LD17 Legislators in the news

Rep. Ed Ableser -

...Ableser sharply criticized the payday loan industry during the House's consideration of SB1446.

From the AZ Daily Star -

"They should be kicked out," said Rep. Ed Ableser, D-Tempe. "Any sort of practice which preys and reaps profit off the unfortunate circumstance of an individual that really has no other place to turn is immoral at best."

...The federal No Child Left Behind act received some attention from him during the House's consideration of SB1300.

Also from the AZ Daily Star -

While not everyone shares [State Senator Karen] Johnson's view, Democrats launched their own attacks on No Child Left Behind as the bill came up for a House vote.

In a long-shot amendment of his own, Rep. Ed Ableser, a Tempe Democrat, proposed divorcing the entire state from the federal mandates and giving up the $600 million.

Ableser called the law the "worst thing to happen to public education in decades," and proposed making up the money with state funds.

While the amendment won some Democratic support, Republicans said the move would be too costly.

...After the prison riot in Indiana last week, private prisons were also in his cross-hairs.

From KTAR.com -

Tuesday's riot by Arizona inmates at an Indiana private prison prompts a caution from Democrat Ed Ableser.

"We need to be very careful about a private industry that actually makes money off of the amount of criminals we produce in this society," he said.

Rep. David Schapira -

...David received a 'bravo!' from the ASU State Press for his DUI bill amendment that would require a breathalyzer ignition lock for those convicted of DUI.

From the State Press -

BRAVO to Rep. David Schapira and his amendment to a DUI bill working its way through the State Legislature. With the representative's changes, the bill would require anybody convicted of a DUI to get a breathalyzer ignition installed on their vehicle. Finally, a punishment that fits the crime. We understand, sometimes it's easy to get into a car after only a couple drinks, but bottom line is, you shouldn't. This way, if you do it once, you definitely won't be able to do it again.

...Schapira was quoted in an article about how lobbyists for the liquor and restaurant industries are marshalling their forces in the fight against his amendment.

From the AZ Daily Star -

Schapira, the bill's sponsor, also rejected the idea of drunk driving being
a mistake.

"They're making a mistake that in many cases results in the death of someone," he said.

One point of contention is that the devices ensure more than legal sobriety: Schapira said the Motor Vehicle Division has these set so a car or truck will not start if the driver's blood-alcohol content is 0.04 or higher, half the 0.08 DUI threshold. But Schapira said he doesn't see that as a problem.

"I don't think it's asking too much to say that someone who has been driving drunk should not have a BAC of (more than) 0.03 for a year after their conviction," Schapira said.

...David's fashion sensibilities were uncovered by Daniel Scarpinato, the Daily Star's intrepid political reporter, in his "Political Notebook" column -

And speaking of [State Rep. Steve] Farley, it looks like he's part of a group of male lawmakers who share fashion tips at the state Capitol.

During a recent meeting, Farley was looking colorful in a red shirt and tie, when Tempe Democrat David Schapira (at 26 during the November election, he's the youngest member of the Legislature) got on him for wearing horizontal stripes against vertical ones — a fashion no-no, according to Schapira.

"He's getting much better," Schapira said of Farley.

...In other, non-MSM, news, Rep. Schapira announced his new website, DavidSchapira.com. It's a great source for information pertaining to the lege and his activities there, as well as for contacting him to get involved.

Note: after some in-depth investigation (OK, it was a Google search :) ), I found Ed Ableser's site, too.


Sen. Meg Burton-Cahill -

...She was vocal in her support for HB2443, a proposal to "require owners of offroad vehicles to pay a new fee for the privilege of operating them anywhere on public lands or roads."

From the EV Tribune (also the source of the above quote) -

But Sen. Meg Burton Cahill, D-Tempe, who bought an ATV for her son, said not everyone believes in no responsibility to help pay for state programs that maintain trails and police the rural areas to ensure riders don’t destroy habitat.

From the Yuma Sun article written by the same author, Howard Fischer -

Sen. Meg Burton Cahill, D-Tempe, said charging off-road vehicle users makes sense.

"I guess the alternative is we could adequately fund our parks,'' she said. "And then all of us could be paying for these trails.''

Note: the bill failed in the Senate, with 14 voting in favor and 13 against, but under Senate rules, 16 votes are needed to pass legislation.

Note: Since they seem to be getting their personal websites up and running, this will probably be the last "LD17 Legislators in the News" compilation post. These will become unnecessarily duplicative.

Plus, this session of the lege is nearing its end. :)

Later!