Arizona Legislature: The coming week

This week, the committees of each chamber of the lege start hearing bills that successfully passed, so their agendas are a little on the light side.  The chambers' respective Rules and Appropriations committees can  and will still hear bills that originate in their own chamber, but the others can only hear bills that started in the other chamber.

For what it's worth, this will be a relatively light week for committee activity - many committees have short agendas, and many others simply aren't meeting this week.

As usual, all committee agendas, floor calendars, and event schedules are subject to change without notice. Call ahead to confirm plans before travelling to the Capitol based on an agenda, calendar, or schedule cited here.

Notes:

If an agenda is summarized with "looks harmless so far" that only means that nothing on the agenda set off "bat-shit crazy" alarm bells; if the committee in question covers an area of interest to you, check out the full agenda yourself. And if I missed something significant, please leave a comment letting me know.

A hearing room designation of "SHR" means it is a hearing room in the Senate building; "HHR" means that the hearing room is in the House building.

Lastly, this summary is not, nor is it intended to be, comprehensive. Many bills have been covered, but not all of them. Again, if a committee covers an area of interest to you, check out the full agenda yourself.


Floor activity:  The Senate Third Read (final approval) Calendar for Monday is here; Monday's House Third Read and COW (Committee of the Whole) calendars are here and here, respectively.


Committee activity:

Senate side of the Capitol -

Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., Caucus Room 1.  Nearly 70 bills on the agenda; may take all of 10 minutes to rubberstamp them all.

Government and Environment, Monday, upon adjournment of the floor session, SHR3.  Looks harmless so far.

Elections, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR1.  Presentations only at this point in time.

Appropriations, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR109.  Long agenda of Senate-originated bills.  Items on the agenda:  SB1293, creating a pilot program for an "outcome-based" funding model for public education in AZ (basically, rewarding well-funded schools from wealthier districts at the expense of already underfunded schools); SB1444, similar to SB1293; SB1325, Sen. Rich Crandall's (R-of course) plan to arm school teachers and administrators; SCR1017, a proposed change to state law that needs voter approval, taking money from the Citizens Clean Elections Commission and redirecting it to education.

Commerce, Energy, and Military, Wednesday, 9 a.m.,SHR1.  On the agenda:  HB2082, Rep. John Kavanagh's (R-Fountain Hills) proposal to make the names of the winners of lottery games confidential.  One of the winners of the recent (December 2012) record Powerball jackpot was from Fountain Hills.  Either I'm being way too cynical, or Kavanagh's bill is targeted at helping his new favorite constituent.

Public Safety, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR109.  Looks harmless so far.

Health and Human Services, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR1.  Looks harmless so far, but HB2164, expanding an exemption to safety rules regarding commercially available food and drink, bears watching.  On the face of it, it doesn't look unreasonable, but coming from this bunch?

Finance, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR3.  On the agenda: HB2324, exempting leases between two related business entities from municipal sales taxes.  The other bills on the agenda look bad, but perhaps only mildly so.

Education, Thursday, 9:30 a.m., SHR1.  On the agenda: HB2458, enacting some changes to the state's school voucher program "empowerment scholarship accounts" in the name of fraud prevention.


House side of the Capitol -

Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., HHR4. 60+ bills to rubberstamp.  Should take at least 5 minutes.

Ways and Means, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR1.  Two bills on the agenda: SB1172, removing the requirement that taxpayers taking a specific charitable organizations tax deduction itemize deductions on their tax returns; and SB1168, making some changes to AZ tax law so that it conforms to federal tax law.

Financial Institutions, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR5.  Looks harmless, but some of this stuff is very technical; I may have missed something here.

Education, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR3.  Seems relatively harmless, so far.

Insurance and Retirement, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR3.  On the agenda: SB1170, making some administrative changes to the state employee pension plan (looks relatively harmless) and SB1178, placing certain limits on long-term disability payments from the state employee pension plan (not so harmless).

Agriculture and Water, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR5.  Looks relatively harmless.

Public Safety, Military, and Regulatory Affairs, Wednesday, 9 a.m., HHR3.  Looks relatively harmless, so far.

Health, Wednesday, 10 a.m., HHR4.  Looks harmless so far.

Appropriations, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR1.  Long agenda, filled with bills originating in the House.  On the agenda:  marked for discussion only, HB2275, cutting the tax imposed on insurance premiums.  According to the fiscal note (analysis) from legislative staff, the measure will cost the state nearly $90 million in revenue over three fiscal years (FY2015 thru FY2017) with the state seeing an undetermined and speculative increase in economic activity.  Updated and clarified on 2/24, per a comment from State Rep. John Kavanagh.

Judiciary, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR4.  No bills on the agenda, so far, but a presentation on "Elections Information" is scheduled.  Bring your popcorn; this one should be entertaining, in a "Republicans looking for justifications for disenfranchising voters who don't support them" sort of way.


The lege's calendar of events at, or related to, the Capitol is here.  Highlight: Tuesday's Cocktail Hour at the Goldwater Institute (5 - 6:30 p.m.).  Booze combined with the gentle wit and profound wisdom of Ayn Rand (and likely, not just a few deep-pocketed corporate lobbyists)?  Be still my beating heart, I just don't know if I can handle this much excitement.  :)

The Arizona Department of Administration's public meeting notices are here.

Psssst. Didja hear the latest rumor?

Just a compilation of some recent political rumors here in AZ...

...The Phoenix Business Journal (and other sources) has been reporting that Arizona Congressman Ed Pastor (D-AZ7) is under consideration for a spot in the President's cabinet as Secretary of Transportation.

From the article, written by Mike Sunnucks -

 

Longtime Phoenix congressman Ed Pastor’s name has popped up as a possible successor to the departing U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

 

That could open up Pastor’s Democratic-leaning and Hispanic-majority district, and there will be no shortage of possible contenders from within his party.

Some of the names of contenders listed in the article:  Mary Rose Wilcox, a member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors; Laura Pastor, the Congressman's daughter and 2007 candidate for Phoenix City Council; and Phil Gordon, former mayor of Phoenix.  In addition, pretty much every legislator with ties to Central or South Phoenix, or southwestern Maricopa County, is also mentioned.

I don't know if Pastor has a serious chance at the cabinet seat, but if it happens, look for a rugged Democratic primary in the race to fill the seat for the remainder of his term.  Pastor's district is heavily Democratic (the district has slightly less than three times as many Ds as it does Rs), and the winner of the special election will get the inside lane on what should be a safe seat for them for years, maybe decades.

