Arizona Legislature: The coming week

As with the previous few weeks, there just isn't much on the schedule -

- Tuesday's House COW (Committee of the Whole) calendar is here.  Two bills on the agenda, and one of them is a neo-secessionist special: SCR1016, a proposed amendment to the Arizona Constitution declaring that Arizona can ignore any federal action that it doesn't like.

- On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce, Energy, and Military Committee is meeting to consider executive branch nominations.  9:30 a.m., SHR1.

- On the lege's Capitol Events calendar, there is only one scheduled event - a pro-Medicaid restoration rally and press conference, planned for 11 a.m. Wednesday.

That's it.  Even the governor isn't putting in much effort these days, as she has announced that she won't be signing any bills until progress is made on expanding Medicaid coverage and completing the state's budget.

One senator, Steve Gallardo (D-Phoenix), has suggested that the lege hold impeachment hearings, looking into the actions of Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne.  It won't happen, but only because Horne is a Republican, not because they have anything better to do.

Still, this is the week that we could start seeing things break on the Medicaid and budget fronts - as Arizona Republic writer Mary Jo Pitzl pointed out in her article linked in the paragraph referring to the governor above, this is the week that legislators start seeing reduced per diem payments (funds to help defray their daily living expenses).

Less money for being at the Capitol = Less interest for being at the Capitol.


Basically, it's "hurry up and wait time" redux; I'd say "quintdux", but I'm pretty sure that isn't a word. :)

Ken Bennett: The man who would be governor already on the Koch brothers' payroll

Turns out that AZ Secretary of State Ken Bennett, a likely candidate for governor in 2014, is already "supplementing" his income like someone who is ready for the 9th floor.

...For the record, to the best of my knowledge, everything Bennett is doing is allowed under Arizona law.

...For the record2, everything Bennett is doing is definitive evidence supporting the idea that the last people who should be allowed to write or enforce ethics laws covering public officials are the public officials themselves.  That's kind of like trusting the Mob with the writing and enforcement of racketeering laws.

From AZFamily.com (Phoenix channel 3), written by Dennis Welch (emphasis added) -

He's the state's top election official, but Secretary of State Ken Bennett is on the payroll of a political activist who spent millions of dollars last year trying to influence campaigns throughout the country.

Since taking office in 2009, Bennett has been paid tens of thousands of dollars by Richard Stephenson, a wealthy businessman and a key player for the political group, FreedomWorks.

Bennett, who had worked for his family owned oil business in the past, draws a monthly $2,000 salary for his work as a board member for the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, a for-profit company Stephenson started in the 1980s.

FreedomWorks is closely tied to the Koch brothers.  FreedomWorks is the result of a merger of two right wing groups, one of which was founded by the Kochs.

Bennett isn't the first candidate for governor paid off by the Kochs and/or their allies - witness Scott Walker (R-WI),  John Kasich (R-OH), Rick Snyder (R-MI) and Rick Scott (R-FL).

Bennett disclosed the directorship on his most recent financial disclosure forms (for years 2010, 2011, and 2012) without disclosing the amount of his compensation.  Which isn't required under the ethics laws that cover the behavior of elected officials in Arizona.

Additionally, on his 2012 form, he disclosed a gift from Stephenson that was greater than $500.  Which is as specific as he was required to be under the ethics laws that cover the behavior of elected officials in Arizona.

Which begs the question -

Why do we have ethics laws for public officials when they are watered down to the point of ineffectiveness by public officials?


Anyway, this may go a long way toward helping Bennett secure the Republican nomination for governor next year - he's now shown that he can be bought, and that his benefactors have even deeper pockets than Chuck Coughlin, the current governor's "benefactor".

Update on 5/8:  Regular reader Thane added a comment suggesting that I add the word "ally" to the title of this post.  I won't do that, but I will acknowledge the possibility of what I think Thane is trying to point out.  

Stephenson, who is clearly a Koch ally, may be trying to form his own herd of pet governors to supplement the herd of Koch bought-and-paid-for governors.

