The fix was in...

...to pass something that will just make things worse instead or fixing things.

At the state legislature, the Senate's Elections Committee and the House's Municipal Oversight and Elections Committee held a joint meeting to consider two Republican-proposed bills at 9 a.m.*

* = they have a verrryyyyy flexible concept of time at the legislature

They were meeting to consider SB1733 (introduced by Sen. Wendy Rogers) and HB2785 (Rep. Alexander Kolodin), identical bills that are supposed to address the state's elections calendar, which threatens to disenfranchise Arizona voters,

I spent 2 1/2+ hours watching it online.  I recommend doing so, unless you have something better to do.  Like taking out the trash.  Or washing your hair.  Or amputating one of your legs.

Primary takeaway: Both bills passed committee on party-line votes.  

Other takes on the meeting:

- The lege does have a rather flexible concept of time - the meeting was slated to start at 9 a.m. but wasn't gaveled in until 9:21 a.m..

Shortly after that,  one of the chairs (Sen. Wendy Rogers) noted that the meeting was going to take an hour.

Rogers observed at 10:17 that her hour had ended 15 minutes before.

Rogers and the other chair, Rep. Jaqueline Parker, recessed the meeting at 10:50, for "five" minutes.

The meeting reconvened 11:03.

It ended at 11:39.

...Apparently, both Rogers and Parker believe that "committee chair" is another way of saying "absolute dictator".

They had a dissenter ejected from the hearing.  He's ruffled tender legislative sensibilities before.

They tried to suppress dissent by limiting public testimony to four speakers.

...Rep Alexander Kolodin, sponsor of HB2785 and an attorney, like to hear himself talk.  One of the things that he said that he wasn't involved with litigation related to signature verification in Yavapai County.  That seemed to be a really specific denial, so I did a little research.  Turn out, that was true in a lawyer's sort of way.  Is there another case he's involved with?  Yup, in Mohave County.

He (and others) stated that they've been working on this for months.  So they sat on this until the situation became urgent and think that they can force their propaganda on the rest of the people of Arizona.

...There was a lot of lying and dissembling going on.  Mostly by the Republican members.  They all thought (and opined) that the extraneous signature verification clauses in the bill(s) were essential to changing election dates.

...Don't hire these folks to do your taxes.  They're without ability to do basic math.  They added two speakers and the Rep. Parker said that meant there were three in favor of the bill and three opposed.

I counted five in favor and one opposed.  They could only get to three and three by counting the last two speakers as "opposed" - they wanted the bill amended to make the signature verification portion harsher.

...Sen. Sonny Borrelli may not be the brightest light in the nighttime sky.  He tried to plant words in the mouth of the one speaker who was actually opposed to the measure(s), and when that speaker didn't go for it, Borrelli tried to do so again.

[Edited on 2/7 to add]:

...Certain members of the state legislature are still ticked off by the Red for Ed movement of a few years ago.  At least, they used the bills to get their "petty and vindictive" on -

[/End edit]

Pics from the video feed -

House members showed up before Senate members.

 

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse confer before the meeting (Center of the pic, L-R) -

Sens Rogers and Bennett, and Reps Parker and Kolodin.

In honor of the upcoming Super Bowl, it might be appropriate to refer to them as the Fearsome Foursome.

But that would be overrating them.

Sen. Sundareshan making a point

Sen. Hernandez making a point

Rep. Terech making a point

Rep. Kolodin with his mouth open.  Not an unusual occurrence

Quick!  Some lobbyist needs to give Sen, Kavanagh a comb!

Paul Penzone not seeking a 3rd term and will resign in January

Let the political games of musical chairs and idle speculation begin.

From AZFamily -

Penzone won’t seek 3rd term as Maricopa County Sheriff, will step down in January

Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone says he will not seek a 3rd term and will be stepping down as Sheriff in January 2024.

“I have decided that I will not pursue a third term,” said Penzone during an emotional news conference Monday afternoon. “Not because I leave this office in any way, shape, or form disappointed; it has all been incredible. It is the greatest privilege and blessing that anyone could’ve asked for, especially in a profession like this.” Penzone said.

Penzone also announced he would be stepping down before his current term is up, "I think it’s appropriate for me to depart of the office in January and clear the way so during the last year of my term going into elections, there aren’t distractions. It gives me a chance to pursue some opportunities to serve the public in several ways and to do some things that present themselves as incredible options and opportunities."

