...of course, the lack of smoke doesn't increase visibility...and while they may not be under the influence of nicotine, they may be under the influence of something more harmful - a special kind of Kool-Aid...
This week has seen a serious uproar in Arizona politics as the governor and the leadership of the legislature unveiled a "deal" on a state budget that proposes massive cuts to Arizona's education system, both higher ed and K-12 (to be fair, they state that more money is being budgeted for AZ's K-12 classrooms, which sounds good, until you see that they are counting money taken away from school operations and given to classrooms as an "increase").
This has caused a round of protests at the Capitol from different pro-education groups, protests that seem to have some good effect - as of this writing, the governor and the R leadership of the lege don't have quite enough votes to pass the budget (lots of horse trading and arm twisting going on at the Capitol right now).
What also upset a lot of people, including some of those who would probably support the budget under most other circumstances, is the almost complete lack of transparency of the budget process.
Essentially, many of the Rs were told "Oh, we have a budget deal now. Vote for it."
For some reason, many people, including many of the Rs in the legislature, find that attitude, and the lack of transparency that goes with it, to be utterly unacceptable.
They also find the lack of transparency to be a surprise, but they shouldn't - if there is one thing that this legislature, the 52nd Arizona Legislature will be known for, it is its unrelenting attacks on government transparency.
Some examples from the current legislature:
HB2016, requiring the Arizona Corporation Commission to post certain corporate filings in an online database for 90 days instead of requiring that notices of the filings be published in a newspaper (passed House committee consideration on a party-line vote and House COW [Committee of the Whole] on a voice vote; awaiting final approval in the House)
HB2071, allowing candidates to conceal their residential address, even if that is their campaign address (dead for now, but with strikers and BRBs, it isn't dead until Sine Die)
SB1047, keeping the names of winners of the various state lottery games secret for 90 days (passed the Senate, passed committee consideration in the House, awaiting floor action in the House)
SB1073, allowing former judges to have their personal information removed from public records (passed the Senate, passed committee consideration in the House, awaiting floor action in the House)
SB1098, quadrupling the revenue threshold for public service corporation below which they can seek a rate hike without a public hearing (passed the Senate; awaiting House consideration)
SB1300, making any recordings made by police body cameras non-public records (passed the Senate; awaiting House consideration)
SB1435, gutting the state's Open Meeting law (dead, but with the usual "nothing is dead until Sine Die" caveat)
SB1445, keeping secret for 90 days the names of peace officers who use deadly force (passed the Senate; passed committee in the House; awaiting floor action in the House)
This list isn't comprehensive, and it doesn't include cases where the lege isn't creating more opaqueness but is just blocking increase transparency (i.e. - campaign finance stuff) or is trying to require more openness on the part of anyone that they don't like (poor people, the federal government, etc.).
As I write this (at approximately 10:25 at night), the lege is in recess as the leadership tries to gather support for their budget so that they can pass it in the dark of night.
Maybe because the lege figures darkness is better concealment than smoke...because there is no other conceivable justification for this.
Friday, March 06, 2015
Thursday, March 05, 2015
AZ Budget time: Whoo! Whoooo! The AZ lege has this railroad running with a full head of steam...
...and aimed straight at Arizona's education system...
The package of budget bills has been posted on the lege's website, they are undergoing committee consideration in the chambers' respective Appropriations committees (where they will most likely be approved with party-line votes), and they are scheduled for Rules Committee rubber stamping tomorrow (Senate/House).
Setting them up for floor action on Friday, three days after the budget was revealed to the public. The rush seems to be an attempt to get the budget passed before the public can organize against it.
The only brake on this railroad, possibly, is the rumor that there is a group of Rs in the Senate who aren't on board the train. From the Twitter feed of Brahm Resnik, political reporter for Phoenix channel 12 -
Having said that, expectations are that the "stealth" budget will be a "done" budget by Saturday.
The budget bills (only linking to the House version, in the interest of time):
General Appropriations - HB2671/SB1469
Capital Outlay - HB2672/SB1470
Revenue Budget Reconciliation Bill (BRB) - HB2673/SB1471
Budget Procedures - HB2674/SB1472
Government BRB - HB2675/SB1473
Environment BRB - HB2676/SB1474
Health BRB - HB2677/SB1475
K-12 Education BRB - HB2683/SB1476
Higher Education BRB - HB2679/SB1477
Criminal Justice BRB - HB2680/SB1478
Human Services BRB - HB2681/SB1479
Agency Consolidation BRB - HB2682/SB1480
The package of budget bills has been posted on the lege's website, they are undergoing committee consideration in the chambers' respective Appropriations committees (where they will most likely be approved with party-line votes), and they are scheduled for Rules Committee rubber stamping tomorrow (Senate/House).
Setting them up for floor action on Friday, three days after the budget was revealed to the public. The rush seems to be an attempt to get the budget passed before the public can organize against it.
The only brake on this railroad, possibly, is the rumor that there is a group of Rs in the Senate who aren't on board the train. From the Twitter feed of Brahm Resnik, political reporter for Phoenix channel 12 -
Having said that, expectations are that the "stealth" budget will be a "done" budget by Saturday.
The budget bills (only linking to the House version, in the interest of time):
General Appropriations - HB2671/SB1469
Capital Outlay - HB2672/SB1470
Revenue Budget Reconciliation Bill (BRB) - HB2673/SB1471
Budget Procedures - HB2674/SB1472
Government BRB - HB2675/SB1473
Environment BRB - HB2676/SB1474
Health BRB - HB2677/SB1475
K-12 Education BRB - HB2683/SB1476
Higher Education BRB - HB2679/SB1477
Criminal Justice BRB - HB2680/SB1478
Human Services BRB - HB2681/SB1479
Agency Consolidation BRB - HB2682/SB1480
Wednesday, March 04, 2015
AZ state budget process: Don't blink, or you'll miss it
...Actually, even if you keep your eyes open and focused on the Capitol, you'll still miss it.