This isn't the first time in recent years Pastor has been the subject of rumors of a possible presidential appointment - at the beginning of Barack Obama's first term in the White House, Pastor was talked about as a dark horse candidate for the ambassador's post in Mexico.  That one didn't happen, but even then, it didn't seem likely.  This one...?


...Terry Goddard, former Arizona Attorney General and three-time candidate for governor (and a former mayor of Phoenix), is mulling a run at another term as AG.

From Politics Plugged In, written by Dennis Welch

Old pols never die and many times they never fade away, either.

 

Take former Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard for example. The three time gubernatorial loser told 3TV this week that he might want his old job back.

 

“I’ve been seriously thinking about it because I don’t like seeing what’s happening to the office,” Goddard said over the telephone. “Morale has fallen and a lot of people are leaving.”

...Jim Lane, Mayor of Scottsdale, is making noises, and moves, like someone who is strongly considering a 2014 run at a statewide office.  John Washington, in a post on Scottsdale Trails, dropped a hint that Lane may be looking at a run at either Arizona Secretary of State or even Governor.  According to the post, Jason Rose, one of the premier Republican PR flacks in AZ and a Lane "advisor", has publicly stated that Lane isn't considering a run for AZ Treasurer.

However, that denial may fall into the category of "whistling past resign-to-run" - as part of Scottsdale's State of the City activities this past week, at one event, Lane was introduced by Doug Ducey, who is none other than the current AZ Treasurer.  And Ducey himself is the subject of rumors regarding a possible 2014 run for Governor.

There is also talk that the "Lane as a candidate for AZSOS" talk was less a serious consideration than a threat to gain the support of State Senator Michele Reagan (R-LD23), a real candidate for SOS.  Apparently, while Reagan and Lane are both members of the chamber of commerce wing of the AZGOP, and both are from Scottsdale, they aren't exactly best friends.

Lastly, while Lane has strong ties to the business community, he is taking steps to shore up his support among social conservatives.

Witness this picture of the invitation to an official event with Jim Lane, Mayor -

While the invite touts the event as "Breakfast With The Mayor", has the city's logo on it, and is going to take place in a city-owned facility (Granite Reef Senior Center), it has a rather curious "copyright" statement - it was copyrighted by the Paradise Valley Community Church.

Hmmm...

Obviously, nothing is definite yet (other than that Lane and Rose need a civics class refresher, focusing on the separation of church and state), but if a Lane statewide candidacy comes to pass, political dominos will fall in Scottsdale in much the same way that an elevation of Ed Pastor to the president's cabinet would set off a political reshuffling in south and west Phoenix.  Virginia Korte and Bob Littlefield, current members of the Scottsdale City Council, would almost certainly test the waters.  That would open up the race for one of the state representative spots in north Scottsdale, a position that Littlefield is "exploring", and so on...

...More to come as the 2014 election cycle reaches full speed...

Arizona Legislature: The coming week, part 2

Because of the length of a few of the agendas, this post covers only committee activities scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.  Monday and Tuesday's activities are covered here.

As usual, all committee agendas, floor calendars, and event schedules are subject to change without notice. Call ahead to confirm plans before travelling to the Capitol based on an agenda, calendar, or schedule cited here.

Notes:

If an agenda is summarized with "looks harmless so far" that only means that nothing on the agenda set off "bat-shit crazy" alarm bells; if the committee in question covers an area of interest to you, check out the full agenda yourself. And if I missed something significant, please leave a comment letting me know.

A hearing room designation of "SHR" means it is a hearing room in the Senate building; "HHR" means that the hearing room is in the House building.

Lastly, this summary is not, nor is it intended to be, comprehensive. Many bills have been covered, but not all of them. Again, if a committee covers an area of interest to you, check out the full agenda yourself.

Floor activity:  Wednesday's House COW calendar is here and Third Read calendar is here; Wednesday's Senate Third Read calendar is here.

Committee activity:

Senate side of the Capitol -

Natural Resources and Rural Affairs, Wednesday, 8:45 a.m., SHR109.  Looks harmless so far.

Commerce, Energy, and Military, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR1.  On the agenda: SB1380, giving workers' compensation coverage to members of sheriffs' volunteer posses.  Apparently, Joe Arpaio and Paul Babeu (and some of the other county sheriffs in AZ) are afraid that their personal henchmen may get hurt on their unpaid jobs.  And think that real workers and real employers should pick up the tab.

Public Safety, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR109.  On the agenda:  a striker to SB1408 that would allow a valid fingerprint clearance card to serve in lieu of a criminal background check of prospective adoptive parents; a striker to SB1075 that has some awkward and confusing language in it.  I think this is a bad bill designed to benefit those who impound and/or tow motor vehicles for fun and profit, but am not sure.

Health and Human Services, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR1.  On the agenda: SB1376, imposing a layer of reporting requirements on "Assisted Reproductive Technology Facilities" (fertility clinics and any facility that deals with embryos).  It's a measure pushed/supported by the Center for Arizona Theocracy Policy.  'Nuff said about that one...; SB1438, "Establishes procedures for pharmacists to follow when substituting a prescribed biological product (biologic) for a biosimilar product (biosimilar) before dispensing" (from the lege staff's summary of the bill); SB1442, transferring the section of state law that bans possession or use of medical marijuana in a childcare facility into the section of law that applies to medical marijuana.  Because medical marijuana is voter-protected, this will take a 3/4 vote if it reaches a floor vote; and SB1115 and SCR1002, relating to direct prices for health care procedures.  The related measures are from Rep. Nancy Barto (R-healthcare industry lobbyist with the title of an elected official) and look as if they are designed to undermine the impact of federal health care reform in Arizona.

Finance, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR3.  On the agenda:  SB1383, imposing limits on local district property taxes (a Cap'n Al Melvin special); SB1435, granting a sales tax exemption for "modular data centers"; SB1439, a move to make gold and silver bullion and coins legal tender; and a striker to SB1470, allowing incorporated municipalities to enact a property tax levy to pay for police, fire, and emergency services, under specific conditions and with very specific requirements.

Education, Thursday, 8:30 a.m., SHR1.  On the agenda: SB1293 and SB1444, creating "outcome-based" and "performance based" school funding formulas (serious alarm bells going off with these bills); SB1377, requiring "public and private postsecondary education institutions to annually publish certain information regarding graduation rates, salary ranges and student to staff ratios" (from the lege summary of the bill); SCR1017, a proposal to amend state law affecting Clean Elections that would place an arbitrary limit on funding for the Clean Elections Commission that seeks to provide PR cover for the move by siphoning "excess" funds into state education.  A "two birds, one stone" measure - limits on Clean Elections, which the Rs hate, and ties funding for public ed to an inconsistent source, and the Rs hate education, too.

