That sound you hear?

It's the sound of Republican legislators sharpening their knives in preparation for another round of gutting Arizona's future...even before the current round has been finalized by the Senate.

From AZCentral.com -

The Legislature finished the heavy lifting on the state budget Thursday, but returns today to wrap up work on two bills in the Senate.

{snip}

Brewer won't get the budget bills until lawmakers end their special session, which is likely to happen today. She has indicated she'll sign the bills, which cut $1.1 billion from state programs, ending many of the services - such as the cash-assistance program - permanently.

The remaining work concerns two bills. House Bill 2013 would repeal a tax credit given to businesses to defray the cost of complying with state sales-tax collections.

House Concurrent Resolution 2001 would send a repeal of First Things First, an early-childhood education and health program, to the November ballot. Lawmakers want voters to abolish the program and redirect the $325 million it generates from a special tobacco tax to the state general fund.

Both bills passed the House but were collateral damage in the Senate, where tempers flared as the budget debate wore on Thursday.

And the really instructive party of the article -

"One deficit down, another one to go - the jobs deficit," said House Speaker Kirk Adams, R-Mesa.

He is pressing for quick work on his bill that cuts taxes and offers various incentives to attract manufacturing jobs to Arizona. House Bill 2250 cleared the House six weeks ago, but Senate President Bob Burns held it up until the budget was completed.

The bill's various tax cuts would take effect beginning in July 2011, at an estimated cost to the state general fund of $171.5 million. By 2017, when the bill is fully in effect, the cost would be $941.8 million a year, according to an analysis by legislative budget staff.

The estimates don't include the money that new jobs would generate in Arizona as it is hard to predict future job growth.

Gotta love those Rs - the costs to Arizona/benefits to their corporate patrons are clear ($941 billion/year by 2017) while the benefits to Arizona (jobs) are too "hard to predict", so there is no cost/benefit analysis to justify the bill, only ideology to drive the R support of this mess.

This session has cut approximately $1 billion from the state's budget, and the Rs are pushing a bill that would necessitate that again...and again, and again.

Welcome to Arizona, where partisan ideology trumps fiscal reality.

Right now, HB2250 hasn't been assigned to a committee in the Senate, and that would be the first sign to indicate that Senate President Bob Burns is allowing it to go forward.

Look for such a move shortly after the Senate finishes its special session budget work, possibly later this week so it can be heard in committee before the end of the month.

More later...

The Coming Week: Legislative Edition, chapter 2 - the House

As usual, all info from the website of the Arizona Legislature, except where noted, and subject to change without notice...

...The post on this week's Senate committee schedule is here.

On the House side of the Capitol quad this week their committees are taking up consideration of Senate bills.

- Rules is meeting on Monday at 1 p.m. in HHR4 (that agenda is covering some of the remaining House bills that are still moving but have yet to reach the House floor)

- Ways and Means will meet on Monday at 2 p.m. in HHR1. A little goofiness, but basically it looks quiet thus far.

- Education will meet on Monday at 2 p.m. in HHR3. Quiet thus far.

- Government will meet on Tuesday at 2 p.m. in HHR4. The agenda includes SB1100, exempting audit files and working papers from audits of county officers from public records disclosure; SB1153, mandating that state law preempts any local laws governing knives (carrying, making, etc.)

- Military Affairs and Public Safety will meet on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in HHR3. Highlight here: a striker (text not posted yet) to SB1014 about arming college faculty; SB1027, a Russell Pearce-spawned measure to require DPS to start a pilot program of using seismic sensors along the border to detect illegal immigration activity.

- Health and Human Services will meet on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in HHR4. Highlight here: SB1305, barring any political entity in the state from expending funds on any insurance plan that provides coverage for abortions.

- Commerce will meet on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in HHR5. Quiet thus far.

- Judiciary will meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. in HHR4. Quiet thus far.


Later...

The Coming Week: Legislative Edition, chapter 1 - the Senate

As usual, all info gathered from the website of the Arizona Legislature, except where noted, and subject to change without notice.

...On the Special Session front, the Senate is expected to complete railroading through passing a budget package. (AZCentral.com)

...On the regular session front -

The Senate committee schedule and highlights -

- Natural Resources, Infrastructure, and Public Debt will meet at 1:30 p.m. on Monday in SHR109.

- Judiciary will meet at 1:30 p.m. on Monday in SHR1. On the agenda is John Kavanagh's measure to criminalize those who look for work as day laborers while standing on the side of the road.

- Commerce and Economic Development will meet at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday in SHR1.