Because it is deliberately concealed from public view.
News broke last night that the governor and the leadership of the legislature have worked out a budget deal.
And it is far worse for the people of Arizona than the s--t sandwich proposed by Governor Doug Ducey in January.
As of this writing (Wednesday evening), nothing is on the lege's website as yet. However, a number of news stories from AZ's political press corps are already up.
From Brahm Resnik of Phoenix' Channel 12, on AZCentral.com -
Resnik's article has a link to a .pdf summary of the proposed budget.
The budget that has apparently been agreed to is so bad that the editorial board of the Arizona Republic, normally a group that mindlessly parrots the drivel spewed by the Rs at the Capitol, has already editorialized against it here.
From State Sen. Steve Farley's Facebook page:
By the looks of things, the leadership of the lege is looking to cram this steaming pile of ugly by Saturday, but there is already a protest/rally scheduled for Thursday at the Capitol to protest the cuts to the state's education system (it was planned in response to Ducey's proposed savaging of the system, so now the timing seems almost prescient)
From the event's Facebook page -
The time: 4:15 p.m.
The place: Arizona State Capitol, 1700 West Washington Street, Phoenix
Parking is available at the Wesley Bolin Plaza (east of the lege complex) or in the parking lot of the Executive Tower (west of the lege complex).
Be there.
Because it is deliberately concealed from public view.
News broke last night that the governor and the leadership of the legislature have worked out a budget deal.
And it is far worse for the people of Arizona than the s--t sandwich proposed by Governor Doug Ducey in January.
As of this writing (Wednesday evening), nothing is on the lege's website as yet. However, a number of news stories from AZ's political press corps are already up.
From Brahm Resnik of Phoenix' Channel 12, on AZCentral.com -
The state budget is getting worse – much worse – for Arizona's universities and community colleges.
A budget deal between GOP Gov. Doug Ducey and Republican legislative leaders would cut even deeper than the budget Ducey proposed in January, according to budget memos obtained Wednesday by 12 News.
Resnik's article has a link to a .pdf summary of the proposed budget.
The budget that has apparently been agreed to is so bad that the editorial board of the Arizona Republic, normally a group that mindlessly parrots the drivel spewed by the Rs at the Capitol, has already editorialized against it here.
From State Sen. Steve Farley's Facebook page:
Just got out of budget meeting in the Senate. The bills they are trying to pass have a whole lot for me to write about, but here are the toplines:
--> Cuts to hospital and provider rates for those providing care to Medicaid / AHCCCS patients total $127 million over two years which mean a loss of another $588 million in federal matching funds from Arizona's economy over that time.
--> K-12 schools are cut $98 million in FY16 and another $157 million in FY17.
--> community colleges in Pima, Pinal, and Maricopa Counties are zeroed out completely from state funding.
--> Universities are cut 14% for a $104 million cut in FY16.
--> JTED programs are cut by $30 million in FY17.
--> TUSD is singled out for a $8 - $15 million hit annually from elimination of the 1% prop tax cap which may lead to higher prop taxes.
--> $10 million cuts to the Department of Child Safety.
--> $360 million left untouched in the Rainy Day fund
--> and no discussion of suspending the remaining $883 million in corporate tax giveaways that will go into effect in the next three years or the $12.6 billion in special interest sales tax loopholes.
By the looks of things, the leadership of the lege is looking to cram this steaming pile of ugly by Saturday, but there is already a protest/rally scheduled for Thursday at the Capitol to protest the cuts to the state's education system (it was planned in response to Ducey's proposed savaging of the system, so now the timing seems almost prescient)
From the event's Facebook page -
The time: 4:15 p.m.
The place: Arizona State Capitol, 1700 West Washington Street, Phoenix
Parking is available at the Wesley Bolin Plaza (east of the lege complex) or in the parking lot of the Executive Tower (west of the lege complex).
Be there.
Sunday, March 01, 2015
Arizona legislature: the coming week
In relative terms, this coming week is shaping up to be a quiet one at the lege.
In that there are only a couple of agendas that look to be full of "nuggets of ugly". As opposed to the usual majority of agendas having bills that are nasty.
Having said that, watch for agendas to change, especially those for meetings that take place later in the week...
Notes:
All committees meetings and agendas are subject to change without notice, and frequently do. If you plan to travel to the Capitol to observe or weigh in on the consideration of a particular measure, check with the lege ahead of time to confirm that the meeting that you are interesting in is still on schedule and your item(s) of interest is still on the agenda for that meeting.
Meeting rooms designated "HHR" are in the House of Representatives building.
Meeting rooms designated "SHR" are in the Senate building.
Some agendas are summarized as "looks harmless", but if they cover an area of interest to you, examine the agenda and the bills on it. If I missed something significant, please leave a comment letting me know.
All House committee agendas can be found here. All Senate committee agendas can be found here.
On the Senate side of the Capitol -
Natural Resources, Monday, 9 a.m., SHR109. Presentations only, at this point.
State Debt and Budget Reform, Monday, 10 a.m., SHR3. Presentations on state revenue from a few organizations, including, for some reason, the Goldwater Institute.
Water and Energy, Monday, 2 p.m., SHR3. Looks relatively harmless at this point.
Commerce and Workforce Development, Monday, 2 p.m., SHR1. On the agenda: HB2346, stating that workers' compensation insurance carriers don't have to provide reimbursement for medical marijuana.
Rural Affairs and Environment, Tuesday, 9 a.m., SHR109. "Air quality rules are bad for industrial agriculture" day at the legislature. On the agenda: A presentation on "Agricultural Air Quality Regulations by ADEQ and Industry Specialists"; HB2394, requiring that "anyone who commences a regulated agricultural activity to immediately comply with the agricultural general permit beginning January 1, 2016" (quoting the legislative summary of the bill) - currently, there is an 18 month grace period before compliance with the agricultural permit is required; HB2581, creating something called the "Prescribed Burns Liability Study Committee".