Judiciary, Thursday, upon the adjournment of the floor session, SHR1.  Looks harmless so far.

Government and Environment, Thursday, upon the adjournment of the floor session, SHR3.  On the agenda: SB1380 (see Commerce, Energy, and Military, above); a striker to SCM1001, urging the President and Congress to gut the Clean Air Act; SB1142, another anti-union measure that goes after payment of union dues through paycheck deductions.  This one goes so far as declaring the situation so dire that it constitutes an emergency.  Really.; a striker to SB1372, making "[k]nowingly entering, traversing or remaining on any private noncommercial real property that is within one hundred miles of the international border with Mexico without written permission from the owner of the property or any other person having lawful control over the property" criminal trespass in the third degree (a class 3 misdemeanor).  I almost want to see this one pass, just for the entertainment value of the "legal" arguments that will be spewed to defend a measure that mandates a different set of laws for a part of the state, based solely on the geographical location of that part; a striker to SB1032, stating that "[a] city or town may not transfer monies from a municipal court to any other department after the adoption of the final budget unless the governing body of the city or town approves the transfer".  It's from Sen. Judy "Birther" Burges.  'Nuff said...


House side of the Capitol -

Commerce, Wednesday, 8:30 a.m., HHR5.  On the agenda: a striker to HB2264, creating tax breaks for certain businesses; and a striker to HB2269, barring law enforcement agencies from using aerial drones.  Except when they want to (aka - get a warrant).

Public Safety, Military, and Regulatory Affairs, Wednesday, 9 a.m., HHR3.  On the agenda:  HB2234, making the legal definition of  "firearm" highly specific.  Seems to be a way to create loopholes in any new firearms laws;  HB2433, removing the age limit, currently set at 45 years old, for eligibility for service in the Arizona Vigilante Gang State Guard; HB2554, imposing a statewide regulation of firearms that is less about restricting firearms possession than it is about impeding public safety; HB2600, taking steps to politicize the selection of judges in Arizona; and HB2574, banning the use of aerial drones by municipal, county, or state agencies, or by private persons, without a search warrant for law enforcement agencies or for "lawful purposes".

Health, Wednesday, 9 a.m., HHR4.  Seems harmless so far.

Higher Education and Workforce Development, Wednesday, 10 a.m., HHR1.  On the agenda: a striker to HB2214, creating a tax break for data centers.

Appropriations, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR1.  On the agenda:  My favorite bill of the week (and there are some serious contenders for the title this week): HB2121, appropriating $250K to put a fence/security barriers around the state capitol.  Write your own punchlines.

Judiciary, Wednesday, 8 a.m., HHR4.  Long agenda, a lot of bad bills.  One example: a striker to HB2593, raising or completely removing most campaign finance contribution limits.  Another:  HB2350, requiring that early ballot/PEVL requests be notarized.

Transportation, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR3.  On the agenda:  HB2504, impounding vehicles for fun and profit; and HB2579, completely banning the use of photo radar traffic law enforcement in Arizona.

Technology and Infrastructure, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR5.  Looks harmless so far.

Reform and Human Services, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR1.  On the agenda: a same-subject striker to HB2205, barring the use of TANF debits cards at ATMs and point-of-sale terminals in liquor stores, adult entertainment businesses, or gambling establishments.  My favorite part is how they specifically try to tell reservations how to run their businesses. 

Ways and Means, Thursday, 2 p.m., HHR1.  Special meeting, one item on the agenda: HB2519, mandating that county treasurers assign tax liens to third parties under specified circumstances.

Ways and Means, Thursday, 2:10 p.m., HHR1.  Special meeting, many items on the agenda.  Seems mostly bad.  One example: a striker to HB2446, greatly expanding the exemption from property taxes accorded to religious organizations.

Arizona Legislature: The coming week

This initial post covers the activities of Monday and Tuesday only.  We're approaching the deadline for bills to be heard in committee in their originating chamber, so a few of the committee agendas are very long.  I'll update with coverage of scheduled activity for Wednesday and Thursday tomorrow evening...

As usual, all committee agendas, floor calendars, and event schedules are subject to change without notice. Call ahead to confirm plans before travelling to the Capitol based on an agenda, calendar, or schedule cited here.

Notes:

If an agenda is summarized with "looks harmless so far" that only means that nothing on the agenda set off "bat-shit crazy" alarm bells; if the committee in question covers an area of interest to you, check out the full agenda yourself. And if I missed something significant, please leave a comment letting me know.

A hearing room designation of "SHR" means it is a hearing room in the Senate building; "HHR" means that the hearing room is in the House building.

Lastly, this summary is not, nor is it intended to be, comprehensive. Many bills have been covered, but not all of them. Again, if a committee covers an area of interest to you, check out the full agenda yourself.

Floor activity:

The Senate's Third Read (final passage) calendar for Monday is here; the House's Third Read calendar for Monday is here.


Committe activity:

House side of the Capitol -

Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., HHR4.  Long agenda (50+ bills) to be rubberstamped.  Should take less than 10 minutes.

Ways and Means, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR1. Short agenda (two items) and looks harmless so far.

Financial Institutions, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR5.  Short agenda (two items) and looks harmless so far.  Caveat:  I don't think I quite completely understand what is going on with the two measures, HB2512 and HB2619, or if they are good or bad measures.

Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR4.  Looks harmless so far.  Item of note: HB2584, relating to the creation of renewable energy and conservation districts.  It's from freshman Democratic Representative Andrew Sherwood (LD26).  It's a good measure, and it's from a Democrat, so it has a significantly uphill path to passage.  If you know any of the members of EENR, or have set up a log-in ID for the lege's request to speak system, think about putting in a good word for this measure.

Education, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR3.  On the agenda:  A striker to HB2054, which, if enacted, would allow charter schools to offer preschool programs to children with disabilities.  Also, and the cynic in me thinks that this may be the main point of the measure, it would give charter schools access to the pool of federal money that supports such programs; HB2318, exempting charter and district schools that do not accept federal funds from certain federal regulations.