- Appropriations will meet at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday in SHR109. The highlight here is a striker to HB2370 that would override the will of the voters and reauthorize the existence of payday loan operations. The striker is the brainchild of Russell Pearce.

- Healthcare and Medical Liability Reform will meet at 9 a.m. on Wednesday in SHR1.

- Public Safety and Human Services will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday in SHR3. On the agenda: HB2148, giving preference to married couples in adoptions.

- Veterans and Military Affairs will meet at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday in SHR2.

- Finance will meet at 1:30 p.m on Wednesday in SHR3. On the agenda: HB2001, the Rs' scheme to set up an "I didn't pay enough" voluntary tax fund. There will also a "presentation" from Republican activist Don Goldwater on the "debt crisis and Arizona." His website pimps for an investment firm. Wonder where this is going?

- Education Accountability and Reform will meet at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday in SHR1. On the agenda: HB2227, mandating that teachers must accept contracts from schools within 15 days (currently they have 30 days) and HB2261, a bill to expand the membership of the Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District by adding two members who would be elected on an "at large" basis. Also known as the "Keep Republicans in charges of MCCCD for as long as possible" bill.

- Government Institutions will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday in SHR1.

...House agendas tomorrow...

Live blogging: ASU roundtable discussion on new media and civic engagement along the border

I've been invited to live blog a roundtable discussion on civic engagement in border states at ASU. Donna from Democratic Diva and Rachel Alexander from IC Arizona are also here. Donna will do a summary later, while Rachel will be doing a "live blog" sort of report on her site.

This post will hereafter be best read from bottom to top.
___________________________________________________

12:59 - meeting over. Another event starting up, but I have to go to work. Later!

12:56 - An ASU law prof is asking about information collection/availability from the government, stating that there are gaps between what the government knows on a topic (in this case, border issues) and what academics know.

12:52 - DHS advises that if people on the site ask for a conversation with a senior official on the site, it will happen. Folks just have to sign up and ask.

12:49 - Others are pointing out that making the site "value-neutral" could (and probably will) make it "valueless".

12:47 - One attendee is pointing out the website is "fluff" with no room for criticism/discussion of government border policies. He thinks it will be ineffective.

12:44 - It turns out that academics can ask long, convoluted questions that cannot be easily summarized. Who knew? :) In other words, I have no idea what the next question was really asking.

12:40 - An activist is wondering if the website can be used to highlight the plight of students caught up in immigration snafus, if the site can be used to get the attention of senior officials. Short answer: yes.

12:37 - There is a high-level group working on facilitating secure cross-border trade. Wants to use social media to get info out on both sides of the border.

12:35 - ASU prof? reminds folks that border issues go far beyond just immigration (commerce, environment, etc.)

12:32 - Erin Gross (sp?) of Canadian consulate advises against conflating immigration and fighting crime.

12:24 - Braun is highlighting an example where social media can be used as a "force multiplier", getting information out about an issue such as human trafficking. In larger cities, people are aware of the issue, but in smaller cities and towns, the average person may not realize that it is an issue in their hometown.

12:19 - This program, highlighted on this website, will be focused on utilizing social media to help address Southwest border issues and to promote government transparency to the average citizen.

12:14 - Jake Braun, a White House liason from the Department of Homeland Security is the featured speaker/moderator today. We are doing introductions right now - lots of ASU staff and students, as well as some interested folks (including from the Canadian consulate).

Arizona Legislature: No respect for voters, no respect for the law

Just things that they've done recently or are planning to do in the next week...


- The Senate approved SB1324, mandating that the state's Department of Administration procure and make available to state employees pre-paid identity theft protection services. The only non-legislator who signed in as supporting the measure was the lobbyist for Lifelock, a firm that claims to provide such services.

The same Lifelock that is paying $12 million to settle some false advertising claims, as announced this week by Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard.

On one side of the Capitol, one conscientious public servant was working to protect Arizonans; on the other side, not so much.

To be fair, the bill sounded innocuous enough to garner a few Democratic votes on the Senate floor, but it's time that the Ds at the Capitol understand that there is nothing innocuous in the measures proposed by their R colleagues.

- This coming Tuesday, Senate Appropriations will be considering a striker to HB2370. The striker would apparently reauthorize the existence of the payday loan industry. I say "apparently" because the lege is keeping the text of the striker under wraps so far.

Less than a year-and-a-half ago, the voters rejected (by over 400,000 votes) an industry-sponsored initiative to do just that, and since then, the industry and their minions in the lege have been working to thwart the will of the voters.

