Arizona Legislature - The coming week

They lege has "improved" its website, making it considerably more user-unfriendly.  As such, the format of this post may change over time as I figure out the best way to utilize the new website.

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. 

When the phrase "looks harmless" is used, it only means that any harm to AZ that would be wrought by the bills on the agenda isn't apparent to me as of this writing.  However, if you notice any nuggets of ugly that I miss, please leave a comment that makes me and other readers aware of the situation.

Most bills are assigned to at least two committees - one standing committee and the chambers' rules committees.  A few are assigned to more than that because they cover areas that fall under the jurisdiction of more than one standing committee.  A select few are assigned to three or more standing committees.  That's the way that a chamber's leadership tells it membership that it doesn't want a particular bill to pass.

Because of the MLK holiday, many of the committees that meet on Mondays will not meet this week or will meet on days other than Monday.
 

House side -

Appropriations - Tuesday, 9 a.m., HHR1.  House Appropriations and Senate Appropriation will be holding a joint meeting to receive the governor's 2017 budget proposal.

-Appropriations Subcommittee on Education - Wednesday, 9 a.m., HHR4.  Budget presentations from Community Colleges, the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind, and the State Board of Education 

-Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Welfare - Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR5.  Budget presentations from JLBC, AZ Secretary of State, AZ Treasurer, and the state Exposition and State Fair Board.

-Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety, Infrastructure, and Resources - Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR5.  Budget presentions from JLBC, AZ Attorney General, Criminal Justice Commission, and Department of Juvenile Corrections.

Commerce - Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR1.  Two bills: HB2039, relating to apartment finders fees and tenants,   and HB2067, exempting assistants from real estate (and similar) licensing requirements.  Looks harmless.

Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources - Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR3.  Some bills from Rusty Bowers:  HB2093, that looks "sneaky bad", HB2095, compelling the granting of perpetual rights-of-way across public lands to private property, and HB2131, relating to emissions standards.  I don't really understand the impact of it, but since it is from Bowers, I assume it is bad.

Federalism, Property Rights and Public Policy - Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR4.  A couple of "tin foil hat" bills - HB2097, relating to the legislature overriding any federal executive order, regulation, etc. that it considers to be "commandeering"; HCR2006, a call for an Article V convention that would change the US Constitution in a myriad of ways, all being conservative "cause celebres" (legislative election of US Senators, voter ID laws, term limits for members of Congress and members of the Supreme Court, etc.).

Government - Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR1.  I don't understand all of the bills, but one to watch: HB2026, an "omnibus" bill of changes proposed by the Arizona Secretary of State,  Traditionally, omnibus bills are supposed to contained only "non-controversial" changes, but these can be havens for mischief when not carefully examined.

Health - Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR4.  Looks harmless so far.

Judiciary and Public Safety - Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR4. On the agenda: HB2022, creating an exemption to laws prohibiting discharge of firearms within the borders of municipalities for shooting rats and snakes.  Also: HB2238, a bill making sex trafficking of a minor a class 2 felony (this one actually looks like a good bill).

Land, Agricultural and Rural Affairs - Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR3.  Looks harmless so far.

Local and International Affairs - Wednesday, 9 a.m., HHR5.  On the agenda: HB2013, the annual attempt to cut into newspaper revenue by weakening rules regarding publication of public notices.


Senate side -

Education - Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR1.  On the agenda: Eight bills, all looking to undermine public education, and each in their own special way.

Finance - Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR1 - On the agenda: a couple of bills from John Kavanagh affecting ASRS (the state employee retirement system).

Government - Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR109. On the agenda: SB1021, a hate-filled measure that attacks both Latino people and local control (it's from Kavanagh, who isn't afraid to multi-task) creating a list of specific rules regarding municipally-issued ID cards; SB1060, moving resolution of homeowner's association disputes to the state real estate department.

Health and Human Services - Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR1.  Looks harmless so far (on the other hand, one of the bills is from Kavanagh, so take that characterization with a healthy dose of skepticism).

Judiciary - Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR109.  On the agenda: SB1045, changing the legal definition of "marijuana"Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR1; SCM1002, a love letter to Congress urging it to split the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, putting AZ in a more conservative circuit.  There are other bad bills on this agenda; my guess is that this will be a committee to keep an eye on for the entire legislative session.