Insurance and Retirement, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR3.  Lots of bad bills.  On the agenda: HB2006 from Rep. Michelle Ugenti (R-right hand).  Under current law, employees of associations of political subdivisions, such as the Arizona League of Cities and Towns, Maricopa Assocation of Governments, and County Supervisors Association, are eligible to be part of the state employees retirement system (ASRS).  Under Ugenti's proposal, new employees of those organizations would be ineligible for membership; HB2173, making changes to unemployment compensation law; a striker to HB2275, lowering the tax paid on most types of insurance (no fiscal note attached, so I don't know how much revenue is involved here); a striker to HB2294 that would make court commissioners ineligible for membership in ASRS; HB2302, making changes to law regarding the payment of premiums for workers compensation insurance; HB2562, making a number of changes to ASRS, mostly to limit membership or benefits in some way; HB2565, Rep. Jeff Dial's proposal to allow insurance companies to forego providing printed policies to their customers.  Instead, they could simply publish the policies on a website; and HB2608, ending the state's Elected Officials Retirement Plan (EORP) and establishing a 401K-style defined contribution plan for electeds who enter office after July 1 of this year.

Government, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR4.  Another long agenda loaded with bad bills. On the agenda:  HB2320 and HB2322, a couple of anti-agency rulemaking measures; HB2533, allowing political subdivisions (cities, counties, etc.) to publish public notices on the internet instead of in newspapers; HB2343, barring public employers from paying public employees for time spent on union activities; HB2527, barring the use as polling places of any facilities that cannot allow Election Day electioneering activities.  It's a way to shrink the number of schools used as polling places and increase the number of churches used as polling places; HB2599, making changes to the state's procurement code (some good, some bad).

Federalism and Fiscal Responsibility, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR1.  Not as long as the other agendas, but just as bad.  On the agenda:  HB2233, mandating that the state's auditor general conduct a "special audit" of all voter-approved and -protected  measures that have been enacted, and to give the results of that audit to the governor and leadership of the lege; HCM2005, a love letter to Congress about fiscal responsibility (apparently, they don't see the irony in a group that sold off the state capitol giving fiscal advice to anyone); HCR2021, imposing TABOR on AZ in the form of a "state expenditure limit"; HCR2033, proposing an amendment to the state constitution that would require that any measure passed by the voters that "authorizes or requires" state expenditures be reauthorized by the voters every eight years.  This proposal would be applied retroactively to all voter-approved measures that authorize or require state expenditures, ever.

Agriculture and Water, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR5.  On the agenda: HB2338, a measure from House Speaker Andy Tobin regarding the establishment of "regional water augmentation authorities".   Pardon my cynicism, but when an ostensibly "small government" Republican pushes for the creation of another governmental entity, the first words that come to mind are "follow the money".  Haven't figured out his angle on this one.  Yet.

Sneak peek of Wednesday's activity:  House Appropriations will be considering HB2121, appropriating $250K to put up a fence and other security barriers around the Capitol.  Guess the folks who want to put up a fence along the entire border with Mexico have set their sights a little lower.  If only the fence was going to be designed to keep them in, instead of keeping us out...


On the Senate side of the Capitol -

Judiciary, Monday, upon adjournment of the floor session, SHR1.  On the agenda: SB1345, barring holders of liquor licenses from possessing, using, or selling synthetic marijuana on licensed premises; SCR1009, Sen. Al Melvin's annual paean to slave inmate labor.

Government and Environment, Monday, upon adjournment of the floor session, SHR3.  On the agenda: SB1348, another proposal to bar compensation of public employees for union activities; SB1349, going after unions by restricting payroll deductions; SB1350, barring contract employees of governmental entitities from going on strike; and SB1403, barring the state or any of its political subdivisions from adopting or implementing "the creed, doctrine, principles or any tenet of the United Nations Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and the Statement of Principles for Sustainable Development adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development"

Transportation, Tuesday, 2 p.m. SHR3.  An agenda with a couple of good bills on it.  SB1241, barring teenage drivers from texting or using a cell phone while driving, for their first six months as a licensed driver; SB1393, barring the use of a cell phone/wireless communications device while operating mass transit (buses, trains, etc.)

Elections, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR1.  11 bills on the agenda, mostly bad.  Most, but not all, of them were already covered in this post.

Appropriations, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR109.  Nothing that stands out as really bad, at this point, anyway.


The lege's calendar of non-legislative Capitol events is here.  Highlight:  Tuesday's ALEC Membership Drive dinner on Tuesday.

Republicans and voting "reform": Even when they are trying to be subtle, they're like an elephant in a china shop

During the 2012 election cycle, there were many Republican-initiated moves across the country intended to inhibit or even block voting by groups that tend to not vote for them.

For example, here in Arizona we saw the Maricopa County Elections Department tell Spanish-speaking voters the wrong day for Election Day, the same elections department under-train staff and under-supply polling places in Democratic-leaning areas, leading to ballot shortages and long lines on Election Day, and a suspiciously interminable vote-counting process after the election.

The efforts brought forth a mixed bag of results.

Nationally, Barack Obama won reelection as President, and the number of Democrats in the US Senate surprisingly increased, while the Republicans retained a comfortable majority in the US House.

Locally, Democratic candidates won all three competitive Congressional seats here, and made small gains in the Arizona legislature, while the Republicans now control all statewide elected offices and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe "Bull Connor Jr." Arpaio won reelection comfortably.

Because of the lessons from the 2012 election cycle is that Republicans across the country are attempting to make systemic changes, to impose rule changes at local and state levels, to "stack the deck" in favor of Republican candidates.

In many of the states that tend to vote for Democrats in presidential elections but whose state governments are dominated by Republican, proposals to change the way electoral votes are allocated.  Instead of the current "winner take all" system, they want to change to a system where electoral votes are split between the major candidates, based on things like percentage of the popular vote or by congressional district.  However, no such proposals have been put forth in states that tend to favor Republican presidential candidates.

In other states with state governments dominated by Republicans, they've seen proposals to restrict voting by groups that tend to favor Democrats, all in the name of "reform"..

None of the schemes qualify as "subtle", and all of them have justifiably caused an uproar wherever they've be put forth.

Here in AZ, the Republicans have seemed to learn a bit of a lesson from all of that.

They're still trying to "stack the deck" here, so national Republicans should have no worries about backsliding on the part of the AZGOP.

They're mostly trying to be a little sneaky, even delicate, about it.

Of course, being who they are, their efforts are as sneaky and delicate as an elephant in the proverbial china shop.

Sen. Michelle Reagan (R-Scottsdale), an erstwhile 2014 candidate for AZ Secretary of State, is chair of the state senate's Elections Committee, and she is leading the way on this.  Many of the proposals under consideration here may not have her name on them, but she determines which of them move forward.