I'm not much into musical chairs, but I can do idle speculation with the best of them.

Caveat: No actual humans were talked for this.

I have no idea who the Democratic nominee will be; the R nominee will (probably) be someone who should be in prison used to work for Joe Arpaio.

As for Penzone's next gig, if it's not elected, I could only guess - maybe he's going to be the commissioner of the World Pickleball Tour.

OK, that's probably not going to happen. :)

Some speculation is that he plans to run for an elected office, so I'll talk about that.

US Senate - could happen, but probably not, and for two reasons.  1. Ruben Gallego has been in the race for a while.  2. Kyrsten Sinema is still lurking; a Sinema candidacy is expected to give the race to the R nominee.

US House of Representatives - could happen, but that will depend on other chips falling in a way that's favorable to him.  

If he entered the race against R David Schweikert, he'd almost certainly cause at least two of the announced candidates in the crowded Democratic primary there to withdraw.  I don't think it will happen, but given his documented history of taking on entrenched office holders with ethics issues, this one isn't out of the realm of possibility.

If he entered the race to replace Gallego in Congress, he would lose in the primary there - the candidates there have been active since before the moment that Gallego announced his intent to run for Senate.

If he entered the race for the seat held by Greg Stanton, well, I suppose it *could* happen, but I expect that he wouldn't enter that race unless Stanton announces that he won't seek another term.

Arizona Corporation Commission - the only state-level seats on the 2024 ballot.  Seems too low profile for him.

City Council, School Board, Justice of the Peace, and Constable slots - Not only do I not know where he lives (eligibility for those is residency-specific), I think those are too low profile.

State Legislature - he's highly respected; why would he want to lose that?  In other words, not gonna happen...though if he were to join the lege, he could serve as a counterbalance to John Kavanagh.

What I think will happen is that he will accept a position with the Biden Administration.

If that happens, there will be a certain synchronicity to that - Penzone's predecessor was pardoned by Biden's predecessor.

Basically, one skell pardoned another.

If Biden hires Penzone, it will be a situation where one decent human being hires another.

Short Attention Span Musing

...Apparently, the U.S. Senate thinks it's better to look good than to be good.

From NPR -

The Senate's dress code just got more relaxed. Some insist on staying buttoned-up

There's a lot for lawmakers to be stressed about these days, from the looming threat of a government shutdown to debates over additional funding for Ukraine. But one of the most divisive issues on Capitol Hill suddenly seems to be what senators can wear to work.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer directed the Senate's sergeant-at-arms to stop enforcing its unwritten dress code — only for its 100 members — starting this week.

There may be much angst among Senators over their dress code, but some things don't bother them.

From USA Today -

Read the full indictment: Menendez faces second round of corruption charges

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., is facing corruption charges after being indicted Friday in the Southern District of New York.

It marks the second time the New Jersey lawmaker has been indicted in the last 10 years − previously facing corruption charges in 2015.

They can wear tutus and propeller beanies or suit and ties or whatever.  It doesn't matter, as long as they don't take bribes.

Which is what Menendez (allegedly) did.

FWIW, this isn't a partisan thing - the political class in New York and New Jersey seem to believe that society's law or even standards of simple decency do apply to them, regardless of professed partisan affiliation.

We still have to claim Andrew Cuomo and Anthony Weiner as Democrats.

Of course, Republicans still have Chris Christie and, of course, Cheeto.

And Arizona State Senator John Kavanagh is from New Jersey, too.

...And speaking of Cheeto, it wasn't a good week for him.

From Good Morning America, via Yahoo! -

'You were warned': Judge reprimands Trump's lawyers in New York AG's $250M fraud case

A judge in New York expressed frustration at Donald Trump's defense counsel while considering sanctioning the defendants and their lawyers for making frivolous arguments in the state's civil case against the former president and others.

"When I first heard those arguments, I thought that was a joke," said Judge Arthur Engoron, who added that he has repeatedly ruled on and been upheld on some of the arguments rehashed by defense.

"The rule on sanctions is if you've been warned, don't do it. You were warned," Engoron said.

Update to "If an R elected loses an R group. does that person stay elected?"

[start sarcasm}

I just LOVE dirty tricks.

[/end sarcasm]

On Sunday, I wrote a post about  State Sen. John Kavanagh and the Coalition Of Greater Scottsdale (COGS).