Either way, Bennett (and the others) are clearly on the payroll of people who place their personal interests before those of the interests of the people of the United States.

Which isn't a big deal, except that Bennett (and the others) all took oaths of office, picking up the burden of public trust.

Guest column: Cinco de Mayo

From friend and occasional guest contributor Jerry Gettinger.

Apologies go out to both Jerry and readers for the tardiness on publishing this.

This was sent to me well before May 5th.  However, it went to an email address that I don't check often, and I checked that address earlier today.  After having last checked it at the beginning of April. :(

Anyway, on to Jerry's observations, published here with thanks -

Cinco de Mayo

 

It was 1959; I was almost finished with my second year in college. The subject came up in the telephone call to my parents I was obligated to place on an almost weekly basis. “What are your plans for the summer,” I was asked? “Nothing, yet.” Finals were in two weeks and suddenly that subject took up my entire thought process. “You can always come home and work at your old job,” my mother suggested hopefully. O my G-d! I had yet to consider my plans for the summer. My old job was working in the only drugstore in town. Selling cigarettes and various other items. Those other items were in the “family planning section.” That was not my first choice or even my last. I had lived in a big eastern city for two years and did not relish the idea of spending a summer in a very small town. So, I began investigating. Two days later a flyer was in my mailbox telling me about courses at the University of Mexico. I was born and grew up on the Mexican border, so the idea of studying in Mexico was not foreign to me. (Yea, I know. A pun).

On the next conversation with my parents, I broached the subject of studying in a foreign country. I outlined my pitch in such a way as to describe it as an academic exercise giving me the opportunity of becoming fluent in a specialized Spanish. I would live with a Mexican family and study Economics, both Latin American and Mexican. Those studies would compliment my major at the Wharton School. I had the trip detailed, the subjects outlined, and the transportation arranged. Since the university was based in Mexico City and academic in nature, receiving approvals from Dad was a slam-dunk. The key word was “Education”.

I had two roommates from Ohio. Until they crossed the border at Texas, they had not been south of the Ohio River. It was to be an interesting learning experience for all. Each had identical schedules at the University, so Fridays were open to our exploring Los Unidos de Estados de Mexico and learning not only the varied economics of the region, but its culture.

We would devote weekends to further our knowledge. We were 20 and our thirst for knowledge was insatiable.

By mid-July, my roomies and I had visited seven cities and could order cervezas and tequila in at least six ways. My vocabulary quickly expanded to include bartering for various local tourist objects and suggesting to a senorita that a late dinner would be an adventure.

We, all three of us, were 20 years old and bulletproof. So when we spotted a cantina on the edge of Taxco, fear was not a commodity that night, nor was any thought given to using one’s IQ. It was Cinco de Mayo, Independence Day in Mexico, and we all celebrated. The cantina looked as if it were right out of a Hollywood set. Low lights, maybe 10 or 11 tables, half-occupied and even a piano player. We sat down. My roommate motioned to the bartender. He brought over a bottle of tequila and waited for the forty centavos each shot cost. I gave him 2 pesos ($.17) and motioned to keep the change.

Oh, did I mention that the bar was co-ed? One of the ladies was showering attention on a patron at table across the room. It looked like date night. We kept quiet and courteous. When the young (?) lady strolled over to our table, she decided not to use a chair. Instead, she sat on my roommate’s lap.

I was relatively fluent in Spanish by now. When the ladies’ previous boyfriend muttered in Spanish to his cohort, an observation, I understood. He was about to use his machete to chop more than sugar cane. I turned to my friends, brought them up to date as to the mood of the crowd and led my roomies toward the car: rapidly. Suddenly, there were at least 5, maybe 6 customers in the bar, all with very sharp machetes, and all having decided to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in a very unorthodox way. My body would never be found,for this was a real jungle. My life flashed before my eyes.

