Arizona Legislature: The coming week

The are a *lot* of committees meeting this week, and many agendas will be changed during the week. 

We've reached the part of the legislative season when a lot of "bad" bills will be quietly moving forward.  This may be the best time to stop, or at least weaken, them.  The lack of attention paid to them now that allows them to move without much opposition also allows changes to them before the R base can be rallied around those bad bills. 

Note to readers: due to schedule conflicts this weekend I could only look at committee agendas for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  This post will be updated by Wednesday evening to include agendas for Thursday.

Notes:

All committees meetings and agendas are subject to change without notice, and frequently do.  If you plan to travel to the Capitol to observe or weigh in on the consideration of a particular measure, check with the lege ahead of time to confirm that the meeting that you are interested in is still on schedule and your item(s) of interest is still on the agenda for that meeting.

Meeting rooms designated "HHR" are in the House of Representatives building.

Meeting rooms designated "SHR" are in the Senate building.

Some agendas are summarized as "looks harmless", but if they cover an area of interest to you, examine the agenda and the bills on it.  If I missed something significant, please leave a comment letting me know.


All House committee agendas can be found here.

All Senate committee agendas can be found here.


On the House side of the Capitol:

Elections, Monday, 10 a.m., HHR4.  On the agenda: HB2456, joining an interstate compact to elect the president via the national popular vote; HCR2009, a proposed amendment to the state's constitution to make positions on the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission elected positions; HCR2020, creating a lieutenant governor position where candidates would be named by, and run as a ticket with, specific gubernatorial candidates.

Health, Monday, 11:30 a.m. Offsite.  Special meeting: a tour of the facility of VisionGate in Phoenix.

Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., HHR4.  Long agenda.  May take all of 15 minutes to rubber stamp it.

Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources, Monday, 2 p.m.., HHR1.  Looks harmless, but the agenda contains HB2171, an "omnibus" bill affecting weights and measures.  Such bill are supposed to contain noncontroversial clauses, but this bunch has been known to get sneaky about these things.

County and Municipal Affairs, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR4.  Looks harmless, so far.

Children and Family Affairs, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR5.  Looks harmless, so far.


Transportation and Infrastructure, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR1.  Looks harmless, so far.

Rural and Economic Development, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR5.  On the agenda: HB2182, removing the requirement that beer and wine retail outlets be at least 5000 square feet in size before they can offer samples; HB2372, allowing grocery stores that are located within 300 feet of a church or school, if certain conditions are met; HB2533, exempting certain aircraft and aircraft sales from taxation.

Health, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR4.  Regular meeting.  Long agenda.  Among the items on it: a proposed striker to HB2362, text not yet available, working title "nurse licensure compact"; there are many bills on this agenda that may be harmless, but I don't understand the bills well enough (and understand the sponsors too well) to be comfortable making that evaluation.  For example, HB2290 relates to AHCCCS and disproportionate share hospital payments, and I don't have sufficient knowledge in that area to evaluate the bill.  However, the sponsors of the bill are R representatives Rusty Bowers and Mark Finchem, and the next time that they support something that enhances the social safety net will probably be the very first time.

Banking and Financial Services, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR3.  Another agenda filled with bills that are very topic-specific and beyond my understanding


Federalism and States' Rights, Wednesday, 9 a.m., HHR5.  On the agenda: HB2457, creating a compact among states regarding a proposal for an amendment to the US Constitution to both mandate that Congress pass a balanced budget and removing Congress' authority to raise the national debt limit, and granting that authority to state legislatures.

Commerce, Wednesday, 9:30 a.m., HHR1. On the agenda: HB2081, a measure to outlaw background checks for private firearms sales by outlawing background checks for all transfers of private property; HB2113, giving employers more power and time to appeal decisions from DES that they (the employers) don't like.

Judiciary, Wednesday, 10 a.m., HHR3. On the agenda: A proposed striker to HB2383, restricting public access to law enforcement records; HB2446, narrowing the definition of "prohibited weapon" under AZ law; HB2183, allowing the state department of corrections to search prisoners using "low dose ionizing radiation"; HB2030, allowing retired LEOs to be armed while getting soused (OK, the actual language pertains to allowing retired LEOs to be armed while in bars and other premises with liquor).

Insurance, Wednesday, 10 a.m., HHR4. On the agenda: HB2240, "modifying" (such a "neutral" word) workers' comp law in ways that protect employers and harm workers.

Appropriations, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR1.  The agenda looks relatively harmless, for now.

Education, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR4.  On the agenda: HB2190 (again), an education "omnibus" bill that would allow schools to administer pesticides without informing parents, students, or employees; HB2544, mandating that the state board of education adopt a list ("menu" is the word used) of assessment tests for local districts/agencies to choose from.


Military Affairs and Public Safety, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR5.  On the agenda: HB2074, a public safety officers "omnibus" bill.  Among its clauses: giving PSOs qualified immunity if they harm someone through an act of omission; a striker to HB2514 that would allow sales people in the real estate, cemetery, and camping industries to drive a vehicle for work even after a DUI conviction.

Government and Higher Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR1.  On the agenda: HB2157, barring new public employees from enrolling in the state's pension plan; HB2341, exempting potluck dinners/gatherings that aren't held in a workplace from regulations (currently, potlucks that are held at work are exempt, but outside of work, they are not exempt)


On the Senate side of the Capitol:

Natural Resources, Monday, 9 a.m., SHR109.  On the agenda: SB1163, mandating notifications in the event of damage to an underground "facility" (context makes this look like that it means "pipeline") that carries certain hazardous substances; there is a proposed amendment to the bill that would weaken the bill, changing the notification requirement from when a facility is damaged to when a facility is damaged in a way that results in a discharge from the facility; SB1243, imposing reporting requirements upon the Arizona Game and Fish Department regarding Mexican gray wolves.  The feds may have a problem with this one; SB1270, relating to the Office of Pest Management. Many clauses, but the most interesting one is the one that reduces notification requirements when pesticides are used in schools or childcare facilities -

In other words, the bill is long, complicated, and most definitely NOT harmless.