At 10:04 a.m. today, that post received a comment -

At 10:06 a.m. today, I received a rather interesting email -

Hmmm...Could these be related? :)

Two things:

A. The bill in question, SCR 1023, passed the Senate on a party line vote and John Kavanagh voted for it twice (it failed the first time, but was reconsidered, and after the sponsor allegedly made some promises to protect small charter cities that elect Rs, it passed).

As passed by the Senate, the proposal would affect all charter cities.

B. Is impersonating someone to alter their online preferences a crime?

A story from Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services has a story on the measure here.

If an R elected loses an R group. does that person stay elected?

 If not, John Kavanagh has something to worry about.  

In 2022, he faced a primary challenge from the right, where there isn't much room.  Maybe in 2024, he'll be challenged on forsaking Scottsdale.

Earlier this week, The Coalition of Greater Scottsdale (COGS), an R-leaning group that focuses on Scottsdale, sent out an email.

From that email (emphasis added by me) -

Do you agree that LOCAL governments should NOT be controlled
by the Arizona state senate and house?
View this email in your browser

******************************************************************************************

ALERT: State of Arizona“representatives of the public” want to eliminate Charter cities
example? YOUR Scottsdale’s form of government.

:,
    What could change?

        If approved, the AZ legislature could decide

• to change the model of government for the Scottsdale such as the number of council members,
• whether council members are nonpartisan as we have now
• the disposition of any preserved land. Without Charter City protection, the legislature could require the city to sell the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve thousands of acres for development.
• …and more state-level negative-impact decisions like they have done to us on Short Term Rentals!

STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING:

Immediately send an e-mail to State Senator, JOHN KAVANAGH jkavanagh@azleg.gov who has forgotten that he represents Scottsdale residents. His support of this (and some other recent local power-grabbing bills) is unforgivable! Tell him NO NO NO on Concurrent Resolution 1023. .

NO: Each city should decide its own unique characteristics as determined by the local residents
NO  Legislators who live in other parts of Arizona should not be making Scottsdale decisions.
NO  Senator Kavanaagh needs reminding WHO he is suppose to represent---PEOPLE not political party negative-impact  bills
 

Thank you for taking action NOW
Your COGS Board of Directors

Scottsdale Independent newspaper link for more information:
: https://www.yourvalley.net/scottsdale-independent/stories/city-officials-fire-back-at-legislatures-attempts-to-end-charter-status,373672

State Sen. John Kavanagh: Full of weasel words and hate

From Lowe's Home Improvement,
mostly because I don't want Kavanagh's preferred hate symbol to be the first image in this post.

John Kavanagh, doing AZ proud.  Again.

There's no doubt that John Kavanagh is a highly intelligent man.

There's also no doubt that high intelligence is often wasted on people with low character

This time, he's introduced SB1049, a bill that seemingly protects hate symbols like Confederate flags from homeowners and condo associations.

From his proposal -

A. Notwithstanding any provision in the condominium documents, an association shall not prohibit the outdoor display of any of the following: 

...

8. ANY HISTORIC VERSION OF THE AMERICAN FLAG, INCLUDING THE BETSY ROSS FLAG, WITHOUT REGARD TO HOW THE STARS AND STRIPES ARE ARRANGED ON THE FLAG. 

It's kind of impressive how he tries to hide his actual intent behind weasel words like "including the Betsy Ross flag".

OK, not really.  :)

Many words can be used to describe him.  "Subtle" is NOT one of them.

What Kavanagh wants to protect,
from JSTOR

Arizona Legislature 2023: Guessing that Governor Hobbs will need multiple veto pens

On tap at the legislature: More helping corporations, more ignoring the will of the voters, and more efforts to undermine democracy...and trying to distract from those things with culture war fights.

The "helping corporations" part?  

Rep. Livingston has introduced HB2003, a proposal to reduce the corporate income tax rate by almost 50%..  This measure is already scheduled for consideration by two committees this week.

The 'ignoring the will of the voters" part?

Livingston has also introduced HB2014, a proposal to expand tax credits for school vouchers, and also expand vouchers themselves.  In 2018, the voters soundly rejected Proposition 305, a attempt by the legislature to expand vouchers.

The "undermine democracy" part?

Sen. Kern has introduced SCR1002, a proposed amendment to the state constitution to require that any changes to it would require the votes of 60% of voters in an election to pass.

The "culture war fights" part?

