Your tax money at work: Charter schools discriminate against English Language Learners

From AZFamily, written by David Baker -

Legacy Schools in Arizona discriminated against English learners

Changes are coming to 22 charter schools in Arizona after federal investigators say the network of schools discriminated against students who didn’t speak English.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced on Friday it has reached a deal with Legacy Traditional Schools after finding the violations.

Officials say the schools didn’t offer equitable learning opportunities to English language learners, failed to have qualified teachers and didn’t track their progress.

Legacy Traditional also didn’t tell parents about programs and activities in a language they could understand.

Some non-English speaking students were also given instruction in the cafeteria instead of the classroom

Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani has even praiseed one of their locations.

Wonder if his opinion of Legacy will change because of USDOJ's announcement?

Legacy Schools hides behind a byzantine collection of LLCs (and I haven't unraveled them all), but one thing is obvious - Aaron Hale, touted by Legacy Traditional as the founder of Legacy Traditional, is still involved with them 

According to the letter from USDOJ to Legacy, contained in the article, Legacy schools are managed managed by Vertex Education.

Hale owns Vertex.

From a filing with the Arizona Corporation Commission -

Hale regularly gives money to Republican candidates (and wannabes) -

David Schweikert -

Kyrsten Sinema -

Karrin Taylor Robson -

There are others, but readers get the point.  It certainly appears the Hale has received a positive return on his investment.

Still looking for ties between Vertex, Legacy, et. al., and Tom Horne, a noted bigot.  He hates English Language Learners and may approve of what Legacy did while despising the the feds caught them at it.

Tom Horne: Something reeks

And I'm not talking about his personal hygiene.

From KPNX, written by Joe Dana

She ran Phoenix’s largest special needs clinic. Now she’s criminally indicted.

A high-profile Phoenix business owner who once ran the state’s largest children’s special needs therapy clinic is charged with stealing nearly $3 million in COVID small business relief funds.

A grand jury indicted Bridget O’Brien in August of 2023 on 17 counts of fraud and theft, though 12News just learned of the charges this week. O’Brien has pleaded not guilty and is due for a status conference in court next month.

[snip]

An attorney representing a civil plaintiff accused O’Brien of lying to a judge about having Cancer. Though O’Brien never showed actual medical proof of cancer treatment, a bankruptcy judge who oversaw the case ruled in O’Brien’s favor. In that case, O’Brien’s attorney was former Attorney General Tom Horne. Horne is now the state superintendent. He is also a longtime acquaintance of O’Brien. An email from Horne to 12News states he met O’Brien because her mother worked for him in the Attorney General’s Office.

Horne is still protecting her, though, even though the bankruptcy case seems to be over (confirming that requires a PACER login, and since those cost money, one is not in the blogging budget).

From the story -

 “Authorized ATP Tutoring Providers.” That means the company is eligible to receive more public funds.

12News asked Horne on Thursday whether he believes O’Brien should be disqualified as an authorized vendor, given her history of alleged Medicaid fraud, nonpayment of contractors, dog-napping, and alleged SBA loan fraud.

“Ms. O’Brien is entitled to her day in court,” Horne said in a written statement.

She, and her companies, has been sued multiple times for failure to pay employees and contractors, and, at least once, by a former business partner (Maricopa County Superior Court system case number CV2011-053078)

Yet Horne is insistent about keeping her on the public pad.

From the Arizona Department Education's list of authorized tutoring providers -

Someone named "Bridget O'Brien" has made lucrative donations to Horne in his quests to be Superintendent of Public Instruction and Attorney General.  From a report filed with the AZSOS -

Even though she reports her occupation as "housewife", the PO Box address matches up with the PO Box on one of her corporate entities, Jazi Kat LLC.

Speaking of corporate entities, the entity on ADE's website, Kiids A Therapy, has had 11 statutory agents during its existence.

Not a crime in and of itself, but a definite red flag.

Filed under "Things that make you go 'hmmmm.' "

Arizona Republican Party: "Arizona" in name only?

On 6/11, the AZGOP sent out a rather non-specific press release touting their fundraising prowess.

