Legislative schedule - week starting 2/2/2025

We're entered the part of the legislative session where committee agendas will get very long for the next few weeks so bills can be heard in their originating chamber, then get quiet for a couple of weeks as bills that are still moving switch chambers, then get long again for a couple of weeks as one chamber's bills are heard in committee.

With this week's bills, while a couple look to be good ones, the bad ones vastly outnumber them and range from merely bad to pure R propaganda.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill become a very bad one. 

On Monday, 2/3 

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House and Senate Rules meet in their respective rooms.  On the agendas: many bills.

House Health & Human Services meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: 12 bills, including HB2109, limiting insurance coverage for organ transplants that are related to China or Hong Kong; HB2693, limiting insurance coverage for genetic sequencing if it is related to a "foreign adversary"; HB2165, barring SNAP payments for candy and soft drinks.

All were proposed by Leo Biasiucci.

House Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda; nine bills.  Includes HB2201, which is subject to a striker pertaining wildfire mitigation plans and electric utilities.

It reads as if it was written by an industry lobbyist.

House Public Safety & Law Enforcement meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: six bills, one of which I've already discussed here.

Senate Finance meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: 12 proposals.  Many of these look bad, but this agenda covers an area I know very little about.

Senate Military Affairs and Border Security meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: five bills, the majority of which are very bad.  Includes SB1268, a move to require hospitals to inquire about a patient's immigration status when that patient is admitted for treatment.

House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections meets at 4 p.m. in HHR5.  On the agenda: one bill.  The bill: HB2703, a ploy to limit or even eliminate early voting.

On Tuesday, 2/4 

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House Natural Resources, Energy & Water meets at 1:30 in HHR3.  On the agenda: six proposals, all bad. My personal favorite: HCM2008, a love letter to the feds asking that the EPA's Region 9 HQ move to Arizona (AZ is in Region 9) or that AZ be moved into Region 8, where the EPA HQ is in Denver.

House Commerce meets at 2 p.m. in HHR5.  On the agenda: 15 bills.  Includes HB2450, a "we hate poor people" bill that shows that by proposing to reduce Arizona's already low Unemployment Insurance benefits.

House Education meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: eight bills.  Mostly (but not entirely) ugly.  Includes HB2670, a bill that would mandate anti-choice indoctrination for students in grades 7 and 8.

House Regulatory Oversight meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: four bills.  Includes HB2684, an anti-homeless person proposal.

Senate Appropriation meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: seven bills.

Senate Natural Resources meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: five bills.  Three of which read as if they were written by an industry lobbyist.

Tim Dunn appears to be the Senate's version of the House's Gail Griffin, and that's not a compliment.

On Wednesday, 2/5

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House Judiciary meets at 8:30 a.m.in HHR4.  On the agenda: 12 bills.  Many bad; some conventionally bad, some pure propaganda.  My personal fave: HB2633, adding political and/or religious views to the list of acceptable reasons to file a legal action (the sponsor of this proposal, Alexander Kolodiin, is an attorney and put LOTS of clauses in this proposal, so I recommend reading it in its entirety.)

House Government meets at 9 a.m. in HHR5.  On the agenda: 15 bills.  Many bad, but a couple good.  Good: HB2160, renaming the Arizona Commission of African-American Affairs as the Arizona Office of African American Affairs; and HB2578, creating a memorial for Don Bolles, an AZ Republic investigative reporter who was assassinated during the 1970s. Bad (and there's a few VERY bad bills here): HB2216, creating an anti-choice grant program for "pregnancy care" centers that lie to pregnant women; and HB2599, halving the time period when it's allowable to bring a legal action related to an improvement on real property and, if related to something covered  by an owner's association, requiring a 2/3 vote of that association to initiate or proceed with that action.

There are other bad bills on the agenda, these are only two.

Senate Government meets at 9 a.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: seven bills.  All bad.

Senate Health and Human Services meets at 9 a.m. in SHR2.  On the agenda: seven bills. Many bad, including SB1246, watering down the legal definition of "child neglect".