Transportation, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR1. On the agenda: HB2345, removing the requirements that motorcycles in AZ have handrails for passengers and that the handlebars of the motorcycles are designed so that the hands of the operator are below shoulder level.
Appropriations, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR109. On the agenda: HB2380, a Republican grandstanding bill regarding "truth in spending" hearings.
Public Safety, Military, and Technology, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR1. On the agenda: HB2377, Declaring that the Law Enforcement Merit System Council's (LEMSC) determination for an appeal of a disciplinary action is final and binding and no longer subject to review by the director of an employer agency.
Health and Human Services, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR1. On the agenda: HB2238, a proposal to specify in state law that a health professional does not have to participate in a third party reimbursement program as a condition a receiving a professional license (this is from Sen. Kelli Ward [R-eyeing John McCain's Senate seat] and is her latest attempt to allow her fellow travelers to discriminate against Medicare/Medicaid patients).
Government, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR3. On the agenda: HB2272, allowing a retired law enforcement officer who is a member of the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS), the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS), the Corrections Officer Retirement Plan (CORP), or the Elected Officials’ Retirement Plan (EORP) to purchase a firearm issued by an employer at a price determined by the employer; HB2509, making it a class 4 felony, except under specific circumstance, to take, or attempt to take, control of someone's firearm.
Financial Institutions, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR109. Looks harmless so far.
Finance, Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR3. On the agenda: HB2001, indexing income tax brackets to the state's inflation rate. A back door tax and revenue cut, as the inflation rate tracks changes in living costs, not changes in wages (which are the basis for income, for most people anyway); HB2109, micromanaging ballot language for local bond elections; HB2538, micromanaging county special districts (flood control, library, etc.) regarding taxes.
Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR1. On the agenda: HB2180, mandating that the state board of education establish a menu of tests that schools can use to assess student achievement.
Judiciary, Thursday, 9:30 a.m., SHR109. Looks relatively harmless at this point.
On the House side of the Capitol -
Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., HHR4. Long agenda of bills to be rubber-stamped on their way to floor.action.
Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR1. On the agenda: SB1079, barring municipalities from preventing private enterprises from providing trash/recycling services to multifamily properties.
County and Municipal Affairs, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR4. On the agenda: SB1069, barring municipalities and counties from requiring retail businesses to follow certain security requirements.
Children and Family Affairs, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR5. Looks harmless so far.
Transportation and Infrastructure, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR1. Looks harmless so far.
Health, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR4. Looks relatively harmless.
Banking and Financial Services, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR3. Looks relatively harmless, though some of the bills border on being hyper-technical and I may be missing some of the nuances here.
Federalism and States' Rights, Wednesday, 9 a.m., HHR5. And so the streak of "not bad" agendas ends... On that agenda: SCM1006, a love letter to Congress urging it to support the building of the Keystone XL pipeline. Not sure how the recent presidential veto of the scheme will affect consideration; SCM1009, a love letter to Congress urging it to exempt military bases and military training facilities from complying with the Endangered Species Act; SCM1012, a love letter to Congress urging it to water down the Endangered Species Act; SCM1013, a love letter to Congress urging it to oppose any new EPA rules related to the Clean Air Act that impact electrical generating plants.
Commerce, Wednesday, 9:30 a.m., HHR1. Looks harmless so far.
Insurance, Wednesday, 10 a.m., HHR4. Looks harmless so far.
Education, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR4. On the agenda: SB1074, requiring public school districts to allow charter schools to purchase or lease the unused facilities of public school districts; SB1286, allowing private colleges and universities to operate charter schools; SB1332, expandingschool vouchers "empowerment scholarship accounts".
Appropriations, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR1. On the agenda: SB1188, relating to conforming AZ law to federal tax code. An annual bill that usually sails through the lege, but this year, there is a little push-back on it - according to the fiscal analysis of the bill by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, it will result in a net reduction in state revenue of nearly $31 million.
Agriculture, Water, and Lands, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR3. On the agenda: SB1185, appropriating $250K to the AZAG's office to pay for litigation against the reintroduction of Mexican grey wolves in Arizona.
Government and Higher Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR1. On the agenda: mostly bills that are too technical for me to understand and SB1441, declaring that the official state metal is copper.
Military Affairs and Public Safety, Thursday, 10 a.m., HHR5. On the agenda: SB1445, keeping secret for 90 days the name of law enforcement officers who kill or use deadly force.
The House has posted a COW (Committee of the Whole) calendar here and here and here for Monday.
The Senate has posted no floor calendars at this point.
The Capitol Events calendar is here.
In that there are only a couple of agendas that look to be full of "nuggets of ugly". As opposed to the usual majority of agendas having bills that are nasty.
Having said that, watch for agendas to change, especially those for meetings that take place later in the week...
Notes:
All committees meetings and agendas are subject to change without notice, and frequently do. If you plan to travel to the Capitol to observe or weigh in on the consideration of a particular measure, check with the lege ahead of time to confirm that the meeting that you are interesting in is still on schedule and your item(s) of interest is still on the agenda for that meeting.
Meeting rooms designated "HHR" are in the House of Representatives building.
Meeting rooms designated "SHR" are in the Senate building.
Some agendas are summarized as "looks harmless", but if they cover an area of interest to you, examine the agenda and the bills on it. If I missed something significant, please leave a comment letting me know.
All House committee agendas can be found here. All Senate committee agendas can be found here.
On the Senate side of the Capitol -
Natural Resources, Monday, 9 a.m., SHR109. Presentations only, at this point.