From that email -

Th

The email was unclear as to which 13 weeks they were talking about here, but one thing was clear: they really shouldn't pique the interest of wiseasses with time available to be, well, *wiseasses.*

I took a look at their May monthly report to the FEC, which is the most current report available.  It covers only their April activity, and April is just 4+ weeks long, but I'm presuming that those 4+ weeks are part of the 13 weeks touted in the press release

I'm not saying that they lied in their press release, but April is ~1/3 of the period mentioned in the press release.

During that 1/3 of the period, they raised ~1/10 of the total mentioned in the press release.

From the summary of the report:

According to their April report, the AZGOP raised a little less than $133800 (caveat: my reading/analysis of the report showed that they reported $146K in donations, but some may not have been actual donations )

Of those donations, 

37 were thru WinRed (an online fundraising tool for Republicans that's similar to ActBlue for Democrats) for an average of ~$179.

49 were from out-of-state individuals, for an average of ~$646

15 were rom PACs or other committees, for an average of ~$5365.  Some of that money may be earmarked for specific purposes, even though this is a genal fund/committee.  For example, the NRSC (National Republican Senatorial Committee) gave them over $46K in one contribution.  I presume that was done with the understanding that the funds go toward helping their eventual nominee for U.S. Senate.

139 were from AZ individuals, for an average of ~$218.

The "not Arizona" part of "Arizona Republican Party"?

More than 75% of their funds raised came from committees or from out-of-state individuals.

Note: that total does not include the WinRed donations, because those were usually paired with an individual donation in the same amount and on the same day.  Some of those were from Arizona, but the vast majority were not.

The FEC report can be found here.

The FEC sent them a letter regarding a problem with a donation from the Hitler Youth PAC MAGA PAC Turning Point PAC.  The letter is here.

The AZGOP committee's FEC ID is C00008227.

Proof the a state legislator (allegedly) doesn't have to reside in the district to misuse their position of trust

There's a lot of contempt shown here - contempt for actual public servants, contempt for voters, and contempt for customers.

From the Arizona Capitol Times, written by Jakob Thorington -

2 lawmakers intervene in discipline of senator’s husband

Public records obtained by the Arizona Capitol Times revealed that two state senators intervened in a business license complaint case in 2023 for the husband of one of the senators.

On Dec. 7, 2022, Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, called the Arizona Board of Technical Registration, or BTR, asking for the board to cease its investigation of her husband, Hal Kunnen, a home inspector based in Flagstaff and the Phoenix metro area.

[snip]

Shortly after Rogers’ call, Sen. Justine Wadsack, R-Tucson, attended the Enforcement Advisory Committee meeting on Jan. 17, 2023, to represent Kunnen during the committee’s executive session meeting to review his case.

[snip]

During this legislative session, Wadsack introduced Senate Bill 1120, which would require agencies or occupational associations with disciplinary authority over its members to investigate complaints against business licensees only if the complainant has had a “substantial nexus” or business transaction with the subject of the complaint.

There have been allegations about Rogers not actually living in the district which she has been rather vociferous and petty in denying.

Wadsack has had some questions about her residency, too.

Both have survived the doubts, but the questions persist.

One thing that has never been questioned is their hate bonafides.

Wadsack's SB1120 has received COW (Committee Of the Whole) consideration in the House and awaits final consideration there.

Kunnen is still a licensed home inspector.  The consent decree that he signed is here.

Legislative schedule - week starting 3/17/2024

Friday is the last day that bills can be heard in committee, though there are ways around that restriction (bills can still be considered in the respective chambers' Appropriations committees.  Other committees can meet to consider bills, but they'll need the permission of the respective chamber's Rules committees/head.

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 into a very bad one.

On Monday, 3/18 

-

House Health & Human Services meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: 15 bills.

House Land, Agriculture, & Rural Affairs meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: seven bills, including a proposed striker for SB1410, relating to the interstate transfer of marijuana and its products.  Requires a 3/4 vote to pass.

House Land, Agriculture, & Rural Affairs meets upon the adjournment of the first LARA meeting in HHR3.  On the agenda: one bill, SB1403, which, with certain exemptions, would bar a "foreign principal" from a designated country from owning land in AZ.  The report containing the list of countries is here.

House Military Affairs & Public Safety meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: 11 bills, including a proposed striker for SB1196.  There two, related but different, strikers listed; I think that I've linked to the one that will be considered, but the other one is here.  Includes SCM1040, a love letter to Congress urging the creation of a Space National Guard.