State Debt and Budget Reform, Monday, 10 a.m., SHR3.  Propaganda presentation from a Goldwater Institute/Koch Brothers mouthpiece.

Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., Senate Caucus Room 1.  Long agenda.  May take all of 15 minutes to rubber stamp.

Water and Energy, Monday, 2 p.m., SHR3.  On the agenda: SB1243 (for the 2nd time on Monday); SB1268, loosening requirements that planned subdivisions prove that they have adequate water supplies before they receive final approval; SCM1007, a love letter to the feds urging them to stop making efforts to reduce ozone levels in our air.


Transportation, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR1.  Looks relatively harmless.

Federalism, Mandates, and Fiscal Responsibility, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR3. One bill on the agenda: SB1156.  Already written about this one.

Appropriations, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR109.  Looks relatively harmless.


Finance, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR3.  Looks harmless, but my understanding in this area is limited.

Public Safety, Military, and Technology, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR1.  OK, they're going to need to break out the Kool-Aid IVs for this one.  To whit:

Two presentations, one about Muslim radicals and one about the border...

SB1266, punishing officials and political subdivisions that enact or enforce any firearms-related rules, ordinances, or laws that are any stricter than anything enacted by the state...

SB1377, mandating, that regardless of the circumstances or the underlying crime, any defendant facing an immigration-related charge must serve the maximum sentence prior to release, even if that release would be to ICE to be deported...

SB1378, withholding state share revenue from any city determined to be a "sanctuary city"...

SCM1006, a love letter to the feds asking for more federal personnel at ports of entry in Arizona...

SCR1010, asking the voters to ban the use of photo radar for traffic enforcement in Arizona...


Health and Human Services, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR1.  Looks relatively harmless, but all but one of the bills on the agenda is from Sen. Nancy Barto.  In other words, take "relatively harmless" with a grain of salt.

Government, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR3.  On the agenda: SB1256, removing assayer requirements (i.e. - testing) from drug lab remediation (toxic substance cleanup); SB1257, exempting possessors of CCW permits (concealed carry) from laws regarding misconduct involving weapons in public establishments or public events; SB1266, punishing officials and political subdivisions that enact or enforce any firearms-related rules, ordinances, or laws that are any stricter than anything enacted by the state; SB1282, a John Kavanagh special, this one reducing public access to public records; SB1284, another Kavanagh special, this one restricting someone's ability to sue someone else for violations of ADA-related laws.

Financial Institutions, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR109.  Short agenda.  Looks harmless, but the actual effect of these bills is unclear to me.


Floor Calendars:

There are no floor calendars posted for Monday, but that may (and probably will) change.

There will be floor calendars later in the week, but those are generally posted the day before, or even the day of, consideration.


The lege's Capitol Events calendar is here.

The first striker of the legislative session says a lot...like that the Ducey stooges at the Capitol *really* despise Diane Douglas

...Sometimes, proposals before the AZ legislature communicate more with what they *don't* say than with what they *do* say...

Note for readers who aren't familiar with the personalities that are part of Arizona's political scene:

"Ducey" refers to Doug Ducey, Arizona's governor
"Douglas" refers to Diane Douglas, Arizona's superintendent of public instruction

Sen. Judy Burges (R-Birther) has the honor of introducing the first striker, or strike-everything amendment, of the legislative session.  It's a rather dubious honor, as she uses the striker to declare her fealty to Doug Ducey, Arizona's governor.

Arizona's executive line of succession (basically, how a vacancy in the governor's office is filled) is specified in the Arizona Constitution.

Article 5, Section 6 of the state's constitution (emphasis added) -

Death, resignation, removal or disability of governor; succession to office; impeachment, absence from state or temporary disability
 
Section 6. In the event of the death of the governor, or his resignation, removal from office, or permanent disability to discharge the duties of the office, the secretary of state, if holding by election, shall succeed to the office of governor until his successor shall be elected and shall qualify. If the secretary of state be holding otherwise than by election, or shall fail to qualify as governor, the attorney general, the state treasurer, or the superintendent of public instruction, if holding by election, shall, in the order named, succeed to the office of governor. The taking of the oath of office as governor by any person specified in this section shall constitute resignation from the office by virtue of the holding of which he qualifies as governor. Any successor to the office shall become governor in fact and entitled to all of the emoluments, powers and duties of governor upon taking the oath of office.

In the event of the impeachment of the governor, his absence from the state, or other temporary disability to discharge the duties of the office, the powers and duties of the office of governor shall devolve upon the same person as in case of vacancy, but only until the disability ceases.

This year, Sen. Burges introduced SB1156, relating to, but not changing, the order of succession.

From the bill (emphasis added) -

Section 1.  Title 38, chapter 2.1, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 38-387, to read:

38-387.  Absence of state elected official during official state events

A.  By choice of the governor, either the secretary of state, the attorney general, the state treasurer or the superintendent of public instruction shall be absent from the vicinity of the seat of government during the inauguration of state elected officials, the annual governor's state of the state address or any other state address by the governor where members of the executive department participate or are in attendance.  The excused elected official shall remain at least thirty-five miles away from the seat of government during such an event.