State Debt and Budget Reform, Monday, 10 a.m., SHR3. Presentations on state revenue from a few organizations, including, for some reason, the Goldwater Institute.
Water and Energy, Monday, 2 p.m., SHR3. Looks relatively harmless at this point.
Commerce and Workforce Development, Monday, 2 p.m., SHR1. On the agenda: HB2346, stating that workers' compensation insurance carriers don't have to provide reimbursement for medical marijuana.
Rural Affairs and Environment, Tuesday, 9 a.m., SHR109. "Air quality rules are bad for industrial agriculture" day at the legislature. On the agenda: A presentation on "Agricultural Air Quality Regulations by ADEQ and Industry Specialists"; HB2394, requiring that "anyone who commences a regulated agricultural activity to immediately comply with the agricultural general permit beginning January 1, 2016" (quoting the legislative summary of the bill) - currently, there is an 18 month grace period before compliance with the agricultural permit is required; HB2581, creating something called the "Prescribed Burns Liability Study Committee".
Transportation, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR1. On the agenda: HB2345, removing the requirements that motorcycles in AZ have handrails for passengers and that the handlebars of the motorcycles are designed so that the hands of the operator are below shoulder level.
Appropriations, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR109. On the agenda: HB2380, a Republican grandstanding bill regarding "truth in spending" hearings.
Public Safety, Military, and Technology, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR1. On the agenda: HB2377, Declaring that the Law Enforcement Merit System Council's (LEMSC) determination for an appeal of a disciplinary action is final and binding and no longer subject to review by the director of an employer agency.
Health and Human Services, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR1. On the agenda: HB2238, a proposal to specify in state law that a health professional does not have to participate in a third party reimbursement program as a condition a receiving a professional license (this is from Sen. Kelli Ward [R-eyeing John McCain's Senate seat] and is her latest attempt to allow her fellow travelers to discriminate against Medicare/Medicaid patients).
Government, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR3. On the agenda: HB2272, allowing a retired law enforcement officer who is a member of the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS), the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS), the Corrections Officer Retirement Plan (CORP), or the Elected Officials’ Retirement Plan (EORP) to purchase a firearm issued by an employer at a price determined by the employer; HB2509, making it a class 4 felony, except under specific circumstance, to take, or attempt to take, control of someone's firearm.
Financial Institutions, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR109. Looks harmless so far.
Finance, Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR3. On the agenda: HB2001, indexing income tax brackets to the state's inflation rate. A back door tax and revenue cut, as the inflation rate tracks changes in living costs, not changes in wages (which are the basis for income, for most people anyway); HB2109, micromanaging ballot language for local bond elections; HB2538, micromanaging county special districts (flood control, library, etc.) regarding taxes.
Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR1. On the agenda: HB2180, mandating that the state board of education establish a menu of tests that schools can use to assess student achievement.
Judiciary, Thursday, 9:30 a.m., SHR109. Looks relatively harmless at this point.
On the House side of the Capitol -
Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., HHR4. Long agenda of bills to be rubber-stamped on their way to floor.action.
Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR1. On the agenda: SB1079, barring municipalities from preventing private enterprises from providing trash/recycling services to multifamily properties.
County and Municipal Affairs, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR4. On the agenda: SB1069, barring municipalities and counties from requiring retail businesses to follow certain security requirements.
Children and Family Affairs, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR5. Looks harmless so far.
Transportation and Infrastructure, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR1. Looks harmless so far.
Health, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR4. Looks relatively harmless.
Banking and Financial Services, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR3. Looks relatively harmless, though some of the bills border on being hyper-technical and I may be missing some of the nuances here.
Federalism and States' Rights, Wednesday, 9 a.m., HHR5. And so the streak of "not bad" agendas ends... On that agenda: SCM1006, a love letter to Congress urging it to support the building of the Keystone XL pipeline. Not sure how the recent presidential veto of the scheme will affect consideration; SCM1009, a love letter to Congress urging it to exempt military bases and military training facilities from complying with the Endangered Species Act; SCM1012, a love letter to Congress urging it to water down the Endangered Species Act; SCM1013, a love letter to Congress urging it to oppose any new EPA rules related to the Clean Air Act that impact electrical generating plants.
Commerce, Wednesday, 9:30 a.m., HHR1. Looks harmless so far.
Insurance, Wednesday, 10 a.m., HHR4. Looks harmless so far.
Education, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR4. On the agenda: SB1074, requiring public school districts to allow charter schools to purchase or lease the unused facilities of public school districts; SB1286, allowing private colleges and universities to operate charter schools; SB1332, expanding
Appropriations, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR1. On the agenda: SB1188, relating to conforming AZ law to federal tax code. An annual bill that usually sails through the lege, but this year, there is a little push-back on it - according to the fiscal analysis of the bill by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, it will result in a net reduction in state revenue of nearly $31 million.
Agriculture, Water, and Lands, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR3. On the agenda: SB1185, appropriating $250K to the AZAG's office to pay for litigation against the reintroduction of Mexican grey wolves in Arizona.
Government and Higher Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR1. On the agenda: mostly bills that are too technical for me to understand and SB1441, declaring that the official state metal is copper.
Military Affairs and Public Safety, Thursday, 10 a.m., HHR5. On the agenda: SB1445, keeping secret for 90 days the name of law enforcement officers who kill or use deadly force.
The House has posted a COW (Committee of the Whole) calendar here and here and here for Monday.
The Senate has posted no floor calendars at this point.
The Capitol Events calendar is here.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Strikers: what are "constitutionally nonenumerated federal lands"?
...or "Reason 202,147 to keep an eye on legislative agendas during silly season"...
Typically, in any legislative session in Arizona, there are a few efforts to have AZ secede from the United States by claiming that all federal land in AZ belongs to AZ, not the federal government.