House Military Affairs & Public Safety meets at upon the adjournment of the first MAPS meeting. in HHR1.   On the agenda: one bill.

Senate Elections meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: 11 bills, including a proposed striker for HB2497.  The agenda looks to be mostly propaganda.

Senate Finance and Commerce meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda:15 bills, including HB2504, allowing insurers to not pay for genetic sequencing, organ transplants, etc., if a "foreign adversary" is involved and HB2661, mandating that all tablets and smartphones manufactured after 1/1/2026 that filter out "obscene" material for minors. I initially thought that this bill was pure propaganda...but as I was writing this a TV ad came on for a company that provides devices that do just this.  To many members of the lege this is just political propaganda; to others, it may be corruption.  To me, it's evidence that many legislators are capable of multi-tasking.

Senate Transportation, Technology and Missing Children meets at 2 p.m. in SHR2.  On the agenda: nine bills, including a proposed striker to HCR2049.  It, like much of this agenda, is pure propaganda.  On the plus side, this agenda includes a bill about missing children, which is kind of rare for this committee.  HB2479 seems to be about requiring DCS to do what it does in response to reports of abducted, missing, or runaway children...only quicker. There is a clause at the end of the bill that looks to be about enabling corruption -

Legislators get to decide if someone is following the laws crafted by the legislators themselves, and will siphon public funds into private pockets in response.

Hmmm...

On Tuesday, 3/19 

-

House Commerce meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: five bills, three of which have proposed strikers.  While one seems bad, the really bad one is a proposed striker to SCR1040, a scheme fronted by Rep. Justin Wilmeth to allow employers to pay tipped employees 25% less than the mandated minimum wage.

House Education meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: two bills; both are propaganda.

House Natural Resources, Energy & Water meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: six bills, including two with proposed strikers.  Both seem bad, but the one for SB1242 would siphon public money into private pockets.  Both these and the other bills on the agenda read as if they were written by industry lobbyists.

Senate Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: 11 bills, including HB2506, mandating that people acting as agents of a "country of concern" register with the state's AG.

Senate Health and Human Services meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: 12 bills.

On Wednesday, 3/20  -

House Judiciary meets at 8:30 a.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: Lots of ugly. 13 bills, including SB1687, expanding the definition of drive by shooting.

House Government meets at 9 a.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: seven bills.  Lots of usurping of municipal authority here.

House Ways & Means meets at 10 a.m. is HHR1.  On the agenda: eight bills. mostly running the gamut from pure propaganda, thru conduits for corruption, to simply bad government.

House Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: six bills.

House Municipal Oversight & Elections meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: nine bills, mostly propaganda.  My personal favorite (that's sarcasm, folks) - SCR1044, removing term limits from judges subject to specific term lengths or retention elections, with specified exceptions.

House Regulatory Affairs meets at 2 p.m. in HHR5.  On the agenda: five bills.

House Transportation & Infrastructure meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: nine bills.

Senate Education meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: four bills, including HB2095, expanding eligibility for STO scholarships (school vouchers).

Senate Military Affair, Public Safety and Border Security meets at 2 p.m. in SHR2.  On the agenda: eight bills, including two with proposed strikers (text not available as of this writing.)  The one that raises the most red flags has a working title of  "military; public safety".  This agenda has lots of propaganda on it, including two bills to make undocumented immigration a state crime, HB2748 and HB2821.

On Thursday, 3/21 

-

Senate Judiciary meets at 9 a.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: eight bills. including two with proposed strikers.  The texts aren't available as of this writing, but one has a working title that raises red flags - "elected officials."  Lots of propaganda on this agenda.

Senate Natural Resources, Energy and Water meets at 9 a.m. in SHR2.  On the agenda: two executive branch nominations and 17 bills, three with proposed strikers  (texts not available as yet).  All bills read as if they were written by industry lobbyists.

Senate Government meets at 1 p.m. or upon adjournment of the other committees in SHR1.  On the agenda: 21 bills. Includes HB2591, barring public entities and public power entities from entering into or renewing contracts with persons or companies that utilize forced labor or "oppressive child labor."  I don't disagree with the sentiment but have to ask -

Would this impact companies controlled by Cheeto or Vanky?