One of her own measures, SB1260, has already moved through her committee, passing unanimously.  It raises some of the adminstrative hurdles that have to be surmounted by people attempting to put a referendum or initiative question on the ballot.  However, the changes aren't huge ones, and some of them are (dare I say it?) reasonable.  Hence, its unanimous committee support.

Less reasonable is her SB1262, which seems to make "minor" changes to campaign finance law regarding recall elections.  It seeks to impose standard campaign finance restrictions on committees and contributors involved in the recall effort before the recall election is officially called (basically, while petitions are being circulated and haven't been submitted and certified).  In an of itself, that's not unreasonable - candidates for office face those limits even before they submit their own petitions.

However, that unfairly tilts the balance toward the elected officials who are the subject of recall campaigns.  The official who is the subject of a recall campaign is automatically on the ballot, so he/she does not have to incur expenses (or solicit contributions to pay for those expenses) before the recall election is scheduled.  The people who support the recall face a campaign limits clock that starts months before that date.  SB1262 has been agendized for the February 19 meeting of Senate Elections.

Also with some superficial merit is her SCR1006.  As written and if approved by the voters, it would amend the AZ Constitution to change the deadline for submitting petitions for ballot questions from four months prior to the election where the question will be on the ballot (for the vast majority of questions, this means the first Tuesday in July) to May 1.  In and of itself, that isn't a bad idea - for ballot questions, there are tens of thousands of pages with hundreds of thousands of signatures to go through and verify, and that's a heavy burden to bear for the professional staffs in the offices of the AZ SOS and AZ's county recorders.  However, while the bill rolls back the deadline to submit petitions, it doesn't similarly roll back the earliest date when signatures can start being collected for ballot questions (24 months before the measure is to be voted on).  In addition, Sen. Steve Gallardo (D-Phoenix) proposed an amendment to the measure which would have slightly reduced the number of signatures required for ballot questions, something that would both address easing the burden on the SOS and county recorders and the reduced time available to collect signatures.  However, when this bill was considered by Reagan's committee, she didn't just oppose the amendment, she used her position as chair to make sure that the amendment wasn't even considered.  Passed by the committee on a 5 - 2 vote. 

Note to readers:  Don't consider the presence of a Democrat on a bill's list of sponsors to be a sign that the bill may be a good one.  Sen. Robert Meza (D-Phoenix) has signed on to a number of these bills.  They're still crap.

And with a veneer of merit that's measured in microns (millionths of a meter):  Reagan's SB1416 and SCR1019.  Those are related measures that would require that signatures needed for proposed ballot questions and by new parties seeking direct ballot access be collected from at least five counties (not unreasonable) and that at least forty percent of the signatures be collected from counties other than Pima and Maricopa.  Both measures are agendized for the February 19 meeting of Senate Elections.

Which doesn't sound too bad, until you think on it for oh, about a tenth of a second, and remember that 75% of the state's population is in those two counties, as are more than 74% of the state's registered voters.

In addition to placing a statistical overemphasis on rural voters for the purpose of gaining access to the ballot for potential ballot question and new parties, her measures would elevate the financial and logistical hurdles for the folks behind ballot questions/new parties.

That all pales next to her striker, or strike-everything amendment, to SB1003 that seeks to make returning an early ballot by someone who is not an immediate family member a felony.  This directly attacks the many Democratic-supporting campaigns and organizations who do just that as part of their "get out the vote" efforts.

The amended SB1003 passed Senate Elections on a party-line vote.

Tom Prezelski (Tomski?) of Rum, Romanism and Rebellion offers his take on Reagan's efforts to "reform" voting and elections here.

Steve Muratore of Arizona Eagletarian has more info on developments related to some of the bills mentioned in this post here.

Julie Erfle of Politics Uncuffed offers her observations on one of Reagan's measures here.


And Reagan is one of the more "reasonable" and "professional" members of the Republican caucus of the legislature.

By comparison, Rep. Jeff Dial (R-Chandler) has proposed HB2568.  His measure starts off by changing the nominating signature requirements for candidates in a way that favors Republicans statewide, and favors majority party candidates in districts dominated by a single party.  Under current law, the number of signatures required for a candidate to be nominated to a party's primary ballot is based on a percentage of the relevant party's registered voters in the area to be represented by the office up for election.  He proposes to cut the required percentage to one-third of the current level, but to increase the "denominator" of the equation by approximately three times by making the total number of voters in the district the base.

For example, if under current law, if a candidate of party X is running in a district with 10,000 voters, 3000 of whom are registered in party X needs signatures from 1% of his party's voters to get on the ballot, 30 signatures would be needed.  Under Dial's proposal, he'd need 1/3 of 1% of 10,000, or 33, signatures.

In an example where the district has 10,000 voters and party X has 5000 registrants, the required number of signatures would go from 50 down to 33.

Statewide, partisan registration percentages are approximately 36% Republican, 30% Democratic, 0.16% Green, and 0.73% Libertarian.

In short, Dial's scheme would make it easier for Republicans statewide and in most legislative and Congressional districts to get on the ballot and, except for the few Democratic-dominated districts, more difficult for Democrats to get on the ballot.  On the other hand, Greens and Libertarians would be completely blocked from ballot access.  Partisan nominating petitions must be signed by members of the relevant political party, and Dial's proposal would raise their signature requirements to a number greater than the number of members of those parties.

And that is the "less bad" part of Dial's proposal.

Part of his proposal would mandate removal from the permanent early voters list (PEVL) anyone who lives in a home whose ownership is transferred by a "trustee's deed of sale" (aka - foreclosed).  People who haven't moved as a result of the foreclosure would be forced to re-register to vote and ask for an early ballot twice before before they could receive a ballot.

HB2568 was held by the House Judiciary Committee during its February 14 meeting.

Of course, it's not just Reagan and Dial -

- Rep. Michelle Ugenti (R-Scottsdale) has HB2527.  Current law covering polling places allows electioneering activities outside of a 75-foot buffer zone outside the actual area where voting takes place.  The same law allows for certain exceptions where "emergency conditions" exist that make electioneering problematical.  The exceptions tend to be school facilities.  Ugenti's proposal would remove the part of the law that allow for exemptions to the electioneering allowance, meaning that the buildings would have to allow electioneering, or not serve as polling places.

A bad bill, but it shows a sort of subtlety for which AZ Republicans aren't known.

Passed by the House Judiciary Committee by a party-line vote.  Next up:  House Government.