Suddenly, with the three of us half way to the car, a big, obviously strong Mexican came from out of nowhere and adroitly stepped between the others and us. They paused when Jose` Manuel raised his big machete and announced that it was over. By this time, we were almost to my car. The crowd differed in opinion from Senior Manuel and continued toward us. Jose swung his machete and cut one, superficially. He was strong, and when we were in the car and I started it (praying that it would start), Jose got in the front seat, closed the door and yelled “Vamanos!!” We understood and complied with his wishes, tires screeching. Jose`Manuel had closed the door so hard the window glass shattered and the inside came apart. A small price to pay in exchange for our lives, however.

But why would a stranger come to the aid of three gringos he had never met? During dinner later that night, he explained. When he was barely 12, he and his parents became separated (I never asked why) and he was taken in by an American couple. Educated, honest and, it turned out, a good person, he felt obligated to help and protect norteamericanos. Jose Manuel had suggested a different bar where we had excellent service, good Tacos and the opportunity to buy a very good Amigo a meal and a few tequilas to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. It turned out he was visiting a friend a short distance from our cantina and stopped in at the previous cantina for a cerveza. Fortuitous. He said he could never allow anyone to be hurt. As we continued our foray, and he started to return home, we were grateful that Samaritans were Mexican, as well as Biblical. And that Cinco de Mayo was not a body count of gringos.

Arizona legislature: The coming week

Another week of steadily twiddling thumbs at the state capitol.

The hangup still seems to be AHCCCS/Medicaid restoration.

Many of the Rs in the legislature, led by Senate President Andy Biggs (R-Gilbert) have dug in their heels, blocking anything.  It's gotten so bad that the Arizona Republic published an editorial advising Biggs to get the hell out of the was of progress (OK, so they chose to be more tactful than me :) ).

Negotiations are ongoing - now it appears that Governor Jan Brewer is placing anti-family planning language into her proposal, which is OK.

If you believe that Arizona's teen pregnancy rate isn't high enough.


Anyway, the lege is on a three day schedule this week, starting Tuesday.

As of this writing, no floor calendars have been posted, and only one committee agenda - Senate Rules, Tuesday, upon adjournment of the floor session, Caucus Room 1 - is up on the lege's website.  The agenda for that is short, only two bills, but one of them, HCR2026, is a backdoor measure aimed at undermining Clean Elections.  I expect that we'll see more of these bad bills now that most of the "good" bills that have any support among the Rs have already passed.

Let's be clear - while this week is shaping up to be another quiet week, things could change at a moment's notice.

They eventually will change, but it's still anybody's guess as to when that will happen.

Upcoming AHCCCS/Medicaid restoration actions

First, learn about the governor's proposal at a training session on Thursday -

AHCCCS Training Session on The Governor’s Medicaid Coverage Plan

PURPOSE: The future of Medicaid is at a critical time. Support for the

Governor’s Plan is needed to ensure that over 60,000 people

do not lose coverage. Learn more about how YOU can help! 

DATE: Thursday, May 9, 2013; 6:00-7:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Disability Empowerment Center (DEC), 5025 E. Washington St., Suite 202, Phoenix, AZ 85034

RSVP to: Info@azahcccs.gov

REASONS TO ATTEND:

-Become an expert on the Governor’s Medicaid Plan

-Learn how to write a Letter to the Editor

-Identify your elected officials and how to contact them

-Lead Civic Academies in your communities 

Then take your newly-acquired knowledge to a rally at the State Capitol on Wednesday, May 15.

The Medicaid Restoration Coalition is holding a rally to let legislators know that there is a large amount of support for the governor's proposal on the House lawn at 11 a.m.  Arrive early for good parking.  The best spots in the parking lots of the Executive Tower and Wesley Bolin Plaza will go quickly.

Summary:

What: Rally for Restoration

When: 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 15

Where: House Lawn, Arizona State Capitol

East Mesa Justice of the Peace resigns after shoplifting charge; replacement process announced

From the Arizona Republic, written by Jim Walsh -

An East Mesa justice of the peace accused of shoplifting resigned Wednesday from the bench, citing medical problems. 

Judge Mark Chiles resigned effective May 31, according to a letter he sent to the Board of Supervisors. He was cited by Mesa police on a misdemeanor shoplifting charge on April 3 involving the theft of a $40 speaker from a Walmart near his court. 

