LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

 With the Legislature still technically on recess until June 12^th, the Senators came to the legislature only one day this week, Tuesday, May 31^st.  The current numbers are listed below for this week’s changes though.  The Senate was kept busy sending 14 more Bills to the Governor for a signature or Veto.  I see about 8 of these Bills being vetoed by the Veto Queen…

Little crickets are telling me that there are lots of things planned for when the Legislators return.  Check CITIZEN LEGISLATOR below for just a few of the rumors that I have

The following Bills were sent to the Governor this week.

 

Bills Sent To The Governor:  14

 SB1040               public schools; restrooms; reasonable accommodations                 6/2

 SB1146               divestment; K-12; abortion; explicit material                                         5/30

SB1201               early ballots; signatures; electronic pollbooks                                      5/30

 SB1221               health information organizations                                                               5/30

SB1243               STO’s; individual income tax credits                                                          6/2

 SB1264               officials; political action committee prohibition                                    6/2

SB1265               voting; elections; tally; prohibition                                                            5/30

 SB1268               annexation; notice; approval                                                                       5/30

 SB1277               unmanned aircraft; photography; loitering prohibited                      5/30

SB1401               technical correction; malpractice claim review                                     5/30

 SB1413               homeless encampment; removal                                                               5/30

SB1597               early ballot on-site tabulation; requirement                                          6/2

SB1696               sexually explicit materials; government; prohibition                          5/30

SB1711               ambulances; emergency medical services                                              5/30

 

Bills Signed By The Governor:  2 (both on 5/26)

SB1188               technical correction; non-probate transfers

SB1197               juvenile offenders; monetary sanctions; repeal

CITIZEN LEGISLATOR

Put on your reading glasses for some catch-up news.

 

Is Sine Die Coming in October?

It all depends on who you talk to.

Stan Barnes, a former lawmaker says, “There’s whispers all over the Capitol crowd about that.”

“I think … they just want to have authority over whatever she’s (Gov. Katie Hobbs) going to do,” said Chuck Coughlin, another GOP strategist.

“I think Petersen and his folks on this probably want to prevent recess appointments from the governor,” said Gaelle Esposito, a progressive consultant, referring to Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert.

But if you ask Senate President Warren Petersen or House Speaker Ben Toma, it is crickets.  The vibes circulating is that Peterson does not want to go Sine Die, and Toma does.

Keep in mind the new fiscal year starts July 1 and the legislative session has never come back after that date; at least since the 1960’s.

With the budget done, there are still some major topics that need to be decided.

 

Proposition 400, the expiring Maricopa County transportation tax is one of them.  The Democrats, also, still have an issue with the ESAs and the cost of implementing them.  Let’s see if the Republications are on the same train track.

Attached, I have an excellent explanation of Proposition 400 put together by the Arizona Free Enterprise.

 

School Vouchers – a report just came out this week that estimates the new universal voucher program will cost the state $900 million per year.  The Republicans will likely resist any limits on the program that they implemented last year.  See #6 below and an attachment on School Vouchers.

Some of the Democrats had questions regarding the Bills that passed this session with Sine Die not happening.  The short response is:  New laws that aren’t part of the operating budget and aren’t passed with an emergency clause, go into effect 90 days after the end of the legislative session.

There’s really nothing lawmakers can do to get around that timeframe, which is set by the State Constitution.

One question that the Democrats had was:  Can Sine Die happen when both Chambers are not in agreement with each other?

Simple Answer:  yes.  It has happened when the Senate did adjourn and the House was not ready to; But, it makes for a more compatible working environment when there is agreement as to when Sine Die should happen.

 

Are more PC’s censuring their lawmakers?

This year seems to be the year for censorship.  Ever since former Rep. Liz Harris was expelled from the House on April 12, several Republican LD precinct committeemen have adopted resolutions that have censured the 18 Republican legislators who voted to expel Harris.

At least 7 LD’s have voted to censor Speaker Toma, including his own LD 27.  But the censors were not only because of the expulsion of Harris.