- Sen. Chester Crandell (R-LD6 ) has SB1274.  Currently, early ballots can be returned by mail at any time, so long as they are received by the county elections department by the time polls close on Election Day (7 p.m.) or they can be dropped off at any polling place in the county on Election Day.  Crandell's proposal would remove the ability of voters with early ballots to drop them off at a polling place.  In addition, the ballots would have to be received by the Elections Department by 7 p.m. on the Tuesday the week BEFORE the election. 

Agendized for the February 19 meeting of Senate Elections.

- Rep Carl Seel (R-Birtherland) has HB2350.  Currently, a voter who want to be on the PEVL or simply to receive an early ballot for a single election simply complete and sign the appropriate request form.  Seel's proposal would raise the hurdle that voters need to climb over by requiring that signatures on such forms be notarized first.  In addition, any people who are currently on the PEVL would be removed from the list if they don't send in a notarized request form within two election cycles (four years).

- Seel also has HCR2013.  Currently, the state constitution mandates that a primary election be held for most elected offices.  Seel's proposal would change that to allow closed party caucuses to nominate candidates to the general election ballot.  "Closed" means "no independents allowed".

- Rep. David Stevens (R-Sierra Vista) has HCR2008.  Currently, the state constitution mandates that elections for most offices be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.  Stevens' proposal would amend the state constitution to mandate that "a candidate who wins the primary election for that office and who has no write-in or other opposition for that office at the general election shall be deemed and declared the winner of the general election."END_STATUTE""

The change would not apply to candidates for federal office.  However, it is written so broadly and vaguely that a shamelessly partisan/enthusiastically efficient election official (your choice about which term you prefer) would have cover for bypassing the election and simply declaring a favored candidate the winner.


Many, even most, of these measures won't pass...initially.  However, until the legislative session is over, the language from any of these bills can be air-dropped into another bill in the form of a striker at any time.  This is a situation that requires ongoing vigilance.

And active memories. 

All of the people who are pushing the above "reforms" will be going before the voters in 2014; that offers a perfect opportunity to advise them of the error of their ways.

It's early, but candidates for 2014 are already starting to line up

...In significant news, in Scottsdale, anyway, Bob Littlefield, member of the Scottsdale City Council, formed an exploratory committee for a run at a seat in the Arizona House of Representatives.

He's term-limited on the City Council, so he will not be able to run for reelection to the Council in 2014.  However, his interest in a legislative seat doesn't directly set up a primary challenge against one or both House incumbents in his district, LD23.

The current state senator there, Michele Reagan, is "exploring" a run at the AZ Secretary of State's office next year, opening that seat.

One of the current state representatives, John Kavanagh, is "exploring" a run for the senate seat currently held by Reagan, opening his seat (presumably, the other LD23 House incumbent, Michelle Ugenti, is going to run for reelection to her seat).

Now, Littlefield is "exploring" a legislative run of his own.

"Exploring" is in "quotes" because in most cases, it is a facade, a false front of sorts.  The exploring label is meant to shield the users from the state's "resign to run" law.  That law requires that current officeholders who aren't in the last year of their terms to resign from their office once they begin to run for another office.  Most of the time, that law is ignored with the use of none-too-subtle subterfuges like the "exploratory committee", and a lot of winks and nods.

Littlefield is thoroughly conservative but has earned a reputation as a straight shooter (meaning that he's direct and to the point).  However, he's not a "bay at the moon" type (actually, he can be a little impatient with that type), so there will be a primary here from one or more other candidates.  

Obviously it's early and things could change, but he is probably the biggest "name" who can be expected to jump into that race.  Joe Arpaio lives in the district, but he seems unlikely to resign as Maricopa County Sheriff to take a chance on a run at a seat in the lege.  Jus' sayin'...

The steepest learning curve for him will be learning the differences between a municipal campaign and a legislative campaign.  Municipal campaigns tend to be focused on practical issues, while legislative campaigns, especially is safe Republican districts, tend to be focused on ideological issues.

...Speaking of "bay at the moon" types, Rep. Carl Seel (R-Birtherland) has opened an exploratory committee for a 2014 run at a seat on the Arizona Corporation Commission.  If elected, he'll fit in well with the bunch that's on the ACC now in that he'll place ideological whims over real world facts.

...One of the Republican targets of tea party ire in late 2010/early 2011 was Sophia Johnson.  She was a newly-elected officer of the LD20 Republican Party who was caught up in the mess created when tea party elements of that district objected to the fact that their district party elected an African-American chair, Anthony Miller.  Miller and Johnson (and I believe, others) ended up resigning their positions because of the toxic, even threatening, atmosphere and the situation ended up in court. 

Now Johnson is in Avondale, and has opened a committee for a run at the AZ House in the new LD19.

I met her while covering that mess, and she was one of the nicest people that I have met while writing this blog.  Wrong on pretty much every political issue, but that's part of politics.  If you can't handle civil disagreement, stay away.  Disagreement is no excuse for incivility.

I don't wish her victory in the race (hey, I *am* a Democrat :) ), but I am glad that she wasn't intimidated and scared off of political activism by the ugliness of the LD20 situation in 2010/2011. 

One thing that is necessary for our democracy to continue to work (or if you are a cynic like me, to begin to work again) is for people with spines to step up and become, and remain, involved, regardless of their political stripe.

Today, we can count Johnson as one of the ones who have stepped up.

Genie and Hector Zavaleta: Decades of love, decades of inspiration

During my few years of political activism, there have been few constants -

In 2006, George W. Bush was the President of the US, and the US was an international joke.

In 2013, Barack Obama is President, and the US is back to having some international respect and credibility.

In 2006, JD Hayworth was the representative in Congress for my area.

In 2013, Kyrsten Sinema is the representative in Congress for my area.

In 2006, the vast majority of voters in AZ voted by trotting down to their local polling place and casting their ballots.

In 2013, most voters cast their ballots by trotting down to their mailbox.

In 2006, Arizona was part of the punchlines of some of the jokes that punctuated political discussions.

In 2013, Arizona is part of the punchlines of most of the jokes that punctuate political discussions.

OK, that last is more the continuation of a steady decline than an actual change, but you understand. :)

One of the few true constants, and perhaps the truest one, has been the activism for others, and inspiration to others, of Genie and Hector Zavaleta.  They've been working to improve their community and inspiring others to do the same, for more than five decades.

They've been (deservedly) honored many times by community groups; now they've been honored by the local newspaper with a feature article on them, and their deep love and respect for each other.