“Although I believe that I have never acted with criminal intent, I wish to apologize for any embarrassment that my actions have caused my fellow judges, to the judicial system as a whole, and to my family,” Chiles wrote.

 The member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in whose district the East Mesa Justice Precinct falls is Steve Chucri.  He announced the instructions for applying to fill the opening (yes, there's a typo, but it isn't mine and it doesn't affect the meaning of the statement.  As such, it stays :) ) -

Following the official resignation of Justice of the Peace Mark Chiles, effective May 31, 2013, Supervisor Steve Chucri announced the process and timeline for appointing Chiles’ replacement.

Interested individuals should submit a letter of interest and resume (including the individual’s home address, email address, and contact phone number) to the Clerk of the Board by 5:00 PM, Friday, May 24

. All documents filed with the Clerk’s Office will become public records. 

Per state law, all applicants must live in the East Mesa Justice Court District (§11-402) and be registered Republicans (§16-230(A)(2)). The individual appointed to fill the vacancy will serve out the remainder of the term which ends December 31, 2014.

Send letter of interest and resume to:
Fran McCarroll
Clerk of the Board
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors
301 West Jefferson, 10th Floor
Phoenix, AZ 85003
Phone: 602-506-3766
Fax: 602-506-6402
Email: ClerkBoard@mail.maricopa.gov

 The press release mentions the two legal requirements (live in the district and be a Republican, a member of the same party as Chiles), but there are some characteristics that are recommended (though not legally required) -

JPs should have rubber arms.  They sign their names.  A lot.

JPs should have thick skins.  At least half the people who appear in front of them go away unhappy, and some have been known to express that unhappiness.  Loudly.

JPs should have patience.  More than half of the people who appear in front of them know little or nothing about the legal system and need explanations.

JPs should be willing to answer their phone at all hours.  They get phone calls from police agencies for telephonic warrants day or night, seven days a week.

JPs are the highest-paid elected officials in Arizona (yes, more than even the governor.  Maricopa County JPs: `$105K; the governor: $95K).  They should have the good taste not to shop (or shoplift) at WalMart.

2014 Committees Update

Edited on 5/3 to correct a couple of errors, one that is a spelling error, which is far less bad than the other one, an error of fact.

The first was a failure to to capitalize the "P" in "LaPlaca".  I followed the spelling of her Facebook candidate page, but it turns out that place is the only place that I can find where "LaPlaca" is spelled with a small "p".

As for the error of fact, commissioner Gary Pierce is termed out in 2014 and his seat will be open, regardless of whether or not he runs for governor.  The seat up for election is the one currently held by Brenda Burns, who has already announced that she will not seek reelection.  Both were elected in 2010.  One of the members who were elected in 2012 may yet choose to run for another office, but I've heard no rumors to that effect as yet, so as of this moment, there are only two ACC seats up for election in 2014.

Will Greene at Blog for Arizona has this already, but it's significant enough news that it merits coverage here.

...Nancy LaPlaca, an energy expert and a former staffer at the Arizona Corporation Commission, announced that she is exploring a 2014 run at a seat on the ACC.  There will be 2 seats on the ballot next year.

She will make a great candidate and even better commissioner. She will need, and merit, everybody's support next year.


...State Rep. Tom Forese (R-Chandler) has filed paperwork for exploring a run at the ACC.

...State Rep. Frank Pratt (R-Casa Grande): Ditto.

These two: not so much.


Thanks go out to Steve Muratore, friend and fellow blogger at Arizona Eagletarian for spotting the errors.

Apologies go out to all readers, because while a minor typo may (and probably should) be forgivable, the error of fact is not.  While this, and many other blogs, exists as a place to vent, the purpose here is to vent by informing readers.  It does no good to "inform" with incorrect facts.  The error was inadvertent but no less damaging for that.  Thank you for your patience and continued readership.

Jeff Flake: goes from America's most heartless flip-flopper to America's least popular senator

...Probably not a coincidence there...