The bill is scheduled for consideration by the Burges-chaired Senate committee named "Federalism, Mandates, and Fiscal Responsibility" (Tuesday, 9 a.m., SHR3).

Now, the content of the original bill seemed pretty straightforward, if a little redundant - basically, it legislated a practice that is already in place (though I'm not sure about the "thirty-five miles away" part) and is not a violation of existing law.

Then Burges introduced a striker, proposing to change her proposal.

The striker (emphasis added)-

Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert:

"Section 1.  Title 38, chapter 2.1, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 38-387, to read:

38-387.  Absence of state elected officials during official state events

A.  Either the secretary of state, the attorney general or the state treasurer, on a rotating basis, shall be excused and absent from the vicinity of the seat of government during the inauguration of state elected officials, the annual governor's state of the state address or any other state address by the governor or gubernatorial event where members of the executive department participate or are in attendance.

B.  At least three hours before an event described in subsection A of this section, the excused elected official shall be transported by a protective detail established by the department of public safety to a safe and secure location that is at least twenty-five miles away from the seat of government.  The excused elected official shall remain at the safe and secure location for the duration of the event.

C.  The protective detail shall cease at the successful conclusion of the event described in subsection A of this section and on the successful return of the excused elected official to the seat of government from the safe and secure location.

Sec. 2.  Section 41-1755, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

41-1755.  Protection for governor

The director of the department of public safety shall provide transportation, security and protection for the governor and security and protection for the governor's family, including establishing a protective detail that shall care for and protect the governor and the governor's family, to the extent and in the manner the director of the department of public safety and the governor deem appropriate and adequate.  Security and protection shall be extended to the secretary of state, the attorney general and the state treasurer to the extent and in the manner the director of the department of public safety deems appropriate and adequate on consultation with the secretary of state, the attorney general or the state treasurer and that individual's chief of staff."

 

Amend title to conform

Notice what's missing? 

Hint: Maybe Diane Douglas should start watching her back.

No matter what the legislature calls this bill ("absence of state officials"), with this striker (assuming the bill is amended in the way proposed), the bill should be renamed the "Please lay down and die Diane Douglas" bill.

Now, I understand that Doug Ducey dislikes Diane Douglas (and, to be fair, she probably doesn't like him any more than he likes her), but that personal animus doesn't justify the crafting of poor public policy.

For the record:

I don't have a dog in this particular fight -

But where Diane Douglas is just woefully out of her depth, in terms of the temperament and the professionalism needed for her job, Doug Ducey seems to have ill intent toward best interests of the people of Arizona...though not toward the Koch brothers.

Arizona Legislature: The coming week...

The are a *lot* of committees meeting this week, and many agendas will be changed during the week. 

We've reached the part of the legislative season when a lot of "bad" bills will be quietly moving forward.  This may be the best time to stop, or at least weaken, them.  The lack of attention paid to them now that allows them to move without much opposition also allows changes to them before the R base can be rallied around those bad bills.

Notes:

All committees meetings and agendas are subject to change without notice, and frequently do.  If you plan to travel to the Capitol to observe or weigh in on the consideration of a particular measure, check with the lege ahead of time to confirm that the meeting that you are interesting in is still on schedule and your item(s) of interest is still on the agenda for that meeting.

Meeting rooms designated "HHR" are in the House of Representatives building.

Meeting rooms designated "SHR" are in the Senate building.

Some agendas are summarized as "looks harmless", but if they cover an area of interest to you, examine the agenda and the bills on it.  If I missed something significant, please leave a comment letting me know.


All House committee agendas can be found here.

All Senate committee agendas can be found here.


On the House side of the Capitol:

Elections, Monday, 10 a.m., HHR4.  One bill on the agenda: HB2023, making it a class 6 felony (one year in prison, $150K fine) for collecting another person's early ballot.  This anti-voter measure is from Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita (R-of course), the committee chair.

Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., HHR4.  Rubber stamp time.

Ways and Means, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR4. Caveat time: a lot of this stuff is very technical and I am almost certainly missing some nuances here.  If tax code and related stuff is of interest to you, examine this stuff closely.  Having said that, among the items of interest on this agenda: HB2008, allowing people who pay a fee for a student to participate in a public school-sponsored extracurricular activity to take a tax credit for such fees.

Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR1.  One bill on the agenda: HB2325, a bill that seems to primarily impact how fees collected for wastewater and drinking water operator certifications are expended.  However, there are clauses impacting the allowable lead content in pipes.  Given the water quality disaster (and mass lead poisoning of residents) in Flint, Michigan, this one bears close examination by people who are more knowledgeable in this area.

County and Municipal Affairs, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR4.  Looks harmless so far.

Children and Family Affairs, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR5.  Looks harmless so far.


Transportation and Infrastructure, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR1.  On the agenda: HB2080, lowering the age minimum for driving learners' permits from 15 1/2 years old to 15; HB2250, allowing ADOT to create an advertising program utilizing non-highway assets and to sell sponsorships for their facilities.  Looks to be privatization by baby steps.

Rural and Economic Development, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR5.  HB2133, exempting agricultural aircraft (think: cropdusters) from sales tax.  Retroactive to 1985.

Health, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR4.  On the agenda: HCM2001, a love letter to Congress urging is to gut the Affordable Care Act by repealing a tax on health insurance.


Federalism and States' Rights, Wednesday, 9 a.m., HHR5.  The tin foil hat caucus will meet to tell each other about how bad the federal government is.