Rep. Quang Nguyen, LD1, expects his precinct committeemen in Yavapai County to vote on a resolution to censure him and his seatmate Rep. Selina Bliss, R-Prescott, because they both voted to expel Harris.

Legislative District 3 Republicans censured Rep. Joseph Chaplik, despite him voting to not expel Harris.  LD3 precinct committeemen also censured Chaplik because he has blocked several of his own PCs and constituents on social media.

LD11 Republicans censured both Toma and Senate President Warren Petersen, for not setting Maricopa County’s budget to $0 to respond to election “misconduct” and “fraud.”

In 2022, former Republican Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers, was censured as well as Sen Kyrsten Sinema.

Censures do not have a binding effect, but they do seem to bring a lot of attention to get one’s eye off the more important issues of the day.

 

The Senate panel voted NO to former Senator Martín Quezada…

The Senate DINO Committee rejected former Senator Martín Quezada to be appointed by Gov. Katie Hobbs to serve as director of the Arizona Registrar of Contractors.

The committee voted against Quezada 3-2 on party lines. Republicans called Quezada an “unqualified extremist” with a “racist past.”

Quezada was one of the Legislature’s most vocal left-wing members over the past several years, both on social media and the floor.  He had to contend mainly with charges of antisemitism, during his Treasurer race in 2022.

Quezada has also made several statements supporting Palestine and opposing Israel, which most Republicans and some Democrats do not agree with.

Quezada’s voting history came up several times, where Quezada voted against candidates of color, women and Jewish people.

His nomination now goes to the Senate floor for a vote.  If rejected, Quezada said he doesn’t know who might be picked for director, or what his next steps will be.

 

Hobb’s top aide resigns; Chad Campbell’s name is on the short list.

Gov. Katie Hobbs’ chief of staff Allie Bones resigned on Thursday, after holding the position for less than five months.

Democratic lawmaker turned consultant Chad Campbell’s name is on the short list of possibilities.

The governor’s office said a new chief of staff would be named next week.

Campbell has served three terms in the House, including as minority leader and understands that role of government as Chief of Staff.  Campbell knows he must be the governor’s biggest partner in negotiations, policy making, and in flipping the legislature in 2024.

 

Another legislative seat will be filled by June 12…hopefully.

When Senator Terán’s seat was replaced with now Sen. Flavio Bravo, lawmakers were left with an open House seat.  When they return to the Arizona Legislature on June 12, they hope to have this seat filled by Maricopa County officials.

County Supervisor Steve Gallardo has interviews with the three candidates nominated by LD26 Democratic precinct committeemen next week.  He will be interviewing LD26 Democrats’ Quant’a Crews, as well as Christian Solorio and Veronica Monge.

Crews was nominated for Teran’s seat earlier in the session but was not appointed by the Board of Supervisors.  Crews is a real estate appraiser and an associate minister at the Tanner Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Christian Solorio is hoping for a second term as a state representative after being appointed to the House in 2021.  Like Crews, housing and education are among Solorio’s biggest priorities.

Monge is the LD26 Democrats’ treasurer and also an elected precinct committeeman since 2016.  She volunteers with community organizations and serves as a co-chairman of the Arizona Poor People’s Campaign and the president of the Civil Rights Center.  Monge was mentored by former Phoenix Mayor and Attorney General Terry Goddard.

 

ESA vouchers expected to cost $900M next year

Kiera-Riley, Arizona Capital Times, wrote an article on June 1, covering this issue.  She writes that the Empowerment Scholarship Account program is on track to cost the state $900 million by the end of the next fiscal year, according to the most recent estimate by the Arizona Department of Education.

The cost of ESAs has consistently outpaced legislative projections. The most recent analysis from the Joint Legislative Budget Committee predicted the program would cost the state more than $500 million, which already far eclipsed the initially projected $30 million.

To read the rest of the story, please go to the attachment, “ESA VOUCHERS.”

Another attachment called, “Maricopa Association of Governments Conceals True Intent of Prop 400 Plan” explains Proposition 400.  Please read.