From The Atlantic Wire, written by Alexander Abad-Santos -

It wasn't easy dethroning Mitch McConnell as America's least favorite Senator, but Jeff Flake has done that in just three short months, a new poll out Monday reveals — and his fall from rising-star grace is not quite the head-scratcher you might think. In November, Flake won his Arizona Senate seat by almost 5 percentage points, but it was a lot closer than "the double-digit lead he held earlier in the year," ABC News reported at the time. Flake, a popular six-time Congressman who won previous elections with as much as 74 percent of the vote, strode into the seat of former Minority Whip Jon Kyl as a face of turnaround for the state and the Republican party. But, oh, how the mighty can fall in a time of guns, immigration, and constant polling.

The Numbers

Public Policy Polling, in their latest survey on the fallout of the recent vote on gun legislation, explains just how much people don't like Mr. Flake:

Just 32% of voters approve of him to 51% who disapprove and that -19 net approval rating makes him the most unpopular sitting Senator we've polled on, taking that label from Mitch McConnell.

 Flake responded by criticizing the polling company, Public Policy Polling (PPP), but instead he might want to examine his own actions - he's the one who looked a mother of one of the victims of the mass shooting in Aurora, CO and told her that he supported background checks for gun purchases, and then went out and voted to kill a Senate measure that would have required background checks as part of most gun transactions.

That's not PPP's problem, that's his.


If Flake was here, I'd ask him one question:

Were you wearing dancing shoes when you danced on the grave "attended the dedication of a Capitol meeting room to the memory" of Gabe Zimmerman, a Congressional staffer who was gunned down in the line of duty, or were you already wearing your flip-flops?
 

Arizona Legislature: The coming week

Kind of a repeat of last week's post.

"Hurry up and wait" will be the main activity this week.

Tuesday's House Committee of the Whole (COW) calendar is here.  As of this writing, no other floor calendars, for either chamber, are posted.

The Senate Health and Human Services committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday, 1 p.m., SHR1, for executive nominations.

The House Rules committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday, 1 p.m., HHR4.  Short agenda.

Nothing is scheduled for Monday; the only event on the Capitol events calendar for Monday is the annual schmoozefest softball game involving lobbyists and electeds (and lege staffers and interns).  However, that's after hours and offsite at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

The lege will be on a 3-day schedule this week (meaning that they'll be at the Capitol from Tuesday to Thursday), and probably next week too.  Speculation is that after that time, they may go to a 2-day schedule if their work isn't completed.  Apparently, this is being done in preparation for a long session.


The Arizona Republic's weekly Political Insider column documents some of the goings-on at the lege now that it has entered the "idle hands/devil's workshop" portion of this year's session.

The big sticking point still seems to be Medicaid restoration/expansion - there was a rally/press conference last week by legislators opposed to any sort of Medicaid expansion, even back to levels previously supported by the voters.  In addition, there may be a move afoot in the Senate to find a way to force a Medicaid expansion measure to the floor for a vote over the objections, and obstruction, of Senate President Andy Biggs (R-Gilbert).

There are also reports that Governor Jan Brewer and her staff are trying to gather some votes by adding anti-Planned Parenthood language to her proposal, courtesy the Center for Arizona Theocracy Policy.

This is a situation that could remain logjammed for weeks, or it could shake loose on Tuesday (I'm leaning toward "weeks", pessimist that I am).

Stay tuned for developments...


The Arizona Department of Administration's list of meetings of state-level boards and commissions is here.

Recall Joe Arpaio: Send the "Pink Underwear" man a message with a Pink Postcard

Respect Arizona, the group behind the effort to recall Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, is closing in on its goal of collecting enough petition signatures to force a recall election.

It has now come up with a way to both send a message to Arpaio and to raise funds to support their efforts.

Pink Postcards.

For $2 each, or 3 for $5, people can send a message to Arpaio, letting him know why you think he should be removed from office.