The ever-reliable Sen. John Kavanagh (R-Demonize) has introduced SB1026, while Kern (who seems obsessed) has introduced SB1028 and SB1030; all of which would redefine, regulate, or otherwise restrict drag shows.

Others of note:

Kern has introduced SB1031, seeking to bar the state or other political subdivisions from firing employees based on their vaccination status.

Kavanagh has been busy - he's introduced SB1024, which would criminalize homelessness; SB1022, which would criminalize begging, asking for donations, and/or selling goods from inside a traffic median; SB1023, which would criminalize picketing or demonstrating outside a private residence; and SB1021, requiring the state's AG to defend all laws passed by the legislature and signed by the governor unless each chamber's judiciary committee grants relief from that requirement by a 2/3 vote (not gonna happen).

The way this is worded it covers measures passed by previous iterations of the lege and signed by previous governors.  And Governors Ducey and Brewer signed a LOT of bad bills.

Governor Hobbs doesn't needed unsolicited advice from a rank amateur like me, but I'm going to offer some anyway (of course :) ).

Her default position on any measures proposed by a legislative R should be "Veto It!"

Not every such measure will be bad, but her first question when considering any measure her desk should be "does this help Arizona?"

For most of the output of this legislature, the answer will be No!"

The 2023 session of the AZ Legislature will be dominated by culture war attacks, but that shouldn't distract folks from attacks on societal infrastructure

They've already indicated that everything will be under attack; their culture war stuff will get most of the attention, but some of the more mundane stuff will be just as devastating to society.

First up: some culture war stuff -

Sen. John Kavanagh (R-Cathi Herrod's water carrier) has already introduced SB1001, a bill, which, if passed, would bar school district employees and/or school district contractors from referring to a student by their preferred gender pronouns if said pronouns differ from the student's publicly apparent physical gender.

But don't fall asleep on the pro-corporate/anti-society stuff -

Rep. David Livingston has already introduced HB2003, which, if passed, would reduce corporate income tax rates by almost 50%..

Hang on folks.

Legislatively, 2023 is going to be a bumpy ride.

AZ political predictions

 This is completely tongue-in-cheek (except for the parts that come true).  And mostly lege-oriented. :)

January -

Governor Katie Hobbs takes her oath of office with a speech filled with words and phrases like "cooperation" and "best interests of Arizona".

The Rs in the AZ legislature, led by House Speaker Ben Toma and Senate President Warren Petersen, respond with only "wanna bet?"

In one of her first acts as governor, Hobbs calls the legislature into a special session to address the aggregate expenditure limit looming over public ed.

The measure fails on a party line vote as the Rs in the legislature are upset it doesn't give more money to vouchers.

Kari Lake sues to overturn the 2022 election results.  She is represented by a reasonably reputable attorney.

Her lawsuit fails.

Kelli Ward is deposed as chair of the AZGOP.  Guess losing an election or two bothers R PCs more than being a party to treason.

February -

There's a riot in a bingo hall in Oro Valley when a caller refuses to award a Bingo designation to someone who doesn't have one.  Mark Finchem says he wasn't there, but photographic evidence says otherwise.

Abe Hamedeh sues again to overturn the 2022 results.

The lawsuit fails.

March - 

Sen. John Kavanagh runs a bill allowing police officers to kill anyone they want for any reason they want.....so long as they don't kill rich people or white trumpkins.

It passes the legislature on a party line vote.  

Governor Hobbs vetoes it.

Cheeto appears at a rally in Cochise County.  It's well attended.  He and his hangers-on inflate the figures anyway.

Kari Lake sues to overturn the 2022 election results.  She is represented by a reasonably astute attorney who waits until the retainer check clears before going forward.

Her lawsuit fails.

April -

Sen. Wendy Rogers runs a bill changing voting eligibility so that only retired Christian Dominionists living in counties with fewer than 500,000 people in them can vote.

It passes the legislature on a party line vote.  Governor Hobbs vetoes it.

With that, Hobbs sets the record for number of measures vetoed by a governor.

Incensed by the veto, Rogers runs a proposal to change the state constitution.  If passed by the voters, it would bar governors from vetoing measures supported by Republicans.

It passes the legislature on a party line vote.

Changing things up, Kari Lake sues to overturn the 2020 election results.  She is represented by a reasonably reputable attorney.

Her lawsuit fails.