HOW TO CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATOR

The RTS (Request to Speak) system is a necessary component to our legislative process.  This is an excellent way to share your positions on a particular Bill and let your legislator know that you support his/her legislation.  Please review this site and make sure you know how to use it properly.  The legislators depend a lot on your opinions and this is where you share them.

The link to sign up for the RTS system can be found here:  https://www.azleg.gov/alispdfs/Using_the_Request_to_Speak_Program.pdf

GENERAL INFORMATION

Once again, as a gentle reminder to all of the people who just joined these updates, this is how to read the attachments.  All the Bills listed on the attachments are mostly ALL the Republican Introduced Bills.

The Bills highlighted in Green are the GOP Bills I monitor on a daily basis.  The Bills highlighted in Gray, are ones introduced by LD2 legislators, Senator Kaiser and Representative Wilmeth.

And, the Bills highlighted with yellow in the status and date columns, are noted for your review to see their progression in the legislative process.  All Bills are up to date through 6/3/23.

And yes, I did remove most all the Bills highlighted in Blue that were Democrat sponsored.  If the Bills were not moving out of Committee like the Republican sponsored Bills, they have been removed from the monitoring cycle.

Remember, each Bill Number listed is a link to the Bill itself and you can access the status, documents and Agenda’s by clicking onto the link.  Even though I monitor and keep track of the Bills daily, I only send out Updates on the weekends.  So, if you want daily updates on any Bill, just click onto the Bill Number, and go to Overview or Status, for real-time information.  Don’t forget, there is an attachment with the Abbreviations used in the legislature to make your reading easier to understand.

As always, if there are Bills that I am not specifically monitoring, PLEASE let me know and I will add them to my list for you.

Respectfully,

Linda Brickman,

Chairman of Legislative Affairs for MCRC and Chairman of LD2 Legislative Affairs,

Email:  Luvbug1611@cox.net

Cell:  602-330-9422

SESSION STATISTICS

Days of Session: 146

Bills Posted: 1671

Bills Transmitted to the Governor: 293

Bills Vetoed: 117

Bills Signed: 164

Resolutions Posted: 109

Resolutions Sent to the SOS: 28

1. HCM2002    federal lands housing shortage
2. HCM2003    critical minerals; copper; urging the president
3. HCM2004    urging Congress; national forest health
4. HCM2005    hunting; angling; wildlife conservation
5. HCM2006    urging eradication; salt cedars; waterways
6. HCM2007    state immigration enforcement; urging Congress
7. HCM2008    air quality; ozone standards; opposing
8. HCR2001     school district expenditures; authorizations
9. HCR2012     support; water management policies
10. HCR2027     Russell Pearce; death resolution
11. HCR2033     primary elections; eligible candidates
12. HCR2037     Assyrian New Year; recognizing
13. HCR2044     Assyrian Genocide; recognition
14. HCR2045     Jack Jackson, Sr.; death resolution
15. HCR2047     twentieth anniversary; death; Lori Piestewa
16. HCR2048     Joe Hart; death resolution
17. HCR2049     Ann Nichols; death resolution
18. HR2002        securing America’s lands; foreign interference
19. HR2003        Liz Harris; expulsion
20. SCR1001     violent crime; evidence-based strategies
21. SCR1006     death benefit; assault; first responders
22. SCR1020     James Henderson; death resolution
23. SCR1021     United States; Taiwan; trade resolution
24. SCR1037     presidential electors; constitutional appointments

(NOW; elections; systems; equipment)

1. SCR1039     Ted Williams; death resolution
2. SCR1040     reappointment; Lindsey Perry ; auditor general
3. SCR1041     school districts; expenditure limit; authorization
4. SR1004        Mel Hannah; death resolution

Attachments

2023 Abbreviations 2 (003) (002)

2023 AZ STATE LEGISLATIVE BILLS AND ACTIONS 06223 SHORT VERSION

ESA vouchers expected to cost $900M next year

Maricopa Association of Governments Conceals True Intent of Prop 400 Plan