Typically, those efforts don't go far, perhaps being passed by one of the BHC* committees, but not much further.
* = Black Helicopters Caucus (not every member of the committee are members of the BHC, but a majority are)
Typically, however, those efforts don't go away until sine die.
Bills like HB2318 (entering into a "compact" with other states for the purpose of gaining control of federal land), HB2321 (requiring the federal government to cede all federal lands in AZ by January 1, 2016 and to pay taxes on land not transferred to Arizona), HB2658 (creating a committee of Republicans to "study" the issues related to transferring federal land to state control), and HCM2005 (urging Congress to give federal land in AZ to the state) have all passed committee and are awaiting Rules Committee and floor consideration.
And probably will receive such consideration during the next couple of weeks.
However, those aren't enough for Rep. Justin Olson (R-of course).
He's proposed a strike-everything amendment (aka - "striker") to HB2176. It would enact the following -
("Commissioner" refers to the state land commissioner, currently Vanessa Hickman)
Later in the striker is a clause requiring the state to tax all such "constitutionally nonenumerated federal lands".
What isn't in the striker?
A clear definition of "constitutionally nonenumerated".
There is a "legislative findings" section postulating that the federal government cannot hold property unless said property is used for "enumerated" purposes, but even that is very vague.
In short, Olson's proposal is a gambit to grab any federal land in the state that he and his fellow travelers (or more likely, theirbribers...errr..."max campaign contributors") covet with their avaricious little hearts.
The striker is scheduled to be heard in House Appropriations on Wednesday. The meeting is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. in HHR1. If you can attend, please do; if you can only weigh in via the lege's Request to Speak system, please take a few minutes to do that.
Typically, in any legislative session in Arizona, there are a few efforts to have AZ secede from the United States by claiming that all federal land in AZ belongs to AZ, not the federal government.
Typically, those efforts don't go far, perhaps being passed by one of the BHC* committees, but not much further.
* = Black Helicopters Caucus (not every member of the committee are members of the BHC, but a majority are)
Typically, however, those efforts don't go away until sine die.
Bills like HB2318 (entering into a "compact" with other states for the purpose of gaining control of federal land), HB2321 (requiring the federal government to cede all federal lands in AZ by January 1, 2016 and to pay taxes on land not transferred to Arizona), HB2658 (creating a committee of Republicans to "study" the issues related to transferring federal land to state control), and HCM2005 (urging Congress to give federal land in AZ to the state) have all passed committee and are awaiting Rules Committee and floor consideration.
And probably will receive such consideration during the next couple of weeks.
However, those aren't enough for Rep. Justin Olson (R-of course).
He's proposed a strike-everything amendment (aka - "striker") to HB2176. It would enact the following -
A. The commissioner shall request The United States to relinquish all constitutionally nonenumerated federal land within this state to the state land trust on or before December 31, 2025.
B. Beginning January 1, 2026, the attorney general shall initiate proceedings against the United States in order to force the relinquishment of all remaining constitutionally nonenumerated federal land within this state to the state land trust.
("Commissioner" refers to the state land commissioner, currently Vanessa Hickman)
Later in the striker is a clause requiring the state to tax all such "constitutionally nonenumerated federal lands".
What isn't in the striker?
A clear definition of "constitutionally nonenumerated".
There is a "legislative findings" section postulating that the federal government cannot hold property unless said property is used for "enumerated" purposes, but even that is very vague.
In short, Olson's proposal is a gambit to grab any federal land in the state that he and his fellow travelers (or more likely, their
The striker is scheduled to be heard in House Appropriations on Wednesday. The meeting is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. in HHR1. If you can attend, please do; if you can only weigh in via the lege's Request to Speak system, please take a few minutes to do that.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Arizona legislature: The coming week
In terms of committee activity, this week is going to be a relatively light one. Last week was the last week that bills could be heard in committee in their originating chamber (with the exception of each chamber's Appropriations committee, making the chairs of those two committee incredibly popular with any fellow legislators trying to keep a pet bill alive).
This week will see a few bills heard in committee, but most of the action will be in the floor sessions.
Notes:
All committees meetings and agendas are subject to change without notice, and frequently do. If you plan to travel to the Capitol to observe or weigh in on the consideration of a particular measure, check with the lege ahead of time to confirm that the meeting that you are interesting in is still on schedule and your item(s) of interest is still on the agenda for that meeting.
Meeting rooms designated "HHR" are in the House of Representatives building.
Meeting rooms designated "SHR" are in the Senate building.
Some agendas are summarized as "looks harmless", but if they cover an area of interest to you, examine the agenda and the bills on it. If I missed something significant, please leave a comment letting me know.
All House committee agendas can be found here. All Senate committee agendas can be found here.
On the Senate side of the Capitol -
State Debt and Budget Reform, Monday, 10 a.m., SHR3. On the agenda: Presentations only, at this point.
Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., Caucus Room 1. Long agenda to be rubber-stamped for floor action.
Commerce and Workforce Development, Monday, 2 p.m., SHR1. On the agenda: a few House bills, but looks harmless so far.
Transportation, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR1. Short agenda, looks harmless so far.
Appropriations, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR109. Long agenda of Senate bills and strikers: a striker to SB1038, clarifying state statutes regarding Board of Education employees (related to the recent dust-up between State Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas and Governor Doug Ducey); a striker to SB1144, an attempt to scare voters into not approving ballot questions by putting a paragraph on each ballot advising voters of Prop 105 restrictions regarding legislative tinkering with voter-approved measures; SB1271, appropriating $10 million to pay for a "virtual" fence along the border with Mexico; SB1300, making recordings from police officer body cameras inaccessible to the public, except under limited circumstances; SB1328, creating a massive identity and eligibility verification system for applicants for public assistance, and requiring DES to contract with a third party vendor to create that system; SB1463, expandingschool vouchers "empowerment scholarship accounts" to cover online course work.