Senate Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency meets at 9 a.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: seven bills.  Includes SB1352, making zoning decisions by a "legislative body" of a municipality etc. not subject to a referendum petition.

House Ways & Means meets at 10 a.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: eight bills.

House Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: three bills.  All three are from the "we hate poor people" genus of Republican ideology - two seek to impose more requirements on SNAP recipients while the other seeks to reduce AHCCCS eligibility.

House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: 10 measures, all anti democracy.  Personal fave: HB2440, seeking to bar state AG Kris Mayes from prosecuting criminally or litigating civilly against a county supervisor for failing to do his/her duty regarding elections.

House Science & Technology meets at 2 p.m. in HHR5,  On the agenda: one bill.

House Transportation & Infrastructure meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: eight bills.

Senate Education meets at 2 p.m. is SHR1.  On the agenda: six bills, including SB1269, Wendy Rogers' proposal to put "volunteer school chaplains" in schools, and impose requirements on those schools related to that.

Senate Judiciary and Elections meets at 2 p.m. in SHR2.  On the agenda: 14 bills, some bad.  Includes SB1053, Wendy Rogers' hyper specific bill regarding "wildlife; firearms discharge; structures; distance".  Actually, it is so specific it's very easy to get around.

From the bill -

It is unlawful for someone to...

Under that language, shooting at small game with buckshot or a slug shell, or shooting at big game with bird or game shot, or an arrow, would be legal.

Senate Public Safety meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: 13 proposals.  Includes SB1019 and SCR1002, Rogers' ploys to ban photo radar in Arizona. An SCR measure bypasses Governor Hobbs and goes directly to the voters.

On Thursday, 2/6 

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Vulnerable Adult System Study Committee meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: no bills, just a couple of presentation.

Some say the AZ lege is sneaky. I say sneaky and shameless are two sides of the same coin.

A few weeks ago, I posted about "poison pill" clauses inserted into proposals from certain members of the AZ legislature, calling out Sen. John Kavanagh by name.

It's not just him - the latest example wasn't proposed by him.

HB2123, scheduled for committee consideration by House Public Safety & Law Enforcement on next Monday has such a clause.

It comes from that rather fetid mind was sponsored by Rep. Julie Willoughby and and cosponsored by Reps. Leo Biaisucci, Michael Carbone, and (House Speaker) Steve Montenegro.

It purports to add "religious leaders" to the list of people who are eligible to have their documents held "confidential" (not subject to public access).

(Note: the blue print is the proposed new language)

I think that's a bad idea - because I believe a private person isn't entitled to public consideration because of their private choices, and a career choice that doesn't make one a public servant (or the spouse or child of certain ones) is a private choice.

However, that's a matter for discussion.

But the bill's sponsor didn't stop there (if only) (emphasis added by me) -

That highlighted clause is (more than) a little broadly written.

Some enterprising lawyer will look at the lack of the word "religious" next to most of the words, and the commas separating the words and argue that the language applies to corporate CEOs/presidents.

Of course, if that attorney truly believes that the language only applies to heads of religious organizations, that person will argue that corporate CEOs/presidents head organizations that worship wealth.

Steve Montenegro goes on TV and tells a whopper, but never get called on it by the reporter

I was watching (OK, it was on for background noise :) ) AZFamily's Politics Unplugged, when Republican House Speaker Steve Montenegro said something that absolutely gobsmacked me with its craven falseness.

He said that the people have spoken about their support for school vouchers and that Republican legislators are just doing their will when the lege expands the budget-busting ESA program (no quotes because I can't cite his exact statement, but I can say unequivocally that he didn't use the phrase "budget busting."  Though he should have, if he was interested in being honest.)

One part of what he said WAS true - the people have spoken.

One problem, though - in 2018, the legislature was unequivocally told NOT to expand ESAs.

From the Arizona Secretary of State's final canvass of election results from that year - 

64.8% voted "no" while 35.2 voted "yes." 

That seems rather unequivocal.