From the Arizona Republic, written by Kerry Fehr-Snyder -

 

Genie and Hector Zavaleta have been married for 54 years, largely, they say, because they have fought for others, not with each other.

 

As Valentine’s Day approaches, their’s is not the traditional Cupid’s arrow-through-the-heart story, yet their message of love and respect is universal.

 

The longtime Tempe activists have been helping others since they got married in 1958 in San Antonio, and devoted the first year of their marriage to Migrant Ministry of the National Council of Churches.

I don't normally actually recommend reading a full article in the AZ Republic, even if I link to some here.  However, this one is easily worthy of a full read.

Hector and Genie Zavaleta are two of the best people that I've ever had the privilege of knowing, and I've known a bunch of very good ones.

More on the Zavaletas and their history here, courtesy Chandler-Gilbert Community College, and here, courtesy Presbytery of Grand Canyon.

Arizona legislature: The coming week

As usual, all committee agendas, floor calendars, and event schedules are subject to change without notice. Call ahead to confirm plans before travelling to the Capitol based on an agenda, calendar, or schedule cited here.

Notes:

If an agenda is summarized with "looks harmless so far" that only means that nothing on the agenda set of bat-shit crazy alarm bells; if the committee in question covers an area of interest to you, check out the full agenda yourself. And if I missed something significant, please leave a comment letting me know.

A hearing room designation of "SHR" means it is a hearing room in the Senate building; "HHR" means that the hearing room is in the House building.

Lastly, this summary is not, nor is it intended to be, comprehensive. Many bills have been covered, but not all of them. Again, if a committee covers an area of interest to you, check out the full agenda yourself.

Floor activity:

The House has posted Monday's Third Read (final passage) calendar here and Tuesday's Committee of the Whole, or COW, calendar, here.  COW is where committee amendments to bills are approved and floor amendments can be proposed.  Also, actual debate can take place here. 

Committee activity:
On the House side of the Capitol complex -

Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., HHR4.  This is an exercise in rubberstamping, but serves as a preview of upcoming floor activity.

Ways and Means, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR1.  "Highlight" of the agenda: HB2544.  Complete text of bill:

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 9, chapter 4, article 8, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 9-499.17, to read:

START_STATUTE9-499.17. Prohibited municipal taxes and fees

Except as provided in titles 35 and 42, a municipality shall not levy or assess a municipal-wide tax or fee against property owners based on the parcel or on the size or value of the owner's real property or improvements to real property, for any public service provided by the MUNICIPALITY.

Alarm bells, loud alarm bells, here.

Financial Institutions, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR5.  On the agenda: HB2489, allowing certain corporations to issue bonds to finance student loans.  Rep. Jeff Dial (R-financial scammers) is the lead sponsor on this one.  'Nuff said...

Education, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR3.  On the agenda: Many bills, but the one that inspires the most head-scratching is HB2217, creating an "Extraordinary Educators Special License Plate", proceeds from which will go to an "Extraordinary Educators Trust Fund".  Dial is fronting this one too; apparently it's a "feel good" substitute for adequately funding education in Arizona.

For the record, there are more than 60 "special" license plates in AZ (partial list here); another one isn't needed.  Authentic support for education is.

Insurance and Retirement, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR3.  Mostly bad.  Example:  HB2238, proposing a backdoor way of limiting the damages that can be collected in a civil action by the victims of bodily injury or wrongful death.

Government, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR4.  Looks harmless, but I'm not sure what the tea party types are trying to do with HB2235, requiring "that upon wage payment, state employees must receive a summary of the employee’s earnings, withholdings and employer paid taxes and benefits."  Seems redundant with current paycheck wage statements.

Federalism and Fiscal Responsibility, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR1.  Looks to be basically harmless so far.

Agriculture and Water, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR5.  Looks harmless, but some of these impact very specific areas, areas with which I am not overly familiar (wastewater districts, flood control districts, etc.)

Public Safety, Military, and Regulatory Affairs, Wednesday, 9 a.m, HHR3.  Looks relatively quiet, but keep an eye on HB2392, making all but the name and address of the defendants subject to orders of protection or injunction confidential and not subject to public disclosure, unless ordered by a court; HB2389, a bill with the subject of "peace officers; omnibus".  Looks harmless, but with the lege, the word "omnibus" is sometimes synonymous with "ominous"; HB2459, a large bill that looks to be a cleanup of law regarding justice courts.  I've been told it was requested by the justice courts themselves and it looks harmless.

Health, Wednesday, 10 a.m., HHR4.  Looks harmless so far.

Higher Education and Workforce Development, Wednesday, 10 a.m., HHR1.  On the agenda:  HB2333, Rep. Steve Montenegro's proposal to bar student or university organizations who receive funds from tuition or fees from contributing any money to political committees; a striker to HB2419, subject "financial aid study; public university" (no text available as of this writing); and HB2489 (if it makes it out of Financial Institutions above), allowing corporations to issue bonds to finance student loans.

Commerce, Wednesday, 10 a.m., HHR5.  On the agenda: HB2532, Rep. JD Mesnard's proposal to bar the Arizona Corporation Commission from ever enacting any regulation of internet services.

Appropriations, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR1.  On the agenda: HB2285, trying to sneak some of the fiscal limitations of the already thoroughly discredited TABOR movement through the backdoor.

Transportation, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR3.  On the agenda: HB2032, a measure sponsored by Democratic representatives Catherine Miranda, Lupe Contreras, and Lydia Hernandez that would specify that a federal work authorization document constitutes proof of legal US residency for applicants for Arizona driver's licenses (good bill, but my prediction: it fails on a 2 - 4 party-line vote); a striker to HB2183, subject "third party vendors" (text not available as of this writing); and HB2477, a tea party proposal to all but completely bar photo radar enforcement on any state highway, even the smaller ones that frequently do double duty as the main surface street through various municipalities in rural AZ.

Technology and Infrastructure, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR5.  On the agenda: HB2165, a measure that would completely bar public libraries from releasing records that might identify specific users of specific library services or materials.  In principle, not something I oppose, but the language curiously removes an exception for situations involving a court order, which potentially places library personnel in a "damned if they do, damned if they don't" situation where they could face jeopardy if they don't obey a court order, but face criminal charges if they do (the statute in question makes giving out such information a class 3 misdemeanor); HB2241, text - "Any records, proceedings, applications and permits relating to telecommunications services provided by a public service corporation and the construction and location of lines, equipment and plants used for telecommunications services on or along public streets or highways or on private property are not public records, are exempt from title 39, chapter 1 and are not subject to disclosure".  Gotta love government-sponsored business secrecy...; HB2483 and HB2533, relating to changing publication requirements for various types of public notices.  Currently, most public notices (meeting announcements for governmental bodies, legal notices, etc.) must be published in newspapers.  This would change that requirement to a website.

