This week runs the gamut of bad behavior from the legislature - some bad bills, some sneakiness, and putting out propaganda while using taxpayer-funded resources.
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, 3/3
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House and Senate Rules meet at 1 p.m. in their respective rooms. On the agendas: many bills. They may meet more than once this week, but, as of now, they're on the schedule once.
House Appropriations meets at 10 a.m. in HHR1. On the agenda: 30 proposals, 12 of which have strikers proposed for them. Includes David Livingston's striker proposed for SB1061 that would raise pay for legislators from Maricopa County; Matt Gress' striker to SB1299, creating the "Safe Community Enforcement Fund" from monies in the "Smart and Safe Arizona Fund," created by AZ voters when we approved recreational marijuana. Also includes SB1369, appropriating $2M from the state's General Fund for enhancing the recruitment of law enforcement personnel...which may seem too bad, until you realize that the requirements listed for some of the money are so specific as to constitute a way to get around the fact that the legislature is barred from creating legislation to requires a state agency to enter into a single source contract.
The measure failed in House Public Safety and Law Enforcement, was withdrawn from that committee, and is now on an Appropriations agenda. On that agenda, 13 proposals, including this one, may be subject to a mass motion.
Senate Military Affairs and Border Security meets at 1:30 p.m. in SHR109. On the agenda: no bills, one presentation.
On Tuesday, 4/1
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Senate Appropriations meets at 9 a.m. in SHR109. On the agenda: 15 bills. Two bills have proposed strikers. One is a proposal to appropriate $100K to train employees of group home to spot child sex trafficking. Also includes HB2918, which is about reducing state and local revenue; and HB2794, which is about redirecting tax money from the public to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The fiscal note attached to the bill states the local governments wouldn't be harmed by the bill.
Other people, not controlled by the legislature, including Phoenix mayor Kate Gallego, disagree.
On Wednesday, 3/2 - Nada.
On Thursday, 3/3
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House Ad Hoc Committee on Blaming Governor Hobbs for All That Ails Arizona Executive Budget Mismanagement meets at 8:30 a.m. in HHR4. On the agenda: no bills. One presentation from JLBC on the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD).
Also on the agenda: inquisitions of questions for the directors of AHCCCS and DES.
There's been a lots of posturing from the legislature over their desire to cut funding that helps the underprivileged, perhaps to distract from their desire to protect funding for ESAs (school vouchers) for the wealthy.
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