Another shoe may have dropped for 2026

Current president of the state senate, Warren Petersen, is "interested" in running for state AG.

From the list of statements of interest filed with the AZ SOS -

At this point. it's only an expression of interest of becoming a candidate for a particular office.  A person expressing such an interest may not ever be listed on a ballot for that office.  As of this writing, no committee has been formed such a run.

As of now, no other "big names" have publicly expressed an interest in an office (other than the ones I've written about), either at the state or Maricopa County levels.  Also, no "big names" have yet formed an election committee, federal or state, for an office other than the one they hold now.

Both will change as the year goes on.

Legislative schedule - week starting 1/26/2025

This week, I relearned a lesson - ignore the "fact sheets" generated by the legislature.  I haven't found any (yet!) that completely ignore a significant clause but they will minimize, even gloss over, sneaky bad language slipped into a bill.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill become a very bad one. 

On Monday, 1/27 

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House and Senate Rules meet in their respective rooms.  On the agendas: many bills.

House Health & Human Services meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: wo presentations and six bills, including HB2179, an attempt by committee chair Selena Bliss to restrict advertising for marijuana and its products.  Because of that pesky Voter Protection Act, this will need a 3/4 vote of each chamber of the legislature in order to pass.

House Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: five bills.  All proposed by Rep. Gail Griffin and most/all read as if they were written by an industry lobbyist.

House Public Safety & Law Enforcement meets at 2 p.m.in NNR1.  On the agenda: two bills.  Includes HB2102, barring the transfer of monies from the anti-racketeering slush (my word) revolving (their word) fund to the state's general fund and restricting the actions of the state's AG; HB2221, barring municipalities from reducing funding for police agencies

Senate Federalism meets at 2 p.m. in SHR2.  On the agenda: two bills.  SB1066 and SB1068, both pertaining to requiring legislative approval for acquisitions of land by foreign entities/governments (1066) or the U.S. federal government (1068).  Both bills are from the fetid mind of committee chair Mark Finchem and so will probably be passed by the committee on a party-line vote.

Senate Finance meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: 12 bills, including some pro-crypto ones.

Senate Finance Committee of Reference meets at 2:05 p.m. or upon the end of the meeting of the regular committee.  On the agenda: no bills, two sunset reviews.

On Tuesday, 1/28 

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House Commerce meets at 2 p.m. in HHR5.  On the agenda: six bills, including HB2450, reducing AZ's already low unemployment benefits.

House Education meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: eight bills, including HB2063 and HB2058,  a couple of anti-vaxxer proposals.

House Natural Resources, Energy & Water meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: 10 bills, eight of which were sponsored, and the other two were co-sponsored, by the same person.  And most of the bill read as is they were written by an industry lobbyist.  Coincidence?

House Regulatory Oversight meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: three bills, all bad.

Senate Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: four bills, including SB1021, Wendy Rogers' scheme to grant ROTC cadets status as in-state students.

Senate Natural Resources meets at 2 p.m.in SHR1.  On the agenda: six bills, including SB1128, an anti-climate change measure that seeks to shift blame for any changes to air quality in AZ on the Sun and on out-of-state causes.

On Wednesday, 1/29 

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House Government meets at 9 a.m. in HHR5.  On the agenda:  three bills.  Includes HB2099, a Republican scheme to mandate that state's governor and attorney general embrace the hate of aid and abet Cheeto's nativism.  The others look bad, but more conventionally bad, and the Arizona League of Cities of Towns will almost certainly weigh in on them.

House International Trade meets at 9 a.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda; one bill.

House Judiciary meets at 9 a.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: nine proposals, most bad.

Senate Government meets at 9 a.m.in SHR1.  On the agenda: seven proposals.  All sponsored by committee chair Jake Hoffman, all bad, and all will probably pass committee consideration on party line votes.

Senate Health and Human Services meets at 9 a.m.in SHR2.  On the agenda: six bills 

Senate Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency meets at 9 a.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: three bills.

House Ways & Means meets at 10 a.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: three bills.

House Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: three bills.

House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: nine bills.  Mostly bad (what a shock! :) ), but one that may be worthy of support - HB2390, adding candidates for  Justice of the Peace to the list of candidates who can collect nominating signatures online.

House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections meets again upon adjournment of the regular meeting.  On the agenda: one bill.  HB2030, criminalizing the act of stolen valor. Not a bad idea in and of itself, though the penalties may be inappropriate.  If passed and signed by Governor Hobbs, Arizona wouldn't be the first state to criminalize stolen valor.

House Transportation & Infrastructure meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: six bills.

Senate Education meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: six bills, all bad.

Senate Judiciary and Elections meets at 2 p.m. in SHR2.  On the agenda: 15 bills.  Approximately half are very bad, including SB1014,  Wendy Rogers' scheme to legalize silencers.

Senate Public Safety meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda:  15 bills, including SB1143, Rogers' scheme to bar retailers/payment servicers from creating/using categories related to firearms and government entities from creating a list of privately-owned firearms.

On Thursday, 1/30 - Nada.

Biggs is in (sort of) in the race for AZ Governor

Pointed at this by a fundraising text from Team Hobbs.

I say Congressman Andy Biggs is only "sort of" in because, at this point, he's only filed a statement of interest (SOI), not formed a committee yet.  However, it's early yet.  One of his presumed opponents in the primary, Karrin Taylor Robson, hasn't done either, though she's already secured Cheeto's endorsement.

From the list of statements of interest filed with the AZ SOS -

My guess: Biggs won't be last "big name" to express an interest in the race for Arizona governor.

Whoever gets through the R primary for the chance to face off against Governor Katie Hobbs will be a supporter of Cheeto.

That person will also make voting for Hobbs easy, because it will be a vote for competence over extremism.

What will be more interesting, in a "get out your popcorn" sort of way, will be the Republican primary contest to replace Biggs in Congress.  

His CD5 district is a safe one for Rs, meaning that the R primary winner will almost certainly win in the general election.

One person, former legislator Travis Grantham, has already filed a statement of interest in the race for CD5.

But he won't be the last to do so.

All of the Rs in that race will have a platform of "I'm Trumpier than thou".

No one, not even Grantham, has yet formed a committee with the FEC as of the writing of this post.

Interesting side note: Grantham filed his SOI 2.5 hours after Biggs did so.  I'm guessing that he got a phone call. 

Well, it's official: violent treason is acceptable to Cheeto

From NBCNews -

Trump pardons roughly 1,500 criminal defendants charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack

President Donald Trump on Monday issued roughly 1,500 pardons and commuted the sentences of 14 of his supporters in connection with the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when thousands of them stormed the building amid his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against him.

Trump commuted the sentences of individuals associated with the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, who were convicted of seditious conspiracy. He then issued "a full, complete and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021," a category that included people who assaulted law enforcement officers.

Numbers for January 20. 2025

I don't know what these numbers will look like on January 20, 2029, so bookmark this post.

Summary:

Unemployment rate - 4.1%

Gas prices - $3.125 (national average)

Crime Rate - down

Inflation rate - 2.9%

Egg Prices - down

Mortality rate - 798.8 deaths per 100000

Covid rates - down

All numbers are the latest available from the sources; they may not be for December 2024.

Unemployment rate - 4.1%

From the BLS -

Gas prices - $3.125 (national average)

Crime Rate - down

Full report here.

Inflation rate - 2.9%

Full BLS report here.

Egg Prices - down

From the USDA -

USDA report on egg markets here.

Mortality rate - 798.8 deaths per 100000

From the CDC -

Covid rates - down

Also from the CDC -

My guess is that most or all of these metrics will be worse once Cheeto's term is done, though he and acolytes may lie about the data they control.

"Separate but equal" may make a return in Arizona

Only this time, the Rs in the legislature want it to apply to women.

Maybe I should have titled this post "What's Old is New Again"...