Arizona's land developers want to sacrifice Arizona's dwindling water supply on the altar of their profits

From AP -

Developers want water policy changes in response to construction limits on metro Phoenix’s fringes

Developers plan to seek changes to Arizona’s decades-old laws restricting construction in areas without adequate water supplies after the state said this summer that it won’t issue permits for new subdivisions in some areas on metro Phoenix’s fringes.

Capitol Media Services reported that the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona wants lawmakers to remove what it calls a “moratorium on home buildings in the most affordable parts” of metro Phoenix, saying the move is leading to escalating home prices.

Michael Bryan at Blog for Arizona has piece on this, one that he titled "Oh, Hell No!".

I thought that response was understated.

My guess is that, given the amount of largesse that the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona has directed at legislative races, this scheme will get through the legislature.  Where it goes after that?  I don't know.

If someone uses their office to impede a criminal investigation, does that constitute malfeasance in office?

*I* think so, but I'm not a lawyer.

From an opinion piece in the Arizona Republic by Laurie Roberts, dated 1/6 -

Far-right wants to impeach Kris Mayes for enforcing election law in Cochise County

Impeachment fever has reached Arizona as the Maricopa County Republican Party brain trust on Tuesday called for the ouster of Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes.

The party’s hard-right leaders are furious that a pair of Republican Cochise County supervisors have been indicted on charges that they interfered with the 2022 election.

Apparently, it’s now a “grotesque abuse of office” to require county supervisors to follow state law — the one that says they must certify election results within 20 days of an election.

[snip]

Hoffman puts impeachment on the table

So much so, in fact, that they plan to embark upon a little weaponization of their own.

“You can bet your a-- that the @AZFreedomCaucus will be looking at every possible option to make weaponizing our state’s government and abusing Executive power as painful as humanly possible,” Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek and Freedom Caucus chairman, announced on social media shortly after last week’s indictments.

Hoffman's posts on Elon Musk's vanity project/hatefest X, formerly known as Twitter -

Hoffman was one of the fake electors in AZ being investigated by AG Mayes.

Assuming that Hoffman goes forward with his scheme and isn't just talking out of his posterior spouting talking points, he may find himself with some credibility issues.  He engaged in some antidemocratic behavior and is seeking to use his position to forestall an examination of that behavior.

Of course, he could find another R to be the public face of his impeachment scheme, one with a reputation for being an honorable human being.

Of course2, he may that difficult to pull off, for two reasons - 1. R legislators in AZ tend to fall into one of three character categories bad, very bad, and less bad.  2. There was a time when certain Republican legislators were wrong, politically, but were otherwise decent people.

That time is not now.

The latest evidence that the"No Labels" party is an R front group: they want to monetize democracy

Pointed at this by Taegan Goddard's Political Wire.

From AP -

The No Labels party asked its supporters if they would pay $100 to help choose its 2024 nominee

No Labels, a political organization that has alarmed some Democrats with talk of launching a third-party presidential candidate, has contemplated requiring a donation of at least $100 in order to cast a ballot at the group’s upcoming nominating convention, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The idea, which breaks from longstanding norms, would raise a significant hurdle to participating in the democratic process — in this case No Labels’ selection of its potential candidates for president and vice president. Neither the Democratic or Republican parties charge to vote at their conventions, where delegates vote for candidates chosen by voters through primaries or caucuses.

It's completely brazen and even hypocritical for a group that wishes to keep its donor list a secret, but at least they get points for honesty.

Still, this scheme brings two question to mind -

1. How long before they propose a scheme to make votes proportional to the amount of money that a would-be voter has gives to them?

2. How long before Cheeto thinks "I wish I had thought of this!  The only thing that would make it better would be if the nominee gets to skim of some of the take!"

"Appearance of impropriety": a phase the AZ Supreme Court should take to heart

AZ government is routinely considered to be among the most corrupt in the U.S., at least among neutral observers.  And like a lot of political phenomena here, much of it is rooted in the legislature (I've seen too many bills that looked as if they were written by an industry lobbyist and given to a member to slap their name on as sponsor).

But that's OK, because the legislature writes the laws that say it is.