Natural Resources, Energy and Water - Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR109 Thursday, upon adjournment of the floor, SHR109.  On the agenda: SB1032 from Kavanagh, expanding the legal definition of "renewable energy" to include hydroelectric power; and SCM1001, urging Congress to restrict the definition of "critical habitat" under the Endangered Species Act. Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR109 Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR109

Transportation and Technology - Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR1.  Looks harmless so far (on the other hand, the one bill on the agenda is from Kavanagh, so take that characterization with a healthy dose of skepticism).
 1
R1Rules - Tuesday, 11:30 a.m. or upon the adjournment of the meeting of Joint Appropriation, Senate Caucus Room 1.  Two bills that were assigned directly to the Rules Committee.


No floor calendars for the House or Senate have been posted as yet.

The Capitol Events calendar is here.  It will take some work to identify the "outside" events at the Capitol, due to the changes in lege's website.
 

2017 AZ Lege: Heads up - the train's a comin'

This post is an information post with almost no "commentary" (but me being who I am, there may be one or two instances of wiseass-ery :) ).


Scheduled start: January 9, 2017 (tomorrow, as I write this)
 
Approximate end: Third full week of April ("approximate" because while the 100th day of the session will fall during that week, and 100 days is the unofficial target for the length of a legislative session, 100 days is *not* a requirement).

Leadership:

House -

Rs
Speaker - JD Mesnard.  Previously: David Gowan (ran for Congress, lost in primary)
Majority Leader - John Allen.  Previously: Steve Montenegro (elected to state senate)
Majority Whip - Kelly Townsend.  Previously: David Livingston (reelected to the state house, but no longer part of leadership; not sure why)

Ds
Minority Leader - Rebecca Rios.  Previously: Eric Meyer (ran for state senate, lost a close race)
Assistant Minority Leader - Randy Friese.  Previously: Bruce Wheeler (did not run for reelection)
Minority Whip - Charlene Fernandez.  Previously: Rebecca Rios (now minority leader)


Senate -

Rs
President - Steve Yarbrough.  Previously: Andy Biggs (elected to Congress)
Majority Leader - Kimberly Yee.  Previously: Steve Yarbrough (now senate president)
Majority Whip - Gail Griffin. Previously: Griffin
President Pro Tempore - Debbie Lesko.  Previously: Sylvia Allen (reelected to the state senate, but no longer part of leadership; not sure why)

Ds
Minority Leader: Katie Hobbs.  Previously: Hobbs
Assistant Minority Leader: Steve Farley.  Previously: Farley
Minority Whip: Martin Quezada,  Previously: Quezada
Minority Whip: Lupe Contreras.  Previously: Contreras


First bill: SB1001, from State Senator John Kavanagh.  In a rare (rare for Arizona legislative Republicans, anyway) "good government" proposal.  If enacted, it would protect from civil liability a person who breaks into an unattended vehicle in order to rescue a minor or a domestic animal.

However, Kavanagh has already offset the potential good of that bill with his proposed SB1009, making the theft of an American flag a felony (current law is that theft of property valued at less than $1000 is a misdemeanor under most circumstances)

SB1001 may be the only "good government bill proposed by Kavanagh (or any other Republican) during the 2017 session, though they might try to get sneaky about some of the bad government bills -

Kavanagh himself has already proposed SB1022, adding to the criteria of the types of hate crimes that police gather data on.  The criteria he wants to add?

"[P]olitical affiliation, beliefs or opinions".

Look for his proposal to criminalize dissent during next year's legislative session, or even as a striker later this session.


Another example is from Kavanagh's seatmate, Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita.

She has proposed HCR2002, which only seeks to repeal the provisions in the AZ Constitution that essentially bar the state legislature from tinkering with or overturning laws approved by the voters (aka - Prop 105)

Another "sneaky bad" one to watch: HB2043, from Rep. Heather Carter.

This one would both facilitate the privatization/profitization of the state's mental health system (by allowing the director to lease property held by the system to private parties) while exempting those leases from requirements that the prices be fair, be in the public's best interest, and be public information.


Predictions::

The lege will pass pro-gun legislation this year.