Republican House member Lisa Fink has proposed/sponsored, and fellow Rs Rachel Keshel, Khyl Powell, and Michael Way have cosponsored, HB2062.

The bill itself is a bile-filled attack on trans people.

But "bile-filled" wasn't bad enough for this bunch.

They put a rather sweeping clause into the bill.

The bill will undergo consideration  by the House Government committee this week.

Last year, most of this bill's language (the anti-trans stuff, anyway) existed as SB1628.  It didn't include the separate but equal stuff.

It was vetoed by Governor Hobbs.  Her veto letter is here.

My guess, and it's only a guess:

1) This year's bill will pass both committee and floor consideration (in both chambers) on party line votes.

2) The measure will serve as a stalking horse of sorts, with Rs hoping, that when Hobbs vetoes it again, she'll miss something that is marginally less bad (but still very bad).

Legislative schedule - week starting 1/19/2025

Most bills being proposed by the Republicans in the Arizona State Legislature are filled with bile.

Sometimes they try to be subtle and sneaky about it.

Sometimes they're less subtle.

Sometimes they multitask.

The proposals being considered by committees this week run the gamut.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one. 

On Monday, 1/20  

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Nada.  

On Tuesday, 1/21 

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Joint Committee on Capital Review meets at 9:30 in SHR109.  On the agenda: no bills, and all items under consideration are part of a consent agenda a will be voted on as a group/one item.

House Appropriations and Senate Appropriations jointly meet at 10 a.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: no bills.  They'll be receiving Governor Hobbs' budget proposal.

Senate Natural Resources meets at 1:30 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: one bill, and one presentation.  Seems harmless.

House Commerce meets at 2 p.m. in HHR5.  On the agenda: four insurance-related measure that I don't understand well enough to comment on.

House Education meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: four bills.   They don't seem tooooo bad (but someone who knows more about this stuff should look at them), but it's still early in the session -- the anti-public schools, anti-books, and anti-teacher stuff is coming.

House Natural Resources, Energy & Water meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: three presentations and two measures.

Senate Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: one presentation and three bills.

On Wednesday, 1/22 

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House Government meets at 9 a.m. in HHR5.  On the agenda: eight bills, including some very bad ones.  HB2051 would require the governor to appear before the legislature as a supplicant an answer questions posed by legislators; HB2062 seeks to put some anti-trans language into state law.  Not only that, there's a sneaky bad clause in the bill.

I can't make this stuff up.

2062 will be subject to a striker that is the polar opposite of bad, but it's proposed by a Democratic member (Rep, Betty Villegas) so I expect it to fail on a party line vote.  If they even consider it - it isn't even listed on the agenda.

HB2099 would direct the governor and state AG to aid and abet embrace the hate that Cheeto has for immigrants (except the ones he marries); HB2113 seeks to allow Confederate/MAGA flags to be flown on public property.

House International Trade meets at 9 a.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: no bills, two presentations.

House Judiciary meets at 9 a.m. in HHR4,  On the agenda: four bills, HB2022, a guns in schools bill that was passed by House Education on 7-5 vote and HB2043, which seeks to narrow the definition of "harassment" by requiring that the harasser *intend* the harass the victim.  It's proposed by Rep. Alexander Kolodin, a practicing attorney, and I expect that one or more have charged with harassment.

House Ways & Means meets at 9 a.m.in HHR3.  On the agenda: one bill.

Senate Health and Human Services meets at 9 a.m. is SHR2.  On the agenda: one industry presentation and two bills.

Senate Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency meets at 9 a.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: five bills, including SB1037, John Kavanagh's scheme to financially hamstring boards regulating health care and SB1071, another of Kavanagh's schemes, to impose state-level eligibility disclosure requirements on federal SNAP and TANF programs.

House Appropriation meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1,  On the agenda: two bills.

House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: eight measures, all bad, except for one.  Maybe..

House Science & Technology meets at 2 p.m. in HHR5.  On the agenda: no bills.

Senate Education meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: two bills and two presentations, one from Tom Horne and one from the ED of the State Board of Education.