I'm not the only one who has noticed the Rs' attempt at stealth here and is publicizing it - Tucson City Councilman Fimbres has a piece on it in his blog, here.

- Then, of course, is the lege's scheme to "balance" the state's budget by rolling back voter-mandated early childhood education and health care and AHCCCS eligibility levels.

The lege has been told *many* times that Arizonans support a basic social safety net, yet Republican legislators never stop working to destroy anything that even resemble public services.

Maybe this year, instead of sending the "same old, same old" to the Capitol, where most of them will only ignore the best interests of Arizonans, the will of the voters, and even the law, Arizona's voters will finally elect legislators based on dedication to public service, not obeisance to ideology.

Early Results are coming in

It's still early and provisional ballots haven't been counted, but it seems that most EV races and ballot questions are going as expected.

In Scottsdale, results from early ballots show the amendments to the City's charter passing by a roughly 4-1 margin and that Proposition 200 (bed tax hike) is comfortably ahead (12%+).

As for ballots that include actual races for office, it's too early to know if run-off elections will be needed. In most jurisdictions, a candidate has to be named on more than half of the ballots cast in order to avoid a run-off, and until those numbers are released, we won't know for certain which candidates achieved the necessary vote totals.

From the website of the Maricopa County Recorder's Office -

In Tempe, there are 4 candidates for the three open seats on the City Council. It appears that Robin Arredondo-Savage, Shana Ellis, and Onnie Shekerjian are all at least 2300 votes ahead of fourth-place candidate Mark Ortiz. In addition, Proposition 400 (bed tax hike) is ahead by more than 40 percentage points.

In Carefree, it looks as if Mayor David Schwan has successfully fought an attempt to recall him (>17%).

In Fountain Hills, Councilwoman Ginny Dickey in on her way to reelection, leading all vote-getters with 2363 votes for City Council.

Lastly, most (but not all) of the school-budget override related questions look to be passing, including Kyrene (by >17%) and Tempe Elementary (>23%).

Look for finalized results by Friday.

Updates as they become available.

Celebrity sues company over TV ad

I don't normally comment on pop culture happenings, mostly because ultimately they are utterly meaningless to anyone other than those people who are directly involved.

Occasionally though, something so jaw-droppingly inane crops up that even I take notice.

One such item has hit the wires today and it thoroughly merits some ridicule.

From Yahoo! -

Lindsay Lohan is no milkaholic.

And that's likely why the 23-year-old star is suing financial company E-Trade for $100 million for using her name in its latest commercial about a boyfriend-stealing "milkaholic" baby.

Ummm...yeah.

I've seen the spot. Thought is was cute and worth a chuckle. Did *not* think "Why, they're making fun of Lindsay Lohan!" when I saw it.

A few points here -

1. Lindsay/Lindsey ranks between 277 and 380 (depending on spelling) on the list of most popular baby names (according to the Social Security Administration, anyway). As recently as 1999, it ranked in the top 100. It's a popular name.

If the baby's name in the spot had been "Lohan", there might be grounds for a suit.

However, it's wasn't and there isn't.

2. Last time I heard (and since I don't follow this stuff, my info may be a few years out of date), Lindsay Lohan isn't interested in boyfriends. That's her choice to make, but it kind of undercuts her point in the suit. No if the baby girl had been stealing the recurring character's girlfriend, there might be grounds for a suit.

However, she wasn't and there isn't.

3. Could the fact that Lohan's fame is fading fast be behind this lawsuit? A little senseless ranting to let people know she is still around, trying to get a little attention? Well, if it is, it worked.

She's earned a little attention from a mostly obscure blog in Arizona.

Her PR team has certainly earned its pay this week.

Election Day Today - Remember to vote!

Many municipalities and school districts in Arizona are holding elections today, be they regular or special elections.

In Tempe, they're holding a regularly scheduled election for three seats on the City Council with a ballot question about raising the City's bed tax (sample ballot here).

In Scottsdale, the election concerns a number of proposed updates to the City's charter and also a hike to Scottsdale's bed tax, too (sample ballot here).

In addition, many school districts are holding override elections.

Whether you live in Scottsdale, Tempe, or another part of Maricopa County, you can find your polling place here, courtesy the Maricopa County Recorder's Office. If you live in another part of the state, contact your local county's elections department for polling place info.

Later!

And so it continues - the gutting of Arizona's future

Cross-posted at Blog for Arizona...