From Illinois State University's Institute for Corruption Studies

The thing is, it's not just legislators; their contempt for civil society and standards of behavior for (putative) public servants suffuses other branches of government.

From AZCentral, written by Richard Ruelas and Ray Stern, dated 10/12 - 

A state Supreme Court Justice and former Phoenix councilman had great seats at DBacks game. Who paid for them?

Fans of both the Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona public officials wanted to know: Was that really state Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick and former Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio with the great seats behind home plate for Wednesday's epic game?

Indeed it was, as Bolick and DiCiccio confirmed. Which brings up another question: Who paid for the Bolicks' seats, which are among the most expensive at Chase Field?

The tickets may be bad enough, but hanging with someone like DiCiccio?

*Not* a good look for justices on the AZ Supreme Court.

Legislative schedule - week starting 10/01/2023

This week's theme at the legislature:

"Gimme."

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 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 that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one.

On Monday, 10/2 

 -

Joint Legislative Committee on DES Block Grants meets at 10 a.m. in HHR1.

They're scheduled to hear three presentations, including one from Wildfire, a community action organization headed up by Kathy Senseman, former president of the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools.  She's married to Paul Senseman, a renowned lobbyist/fixer at the Capitol.  Both Sensemans are regular donors to AZ political campaigns.

Pardon my cynicism, but I expect the thinking on the part of the R members of committee to be "well, we can recommend helping real people or recommend using the public monies in block grants to line private pockets  Not really a dilemma.".

On Thursday, 10/5 

-

Urban Air Mobility Study Committee meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  It's a joint committee.

It looks to be about combining flying vehicles with self-driving cars.

They're scheduled to hear three presentations, all given by corporate executives/lobbyists and at least two of them are members of the committee.

Since I'm letting my cynicism run wild tonight, I'll speculate about the presentations: "enhance our bottom lines and give us public money."

They may have "Arizona" in their name, but the Arizona Multihousing Association is setting up to meddle in federal politics

Found this while looking at the FEC's website for Arizona-based candidate committees.  I didn't find any interesting candidate committees, but found an interesting PAC filing -

From the organizational filing -

The treasurer/head of the committee, Courtney LeVinus, is the president of the Arizona Multihousing Association (AMA), and the listed address, 1415 N. 7th Ave., is the address of the AMA.

From the AMA's website -

LeVinus has a history of contributions to candidates like Kyrsten Sinema and Debbie Lesko.

From one of Sinema's FEC filings -

My guess is this committee exists only to funnel monies to sketchy candidates whose will be to place enhancing corporate profits ahead of the public's best interest (read: Sinema and Republicans).

Lies, Broad Language, and Chutzpah: The AZ lege must be back in session

Oh, wait - it *is*. :)

I don't know who is responsible for a bill proposal reference title - the sponsoring legislator, someone at the Legislative Council, or even someone else who pulls a paycheck from the legislature.

Whoever named HB2304 lied though. (The sponsor is Cory McGarr and the list of cosponsors is a rogue's gallery of election deniers.) 

Its reference title is "voting locations; precinct-based". 

Its first line? 

"NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER LAW, IN ALL ELECTIONS ADMINISTERED BY A COUNTY, ALL VOTING SHALL BE CONDUCTED AT PRECINCT-BASED POLLING PLACES"

The reference title *really* should mention that the bill proposes to ban all forms of voting other than votes cast in person at precinct-located places.

Vote by mail, military overseas voting, any form of absentee voting, for that matter, vote centers, early voting, and more - all gone if this proposal becomes law

As bad as this one is (and it's putrid), it may be the epitome of sweetness when compared to HB2212.(scheduled for a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday). Introduced by Gail Griffin, on its face it appears to be a response to the damaging of power substations in North Carolina by gunfire.

Yet, it is so broadly written it seems to criminalize criticism of utility companies and infringes on the authority of the Arizona Corporation Commission.

It actually read like it was written by an industry lobbyist asking for the world but hoping their greed would be masked by real world events.

Which begs one question - did Rep. Griffin use her position to act as an industry lobbyist or did one write this and hand it to her?