Senate Public Safety Committee of Reference meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda:  no bills, just an audit review of a Transportation Excise Tax in Gila County.

Senate Public Safety meets at 2:10 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: five bills, including SB1060, adding a secrecy provision to administrative investigations of law enforcement officers.

On Thursday, 1/23 

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Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee of Reference meets at 10:15 a.m. in SHR2.  On the agenda: no bills, two sunset reviews.

No agenda lists any effort to address the financial boondoggle that is the ESA/school voucher scam program.

I know who Cheeto will pardon first

Rape? Florida? 

Definitely in Cheeto's wheelhouse.

If it even gets that far - Pam Bondi, Cheeto's pet AG nominee may simply tank the case before it ever gets to that.

From AP -

NY federal judge denies bail for two real estate brokers and their brother in sex trafficking case

Two luxury real estate brokers and their brother accused of raping dozens of women over two decades will remain in jail to await their trial on sex trafficking charges, a federal judge in New York City ruled Wednesday.

Judge Valerie E. Caproni heard bail arguments before agreeing with two federal magistrate judges in Florida who previously ruled that the three brothers should remain locked up as a danger to the community.

The men, who all reside in Miami, were not in Manhattan federal court because they remain jailed in Florida. They have pleaded not guilty. Caproni also found that they were a risk to flee.

[snip]

In an indictment unsealed last month and a detention letter, New York prosecutors alleged that Oren Alexander, 37, and Tal Alexander, 38, using their wealth and influence they gained by brokering deals on high-end properties in New York City, Miami and Los Angeles, teamed up with sibling Alon Alexander, 37, to rape and sexually abuse women from at least 2002 to 2021. Several of the victims, a prosecutor said Wednesday, were minors.

Flying drones: playthings of folks who don't give a damn about their effects on others

Their owned and/or used by people who are selfish and seeking entertainment.

From LA-ist -

Water-dropping Super Scooper aircraft is grounded after colliding with a civilian drone

A water-dropping Super Scooper aircraft sent from Canada to battle fires ravaging the L.A. area has been grounded after colliding with a civilian drone on Thursday, officials said.

The collision took the aircraft, which was being used to fight the deadly Palisades Fire, out of commission to repair a fist-sized hole in its wing at a time when firefighters are struggling to increase containment. No injuries were reported and the plane was slated to return to service on Monday.

Those who interfere with firefighting efforts can be (and should be!) prosecuted.

From KABC in LA -

FBI working to piece together drone that damaged super scooper while battling Palisades Fire

The FBI released new photos of a damaged water-dropping super scooper firefighting aircraft that collided with a drone over the Palisades Fire.

According to officials, the plane collided with a privately-owned drone, causing significant damage to it. The drone put a 3x6 hole in the aircraft, causing a 20- to 30-minute delay in the aerial firefight.

[snip]

During a news conference Thursday, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman reiterated that anyone caught flying a drone faces severe consequences.

"If you're thinking that it's fine to send a drone up in the area for your own amusement, or you want to get information that nobody else can get, and you do it in one of these areas that for which drones are not permitted ... you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted and you will be punished to the full extent of the law," he said.

According to the FAA, you can still be arrested and fined, even if TFRs are not in place.

"Even if a TFR is not in place, drone pilots should avoid flying near wildfires," the FAA states. "It's a federal crime to interfere with firefighting aircraft regardless of whether restrictions are established, and violators can face stiff penalties."

And it's not just flying drones over wildfires and obstructing efforts to combat the devastation caused by the fires.

From Athlon Sports via MSN -

Drone Costs Justin Fields Chance To Play in Steelers' Loss To Ravens

[snip]

Fields played two non-consecutive snaps in the first half of his NFL playoff debut, but when he was about to get a chance for a big moment later in the game, it was stolen by a drone.

The audience watching exclusively on Prime Video was left in the dark when a Steelers play was blown dead before the snap in the third quarter and the game was sent straight to commercial break with no explanation. 

