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.
No comments:
Post a Comment