I and others will do a more complete analysis of the bills that the lege is pushing as its budget "solution", but here is a brief bit on each, mostly from the factsheets prepared by legislative staff. I'm using the House bills here, but the Senate has an identical version of each bill posted, too.

HB2001, general appropriations (fact sheet here) - Many lowlights, too many to list all of them, but here's one - the lege expects to save almost $100 million by eliminating KidsCare, taking away health care from 47,000 Arizona children, but have no fear, they will be spending more than $98 million of that on 6000 new prison beds.

As an aside, they're budgeting almost $40 million for 2000 private prison beds (@$20K per) but $58 million for 4000 new beds in state prisons (~$14.5K per). I thought the rationale behind privatizing prisons was to save money?

HB2002, capital outlay appropriations (fact sheet here)

HB2003, budget procedures; budget reconciliation (fact sheet here) - among other things, mandates a reduction in the pay of all state employees, except for electeds (of course) and 13 unpaid furlough days over the next 2+ fiscal years.

HB2004, regulation; budget reconciliation (fact sheet here)

HB2005, general government; budget reconciliation (fact sheet here)

HB2006, criminal justice; budget reconciliation (fact sheet here) - among other things, eliminates the state Department of Juvenile Corrections. Also pawns off a number of short-term state prisoners onto county jail systems and eliminates the state's Sex Offender Monitoring Fund.

HB2007, environment; budget reconciliation (fact sheet here)

HB2008, K-12 education; budget reconciliation (fact sheet here) - increases assistance paid to charter schools, reduces soft capital (books and other classroom supplies) allocations if the sales tax increase passes in May, eliminates soft capital funding if the tax increase fails, eliminates full-day K, bars new school construction.

HB2009, higher education; budget reconciliation (fact sheet here) - eliminates capital outlay funding for community colleges, reduces the amount of money that the state has to provide to fund financial aid at the state's universities.

HB2010, health; budget reconciliation (fact sheet here) - the list is long and ugly here.

HB2011, welfare; budget reconciliation (fact sheet here) - here, too.

HB2012, revenues; budget reconciliation (fact sheet here) - all sorts of fund sweeps and fee and license hikes.

HB2013, accounting expenses tax credit; repeal (fact sheet here)

HCR2001, early childhood development; health; repeal (fact sheet here) - if approved by the voters, would repeal Prop 203 (related to the title of the measure) and sweep any funds into the state's General Fund.

HCR2002, land conservation fund; reversion (fact sheet here) - Sweeps voter-protected funds from the Land Conservation Fund ($123 million dedicated to preservation of open spaces) into the state's General Fund.

The House Appropriations Committee will meet on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. to consider the bills; Senate Approps will also meet at 9:30 to consider their chamber's package of bills.

If this all seems rushed, it should - they're trying to fix this year's budget and pass next year's by Wednesday or Thursday. They seem to be attempting to push this stuff through before anyone can really analyze what they're doing and what the real impacts on Arizonans are.

In short, they (the Rs) want to railroad the budget through before anyone can organize an effective response.

More later...

Harry Mitchell puts his money where his mouth is...

CD5 Congressman Harry Mitchell has been unwavering in his opposition to Congress' automatic pay hikes. Beside annually introducing and pushing bills to forego that raise, he donates those pay hikes to local charities when the pay hikes go through anyway.

This year has been no different.

From a press release -

U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell today announced the local Arizona charities to which he will donate his 2008 and 2009 Congressional pay raises. Mitchell made the announcement at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale Hartley & Ruth Barker Branch while examining challenges the current economic downturn is creating for nonprofit and charitable organizations.

“With more and more people in need of assistance and local charities stretched to
their limits, it is unconscionable to think that Congress is considering giving itself a pay raise this year,” Mitchell said. "Since I took office, I've been proud to donate my pay raise to charities and organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs with the hope that it will improve life in our community."

{snip}

While there were many worthy charities, Mitchell chose the following organizations.

The new recipients are:

Arthritis Foundation - Greater Southwest Chapter. Arthritis Foundation works to improve the lives of those suffering from arthritis through prevention, control and cure of arthritis, and related diseases. The Arthritis Foundation Greater Southwest Chapter helps more than 1.5 million people, including nearly 8,000 children, in Arizona , New Mexico and El Paso , Texas , who are affected by arthritis. Arizona State Senator Carolyn Allen is the immediate past Chair.