Every Thursday at 5:30 p.m., the newest batch of messages from the people of the county, state, and country are delivered to Arpaio.  If you want to participate in the recall, if you want your voice to be among the thousands clamoring for justice and integrity to return to the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office, sign up and order postcards here.

Q. What's a lawyer to do when he isn't allowed to be a lawyer? A. Run for governor, of course.

Nearly six months ago, disgraced and disbarred former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas threatened to do just this, and now he is carrying out the threat.

From the Arizona Republic, written by Alia Beard Rau -

Disbarred former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas has announced he will run for governor in 2014.

In an e-mail to members of the media, the Republican said he file paperwork today with the Secretary of State’s Office.

“I’ll be focusing on the need to protect public safety, ensure border security and fight corruption, among other issues,” Thomas said in the e-mail. “Voters will be urged to watch the video of my State Bar hearing and see for themselves how honest prosecutors are railroaded for fighting corruption in this state.”

 His joining with Sen. Al "Tin Foil" Melvin in the race for the GOP nomination for governor sends a couple of signals -

1. Next year is going to be colorful,  As in colorful enough for The Daily Show to consider moving here, if only to save big money on air fare for their crews and correspondents.  They're going to be here, a lot.

2.  There will be whispers of a conspiracy.  The idea here may be to make the GOP slate of candidates so unpalatable that Arizona's judiciary is convinced that a third Brewer term isn't a violation of Arizona's constitution.

Yes, I mock, but I mock with the full knowledge that Arizona has a history of picking some really bad governors, like good ol' Ev Mecham.  I don't believe that AZ's Rs will embrace the "full loony", but the field may be large enough to split the sane vote to the point where one of the loons will get the nomination.

And then anything could happen.

State Sen. Al Melvin "exploring" a run for governor

...and speaking as a wiseass writer, this may constitute evidence that there is a god in heaven...

From the Arizona Daily Star, written by Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services -

Three-term state Sen. Al Melvin announced this afternoon he intends to run for governor this coming year.

The Republican who lives in the Saddlebrook community just north of the Pima-Pinal county line said his bid will focus on giving every school student a $9,000 voucher to attend any school, public or private, of the parent's choice. Melvin said he sees that choice as the only real solution to improving academic performance.

He also wants to enact limits on how much juries can award in civil lawsuits. But that move would require voter approval, something that has been repeatedly rejected.

Melvin joins what promises to be an increasingly crowded field for the GOP nomination.
Secretary of State Ken Bennett and Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman already have exploratory committees. And Wil Cardon also is looking at a bid.

 Melvin is no slacker - he doesn't just fight against public education and a fair legal system.

Nope, he wants to turn Arizona into a nuclear waste dump, turn Arizona's prisons into slave labor camps, confiscate all federal land in Arizona, exempt county sheriffs, like his friend and ally Joe Arpaio, from budgetary and fiscal oversight, and more.

He shows off his intellectual prowess with tweets like "#azright Tourism makes up 15% of the AZ economy, employing 4000,000 people. AZ havs world class resorts.Tourists often become home buyers." (4/15/2013), "#azright We must fight Obamacare at every turn. The Dems passed it in the dead of night, without a single Republican vote. It is a disaster!" (4/13/2013), and "#azright If we go for all avail USA gas & oil, we can be a petroleum exporter & bring Iran & Venezuela to their economic knees. Let's do it!" (8/31/2012).

In short, if he actually runs, he will be Ev Mecham II.  And we know how Ev I turned out.


While a Melvin candidacy is potentially the most entertaining campaign ever (maybe if Melvin and somebody like Frank "Don't Make Me Mad" Antenori teamed up to run as candidates for co-governor... :) ), right now, I'm not so sure that his candidacy is a serious one - his filing with the Secretary of State lists both the committee chair and treasurer as one...

Al Melvin.

The "candidate as chief cook and bottle washer" approach may work in a legislative race, but for a statewide race?  It's a sign, and not a good one...

Arizona Legislature: The coming week

This coming week at the lege is shaping up to be another exercise in "hurry up and wait".  According to sources who may not have much more specific information than me, word is that the budget is basically done, with minor differences remaining to be bridged, and that the delay is due to ongoing wrangling over Medicaid expansion.