Alternate broadcast footage posted by an account on X showed that Fields had entered the game under center for the 2nd and 1 play as Pittsburgh attempted to rally, down 28-7.

Fields did not come back on the field when they replayed the down. Four plays later, Wilson threw a 36-yard touchdown to George Pickens. Wilson failed to convert the momentum into a full comeback after that, but Fields did not play another snap in the game.

Sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung later confirmed on the broadcast that the Steelers-Ravens stoppage was after "NFL security spotted a drone over the top of the stadium."

Welcome to America in the 21st century.

Legislative schedule - week starting 1/12/2025

Well. the Arizona lege will be back in session...so it will be necessary to hide the children and small animals.

And to protect democracy from their depredations.

While most agendas are just about introducing committee members and staff, some very bad bills will be under consideration.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one. 

On Monday, 1/13 

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House Health & Human Service is on the calendar at 2 p.m. in HHR4, but their agenda states the committee won't be meeting.

House Public Safety & Law Enforcement is on the calendar at 2 p.m. in HHR1, but their agenda states the committee won't be meeting.

On Tuesday, 1/14 

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House Commerce meets at 2 p.m. in HHR5.  On the agenda: no bills; they'll be acting as the Commerce Committee of Reference and conducting a couple of sunset reviews of a couple of executive departments.

House Education meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: four bills after they act as the Education Committee of Reference and conduct a sunset review and an audit review.  The bills: HB2022. a guns in schools bill; HB2029, requiring schools to teach internet security/safety practices to students; plus a couple of bills related to the reviews that they are conducting.

House Natural Resources, Energy & Water meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: no bills, just some presentations.

Senate Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. is SHR109.  On the agenda: no bills, just a presentation from JLBC.

Senate Natural Resources meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1. On the agenda: no bills, just multiple presentations, mostly from industry lobbyists.

On Wednesday, 1/15 

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House Judiciary meets at 9 a.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: no bills; it's meeting as the Committee of Reference and conducting a couple of sunset reviews.

Senate Government meets at 9 a.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: three bills.  SB1013 would impose a requirement on municipalities and counties that would mandate that the council/board overseeing that entity pass a fee increase by a 2/3 majority.  The bill was proposed by Senate President Warren Petersen, so it'll pass. SB1015, from Wendy Rogers (R-bigot), would bar municipalities and counties from placing a tax or fee on blockchain technology.  SB1039 is John Kavanagh's annual effort to put a minimum time limit bon how long HOA's have to keep a recording of a meeting.

Senate Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency meets at 9 a.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: no bills.

Senate Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency Committee of Reference meets at 9:10 a.m. (or upon the adjournment of the regular committee) in SHR109.  On the agenda:  no bills; a couple of sunset reviews.

House Ad Hoc Committee on Election Integrity and Florida-Style Voting Systems meets at 1 p.m.in HHR4.  On the agenda: no bills, just a discussion of inflicting Florida-style election practices on Arizona.

Senate Education meets at 3 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: Two bills and some presentations about education funding in AZ.  The bills - SB1021, Wendy Rogers' move to have ROTC students classified as "in-state" students and SB1028, John Kavanagh's proposal relating to high scool graduation requirements.

Senate Judiciary and Elections meets at 3 p.m. in SHR2.  On the agenda: one bill, and it's BAD.  SB1011 from Warren Petersen (and co-sponsored by most of the Rs in the state senate) is the latest anti-democracy effort to place restrictions on early voting.  My guess is that Petersen plans to run for Congress as a MAGA candidate or is angling for a spot in the Trump administration.

Senate Public Safety meets at 3 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: no bills, just a presentation.

On Thursday, 1/16 

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House Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee of Reference meets at 11 a.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: no bills, just a sunset review (interestingly, both this committee and Senate RAGE.COR will be conducting a sunset review of the Arizona Exposition and State Fair Board). 

On Friday, 1/17 

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Senate Health and Human Services and House Health & Human Services Joint Committee of Reference meets at 9 a.m.in HHR1.  On the agenda: no bills, just five sunset reviews and one special audit.