Public Safety, Military, and Technology, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR1. Looks harmless so far.
Finance, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR3. On the agenda: HB2079, micromanaging ballots for local bond elections; HB2128, expanding the religious exemption from taxation to property that is merely leased by a religious institution.
Health and Human Services, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR1. Looks harmless so far.
Government, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR3. Not so harmless. On the agenda: HB2300, permitting active and retired prosecutors to carry concealed firearms; HB2396, permitting wildlife guides to carry firearms larger than a pistol; HB2527, barring any political subdivision in the state, other than the lege itself, from passing any rule, ordinance, or law affecting the transfer of firearms.
Financial Institutions, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR109. On the agenda: HB2173, a gold as legal tender bill.
Judiciary, Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR109. Looks relatively harmless at this point.
Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR1. On the agenda: Presentations from private, for profit, schools. The rest looks harmless at this point.
On the House side of the Capitol -
Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., HHR4. Long agenda of bill to be rubber-stamped on their way to floor consideration.
Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR1. Presentation only at this point.
Ways and Means, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR3. On the agenda: SB1088, indexing income tax brackets to the inflation rate. This looks to be a back-door tax cut for wealthy people, because while the costs that are the foundation of the inflation rate rise regularly, wages (the basis of most taxpayers' income) are stagnant.
County and Municipal Affairs, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR4. On the agenda: SB1072, barring counties and municipalities from adopting zoning ordinances or other rules that would mandate the development of low- or moderate-income housing.
Health, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR4. Looks harmless so far.
Education, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR4. On the agenda: SB1093, prohibiting school districts and charter schools from charging students a fee for an examination to obtain credit for online coursework.
Commerce, Wednesday, 9:30 a.m., HHR1. On the agenda: SB1047, keeping secret the names of lottery prizewinners for 90 days.
Appropriations, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR1. On the agenda: a striker to HB2447. The agenda lists the subject as "real property managers; consolidated returns", but the text isn't available as yet.
Government and Higher Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR1. On the agenda: Presentation from for-profit "education" businesses; SB1090, an anti-union measure that bars any of the state's agencies or political subdivisions from requiring contractors in public works projects to enter into "neutrality" agreements with labor organizations or to participate in or contribute to apprenticeship programs.
Agriculture, Water, and Lands, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR3. Looks harmless so far.
Military Affairs and Public Safety, Thursday, 10 a.m., HHR5. Looks harmless so far.
The House has posted a Third Read (final approval) calendar and COW (Committee of the Whole) calendar here and here for Monday.
The Senate has posted a Third Read calendar and a COW calendar for Monday. When others are posted, they will be available here.
The Capitol Events calendar is here.
This week will see a few bills heard in committee, but most of the action will be in the floor sessions.
Notes:
All committees meetings and agendas are subject to change without notice, and frequently do. If you plan to travel to the Capitol to observe or weigh in on the consideration of a particular measure, check with the lege ahead of time to confirm that the meeting that you are interesting in is still on schedule and your item(s) of interest is still on the agenda for that meeting.
Meeting rooms designated "HHR" are in the House of Representatives building.
Meeting rooms designated "SHR" are in the Senate building.
Some agendas are summarized as "looks harmless", but if they cover an area of interest to you, examine the agenda and the bills on it. If I missed something significant, please leave a comment letting me know.
All House committee agendas can be found here. All Senate committee agendas can be found here.
On the Senate side of the Capitol -
State Debt and Budget Reform, Monday, 10 a.m., SHR3. On the agenda: Presentations only, at this point.
Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., Caucus Room 1. Long agenda to be rubber-stamped for floor action.
Commerce and Workforce Development, Monday, 2 p.m., SHR1. On the agenda: a few House bills, but looks harmless so far.
Transportation, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR1. Short agenda, looks harmless so far.
Appropriations, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR109. Long agenda of Senate bills and strikers: a striker to SB1038, clarifying state statutes regarding Board of Education employees (related to the recent dust-up between State Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas and Governor Doug Ducey); a striker to SB1144, an attempt to scare voters into not approving ballot questions by putting a paragraph on each ballot advising voters of Prop 105 restrictions regarding legislative tinkering with voter-approved measures; SB1271, appropriating $10 million to pay for a "virtual" fence along the border with Mexico; SB1300, making recordings from police officer body cameras inaccessible to the public, except under limited circumstances; SB1328, creating a massive identity and eligibility verification system for applicants for public assistance, and requiring DES to contract with a third party vendor to create that system; SB1463, expanding
Public Safety, Military, and Technology, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR1. Looks harmless so far.
Finance, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR3. On the agenda: HB2079, micromanaging ballots for local bond elections; HB2128, expanding the religious exemption from taxation to property that is merely leased by a religious institution.
Health and Human Services, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR1. Looks harmless so far.
Government, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR3. Not so harmless. On the agenda: HB2300, permitting active and retired prosecutors to carry concealed firearms; HB2396, permitting wildlife guides to carry firearms larger than a pistol; HB2527, barring any political subdivision in the state, other than the lege itself, from passing any rule, ordinance, or law affecting the transfer of firearms.
Financial Institutions, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR109. On the agenda: HB2173, a gold as legal tender bill.
Judiciary, Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR109. Looks relatively harmless at this point.
Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR1. On the agenda: Presentations from private, for profit, schools. The rest looks harmless at this point.
On the House side of the Capitol -
Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., HHR4. Long agenda of bill to be rubber-stamped on their way to floor consideration.
Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR1. Presentation only at this point.
Ways and Means, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR3. On the agenda: SB1088, indexing income tax brackets to the inflation rate. This looks to be a back-door tax cut for wealthy people, because while the costs that are the foundation of the inflation rate rise regularly, wages (the basis of most taxpayers' income) are stagnant.