The lege will pass anti-LGBTQ legislation this year.

The lege will pass anti-women legislation this year.

The lege will pass anti-poor/working poor/middle class legislation this year.

The lege will pass anti-POC legislation this year.

Doug Ducey will sign most of those measures.

Having said that, most of the neo-secessionist/dog-whistle proposals that we've seen is recent years won't be found in this year's lege - most of them were motivated by their hatred of the black guy at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, not an animus toward the federal government.

Especially now that their ideological fellow travelers now control the federal government.


Short version: The ride is going to be bumpy.


Sources:

Website of the Arizona Legislature

AZ Senate Democrats - Democratic Caucus announces committee members

AZ Senate Republicans - AZ State Senate Announces Committees, Chairs

AZ Senate Republicans - Senate Republicans Announce New Leadership Team

Trump analogy time: Less "Hitler" and more "pre-Hitler"

Godwin's Law, courtesy UrbanDictionary.com:

A term that originated on Usenet, Godwin's Law states that as an online argument grows longer and more heated, it becomes increasingly likely that somebody will bring up Adolf Hitler or the Nazis. When such an event occurs, the person guilty of invoking Godwin's Law has effectively forfeited the argument.

For the purposes to discussing the president-elect, Donald Trump, and/or his administration and advisors, I'm going to have to violate Godwin's Law, or simply consider it suspended for the duration.

The comparisons are too obvious to ignore.



The comparisons of Donald Trump to Adolph Hitler seem to me to be both a case of overreach and being premature.  He hasn't even taken office yet.

Nope.  While it's not a perfect analogy (any analogy is an imperfect comparison between two entities), right now he looks to most closely resemble Paul von Hindenburg.

Paul von Hindenburg, courtesy EncyclopediaBrittanica.com

Von Hindenburg was the second president of Germany (after WWI).

He wasn't Hitler (in fact, he died in 1934, years before the Nazis' greatest evils were fully realized).

However, he was the one who welcomed Hitler into the mainstream of German politics by making him Chancellor of Germany in 1933.

Unlike Trump (who was basically a draft dodger), von Hindenburg was a former field marshal in the German army in WWI.

Like Trump, he was reluctant to accept the responsibilities of his office.

Unlike Trump, he apparently cared about the country he was charged with leading.

Like Trump (who will be 70 on Inauguration Day in January), he wasn't exactly a young man when he first took office (76 years old).

No where did I find evidence of von Hindenburg being held responsible for the rise to power of Hitler and the Nazis; what he did was give them access to the levers of power in the early and middle 1930s.

Fast forward to 2016:

Trump is bringing in some utterly vile people around him, people like Mike Pence, Kris Kobach, Jeff Sessions, Michael Flynn, and others, all people who shouldn't be allowed near a position of public responsibility much less one of public trust.

Right now, none of them appear to be Hitler-like (though at least a couple of them look like wannabes), but when Trump leaves office over his ethical issues (of course, given his age, the term "medical issues" may serve as the preferred euphemism) look for one of them to at least try to assume dictatorial powers.


To critics:

Yes, I know this was (and is) a quick, almost superficial, look at one, very specific, part of the entire ugly situation.

Which is all that it is intended to be; in 50 years or so, historians will produce some very erudite and intellectual treatises that will use many more words to say the same thing.

Election Night 2016

9:50 -

There were 19 school district-related ballot questions in Maricopa County.

Right now, it looks like 15 will pass, 3 will go down, and 1 is still to close to call.

This is actually much better than average here.



9:30 -

In Scottsdale, all incumbents are on their way to reelection.

9:21 -

It looks like the AZ lege will tighten.  My read on races right now:

AZSenate - 14 R, 13 D, 3 too close to call.  If all three races in the "too close to call" category go D, then control flips.  16 - 14 R seems more likely, but this is far from over.

AZHouse - 33 R, 26 D, 1 too close to call.  The Rs retain control.

9:20 -

The Maricopa County Sheriff's race has been called for Paul Penzone!