May -

The lege has entered it's silly season, aka - hurry up and wait season, aka2 - there's no budget but the lege is still in session.  And their boredom, and contempt for democracy, shows.

Rep. Leo Biasucci runs a bill barring Attorneys General from indicting or charging Republicans.

It passes the legislature on a party line vote.  Governor Hobbs vetoes it

Sen. Sonny Borrelli runs a bill barring Arizona SOS' from certifying any election results that the majority in the lege doesn't like.

It passes the legislature on a party line vote.  Governor Hobbs vetoes it.

Abe Hamedeh sues again.

And fails again.

June -

The lege, in the persons of Toma and Petersen, announces that budget deal has been reached and that it solves the aggregate expenditure limit issue.

By taking all of the state's education funding and giving it to private and charter schools.

And then they adjourn the lege sine die and get out of town before Hobbs, or anyone else, can say anything.

Governor Hobbs addresses that by using her line item veto power and calling back the lege into a special session.

When certain legislators make noises about not returning to Phoenix, Hobbs makes noise about sending DPS officers to retrieve them.

Since being in Phoenix in the summer beats being in a jail cell, the recalcitrant legislators return.

July -

And the parade begins.

One of the downsides of Arizona becoming a battleground state will be incessant trips by famous (and not-so-famous) Republicans looking for the 2024 nomination for President (and if Joe Biden gives any indication that he's not running for re-election, it'll be Democrats, too).  2024 will start in 2023 here.

August -

The Biden Administration announces the release of a vaccine for cancer that's 99% effective, one that will be named after Anthony Fauci.

Rs and other anti-vaxxers denounce the vaccine as an unscientific plot by Big Brother to control their lives and proudly refuse to take it.

Cheeto tells them to drink Laetrile-laced Kool-Aid, and it will cure the cancer,.  He'll claim that it's more effective than hydroxychloroquine.

But first, they should send him some money

Cheeto's followers die in droves, but he gets wealthier.

September -

Kari Lake sues to overturn the 2022 election results.  She is represented by an attorney who obtained a law degree from a crane game in a convenience store.

Her lawsuit fails.

October -

Kelli Ward announces her candidacy for the U.S Senate seat that will be on AZ's ballot in 2024.

She wants the support of crazies and others of Cheeto's rubes to coalesce around her.

November -

Cheeto makes another appearance, this time in Mohave County. This one is sparsely attended.

The next day, he cries "Fraud!" and ends his candidacy.

December -

The Rs in the legislature, in preparation for an election year session in 2024, sharpen their pitchforks and pour kerosene on their stakes...errr..."prepare their book bans and anti-LBGTQ legislation".

Kari Lake sues to overturn the 2022 election results.  She is represented by an attorney who obtained a law degree from Trump University.

Her lawsuit fails.

First, State Rep. John Kavanagh got his hate on for the general public recording public employees in public. Now he hates public television.

From USA Today, dated 7/7/3022 -

Recordings within 8 feet of police will be illegal in Arizona under new law

People will no longer be allowed to take close-range recordings of Arizona police under a new bill signed into law by Gov. Doug Ducey on Wednesday.

House Bill 2319, sponsored by state Rep. John Kavanagh, makes it illegal for anyone within 8 feet of law enforcement activity to record police. Violators could face a misdemeanor, but only after being verbally warned and continuing to record anyway. 

Kavanagh's gambit was blocked by a judge.  From the AZ Mirror, written by Tori Gantz, dated 9/19/2022 -

Police-recording ban likely blocked, as Kavanagh fails to mount defense

The sponsor of a law that would have made it a crime to videotape police conceded Friday that it will not take effect, after he failed to meet a deadline to challenge a court’s injunction of the law.

Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, said he was not able to find lawyers to defend the law – after a string of state and local officials who might have defended it refused to do so.

Now, he's lowered his sights a little.

From AZFamily, written by David Baker -

Arizona lawmaker calls on state to sever ties with PBS over debate drama

The drama surrounding the Arizona gubernatorial debate, or lack thereof, has led one lawmaker to call for the state to cut ties with Arizona Public Broadcasting System. Republican Rep. John Kavanagh from Fountain Hills is upset because the station offered Democrat gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs her own 30-minute Q&A, even though she rejected an invitation to debate her GOP opponent, Kari Lake. “It would be inappropriate for the state to continue its relationship with AZPBS, given its sabotaging of the clean election debates that were approved by the voters,” he said in a statement.