New Global Citizens. This initiative helps young people form New Global Citizen
(NGC) teams on their high school campuses. These teams select one of NGC's global partner projects and chose one of three objectives offered by the initiative: 1) to educate their community about the challenges faced by their partner project, 2) to advocate on behalf of a pressing global issue, and/or 3) to raise the financial resources necessary to effect real change on the ground for their partner project. In turn, NGC provides education, training, and support to these teams through staff, trainings, resource materials, site visits, and a vast network across the country.

Tempe Community Action Agency’s “Shower Power” Project. Headquartered in Tempe’s Escalante Neighborhood, TCAA is a non-profit social service organization helps the working poor, seniors, the homeless and others in need achieve sufficiency. Tempe Leadership Class XXV is heading the Shower Power Project, which will provide showers to homeless individuals who participate in the Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program (I-HELP).

*Last year, Mitchell donated to the Tempe Community Action Agency. This year, he is proud to specifically support the “Shower Power” Project.


In addition, Mitchell will again donate to the local charities he supported last year. They are:

Paz de Cristo. Paz de Cristo provides community service and justice-minded volunteers with an opportunity to directly serve people in need with a daily meal service, food boxes and empowerment programs. Each month, nearly 1,000 individuals from more than 60 faith communities, civic groups, businesses and schools work together to fulfill the Paz de Cristo mission.

Sojourner Center. Sojourner Center provides shelter and support services to thousands of individuals affected by domestic violence. As the nation's largest domestic violence shelter, Sojourner Center is a tireless advocate for domestic violence victims and survivors.

Arizona Women’s Education and Employment, Inc. AWEE is a workforce development organization, offering a full range of evidence-based training and support services to women, men and their families by helping them reclaim their lives by moving from welfare to the workplace.

St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance. St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance, the world's first food bank, is a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization that alleviates hunger by efficiently gathering and distributing food to sites that serve the hungry. Serving 13 of Arizona 's 15 counties, the organization is committed to volunteerism, building community relationships and improving the quality of life for Arizonans in need.

Friends of Tempe Center for the Arts. Friends of Tempe Center for the Arts promotes the artistic activities of the Tempe Center for the Arts by supporting a system of funding through public, private and philanthropic sources to encourage and foster appreciation of the arts for future generations.

The Arizona Animal Welfare League. The League is Arizona ’s largest and oldest “no-kill” animal shelter, co-founded in 1971 by Amanda Blake, who played Miss Kitty on TV’s “Gunsmoke."

The Arizona Chapter of Sentinels of Freedom. The local chapter of this national veterans organization helps wounded soldiers restart their lives. Sentinels of Freedom scholarships have helped returning soldiers – with injuries such as amputations, blindness, deafness, paraplegia and burns – to pay mortgages, undergo physical rehabilitation and adjust to civilian life.

Audubon of Arizona. Started in 2002 under the leadership of former Scottsdale Mayor Sam Campana, Audubon Arizona has grown to be a premier conservation and environmental education program.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale. With nine branches in Scottsdale and
the northeast Valley, the Club has served well over 100,000 children and teens with quality after-school and summer programs in a safe, supervised environment.

Childsplay. Childsplay is an award-winning professional theatre company for young audiences and families. Since 1977, Childsplay has achieved a national reputation in the field. Mitchell is a longtime supporter of Childsplay and sits on its board of trustees.

The East Valley Crisis Center. The Center is committed to preventing child abuse and neglect, and its shelter and programs have aided and comforted nearly 12,000 children since 1981.

Prostate Checkup All Sports Foundation, aka prostatecheckup.com. Founded in 1998 by former football coach and prostate cancer survivor Gene Felker, this
organization saves lives by educating and screening men for prostate cancer. Mitchell is also a prostate cancer survivor whose life was saved by a PSA blood test in 1999.

Tempe Impact Education Foundation. Volunteers from TIE provide help to some of the neediest children in Tempe Elementary Schools, including clothing, musical instruments and scholarships. Mitchell and his wife, Marianne, taught in Tempe schools.

Welcome to America Project. This East Valley-based organization helps refugees from Africa and other war-torn and oppressed regions settle into their new lives with donations of furniture and household items.

Later...

Live Blogging Senate Appropriations - Regular Session

4:01 - Passing SB1419, correcting a dental hygienist bill from last session. I am out of here.

3:38 - Voting on measure. Aboud expressing doubts about measure's vagueness, votes no; Aguirre votes yes, hoping language is clarified; S Allen thinks this is a great bill, votes yes; Braswell also thinks this is "excellent" and votes yes; Gould votes yes but thinks that Senate won't obey the measure anyway; Harper votes yes; Melvin votes yes; Pearce thinks this is great, votes yes. Passes 7 - 1, 1 not voting.