8:06 - early votes only:

Maricopa County Sheriff: Penzone up over Arpaio big
Maricopa County Recorder: Fontes up over Purcell
CAWCD - Arboleda, Graff, and Holway all in the top 5
LD18 legislature - Bowie (senate) and Epstein (house) ahead
LD28 Senate - Meyer slightly ahead of Brophy-McGee
US Sen - McCain thumping Kirkpatrick
CorpComm - Not looking good for Mundell or Chabin
LD6 - Bagley (D) and Allen (tin foil) - too close to call
Ballot measures -
     Prop 205 (legalizing recreation marijuana) - losing
     Prop 206 (raising minimum wage) - winning


...is shaping up to be a lot like election night 2000.  Florida will be keeping us holding our collective breath...

Once AZ results start coming in, this post will be updated, with an focus on statewide, legislative, Maricopa County, and Scottsdale races.

Election 2016: It's almost over

In case you haven't noticed the wall-to-wall (but oh-so selective) media coverage, the incessant TV and radio ads (and spots on other media), the late night comedy, the hate-filled shouting, or have simply avoided even opening your mailbox for the last month or so,

There's an election coming up on Tuesday.  

:)

While millions of Americans have already voted (full disclosure time: I am one of those millions), millions more will be voting Tuesday.

If you haven't already done so, please make sure you vote on Tuesday.

In addition to a race for president that features two main candidates who present the starkest difference between two candidates for that office in US history, there are scores, in fact, hundreds, of down ballot races that have even more effect on our daily lives that are also up for election.

If you don't know where your polling place is (AZ only) -

Arizona SOS' polling place locator is here (This one should include all polling places in all counties, so if your county isn't listed below, use this one. It works for me here in Maricopa County)

Maricopa County's polling place locator is here

Pima County's polling place locator is here

Coconino County Elections page, including a list of polling places, is here

Apache County Elections page, including a list of polling places, is here

Santa Cruz County polling places are listed here


Other things to keep in mind in Arizona:

If you have an early ballot, it can be dropped off at any polling place in your county on Tuesday, and it will be counted.

If you vote in a precinct other than your own, you will have to cast a provisional ballot and IT WON'T BE COUNTED.

If there is a long line at your polling place, report it to your county party, and if you want your vote to be counted, STAY IN LINE.  If an elections official encourages/suggests that you leave and come back later, this is an attempt at voter suppression.

Period.

2016 may not be over quite yet, but positioning for 2018 has already started...

From the Arizona Republic, written by Laurie Roberts - 

What is it with these politicians and their ambitions?

Last week, it was Kelli Ward announcing that she’s running once again for the U.S. Senate in 2018 – this time trying to knock off Sen. Jeff Flake.

Now comes Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, filing campaign papers to challenge Secretary of State Michele Reagan in 2018.

Stanton’s decision makes sense – even though it would be nice to get through 2016 before the angling begins for 2018.

Stanton, in a press release, says he's not really running for secretary of state. He just needed to create a state campaign committee in order to transfer remaining funds from his city campaign committee before Nov. 4, when a new state law will bar him from doing so.

As mentioned in the article, Stanton may not run for secretary of state - the governor's spot is also up for election in 2018.

Right now, Doug Ducey, the incumbent governor looks likely to run for and win reelection.  However, a lot can happen between now and the beginning of 2018.

Stanton (pic courtesy Phoenix.gov)

Not least of which is the election next week, which will impact who seeks what office in 2018.

Win or lose the election, Trump has already become the nation's "enabler in chief"

I am not saying that Trump did any of this, or even directed one (or more) of his followers to do these things.  I don't have evidence to that effect.

But while I don't believe in accusing someone, even someone like Trump, of doing something reprehensible without some actual evidence (guess that means that I'll never be director of the FBI), neither do I believe coincidence.

From the Twitter feed of Ashley Killough, a producer/reporter for CNN -

So this just happened near the press pen at Trump's Phoenix rally. Man chanting "Jew.S.A.!" pic.twitter.com/DpG9G6BtqO

— Ashley Killough (@KilloughCNN) October 29, 2016

Screenshot of the Tweet:

From pics taken by Elizabeth Rogers, a friend, and friend of the blog, near 32nd Street and McDowell in Phoenix.  The graffiti is new, going up in the last couple of days or so -

Arizona: It's a dry hate.