County and Municipal Affairs, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR4. On the agenda: SB1072, barring counties and municipalities from adopting zoning ordinances or other rules that would mandate the development of low- or moderate-income housing.
Health, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR4. Looks harmless so far.
Education, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR4. On the agenda: SB1093, prohibiting school districts and charter schools from charging students a fee for an examination to obtain credit for online coursework.
Commerce, Wednesday, 9:30 a.m., HHR1. On the agenda: SB1047, keeping secret the names of lottery prizewinners for 90 days.
Appropriations, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR1. On the agenda: a striker to HB2447. The agenda lists the subject as "real property managers; consolidated returns", but the text isn't available as yet.
Government and Higher Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR1. On the agenda: Presentation from for-profit "education" businesses; SB1090, an anti-union measure that bars any of the state's agencies or political subdivisions from requiring contractors in public works projects to enter into "neutrality" agreements with labor organizations or to participate in or contribute to apprenticeship programs.
Agriculture, Water, and Lands, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR3. Looks harmless so far.
Military Affairs and Public Safety, Thursday, 10 a.m., HHR5. Looks harmless so far.
The House has posted a Third Read (final approval) calendar and COW (Committee of the Whole) calendar here and here for Monday.
The Senate has posted a Third Read calendar and a COW calendar for Monday. When others are posted, they will be available here.
The Capitol Events calendar is here.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
AZlege: Here come the strikers...
For many Arizonans, this week marks the start of Lent, a religious season where adherents give up something (often a bad habit or some luxury) to make their lives simpler. The only thing that the AZ lege gives up is any pretense of subtlety...
After watching KAET's Horizon air its weekly legislative update where the Arizona Capitol Times' Luigi del Puerto observed that there haven't been any proposals that are in the vein of last year's SB1062 (anti-LGBT) or 2010's SB1070 (anti-immigrant), I checked out the lege's website to see if any had slipped in under the radar.
And found that a rash of strikers, some of which are ugly, had sprouted all over committee agendas since I last checked on Sunday.
Some examples -
- The anti-immigrant striker to SB1222, barring prosecutors from entering into a plea deal with someone who has been deported while other charges are pending. It also has language that states that the statute of limitations (time limits) on charges doesn't run while suspects are out of the country, but that language seems redundant - similar language is already part of existing statute.
- The anti-immigrant striker to SB1294, mandating that a person's name, date of birth, place of birth, and country of citizenship be recorded on every summons, arrest warrant, and uniform traffic complaint (traffic ticket) for that person.
(both are from Russell Pearce acolyte Sen. Steve Smith and will be heard in the Senate Public Safety, Military and Technology at 9 a.m., Wednesday, SHR1)
- The striker to HB2059, creating limits on what areas that money in the state's medical marijuana fund can be spent on (while most of the approved areas are marijuana-related, none are related to *medical* marijuana). Not actually "ugly", per se, perhaps unlike...
- The striker to HB2056, barring municipalities and counties from enacting zoning ordinances that allow certain non-retail medical marijuana production facilities within approximately 1/2 a mile of an area zoned for residential use, a school, or a church.
- Or the striker to HB2053, directing the Department of Economic Security to come up with a plan to kick "able-bodied" people off of public assistance (the bill uses the term "transition", not "kick", but...)
(these will be heard by the House Government and Higher Education Committee, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR1)
This week is the last week where bills can be heard in committee in their originating chamber (which explains the long committee agendas this week), but it's only the beginning of striker season. Between now and sine die (the final adjournment of the legislative session), literally dozens of otherwise harmless bills will be changed into nuggets of ugly.
Keep your eyes open folks, the ride toward Sine Die is going to get bumpy...
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Arizona legislature: The coming week
...It's a "bring your own popcorn" week at the Capitol as the neo-secessionists, gun nuts, and propagandist types will be out in force this week...
Notes:
All committees meetings and agendas are subject to change without notice, and frequently do. If you plan to travel to the Capitol to observe or weigh in on the consideration of a particular measure, check with the lege ahead of time to confirm that the meeting that you are interesting in is still on schedule and your item(s) of interest is still on the agenda for that meeting.
Meeting rooms designated "HHR" are in the House of Representatives building.
Meeting rooms designated "SHR" are in the Senate building.
Some agendas are summarized as "looks harmless", but if they cover an area of interest to you, examine the agenda and the bills on it. If I missed something significant, please leave a comment letting me know.
All House committee agendas can be found here.
All Senate committee agendas can be found here.
On the Senate side of the Capitol -
Natural Resources, Monday, 9 a.m., SHR109. On the agenda: a striker to SB1041, expanding off-track betting on races; SB1386, making it a felony for anyone (including the federal government) to transport to and release into an area an endangered species unless specifically authorized by state or federal law (this proposal seems to be targeted at the possible introduction of endangered species into areas that one or another corporation want to develop); SCR1015, a proposed amendment to Arizona's constitution barring the federal agency or official from enforcing any regulation that affects "nonnavigable, intrastate waters or waterways" in Arizona.
State Debt and Budget Reform, Monday, 10 a.m., SHR3. Short agenda, and I would characterize it as "looks harmless", but I don't completely understand the potential real world impact of the bill proposals.
Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., Caucus Room 1. Long agenda, some bad bills, to be rubberstamped on their way to floor consideration.
Commerce and Workforce Development, Monday. 1:45 p.m., SHR1. On the agenda: a striker to SB1118, stating that standard car insurance doesn't cover situations where a vehicle is being used as to provide "transportation network services" (i.e. - Uber and Lyft).
Water and Energy, Monday, 2 p.m., SHR3. On the agenda: a striker to SB1007, creating the "Joint Legislative Review Committee on State Implementation Plans Relating to Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Existing Power Plants" and tasking it to oppose any federal regulation impacting CO2 emissions in AZ that might impact businesses in AZ (no, the bill doesn't state that specifically, but the many provisions in the bill add up to just that).