3:35 - It's apparent that the Senators don't know how this bill would apply, or don't want to talk about it. Sen. Aguirre is worried about school districts; Sen. Aboud is concerned with unclear language in the measure. Burns' doubletalk pace is increasing.

3:31 - Rs on the committee using this measure as an opportunity to decry the use of any debt instruments to fund government, yet don't mention how their never-ending quest for corporate tax cuts has forced the state and its agencies to turn to debt.

3:27 - Clarification from staff - the measure would not apply to "political subdivisions" (counties, etc.) but would apply to higher ed.

3:25 - Burns' measure is meant to reduce the state's debt level for all sorts of debt instruments (bonds, etc.). Includes K-12.

3:24 - Burns says that state has $4.3 billion in debt right now; c0unties, municipalities, school districts, etc. have more.

3:20 - SCR1060 - fact sheet here. Bob Burns speaking in favor of his proposal.

3:19 (later in the same minute) - meeting gavelled into order. SCR1060 (changing the state's debt limit) up first.

3:19 p.m. - The meeting is about to start - most of the senators are here and in their seats.

Quick update - special and regular session

...Right now, we are waiting for the beginning (actually the restarting) of last Friday's meeting of Senate Approps. Due to the fact that a number of members couldn't be in town last Friday, they didn't achieve the quorum necessary to conduct business and will do so after a meeting of Senate Rules.

...The schedule isn't posted as yet, but sometime tomorrow (Tuesday, March 9), the 7th Special Session's Senate Approps will meet to discuss the bills that are being posted as I write this. The text of the bills *should* be posted on the lege's website shortly.

...Word just came down to the staffers setting up the Approps meeting that they may be going back to a floor session first.

I'll post any updates as soon as they become available.

Special Session #7 underway

The regular session Senate floor session took over an hour - and it was fairly non-controversial (any bills that were borderline between passing and failing, like the texting while driving ban, were pulled from the agenda for Third Read (final passage).

They are organizing the session right now (rules and such). The lege's staff is currently in the process of posting documents for the session. No text for bills has been posted yet, but a couple of titles have - SCR1001 (early childhood development; health; repeal) and SCR1002 (land conservation fund; reversion).

And so the ugliness begins.

Later...

Senate Session, Monday March 8, 2010

1:17 p.m. - They've been going through "points of personal privilege" (introductions of guests, personal comments, or in Ron Gould's case, reading an editorial that he agrees with) for approximately 10 minutes. Highlight so far -

It's Senator Meg Burton Cahill's (D-LD17) birthday!

Whoooo hoooo!

The Coming Week - Everybody Else Edition

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

...In Congress, most of the MSM attention will be on health care reform but there are other matters on the agenda this week.

- In the House of Representatives, their agenda includes many of the usual memorial, congratulatory, building naming and similar "window dressing" motions.

However, there are also a few items that could generate some heat.

- H.R. 4621, the Prevent Deceptive Census Look Alike Mailings Act. This one is targeted at groups and organizations that have sent out fundraising mailers that look like official Census documents. Like the GOP.

- H. Con. Res. 248, a privileged resolution by Dennis Kucinich to compel the President to remove American troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year. It won't pass, but it will take hours of debate to not pass it. Unless leadership decrees that is should just be tabled. Only the most progressive Democrats will support this one and all Rs will oppose it. Where things could get cute is if there is a move to table the resolution or to refer it to committee, the Rs could vote to keep it on the floor. As a privileged resolution, the measure takes precedence over almost everything else so they will have to deal with it before any other measure (like HCR) can be considered.

- H. Res. 1031, to impeach federal judge G. Thomas Porteous of Louisiana for ethics breaches. More info here.

...The Senate's committee schedule is here.


...Here in Arizona:

...The Arizona Board of Regents will meet on Thursday and Friday at U of A in Tucson. The agenda includes setting tuition and fees (there are other items related to tuition, but the link is the big one).

...The Arizona Corporation Commission doesn't have a full meeting this week. Their hearing schedule is here, however.

...The Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System don't have a meeting this week, but they are scheduled to be at MIHS' employee picnic on Friday.

...The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project will hold a joint meeting with the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association on Friday in Phoenix.

...The Scottsdale City Council isn't meeting this week. The City's Community Meeting Notice is here.

...The Tempe City Council also isn't meeting this week. The Council Calendar for the week is here.

Also not scheduled to meet this week: Citizens Clean Election Commission, Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.