One section of the proposal:

(The beginning is not a change)

A. A person commits aggravated criminal damage by intentionally or 33 recklessly without the express permission of the owner: ..."INTERFERING WITH OR OTHERWISE PREVENTING THE PERFORMANCE OF A NORMAL FUNCTION OF ANY UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURE OR PROPERTY OR THE INTENDED COURSE OR PATH OF ANY UTILITY SERVICE."

(The proposed change is in quotes)

As bad as this one is (and it's rancid), it seems like a "good government" measure when compared to HB2319 (scheduled for a committee hearing before House Municipal Oversight and Elections on Wednesday).

Sponsored by freshman rep. (and attorney) Alexander Kolodin, it has the chutzpah to propose that the legislature can thumb its nose at the judiciary.  From the measure -

2. THE LEGISLATURE DECLARES THAT EXISTING COURT OPINIONS RELATING TO THIS CHAPTER DO NOT HAVE PRECEDENTIAL FORCE OR EFFECT IF THE OPINIONS CONFLICT WITH THE RULE OF CONSTRUCTION PRESCRIBED IN PARAGRAPH 1 OF THIS SECTION. 

Of course, it may be fair, because while the legislature in thumbing its nose, most of the people of Arizona are doing something else while the lege is in session -

Holding our noses.

If Kari Lake is elected, expect more attacks on public education

From the website of the FEC - 

If the name "Youssef Khalaf" seems familiar, it should - he's the treasurer for Lake.

From the website of the Arizona Secretary of State -

He was also the head of, and treasurer of, an anti-Rusty Bowers PAC.

He, and a member of his family, have been heavily involved in the Lake campaign and other (allegedly) shady activities.

From The Gila Herald, dated 7/24/2022 -

Senate Rs show their true colors. In their view average Americans can go to hell; increased profits for their donors are more important

While this bill probably won't go anywhere (due to Rs lacking control of both chamber of Congress), Congressional Rs have made it clear what they'll prioritize if they take control of one or both chambers.

You can be sure that this bill will come up again if the Rs end up with a majority in the House, but not the Senate, just with different names attached to it.

From The Hill - 

Senate Republican bill would repeal Democratic drug pricing law

Senate Republicans on Friday introduced a bill that would roll back the drug pricing reforms included in the sweeping Inflation Reduction Act, including the measures allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices and capping annual drug expenses for many seniors.

Republican Sens. James Lankford (Okla.), Mike Lee (Utah), Cynthia Lummis (Wyo.) and Marco Rubio (Fla.) introduced the “Protecting Drug Innovation Act” on Friday, saying they wanted to pull back government authority over the prices of drugs covered by Medicare.

[snip]

Democrats, who have been campaigning off of the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act, have continually warned that Republicans will seek to repeal the sweeping cost-reduction package if they take back control of Congress.

President Biden echoed these warnings earlier on Friday.

“They’re saying they’re going to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act if they gain control of Congress. Let’s be crystal clear what that means. If Republicans take control over Congress, it means the power we just gave Medicare to negotiate drug prices goes away. Gone. Prices go back up,” Biden said.

The bill in question is S 4953.

The ADL has a list of members of the far-right fringe group the Oath Keepers. Surprisingly, it doesn't include the entire R caucus of the legislature.

It should, though.

From the ADL -

The Oath Keepers Data Leak: Unmasking Extremism in Public Life

In the wake of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, significant public and legal scrutiny was focused on the Oath Keepers, a large anti-government extremist group associated with the militia movement. Despite the group’s national profile, few specifics were known about its membership.

That changed in September 2021, when the non-profit journalist collective Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets) published – among other data – more than 38,000 names on the Oath Keepers’ membership list. The membership data provides unique insight into the people who signed up and paid dues to the organization over the years and helps illuminate the extent to which the group’s anti-government ideology has permeated mainstream society.

[snip]

There are some notable exceptions. While COE did not find anyone currently holding office at the federal level, there were several individuals on the membership list who hold state positions, including:

• Arizona State Senator Wendy Rogers, a self-proclaimed member of the Oath Keepers, who has remained a supporter despite the group’s alleged participation in the January 6 attack. In March 2021 – just two months after the insurrection – Rogers met with the Cottonwood Oath Keepers and praised the group for their “dedication to our Constitution and to our country.” According to the database, she signed up for an annual membership.