Reform and Human Services, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR1.  Looks harmless so far.

Judiciary, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR4.  On the agenda:  HB2156, a broad but not quite complete ban on the use of any "public resources" to influence an election; and HB2218, making it a class 6 felony to deliberately expose someone to an STD, including HIV.


On the Senate side of the Capitol:

Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., Caucus Room 1.  This is an exercise in rubberstamping, but serves as a preview of upcoming floor activity.

Judiciary, Monday, upon adjournment of the floor session, SHR109.  It seems to be mostly harmless so far.

Government and Environment, in a joint meeting with House Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources, Monday, upon adjournment of both of the respective floor sessions, SHR1.  They are meeting jointly to hear a raft of anti-EPA presentations.

Government and Environment, Monday, upon adjournment of the joint meeting, above, SHR1.  On the agenda: SB1302 and SB1365, making changes the rules affecting planned communities, and SCR1012, a "love letter" to the EPA telling them to butt out of efforts to fight haze and other air pollution in Arizona.

Elections, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR1.  On the agenda:  Some very bad bills, including a striker to SB1003, making it a felony for someone other than a voter or a member of the voter's immediate family to return a voter's early ballot.  Specifically aimed at organized Democratic and Democratic-leaning efforts to collect and return the ballots of Democrat-supporting voters; and SB1264, raising the administrative barriers faced by supporters of initiative/referendum or recall movements.  Current law requires that petitions "substantially" comply with requirements, meaning that minor technical errors in form or language might not be enough to disqualify petitions.  The proposal from Sen. Michele Reagan, would specify that any petitions from citizen-based movements would have to "strictly" comply with requirements, meaning that even something as trivial as a misplaced comma could be used to disqualify petitions.

Bills that aren't so bad:  SB1335, barring an AZ Secretary of State cannot be part of a candidate's campaign (other than his/her own) if that candidate is running in an election that is under the purview of the SOS (state lege, statewide, or federal offices); and a striker to SB1336 relating to a penalty to certain large, but non-compliant, independent expenditures (from Sen. Robert Meza, a Democrat from Phoenix).  Seems hyper-specific enough to be utterly ineffectual.

Appropriations, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR109.  On the agenda: SB1285, taking money disbursed to the states from the federal government to help fund education for students from low-income families to pay for publicizing education options geared toward students from financially comfortable families.

Natural Resources and Rural Affairs, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR109.  On the agenda: SB1465, easing the rules somewhat on "solid waste facilities".

Commerce, Energy, and Military, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR1.  On the agenda:  a striker for SB1301, subject "wineries, microbreweries, licenses" (no text available as of this writing); SB1380, extending workers' compensation coverage to the volunteer members of sheriffs' posses; and SB1368 and SB1369 that make changes to employment law that seem almost technical in nature, but the bills are fronted by Sen. Gail Griffin (R-Hereford), who's not known for her interest in simple, "good-governance" proposals.

Public Safety, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR109.  On the agenda: SCR1016, a dog-whistle measure that proposes amending the state constitution to say that the people of Arizona can nullify any federal law.

Health and Human Services, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR1.  I think it is harmless, but I don't quite understand the necessity, or impact of SB1438, allowing pharmacists to substitute one "biological product" for a prescribed "biological product", under certain conditions.  Not saying this is a bad bill; I just truly don't understand what's going on here.

Finance, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR3.  On the agenda: SB1289, allowing the formation of road improvement and maintenance districts where parcels of lands may be taxed based only on the existence of the parcels, not the size or value of the parcel; SB1243, Sen. Al Melvin's proposal to exempt some unnamed but specific insurance-providing organization from regulation; and some other bills whose effect I don't understand well enough to explain.

Education, Thursday, 8:30 a.m., SHR109.  On the agenda: lots of bad, including SB1285, again (it's on Tuesday's agenda for Senate Appropriations too), taking money disbursed to the states from the federal government to help fund education for students from low-income families to pay for publicizing education options geared toward students from financially comfortable families; and SB1363, expanding "empowerment scholarship accounts" (school vouchers by any other name).

The lege's calendar of event's at the Capitol is here.

OK. What practical joker put me on a GW Bush mailing list?

Found this letter from Laura Bush (we're close friends, trust me :) ) in the mail this week -

In it, she writes about my past "generous support" for her and her husband, the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush.

After a little flattery/filler, she then hit me up for a donation for the George W. Bush Presidential Center, complete with the George W. Bush Presidential Library.

Just a couple of points here:

I've never supported George W. Bush - he exhibited no redeeming qualities as president or in any part of his public life.  While I never liked someone like, say, Ronald Reagan, I could find something nice to say about the guy.  For instance, Reagan could deliver a joke, and deliver it well; Bush would mispronounce any words in the joke that were more than six letters and/or two syllables long.  And that's the best thing that I can find to say about him.

Also, a donation to help fund a library that will best contain and convey the words and wisdom of George W. Bush?  How much money does it take to buy a couple of lawn chairs and to set them up in front of the magazine rack at the Crawford, Texas Walmart (the nearest one is actually in Waco, but that's close enough for someone who got through life on legacy admissions and gentlemens "Cs")?

Seriously, the Bushes could go to George's "friends" in Big Oil, and those friends could pay for the bestest presidential library ever, and do it out of petty cash.

Laura Bush doesn't seem to be evil or anything like that, but she should stop wasting what little public credibility and respect she has on fronting for her husband.

And yes, I am fully aware that she almost certainly didn't write the letter.  However, it went out under her name, and there doesn't seem any sort of scandal brewing over this being unauthorized, so it is hers.

Do NFL contracts have morality clauses?

...because the heretofore widely-respected Larry Fitzgerald, star wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, spent the weekend associating with a rather unsavory character -

From AZFamily.com (the website of KTVK-TV, Channel 3 in Phoenix), written by Dennis Welch (emphasis mine) -

While most Arizonans watched the Super Bowl at home Sunday, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer was hanging out in New Orleans with some big stars and the so-called “Party King of Scottsdale.”

Brewer was in the Big Easy with her son, Michael Brewer, Arizona Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald, actor Edward James Olmos and Scottsdale business man Jason Hope.