, and I believe correctly, criticized for giving itself better quality and more affordable health care than countless Americans.

For the 469,000 residents of Arizona's Fifth District who currently receive health care coverage from an employer, reform would enable you to keep it, and prevent your insurer from dropping you if you get sick. It would eliminate annual and lifetime caps on benefits, and in many cases limit the amount of out-of-pocket expenses. It will also require insurers to allow young adults, up to 27 years of age, to remain on their parents' health care plans.

Reform would also greatly help seniors. So much so, the bill has been endorsed by the AARP. Among other things, the bill would fill the "donut-hole" in Medicare Part D, the prescription drug benefit, helping the 10,100 seniors in Arizona's Fifth District who are forced to pay full drug costs because they fall into it. The bill would further improve Medicare by eliminating out-of-pocket expenses for preventative services in Medicare. The bill does not, as some have alleged, weaken Medicare. As someone who is over 65 and depends on Medicare myself, I would not vote for it if it did.

Reform would also help small businesses, like the more than 17,800 in the Fifth District, who have been among the hardest hit by the present health insurance system. Currently, without a large number of employees, businesses cannot negotiate bulk competitive rates with insurance companies. Reform would enable small businesses to combine or "pool" their purchasing power, and then comparison-shop for competitive rates via an insurance exchange. Approximately 15,700 small businesses in Arizona's Fifth District would qualify for tax credits for up to 50 percent of the cost of insurance coverage.

Finally, reform would make it easier for those who lack insurance to be able to purchase it. Over time, this would ease the burden on our local emergency rooms, which currently treat the uninsured, and then charge more to those of us with insurance to make up for it.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the bill would reduce federal budget deficits by $109 billion from 2010 - 2019, with further reductions in federal budget deficits over the next decade. CBO's analysis is available online at: www.cbo.gov.

Reform would not, as some have alleged, provide federal benefits for illegal immigrants, or allow federal funding for abortions. The Affordable Health Care for America Act specifically prohibits any federal money from paying for health care for illegal immigrants, and specifically prohibits any federal money from paying for abortions.

H.R. 3962 would create a public alternative to private insurance, a provision which has generated a good deal of confusion and misinformation by both supporters and opponents. Under the legislation, the public option would be a separate, non-profit insurance plan, funded by premiums - not tax dollars - that would be allowed to compete with private insurers in the insurance exchange. No one would be required to use the public option. If you prefer private insurance, nothing in this bill would prohibit or otherwise limit your ability to buy it.

As you may know, I opposed to the public option as drafted in H.R. 3200, the House bill that circulated over the summer. In that bill, the public option's reimbursement rates for hospitals and providers would have been based on the reimbursement rates for Medicare. This was troubling because basing reimbursement rates on Medicare represents an unfair competitive advantage that could ultimate limit patient choice. In addition, basing reimbursement rates on Medicare rates could weaken the financial stability of local hospitals and doctors.

In my view, any public option alternative must be on a level playing field with private insurers. The public option in the Affordable Health Care for America Act would be based on negotiated rates, which is how private insurance companies operate.

This is one of several key improvements that was made to the legislation since the summer due, in no small part, to feedback from constituents. In addition, this new bill includes many bipartisan changes including allowing insurance to be sold across state lines and providing incentives for states to enact tort reforms. A recent study by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that litigation costs and malpractice insurance accounts for 1 - 1.5 percent of total medical costs. While tort laws have traditionally been decided by state legislatures, I believe we need to examine all appropriate ways to deal with rising health care costs.

I continue to have concerns about the Affordable Health Care for America Act that I hope will be addressed as the Senate finalizes its health reform bill and the House and Senate conference to complete a final bill. Most notably, I remain deeply concerned by the overall cost of the House legislation. While I am pleased that the bill is deficit neutral, I believe we can achieve much of what this bill seeks to accomplish in a more fiscally responsible way. In addition, as the bill progresses, I hope that members will focus reducing the overall growth of health care spending.

I also hope that we continue to work to improve the public option. I believe we should continue to consider concepts such as allowing states to opt out, co-ops, or a trigger, which would go into effect if private insurance plans fail to expand affordable coverage sufficiently. This approach has worked successfully in the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit plan.

No bill, no matter how carefully drafted, can solve all of these problems. As the cost of health care increases, premiums will continue to rise, even with reform. Over time, however, reform can slow the growth of premiums, increase competition between insurers, bring more choice to consumers, and stop insurers from dropping or denying you coverage because you get sick.

Once again, thank you for contacting me on this important issue. If you have additional questions or concerns on this or any other issue, please do not hesitate to contact me in the future. In the mean time, if you would like more information about the Affordable Health Care for America Act, or you would like to receive email updates about how I am working on behalf of Arizona's 5th Congressional District, I invite you to visit my web site at http://www.mitchell.house.gov.

Sincerely,

Harry E. Mitchell
Member of Congress


Now it *really* is "good night" to all...

H.R. 3962 passes - YESSSSSS!

After more than 12 hours of debate on a Saturday, and nearly 100 years of delay, dallying, and outright obstruction, the House passed a significant health care reform measure.

With a tally of 220 in favor, 215 against, and none voting present or not voting, H.R. 3962 passed the House of Representatives. 39 Democrats crossed over and voted with the Republicans, while 1 Republican, Joseph Cao of Louisiana, voted with the majority Democrats.

All of AZ's Democrats voted in favor of health care reform; all of AZ's Republican opposed health care reform.

Harry Mitchell's statement of support (pre-vote) is here.
Gabrielle Giffords statement of support (pre-vote) here.
Ann Kirkpatrick's statement on her vote is here.
Jeff Flake's statement about his vote here.
Trent Franks' statement on the vote here.

The others, Pastor, Grijalva, and Shadegg, didn't have relevent statements up on their House websites as of the writing of this post.

Biggest disappointment: By a vote of 240 to 194, with 1 voting present (AZ's John Shadegg...more on that in a moment), the House amended H.R. 3962 with language proposed by Bart Stupak (D-MI) to ban payments for abortions under the public option.

Shadegg's plan behind the "present" vote was that by voting that way, he could help defeat the amendment without actually voting against it. He thought that would be a good tactic to defeat the underlying bill. He thought that the anti-choice amendment made the bill palatable for some reluctant Dems.

As for AZ's delegation, the five Democrats voted against the Stupak amendment while Republicans Franks and Flake voted in support. [Thanks to commenter Eli Blake for spotting the typo here. This is the corrected version.]

As was noted by most of the speakers who opposed the amendment, funding for abortions was already pretty much banned anyway (Section 222, or page 110 of this .pdf, courtesy of the House Rules Committee). Stupak's amendment was actually a ploy to whittle away at private access to a legal medical procedure.

One ray of hope here: The amendment could still be stripped out in conference committee, which will be needed because the Senate's version of health care reform is *somewhat* different than the House's.


There's a lot more to say on this, but my cold is kicking my butt, so let me close with this:

Thank you, Congresswomen Giffords, Congresswoman Kirkpatrick, Congressman Pastor, Congressman Grijalva, and especially (because he is my representative) Congressman Mitchell.

Your votes today to support the interests of your constituents ahead of the interests of big insurance companies illustrates why your constituents elected you in the first place.

And why they'll continue to elect you for as long as want to serve as their representatives.


Later...