[snip]

• Major Eben Bratcher, who works for the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office, wrote, “I am currently the Patrol Bureau Commander for the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona. We have 85 sworn officers and Border Mexico on the South and California on the West. I’ve already introduced your web site to dozens of my Deputies.” Bratcher claims he left the organization several years ago because of the number of emails it sent.

[snip]

While the open-source resources used by COE to identify individuals typically provide accurate information, there are some limitations to this methodology, particularly in verifying names within the database that matched the names of law enforcement and military personnel.

First, multiple people in an area may have the same name. To the best of its abilities, COE worked to verify the individuals in question, and common names in high-density population areas were excluded from the final count. In addition, where applicable, COE has informed law enforcement agencies (with appropriate caveats) across the country that a person with a name matching one of their employees was found in the Oath Keepers database. Some agencies have been responsive, but others have not responded, or have responded without confirmation. Every elected official or 2022 candidate included in the final total has been confirmed based on public reporting, public statements made by the individual in question, or by comparing the information provided to the Oath Keepers with the official’s public filings, public records, or online posts containing phone numbers, email addresses, or physical addresses.

Second, it is possible that these numbers do not fully account for individuals who may have moved a significant distance, those who do not have an online presence, and those who do not self-identify their profession on their social media pages. As such, it is possible that the true number could be higher than what is documented in this report.

Third, this report does not include people who only joined local Oath Keepers chapters, or who are Oath Keepers but never officially signed up for the group. Rhodes allowed members currently serving in law enforcement and the military to participate in the organization without formally signing up, knowing that formal association with the organization could endanger their employment.

Finally, it is important to note once more that an individual’s inclusion in the Oath Keeper database is not proof that they were or are still an Oath Keeper, that they hold or held all or some of Oath Keeper ideology or viewpoints, or that they ever actively participated in Oath Keeper activities. When reviewing this information, you should bear in mind the possibility that the individual misunderstood the nature of the Oath Keepers. Before taking any action based on this information, an individualized assessment of the individual must take place.

Let me sum up the caveats in a briefer fashion:

1. Inclusion in the DB is NOT definitive evidence that someone is extremist.

2. Not being in the DB is NOT definitive evidence that someone is NOT an extremist.

The AZ tally from the ADL report -

While the ADL report doesn't contain all of the specific names of the elected officials who are members of the Oath Keepers look to be Rogers, State Sen. Kelly Townsend, State Rep. Mark Finchem, and State Rep. Quang Nguyen.  How did I come up with that list?  This article from The Copper Courier, dated June 13, 2022 -

These 4 Arizona Lawmakers Have Ties to the Oath Keepers, a Far-Right, Anti-Government Group

The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers—two far-right, anti-government extremist groups—were at the center of Thursday’s first public congressional committee hearing regarding the attack on the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

[snip]

Several Arizona lawmakers have expressed support or admiration for the Oath Keepers during or before their time in office. Stewart Rhodes, the group’s leader and founder, is set to face trial for seditious conspiracy in September.

Rep. Mark Finchem, R-Tucson/Casa Grande, assumed office in 2015. Less than one year earlier, he posted about an Oath Keepers meetup in Tucson. 

[snip]

Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, known to cozy up to white nationalists who praise Vladimir Putin and Adolf Hitler like Nicholas Fuentes, is a self-proclaimed member of the Oath Keepers. She met with the Cottonwood chapter two months after the Jan. 6 insurrection. 

[snip]

Sen. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, had “Oathkeeper” in her Twitter bio for months after the Jan. 6 insurrection. 

[snip]

Rep. Quang Nguyen, R-Prescott Valley, flatly said on Twitter, “I’m an Oath Keeper. Do not ever forget it. Now what?”

More on Finchem from Time Magazine, dated August 3, 2022 -

An Oath Keeper Could End Up in Charge of Arizona's Elections

Two Donald Trump loyalists who spun baseless conspiracy theories about the last presidential election moved one step closer Tuesday night to overseeing the next one in a key battleground state.

Mark Finchem, who has identified himself as a member of the Oath Keepers, marched to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, pushed for a fruitless partisan review of the presidential ballots in Arizona’s Maricopa County, and has vowed to radically reshape voting rights in the state, won Arizona’s Republican primary for Secretary of State, a position which serves as the state’s chief election officer.