Commerce, Wednesday, 9:30 a.m., HHR1.  On the anti-environment agenda: HB2035, a cosmetology "omnibus" bill from House Speaker David Gowan (R-Tin Ear); HB2130, repealing one section of Arizona law barring municipalities and counties from requiring commercial buildings, apartment complexes to report energy usage and conservation, and replacing that with language that looks to be broader (but still bans energy usage/conservation requirements); conditional on the passage of HB2131, barring the regulation of the use of "auxiliary containers" (trash bags, recycling bins, etc.); and HB2132, relating to fees associated with the sale of lead acid batteries.

Judiciary, Wednesday, 10 a.m., HHR3. On the agenda: HB2015, imposing requirements related to publicity pamphlets and early ballots, upon municipalities and counties; HB2224, barring the implementation of any restrictions, including fees, taxes, etc. on private firearms transfers.

Insurance, Wednesday, 10 a.m., HHR4.  On the agenda: HB2002, accelerating the reduction of the rate of the tax on insurance premiums, paid by insurance companies; for the most part, I don't understand the effects of the changes proposed by the bills on this agenda.  Please examine the agenda closely if this is an area of interest to you.

Education, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR4.  One bill on the agenda: HB2190, titled "education omnibus". "Omnibus" bills are supposed to contain only non-controversial changes.  However, this one is the brainchild of Rep. Paul Boyer and Sen. Sylvia Allen.  One highlight: if this bill becomes law, local school boards will be able to apply pesticides to their schools without consulting anyone who knows what they are doing or even notifying the people affected by the pesticides.

Appropriations, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR1.  Two bills on the agenda: HB2111, requiring state agencies to go to a "zero-based budget"; and HB2468, appropriating $1.8 million to AZAG Mark Brnovich from the internet crimes against children enforcement fund.


Military Affairs and Public Safety, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR5.  Looks harmless so far.

Government and Higher Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR1.  (Relatively) Long agenda.  Highlight, so to speak: HB2115.

You decide -

Agriculture, Water, and Lands, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR3. At this point, presentations only.

Elections, Thursday, 2 p.m., HHR4.  Special meeting.  On the agenda: HB2121, restricting what "voter education" efforts the Clean Elections Commission can fund.


On the Senate side of the Capitol -

Natural Resources, Monday, 10 a.m., SHR109.  At this point, only executive nominations and a presentation by an industry lobbyist.

Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., Senate Caucus Room 1.  Rubber stamp time.

Commerce and Workforce Development, Monday, 1:45 p.m., SHR1.  Looks harmless so far.

Water and Energy, Monday, 2 p.m. SHR3.  Looks harmless so far.


Transportation, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR1.  On the agenda: SB1228, relating to DUIs, removing the requirement for ignition interlock devices for non-alcohol related DUIs; SB1241, banning the use of photo radar (traffic law enforcement) on state highways, even if the "state highway" serves as a local road.

Appropriations, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR109.  One bill on the agenda: SB1143, appropriating $1.8 million to AZAG Mark Brnovich from the internet crimes against children enforcement fund.


Public Safety, Military, and Technology, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR1.  On the agenda: SB1017, Sen. John Kavanagh's gambit to preempt Phoenix' move toward issuing ID cards that would serve as sufficient to access municipal services.

Finance, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR3.  There are four bills on this agenda, and three of them are related to the state's public pension systems.  I freely concede my utter lack of understanding of them.

Health and Human Services, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR1.  Looks harmless so far.

Government, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR3.  Looks harmless so far.

Financial Institutions, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR109.  Presentation only, at this point in time.


Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR1.  Looks harmless so far.  SB1197 brought a smile to my face, though - it would require that cursive writing be taught in Arizona's schools.

Judiciary, Thursday, 9:30 a.m., SHR109.  On the agenda: SB1047, which would allow county attorneys to do work for other counties; and SB1132, making positions on the executive clemency board full time employment.


Floor Calendars:

There is a Senate COW calendar for Monday.

There will be floor calendars later in the week, but those are generally posted the day before, or even the day of, consideration.


The lege's Capitol Events calendar is here.

Ken Clark's Legislative Update (2015-01-22)

From one of my LD24 legislators...

Arizona Legislature: the coming week

While it's true that not every legislative committee is meeting this week, there is a serious ramp-up in activity this week.

Notes:

All committees meetings and agendas are subject to change without notice, and frequently do.  If you plan to travel to the Capitol to observe or weigh in on the consideration of a particular measure, check with the lege ahead of time to confirm that the meeting that you are interesting in is still on schedule and your item(s) of interest is still on the agenda for that meeting.

Meeting rooms designated "HHR" are in the House of Representatives building.

Meeting rooms designated "SHR" are in the Senate building.

Some agendas are summarized as "looks harmless", but if they cover an area of interest to you, examine the agenda and the bills on it.  If I missed something significant, please leave a comment letting me know.


All House committee agendas can be found here.

All Senate committee agendas can be found here.


On the House side of the Capitol:

Appropriations, Tuesday, 9 a.m., HHR1 - There will be a joint meet of both chambers' Appropriations committees to receive presentations about the governor's budget proposal. 

Rural and Economic Development, Tuesday, 2:30 p.m., HHR5.  Presentation only, at this point in time.

Health, Tuesday, 2:30 p.m., HHR4.  A presentation and a couple of bills.  "Highlight": HB2061, barring the prescription of medical marijuana to pregnant women.

Banking and Financial Services, Tuesday, 2:30 p.m., HHR3.  One bill on the agenda: HB2152, repealing the prohibition on consumer lenders paying referral fees for new business and also allowing those lenders to sell certain new lines of insurance related to consumer loans.