It's gotten so slow at the Capitol that even the usual horde of lobbyists isn't blanketing the complex anymore...except for a dozen or so healthcare lobbyists, who are still asking for, and getting, meetings with electeds (another indication that Medicaid is the primary focus behind closed doors).

One source speculated that we may end up seeing a "bad" Medicaid bill passed, just to make Governor Jan Brewer prove that she is willing to use her veto power.

No matter how it goes down, however, expectations are that it is going to take at least another month or longer to wrap up the legislative session.  Guesstimates for the sine die date range from late May to mid June.

My personal guesstimate is more in line with the earlier date.  Lawmakers, particularly the non-Maricopa County group, are rapidly going to reach the point where they just want to get the hell out of Dodge*.

* - In this context, "Dodge" means Phoenix when the daytime high temps reach and stay above 100.

As the temperature rises, so will the pressure to pass something that the Governor will sign; it almost certainly won't be a *great* bill, but it might actually be palatable.

Of course, this could all change Monday morning... :))


On to the schedule part of the post, where the disclaimer section of the post is almost longer than the "meat" of the post...

As usual, all committee agendas, floor calendars, and event schedules are subject to change without notice. Call ahead to confirm plans before traveling 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, please check out the full agenda yourself.


Floor activity:


Monday's House Third Read calendar is here, and its COW (Committee of the Whole) calendar is here.

Monday's Senate calendars: Final Read (Senate bills that were amended in the House whose changes need to be approved by the Senate before going on to the Governor's desk), Third Read, COW.




Committee activity:


House Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., HHR4.


Senate Commerce, Energy, and Military, Wednesday, 9:30 a.m., SHR1.
Senate Natural Resource and Rural Affairs, Wednesday, 10 a.m., SHR109.
Senate Public Safety, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR109.
Senate Health and Human Services, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR1.

The above meetings are mostly about hearings on executive branch nominees.

Senate Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR1.  Hearing a presentation on "Advancing Technology in the Classroom".  The presentation will be given by one Jodie Butler, a lobbyist for Promethian, Inc., a company that creates and markets technology-based education products.  Of the many words that may ultimately be used to describe the sales pitch "presentation", I'm guessing that "unbiased" won't be among them.

Interestingly, the organization that provides the Butler bio (she's on the board of directors) linked to her name, the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL), lists as one of its prominent members Arizona State Senator Kimberly Yee.

And Yee is the chair of the Senate Education Committee.  Probably not a coincidence.

NFWL appears to be a corporate front group in the mold of ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, with the major differences being that it is smaller, and that most of their "resolutions" and policy statements have the word "women" in them.  Like ALEC, the organization's list of officers and directors is dominated by corporate lobbyists.  


Capitol and area activity:

The lege's Capitol Events calendar is here.  Probable highlight:  Saturday's scheduled 2nd Amendment "rally" (aka - gathering of the "Black Helicopters" crowd) at the Capitol.

The Arizona Department of Administration's list of public meetings of various state-level boards and commissions is here.

An open letter to Chad Campbell and Fred Duval...

...and anyone else looking at entering the 2014 race for governor...and anyone looking to convince one or another candidate to drop out of the race to avoid a messy primary.

Earlier today, Tom Prezelski and Bob Lord, two of the contributors to Blog for Arizona, wrote "open letters" to State Rep. Chad Campbell.  Tom urged Campbell to drop out of the race, while Bob didn't go that far, instead suggesting that Campbell examine his motives for running, and possibly reevaluate his candidacy.

Time for a bit of a contrarian view.

Dear Chad and Fred,

 

I know, like, and respect you both. 

 

I firmly believe that either of you will make a fine candidate for governor and a good governor of the state of Arizona, and certainly a better one than anyone who can get through the Republican primary. 