Hobbs had said she didn’t want to debate Lake because she didn’t want it to turn into a circus. It was the first time in 20 years the Arizona Clean Elections Commission wouldn’t host a gubernatorial debate. The commission was set to do a Q&A with Lake on Wednesday but canceled it after it learned of PBS’s plans to interview Hobbs next week. Kavanaugh said the Clean Elections Commission made the right move and blasted the PBS affiliate. “The terrible decision by the heads of AZPBS, if uncorrected, will encourage future clean elections candidates to avoid engaging in a debate and deprive voters of information they need to make their voting decisions,” Kavanagh said.

The relevant press release from Kavanagh/ AZHouse Republicans is here.

Maybe we should give Kavanagh the benefit of the doubt -

Perhaps it's not that he hates the public or public television; maybe he just hates the idea of a permanent record.

After they lose a primary, partisan hacks don't go away, they just get hackier

Jan Dubauskas challenged State Rep. John Kavanagh in his quest for a seat in the state senate.

She didn't succeed.

From the website of the Arizona Secretary of State -

She challenged him from the right, which is a very difficult place to find - he proposed criminalizing the recording of police officers.

Anyway, she may have lost the primary, but she's still looking to affect elections in AZ.

From the website of the IRS -

From her committee's filing -

.

.

.

While I've found no evidence of her registering her committee with the AZSOS, I expect her to do so be raising or expending funds intended to affect the outcome of elections in AZ; those are the rules, after all.

And wingnuts are all about rules, right? :)

Well, that didn't take long - Federal judge stays John Kavanagh's law criminalizing filming the police

From The Hill -

Federal judge blocks Arizona law restricting filming of police

A federal judge blocked an Arizona law on Friday that was set to ban the recording of police within 8 feet of a “law enforcement activity.” 

U.S. District Judge John Tuchi granted a preliminary injunction requested by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona and multiple media outlets, which argued that the law violates the First Amendment rights of journalists and the public. 

Kavanagh's original bill is here.

As this is just a temporary stay, this isn't over, but it is a good first step.

Legislative schedule - week starting 3/13/2022

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 propagate 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 at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, 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 into the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one. 

Only 3 strikers this week, so far, but I expect that to increase over the next couple of weeks.

On Monday, 3/14 -

House Health & Human Services meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  10 bills on the agenda.

House Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  5 bills on the agenda.

House Military Affairs and Public Safety meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  3 bills on the agenda.

Senate Government meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  14 bills on a very bad agenda.

Senate Transportation and Technology meets at 2 p.m.in SHR109.  3 bills on the agenda.

On Tuesday, 3/15 -

House Commerce meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  7 bills on the agenda, including SB1166, barring public employers from compensating employees for union activities; SB1278, imposing some fiduciary guidelines/rules on labor unions; SB1459, reducing money and regulations available for sports betting and sports fantasy leagues; and SB1494, mandating unemployment insurance payments for folks who lost a job due to their refusing a Covid vaccination or booster.

House Natural Resources, Energy & Water meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  1 bill on the agenda.

Senate Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  19 bills on the agenda,  including HB2255, adding the Hindu holiday of Diwali to the list of days where large municipalities cannot regulate the sale of use of fireworks; HB2317, appropriating $150,000,000 from the state's general fund to the construction of a border wall; HB2456, appropriating $3,980,000 for a "rural county interoperability communication system"; and HB2506, appropriating $30,000,000 from the state's general fund to the "local immigration enforcement reimbursement fund".  2 measures will have strikers offered - HB2132, appropriating $12,000,000 to the victim compensation and assistance fund, $10 million from monies given to AZ as part of the American Rescue Plan and $2 million from the state's general fund...and the reappropriating those funds to the Arizona criminal justice commission and to HB2201, relating to "Competitive grant program; technology solution; patient continuity of care; hospital interconnectivity; annual report".

Senate Education meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  9 bills on the agenda, including HB2161, expanding parents' rights to view educational records and HB2495, barring schools from referring a student to or using sexually explicit materials without parental permission, with certain, limited, exceptions.