Transportation, Tuesday, 3 p.m., SHR109 - There will be a joint meeting of both chambers' Transportation committees to receive a multitude of transportation-related presentations.


Federalism and States' Rights, Wednesday, 9.a.m., HHR5.  Presentations/Propaganda session (about states taking over federally-controlled public lands) only, at this time.

Commerce, Wednesday, 9:30 a.m., HHR1.  On the agenda: Two bills, HB2112 and HB2114, expanding the ability of private employers to call employees "independent contractors" and to immunize employers from responsibility for any of their abuses of employees and another one, HB2113, expanding an employer's ability to appeal a decision from the Department of Employment Security that it doesn't like.

Judiciary, Wednesday, 10 a.m., HHR3.  A few bills on the agenda: HB2042, repealing the state's prohibition of nunchaku (aka - "nunchucks") seems to be the worst.

Education, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR4.  On the agenda: HB2058, putting a charter school type on the state Board of Education. There are other tea party bills on the agenda, but this one looks to be the most obviously egregious.  Another committee meeting is scheduled to immediately follow this one.  On that agenda: HB2088, too long and complicated to summarize here, but it seems to be another ploy for the people who like to tell the federal gubmint to "butt out!" to micromanage the state's schools.


Military Affairs and Public Safety, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR5.  Looks harmless so far.

Government and Higher Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR1.  The longest agenda of the week, so far.  Looks mostly harmless, but at least a couple of the proposals bear watching, as they may be less "harmless" and more "sneaky bad".  One example: HB2126, relating to community college district expenditure limits.

Agriculture, Water, and Lands, Thursday, 10 a.m., HHR3. Presentations only, at this point.


On the Senate side of the Capitol:

Appropriations, Tuesday, 9 a.m., HHR1 - There will be a joint meet of both chambers' Appropriations committees to receive presentations about the governor's budget proposal.

Transportation, Tuesday, 3 p.m., SHR109 - There will be a joint meeting of both chambers' Transportation committees to receive a multitude of transportation-related presentations.

Rules, Tuesday, Upon adjournment of the floor session, Senate Caucus Room 1. Rubber stamp time.


Public Safety, Military, and Technology, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR1. On the agenda: SB1088, requiring gated communities (apartments, condos, etc.) to allow process servers access to their property.

Finance, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR3.  Short agenda with three (apparently) harmless bills and one executive nomination - Jacob Hoffman, communications director of the Maricopa County GOP, to the State Board of Tax Appeals.

Financial Institutions, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR109.  On the agenda: SCM1002, a love letter to Congress from Nancy Barto, urging it to gut the Affordable Care Act.

Health and Human Services, Wednesday 2 p.m., SHR1.  On the agenda: SB1106, a "demonize the poor" special from committee chair Nancy Barto.

Government, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR3.  On the agenda: SB1057, a sneaky bad bill from John Kavanagh.  Ostensibly, it just clarifies the mental states required to be considered culpable for the violation of a statute or ordinance;  However, there are clauses in it that specify that while the required mental state for being considered culpable for a violation is "intentional" except for drug offenses, where the standard would be "knowingly".  There are also two executive nominations.


Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR1.  Presentations and executive nominations only, at this point.

Judiciary, Thursday, 9:30 a.m., SHR109.  One bill on the agenda: SB1047 from John Kavanagh, allowing county attorneys to do work for other counties (apparently, Bill Montgomery isn't busy enough in Maricopa County and is looking for a moonlighting gig).


Floor Calendars:

There is a House Caucus calendar for Monday, but, as of this writing, it is a "housekeeping only" calendar with no legislation listed.

There will be floor calendars later in the week, but those are generally posted the day before, or even the day of, consideration.


The lege's Capitol Events calendar is here.

Arizona Legislature going back to the future: now they want to bring back the company store

...If they (the state's Republicans) want to go with a "carrot-and-stick" approach to lowering the state's minimum wage, they should at least offer a real carrot, and not a mirage...

In the past, one of the methods that large employers used to keep their employees destitute (and easily pliable) was the practice of paying the employees in "scrip" that could only be used in a company-owned store or otherwise returned to the company as payment for needs like housing.

The desperation and spiritual weariness this practice imposed upon its victims was best expressed lyrically in the late 1940s and early 1950s in the song "Sixteen Tons" (the best-known version was performed by Tennessee Ernie Ford, but his version was neither the first nor the last).

Fast forward to 2016.

State Rep. Karen Fann (R-Prescott) has proposed HB2148.

As written, it would allow employers to count the cost of "board, lodging, or other facilities" that are provided to employees as part of their employment toward the calculation of wages paid to employees.

It would primarily impact workers in low-wage industries like hotels, resorts, and apartment management (and others) where employees are required to live at or close to their workplaces.

The "carrot" that Fann put in her proposal is a repeal of the provision in state law that prohibits municipalities and counties from raising the minimum wage requirement is their areas.

The problem with that?

That section of law already doesn't apply to "charter" cities.

Cities become eligible to become charter cities when they reach a population of 3500 and create and enact a voter-approved charter.  Not all eligible cities in the state have become charter cites but the cities that are most likely to raise the local minimum wage (Flagstaff, Tucson, Phoenix, Tempe, Douglas) are already charter cities.

Now, even if this measure goes forward, it doesn't seem likely to pass (as minimum wage law in AZ is "voter protected", it would take a 3/4 vote of the lege to do anything to change the law and that would mean that some Democrats would have to vote for it) nor does it seem likely to survive a court challenge if it does pass (per the Voter Protection Act, any legislative changes to law directly approved by the voters have to further the intent of the act...and Fann's proposal most assuredly does NOT).  