 

Don't get too excited - I think that a mop in a janitor's closet in the basement of the Executive Tower would do a better job than any of the likely Republican candidates.  The mop wouldn't do a *good* job - it wouldn't do much of anything at all.  However, by the same token, it wouldn't set out to do a *bad* job, either.  Which places it head and shoulders above any of the Rs...but I digress...

 

I also believe that both of you, and/or anyone else who may jump into the race, *need* a contested primary, against a serious and capable opponent.

 

Fred, you are an intelligent and accomplished man with a long record of public service.  And, so far as I can tell, you've run for office once many years ago (Congress, 2002) and it wasn't statewide.

 

Chad, you are an intelligent man who has done some incredible work in the legislature.  And so far as I can tell, you've only run for office in a relatively small and Democratic-leaning district in Phoenix.

 

Running for a statewide office will be outside of the experience of both of you, and clearing the primary field will only serve to put the beginning point of the learning curve for that at the start of the general election season.

 

Given that there will be five or six weeks between the end of primary election voting and the beginning of early voting in the general election, that's not the place to start learning how to be an effective candidate for high office.

 

A robust primary is the place for that learning process.

 

Witness two examples -

 

In 2006, Jim Pederson ran for the US Senate seat held by Jon Kyl.  A good man and an effective businessman, like Fred, he had never run for office before.  As a former chair of the ADP, many party insiders worked to clear the primary field for him, and it showed.  At the start of the general election campaign he was painful to watch on the stump.  To be sure, he learned, and learned quickly.  By the time the GOTV push came around during the last weekend before the election, he was far more relaxed in front of crowds.  However, by then it was far too late.

 

He got smoked in the general election by Kyl.

 

On the other hand, in 2012, Kyrsten Sinema ran for Congress.  Like Chad, she had run for office before (and also like Chad, won), but only in a Democratic-leaning legislative district.  The 2012 primary that she won was a robust one (OK.  It was probably the most rugged seen by AZ Dems in recent memory, but compared to some of the D primaries in Massachusetts, where I grew up, it was no worse than one of the neighborhood games of tag that we played as kids).

 

She emerged from that primary as a strong and toughened candidate who hit the general election ground running, and ran right over the Republican nominee in the race.

 

 

There are a number of Arizona Democrats, many of whom I respect and some of whom I count as friends, who always work to avoid primaries.  Too "messy", or something like that.

 

I think that they, and candidates who go along with that line of thinking, are doing the people of Arizona in general, and Arizona Democrats and Independents in particular, a supreme disservice.

 

Primaries, uncomfortable though they may be for some people, toughen candidates for their general election races and also raise the public profiles of those candidates.

 

As things stand right now, even the worst Republican candidate goes into any general election race with advantages that go beyond a voter registration advantage.  Their primary battles generate public interest and media coverage for their candidates, and their candidates start the general election season already at full campaign speed while generally facing opponents who are still gearing up for the real race.

 

Instead of clearing the field for a single candidate, party activists, grassroots and establishment alike, should encourage the candidates to run in, not to get out of, races.

 

Chad, Fred, and anyone else who gets in the race - instead of reaching out to contacts within the party who might help convince one of the other candidates to step aside, focus on reaching out to Democrats (and Independents) who will vote for you not only in the primary but in the general.

 

Oh, and while the primary campaign should be "robust" and energetic, it should also be fairly clean.  Regardless of who wins the primary, the victor will need the general election support of the runner-up's supporters.

 

Just a few things to keep in mind.

 

Sincerely,

 

Craig McDermott

Scottsdale, Arizona

Boston bombing: Pictures of possible suspects released

From the Facebook page of the Massachusetts State Police -

 

 

Also from the Massachusetts State Police -

THESE ARE THE SUSPECTS IN THE BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING. DO YOU RECOGNIZE EITHER OF THESE MEN? Think of neighbors, co-workers, fellow students, or other acquaintances who may fit these descriptions. Call 1-800-CALL-FBI with any information or provide tips via https://bostonmarathontips.fbi.gov/ They should be considered dangerous. Do not approach them yourself. If you see them, call police immediately.

Note: 1-800-CALL-FBI translates to 1-800-225-5324