On Wednesday, 3/16 -

House Government & Elections meets at 9 a.m. in HHR1.  7 bills on the agenda, including SB1255 and SCR1024, relating to the creation on a Lieutenant Governor's position and SB1260, well, from the Senate fact sheet for the bill, "Classifies, as a class 5 felony, knowingly providing a mechanism for another person who is registered in another state to vote. Requires a person who receives an early ballot of a former resident of the address to write "not at this address" on the envelope and place the envelope into a mail receptacle. Requires a county recorder, to cancel a person's registration and remove the person's name from the county's Active Early Voting List (AEVL) upon confirmation that a person has registered to vote in another county or upon receipt of a ballot envelope indicating the person has moved."

House Judiciary meets at 9 a.m. in HHR4.  12 bills on the agenda

House Ways & Means meets at 9 a.m. in HHR3.  4 bills on the agenda.

Senate Health and Human Services meets at 9 a.m. in SHR1.  7 bills on the agenda.

Senate Finance meets at 10 a.m. in SHR109.  11 bills on the agenda including HB2166, exempting guns, ammunition, and gun safety equipment from sales tax.  The JLBC fiscal note attached to this estimates that this red meat for the base measure will cost the state's general fund and other governmental entities more than $40 million in FY2024 and later.

House Appropriations meets at 1:30 p.m. or upon adjournment of the floor session in HHR1.  7 bills on the agenda.

House Transportation meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  7 bills on the agenda.

Senate Commerce meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  4 bills on the agenda.

Senate Natural Resources, Energy and Water meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  10 bills on the agenda, including a striker for HB2389, subject "River Water Transfer" (text not available as of this writing)

On Thursday, 3/17 -

Senate Judiciary meets at 9 a.m. in SHR1.  10 bills on the agenda, including HB2319, Rep. John Kavanagh's love letter to LEOs barring the recording of law enforcement activity from within 8 feet.

Rep. Jake Hoffman may have been democratically elected by the voters in LD12, but he's using his position to get his hate on for both voters and democracy

He's been heavily involved with efforts to overturn the 2020 election and install Cheeto against the will of the voters of the US, as AZ BlueMeanie at Blog for Arizona has documented here and here.

But that doesn't qualify him for the Legislative Loon Award.

Nope, only stuff that he does and says while the lege is in session does that.

Rest assured, though, he's accomplished a lot there, 

Already he has proposed (with a rogue's gallery of co-sponsors) -

HB2236, Barring the registration of voters unless the voter specifically asks to be registered.

HB2237, Barring same-day voter registration and making it a felony to so.

HB2238, Barring the use of ballot drop boxes.

HB2239, Barring electronic vote "adjudication".

HB2240, Barring centralized voting centers.

HB2241, Requiring voters to present ID to deliver an early ballot.

HB2242, Making it a felony to not "validate" the registration information of a new voter.

HB2243, Adding to the verbiage required to be on voter registration forms (to be fair to Hoffman, this one seems like it may be the least bad of all of his proposals).

HB2491, Requiring that an as yet to be determined number of factors be used to verify each signature on an ealy ballot.

HB2492, Mandating that proof of citizenship be provided when registering to vote with a non-federal form, and making it a felony to fail to do so.

HB2493, Appropriating money from the state's general fund for an "election integrity fund".

HB2494, Requiring that the AZSOS  and county recorders document any attendance at voter registration events that they attend and work, and do so on their websites.

His fans shouldn't worry - while there's a definite pattern to his lunacy and hatred, he's something of a Renaissance Man (though he and his fans may long for serfdom and despise the renaissance).

He's also proposed

HB2235, In only counties with 500K people or more (In AZ, that's the counties of Maricopa and Pima (both of which Biden/Harris won in 2020..[start sarcasm} but I'm sure that's just a coincidence {/end sarcasm]), beginning in 2025, making county supervisors the lowest-paid county-level elected officials.

HB2495, An anti-LGBTQ+ measure, banning the use of "sexually explicit materials" in public schools.  Basically, all sex-ed classes would banned under this measure.

HB2496, Creating a list of exemptions for student activity fees at public universities.

HB2497, the latest attempt to thwart the will of the voters on income tax rates.

HB2498, Banning Covid vaccine mandates.

Yup, Rep. John Kavanagh may be the early favorite for the Legislative Loon Award, but Hoffman is a definite contender for the title.

Legislative Loon Award: early frontrunner Rep. John Kavanagh

 It's time to bring the award back, and while previous winner John Kavanagh is the early favorite to win it again, I expect that there will be many contenders for it.

The award will be based on bill proposals, votes, and statements made during the legislative session.  If the criteria were more expansive than that, almost the entire GOP caucus would be up for the award.