Still, it's a not-very-subtle shot across the bow of labor in AZ, warning labor that attacks on living wages in AZ will continue unabated.

Arizona Legislature: The coming week

This should be a relatively quiet week at the Capitol - Monday will see the opening of the new session of the legislature and the governor's State of the State speech, but the rest of the week will see less "official" activity (lots of posturing, lots of activities, but little in the way of official work).

Having said that, because of the lack of "official" activity, this will be one of the shortest legislative schedule posts of the year.

Notes:

All committees meetings and agendas are subject to change without notice, and frequently do.  If you plan to travel to the Capitol to observe or weigh in on the consideration of a particular measure, check with the lege ahead of time to confirm that the meeting that you are interesting in is still on schedule and your item(s) of interest is still on the agenda for that meeting.

Meeting rooms designated "HHR" are in the House of Representatives building.

Meeting rooms designated "SHR" are in the Senate building.

Some agendas are summarized as "looks harmless", but if they cover an area of interest to you, examine the agenda and the bills on it.  If I missed something significant, please leave a comment letting me know.


All House committee agendas can be found here.

All Senate committee agendas can be found here.


On the House side of the Capitol:

...Health, Tuesday, HHR4, 2 p.m.  Introductions and a couple of presentations.  No consideration of legislation is scheduled at this time.

...Judiciary, Wednesday, HHR3, 10 a.m.  Introductions only, at this time.

...Agriculture, Water, and Lands, Thursday, HHR3, 10 a.m.  Introductions and a presentation.  No consideration of legislation is scheduled at this time.


On the Senate side of the Capitol:

...Government, Wednesday, SHR3, 2 p.m.  Proof that it is goooood to be a committee chair.  Among other things, committee chairs get to set the agendas for their committees.  Sen. John Kavanagh is the chair of this committee...and at its first meeting, the committee will be considering a slew of bills introduced by...wait for it...Sen. John Kavanagh.  Among those up for consideration: SB1010, ending the requirement that state agencies report on the availability, and their use, of recycled paper and other materials; SB1017, a nativist measure that mandates to municipalities what any local ID card they may or may not issue may or may not be valid for; SB1044, another nativist measure that would mandate that any locally-requested census only count citizens and legal immigrants (apparently, Kavanagh believes that non-citizens/legal immigrants aren't actual human beings, and wants to turn his personal belief into public policy).

...Financial Institutions, Wednesday, SHR109, 2 p.m.  Another one that proves that it is good to be a committee chair.  The committee is chaired by Sen. David Farnsworth and it is considering some of his bills.  Highlight: SB1005, adding to the conditions under which an investment fund adviser does not have be licensed.

...Education, Thursday, SHR1, 9 a.m.  Introductions and presentation only, at this time.


Neither chamber has any floor calendars posted at this time.  That will change later in the week so bills can be officially First Read (aka - "introduced" and assigned to one or more committees) in the appropriate chamber.

The lege's Capitol Events calendar is here.

2016 Legislative Preview: The More Things Change, The More That They Don't...

On Monday (January 11), the 2016 session of the Arizona State Legislature will gavel into session, and I expect it to look a lot like other recent sessions.

...There will be attacks on immigrants.  To whit: State Sen. John Kavanagh (R-Russell Pearce with a NY/NJ accent) has already proposed SB1044, mandating that any "special census" requested by a county or municipality in Arizona not count actual residents but only citizens and legal immigrants.

...There will be attacks on education.  To whit: State Sen. Sylvia "6000 Years" Allen has been appointed to chair the Senate's Education Committee.  With the selection of Allen to replace Kelli "Chemtrails" Ward (who resigned from the state senate in order to focus on a run for US Senate), Senate President Andy Biggs may have found the one member of the AZ senate who is less intellectually qualified to be the committee chair.

...There will be attacks on women (and doctors and medical marijuana).  To whit: State Rep. Kelly Townsend (R-Gun Nut) has already introduced HB2061, seeking to intervene between pregnant women and their physicians by barring any physician from prescribing medical marijuana to pregnant women, regardless of their medical condition.

A picture tweeted by Townsend during her visit to the armed encampment of Cliven Bundy in 2014

...There will be attacks on the state's judiciary.  To whit: State Rep. Mark Finchem (R-LD11) has already introduced HB2039, seeking to change the terms of justices on the AZ Supreme Court to four years (currently: six years), subject them to direct elections (currently: justices are appointed and subject to retention elections), and lower their salaries to that of state legislators (currently: justices receive $150K+ annually; legislators receive $24K).

...There will be attacks on the authority of the federal government.  To whit: Finchem (and other neo-secessionists) has already introduced HB2051, giving municipalities and counties the authority to classify something on federal land as a "catastrophic public nuisance" and then to "abate" said nuisance.

...There will be attacks on public safety.  To whit: Kavanagh has already introduced SB1054, imposing restrictions on the public's right to record the activities of police officers; Finchem has already introduced HB2042, repealing the state's prohibition of nunchaku.

Example of Nunchaku, picture courtesy Wikipedia

...There will be attacks on the environment.  To whit: Kavanagh has already introduced SB1056, repealing the requirement that state agencies report to the governor and lege on their use of recycled paper.

...There will be attacks on municipal self-direction.  To whit: Rep. Darin Mitchell (R-LD13) has introduced HB2026, a proposal to repeal existing municipal sales taxes on residential rentals and to bar the creation of any new such taxes.

...I could go on, but you get the point.  Every example cited above is just the beginning, and in a couple of cases, may turn out to be mild examples of the corporate/legislative agenda.

Some more general predictions:

- Being an even-numbered year (meaning it's an election year), the session will be relatively short, probably finishing in April.

- Expect work on prison "reforms" and tax cuts.  Arizona's Governor Doug Ducey has already hinted or stated that those things are part of his agenda.  Don't be surprised however if "reform" turns out to be synonymous with "privatization" and that any tax cuts will be delayed long enough that they don't impact the voters' consideration of his Proposition 123, a scheme for tapping into the state's land trust to find money to increase funding for education (slightly) without raising taxes.  Cutting corporate taxes (again!) while asking the state's voters for permission to use the state's "seed corn" to provide short-term relief for a long-term problem.

- Expect posturing on issues that is intended to "rouse the [Republican] base" such as attempts to defund Planned Parenthood.

Or to sum up:  this session of the Arizona legislature will resemble recent sessions.  Some of the fears mongered will change, but the antipathy toward public service, and the public itself, felt by the majority of the members of the legislative majority will not.

Is Doug Ducey the governor of Arizona, or Andy Tobin's "goombah"?

...Either that or we should change the name of the office of the governor to that of the protector of Andy Tobin's Employment Security...

From KNXV-TV (Phoenix channel 15) (emphasis added) -

Former Arizona House Speaker Andy Tobin has been appointed to the Arizona Corporation Commission to fill the seat vacated by Susan Bitter Smith.

The appointment by Gov. Doug Ducey was announced Wednesday.

{snip}

Tobin is currently the director of the Arizona Department of Insurance and the interim director of the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions. He will leave both positions when he joins the Commission, said Ducey.

Before that, he was the director of the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures.

Mitch M. at Arizona' Politics observes that Tobin will take a significant cut in pay when he takes the job on the ACC.

However, I will observe, that given the behavior of the ACC and its members, that we need not worry about Tobin.

Only his *official* pay will be cut.

The calendar may be about to turn to 2016, but State Sen. John Kavanagh has his hate on for Phoenix like it is still 2013

In 2013, Phoenix passed a non-discrimination ordinance that protects LGBTQ people.

This so ruffled the tender sensibilities of many of the Rs at the lege (and their puppeteers at the Center for Arizona Theocracy Policy) that State Senator John Kavanagh (R-Fountain Hills) proposed a change to Arizona law that would have made it illegal for someone to use a public restroom that's intended to be used by people of the gender that is different than the gender listed on the person's birth certificate.  He clearly targeted the state's transgender population with his proposal, and he and his proposal were widely denounced.

Kavanagh's proposal to criminalize the state's transgender population ultimately failed, but not before bringing yet another wave of ridicule down upon Arizona.

And while that measure has gone away, Kavanagh has not.


Fast forward to 2015 (almost 2016) and Phoenix is still rousing the ire of Kavanagh, this time in his nativist wheelhouse.

From the Arizona Republic, written by Dustin Gardiner, and dated on the evening of December 16, 2015 -

Phoenix will continue exploring a proposal to create a city photo-identification and service card, which could provide IDs to undocumented immigrants and other residents who struggle to get valid government ID.

The City Council voted 5-4 Wednesday night to issue a "request for information," inviting private-sector companies interested in managing the program to come forward with their ideas.

Interestingly, Kavanagh submitted SB1017, a measure to override anything that the city of Phoenix does with municipal IDs by imposing certain conditions upon them (essentially rendering them useless).

And when did he file the measure?

In other words, he knew this was coming and was trying to get ahead of the curve, a little anyway.

2016 will be an even-numbered year.  An election year.

The Rs in the legislature, in addition to their usual mischief-making, will be pushing measures to try to rouse their base.

Basically, we should all expect more measures to counter anything that even resembles simple human decency.

And the first "WTF?" bill of the 2016 session of the Arizona Legislature is...

... HB2003.

A couple of weeks ago, the Yellow Sheet Report, a publication of the Arizona Capitol Times, reported on the first bill proposal for the upcoming session of the Arizona Legislature (HB2001, from Rep. J.D. Mesnard).  That one is a (relatively) mundane correction to Arizona's "revenge porn" law, a law that has been blocked due to a court challenge.

Less mundane is HB2003.  It is sponsored by Rep. Mark Finchem (R-LD11) and numbers among its primary and cosponsors a rogues' gallery of members of the tin foil hat brigade of the R caucus.

From the measure -

A.  A person is eligible for election as county school superintendent if the person holds a basic or standard certificate to teach in the schools of this state baccalaureate degree in any subject or an associate degree in business, finance or accounting.

Ummm...really?

OK.  We're in Arizona - legislative hatred of teachers here is well-documented, so the part about not requiring county school superintendents to be able to teach in a public school classroom isn't much of a surprise.

It's unconscionable, but, with this bunch, it is something that should be expected.


But mandating that possessing an associate's degree in business, etc., means that one is as qualified to run a county school department as someone with a bachelor's degree in education (or anything else)?

That seems rather crazy...unless you see this proposal as so specific as to likely be a favor to someone in particular.

Looking into it, but anyone with insight into this is welcome to reach out to me, via email or a comment...

Running for president in AZ: if it got to be any more insider baseball, you would need a scorecard to tell the players apart

Of course, there are so many Republican candidates, you might need one for them anyway...

One of the overlooked parts of running for president is the rather mundane task of candidates making their way onto the ballot in all 50 states.

In Arizona, candidate can make it on to the primary ballot for a recognized party by submitting nomination paperwork and either certificates of ballot status for the candidate in two other primary states or 500 valid nomination petition signatures from voters in their primary's party (Democratic or Republican) or from 500 registered voters (Green or Libertarian).