If simply being craven and/or corrupt was enough, all of the GOP caucus (as well as some of the Dems) would be eligible but this will be reserved for the nuttiest of the nuts.

Having said that, Rep. Kavanagh is still carrying the water for the bigoted grifter over at the Center for Arizona Policy.  He also wants to censor police body camera footage.

Lastly, he already wants to greatly expand the the definition of what constitutes illegal residential picketing.

It's early, and I'm sure he will provide other examples for his eligibility for the award, but for these things alone, he's the early frontrunner for the award.

State committees update

From the website of the Arizona Secretary of State -

Don't know much about Hill.

I didn't plan on covering legislative races until next year, and still won't, but I'll make one exception for one race.  Republican legislator John Kavanagh is getting a primary challenge from, of all places, the right.  I didn't believe there was enough room to his political right to do so, but it's happening.

Dubauskas is an attorney who has her own Newsmax bio page and may hate immigrants as much as Kavanagh.

I believe two things here -

1. Any attempt to point out that the immigrant-hating and corporation-loving Kavanagh is a right-wing nut job will have the effect of defending him.  Not gonna happen.  I hope they both lose.

2. Find a comfy chair and relax in it.  This one is going to get popcorn-riffic before it is over.

Wearing masks or violating the civil rights of immigrants. Which is worse?

If you're a Republican, you'll come to the wrong answer.

From Texas Tribune -

Gov. Greg Abbott draws criticism for ordering state troopers to pull over vehicles with migrants, saying it will stem COVID-19 risk

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state troopers on Wednesday to begin pulling over vehicles whose drivers are transporting migrants who pose a risk of carrying COVID-19, escalating his hardline approach on immigrants and eliciting outrage from advocates calling the order a ticket to racial profiling.

The executive order allows Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to reroute those vehicles back to their origin point or a port of entry, or seize the vehicles if the driver does not comply.

Blaming the "other" is nothing new for Republicans.

In 2006, I was at a community meeting in south Scottsdale where State Rep. John Kavanagh blamed immigrants for leprosy.

Edit on 7/30 to add: I was wrong.  Not about Kavanagh and his bigotry.  Nope.  It was in 2007 or 2008.

Apologies to readers for the error.

End edit.

Short Attention Span Musing

Just a mish-mash of stuff that doesn't really fit into its own post.  For now anyway...

...Republican former legislator Mark Thompson is looking for a return to elected office; he's filed to run for the justice of the peace seat in the University Lakes district (east Tempe).

...Rumors are running rampant that Democratic Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema is mulling the option of leaving her current CD9 (a competitive district) for a run at the CD7 seat (a safe D district) that will be vacated by the about-to-retire Ed Pastor.  I don't think that it's a good idea, and don't think that ultimately she'll do it, but whatever she does, she needs to make the decision quickly - being a carpetbagger is only slightly worse than looking like a carpetbagger-wannabe.

...Rumors are also swirling that Shana Ellis, member of the Tempe City Council and nominally a Democrat, has hired HighGround Public Affairs as a consultant to her reelection campaign.  This is significant for two reasons:

1.  HighGround is arguably the most influential consulting/lobbying firm in Arizona (for good reason), but it is also unabashedly Republican.  Having said that, consulting firms are modern politics' version of hired guns, and candidates care primarily about winning.  And the city council race is non-partisan.  The rumor is as yet unconfirmed, but the relationship, assuming it exists, should be an amicable one. So long Ellis wins and her checks don't bounce.  Which brings us to...

2.  HighGround ain't cheap.  Either she expects to spend a serious amount of time fundraising, or she already has someone in mind, ready to pick up the tab for HighGround's services.


...Republican former legislator and former candidate for Congress Rusty Bowers has filed for a return to the legislature.  He's seeking one of the Republican nominations for a House seat in LD25.

...Republican state representative John Kavanagh may have learned a lesson the hard way, one that many politicos before him have learned, also the hard way.

Don't tell jokes, especially those that make fun of anybody but the joke teller.

Video of him surfaced, video of his performance at a "roast" of his friend and ally, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

His jokes were putatively about Arpaio, but they all seemed to put down Latinos and other groups that have been targeted by Arpaio (and Kavanagh, and Russell Pearce, and many other current and former members of the anti-breathing while brown caucus of the AZGOP).

The Southern Poverty Law Center has more here.