Independent candidates have a slightly different procedure to follow, and if a candidate chooses to go that route, they will have to submit ~34,000 valid signatures.  But at least they will go directly to the general election ballot.

While independent candidates have until September to submit their required nominating paperwork (the general election is in November), partisan candidate have until December 14 to do so (the primary is in March).

It's far too early for any independent candidates to have already submitted their paperwork, but a few partisan candidates have already done so.

And there is a lot of "insider baseball" going on.


On the Democratic side, so far:

Hillary Clinton - submitted certificates of her ballot status from the states of Michigan and New Hampshire.

Her campaign's local contact: Fred Duval, the 2014 Democratic nominee for governor of Arizona, a staffer in the White House during the presidential administration of Bill Clinton, and a friend of Arizona's current governor, Doug Ducey.

In other words, an insider's insider.


On the Republican side, so far:

Jeb Bush - submitted certificates of ballot status from Vermont and Idaho.

His campaign's local contact: Lisa James, a career PR flack and a bigwig in Arizona Republican circles (an insider).


 Ted Cruz - submitted certificates of ballot status from South Carolina, Alabama, and Arkansas.

His campaign's local contact is Constantin Querard, a Republican campaign consultant (another insider).


Ben Carson - submitted certificates of ballot status from South Carolina, Alabama, and Arkansas.

Local contact: Diane Ortiz-Parsons, a former vice-chair of the Maricopa County Republican Party (another insider).


Marco Rubio - submitted certificates of ballot status from South Carolina, Alabama, and Arkansas.

Local contact: Mark Brnovich, Arizona's Attorney General (yet another insider).


Rand Paul - submitted certificates of ballot status from Arkansas and Michigan.

Local contact: Shawn Dow of Fountain Hills. Politically active in far right Republican circles, but doesn't seem to be an insider.


Chris Christie - submitted certificates of ballot access from New Hampshire and Michigan.

Local contact: Wes Gullet, a Republican consultant and lobbyist, former candidate for mayor of Phoenix, and former aide to Sen. John McCain (yeah, another insider).


Significant candidates who, as of this writing, haven't filed in AZ:

Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont

Republican Egomaniac Donald Trump of New York, New Jersey, Florida, and any other place where he hasn't yet worn out his welcome

And today's bad timing award goes to: Congressman Paul Gosar and his staff

By now, everyone who pays attention to current events, or even simply watched a cable news net or even checked in on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media today, are aware of the attack at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs that has left three people dead (two civilians, one police officer).

More details will emerge in the coming days, but one things is already certain -

Certain people (not a naming specific end of the political spectrum, because this is something that all public figures should pay attention to) should probably think before they post.

To whit:  Congressman Paul Gosar's (R-Tin Foilville AZ) posted this at the height of the drama in Colorado Springs -

Yes, while a mass shooter in CO was kicking off the holiday season by shooting innocent people and first responders with a "long gun", Gosar's staff was commemorating his birthday with...wait for it...

Long guns.


Note: on this one, his staff may just be a reflection his values and judgement.

From April 2014, from the standoff in Nevada staged by unrepentant (and treasonous?) deadbeat Cliven Bundy -

Gosar, Bundy, and State Sen. Kelli "Chemtrails" Ward

Maybe it's all part of the marketing plan for the new Star Wars movie: AZ Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema embraces the Dark Side...

...Fellow blogger Bob Lord has written on this very topic here, far more eloquently than I can.  However, I hope can make up in brevity what is lacking in eloquence...

OK, I'm done.  No more "holding my nose" and voting for the "less bad" option in Arizona's 9th Congressional District.

Former progressive icon (and current member of Congress) Kyrsten Sinema announced her complete renunciation of the pretense of working to serve the interests of her constituents (but damn, she's always serving her own interests), or even exhibiting the most basic humanity in her conduct in office, with her vote (along with 47 other Democrats) demonizing Syrian refugees for the terrorist attacks in Paris (and, as of this writing, no Syrians, refugee or otherwise, have been shown to have been part of the attacks).

This is not the first time she has done something like this, and to be blunt, I don't expect it to be the last time.

However, I can state unequivocally that the general election in 2014 will go down in history as the last time that I will ever vote for her.

 The worst case scenario for her here is that she truly believes that demonizing people of a specific ethnic background is good for the US.

The best case scenario for her here is that she truly believe that demonizing people of a specific ethnic background is good for her.

Either way though, it's evil.

And is something that I cannot, and will not, support.

Now, I almost certainly won't vote for the R in whatever race she is in - the next time Arizona Republicans nominate an honorable public servant for any office will be the first time they do so since former state senator Carolyn Allen and former corporation commission member Kris Mayes won their primaries (2008, I think).

However, I can skip any race on the ballot.

And in 2016 (and going forward), that is what will happen in any race where Kyrsten Sinema is a candidate.


Prediction: While it is getting late in the cycle for a Democrat to mount a credible primary challenge to her in 2016, the only way she avoids a Democratic primary in 2018 is to join State Sen. Carlyle Begay tomorrow and just change her partisan affiliation to Republican.

Event this weekend in Tempe: LD26 Beer Summit & Bake Off

Please note:  the festivities will come to a close well before the start of the Democratic presidential debate that night, so there will be an opportunity to do both - during the afternoon, meet some local luminaries as they vie for our votes (for best baked goods) and during the evening, watch some national luminaries vie for our votes (for the Democratic nomination for president).

If you want to attend, or just want to show your support for local Democrats, donate here.

See you Saturday!