Rural Affairs and Environment, Tuesday, 9 a.m., SHR109. Mostly strikers on the agenda. On the agenda: apropaganda session presentation from a retired Border Patrol officer; a striker to SB1200, restoring the state mining and mineral museum (which was zero-funded a couple of years ago so the funding could be used for activities related to Arizona's centennial); a striker to SCM1001, declaring the lege's opposition to the idea of declaring 1.7 million acres of the Kaibab National Forest and environs to be a national monument called the "Grand CanyonWatershed National Monument"; a striker to SCM1002, a love letter to Congress urging it to pass legislation to grant states complete authority over the determination of rights-of-way across public lands; a striker to SCM1003, a love letter to the federal government, telling it to stop the reintroduction of Mexican gray wolves into Arizona; a striker to SCM1004, urging Congress to invalidate a proposed EPA rule that defines "Waters of the United
States" under the Clean Water Act.
Federalism, Mandates, and Fiscal Responsibility, Tuesday, 9 a.m., SHR3.Propaganda session Presentation only at this point, previously covered here.
Transportation, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR1. Looks harmless so far.
Appropriations, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR109. On the agenda: SB1466, creating a fund to compensate ranchers and other livestock producers for livestock lost to reintroduced Mexican wolves, and a board to administer that fund.
Public Safety, Military, and Technology, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR1. On the agenda: anotherpropaganda session presentation from the same retired border patrol agent who is scheduled to present to the Rural Affairs and Environment committee on Tuesday; SB1271, appropriating $10 million to fund a "virtual border fence"; SB1300, a proposal from Sen. John Kavanagh regarding the use of "law enforcement officer body cameras". Three points: 1. The proposal has scads of exceptions to their use. 2. The proposal specifically states that any recordings made using such cameras are NOT public record and can be made public only because of a court order or subpoena. 3. Nothing in the proposal actually requires the use of law enforcement body cameras; a same-subject striker (text unavailable as of this writing) to SB1330, invalidating in Arizona federal laws regarding firearms and creating punishments for political subdivisions, public employees, and certain others who enforce or provide support for the enforcement of federal firearms laws.
Finance, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR3. On the agenda: SB1133, relating to municipalities and sale tax refunds; SB1433, mandating that municipalities and counties reimburse utilities that have to relocate a facility due to a public works project.
Health and Human Services, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR1. On the agenda: SB1283, regarding colocation of outpatient treatment centers, and other matters. I don't have the subject area knowledge to point out what is specifically bad about this, but my inner cynic wonders if this is less about enhancing patient care and more about enhancing someone's profits.
Government, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR3. Based on this agenda, this should be called the "Bad Government" committee. On that agenda: SB1193, expanding the protection from most zoning laws that is conferred on charter schools to anything owned, leased, or operated by them; SB1266, making changes to the uses of Clean Elections funds, mostly to do with officeholder expense accounts; SB1273, requiring ADOT to issue REAL ID-compliant drivers' licenses upon request; SB1309, relating to party PCs, their terms of office, and proxies for meetings of party state, county, and legislative district committees; SB1340, requiring that anyone giving more than ten early ballots to an election official also give that official their identifying information...and that the Secretary of State publish that information; SB1345, requiring a government entity (state, county, local, or other subdivision) that acquires previously private property make available for sale property of equal value; SCR1002, proposing to amend the state constitution so that the rules of procedure in the state's courts are subject to change by the legislature or by a the voters.
Financial Institutions, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR109. On the agenda: SB1189, allowing out of state insurers to sell policies in Arizona (in a way that allows them to circumvent most AZ laws and rules regarding such).
Judiciary, Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR109. Looks harmless so far, but may merit further examination.
Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR1. SB1459, allowing schools to use physical restraints or seclusion techniques to control students, and prescribing acceptable practices for both.
On the House side of the Capitol -
Elections, Monday, 9:30 a.m., HHR4. On the agenda: HB2081, barring cash as qualifying contributions for Clean Elections candidates; HB2138, moving the date of the state's primary election from August to May; HB2407, making it more difficult for petition drives for referenda and recalls (yes, the Rs in the lege are still pissed over the recall of Russell Pearce a few years ago); HB2613, specifying the period during which the use of public resources by municipalities, school districts, etc. to influence the outcome of elections is barred (from the date the election is called through the date of the actual election); HB2649, changing definitions and reporting requirements for "political committees". Some might try to tell you this is harmless, but a quick examination of the text of the bill uncovered three examples of "bad" policy - 1. To be subject to reporting requirements, a committee/organization's "primary" purpose must be to influence the outcome of an election...without defining "primary". 2. Doubles the threshold below which a committee doesn't have to report (from $250 to $500). 3. Remove the requirement that organizations working to oppose a recall election of a public officer file as a political committee; HB2644, allowing political signs to go up 86 days before an election. Currently, the period when signs can go up starts at 45 days before an election; a striker to HB2652, specifying the term of office of an elected party PC; HB2664, allowing political parties to nominate candidates by party caucus, instead of a primary election (where, horror of all horrors, independent voters might cast a ballot) (Note: "horror of all horrors" is sarcasm, folks) Per the agenda, this item is on the agenda for discussion only, at this point.
Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., HHR4. Long agenda of items to be rubber-stamped on their way to floor action.
Ways and Means, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR3. On the agenda: a striker to HB2069, Rep. JD Mesnard's attempt to revive his scheme to reduce the state's income tax by whatever amount of revenue is collected as sales tax on online transactions ("revive" because his original attempt at this, HB2061, failed to pass a floor vote); a striker to HB2450, exempting billboard rentals from sales tax liability; HB2617, creating a "regulatory relief tax credit".
County and Municipal Affairs, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR4. On the agenda: not sure it is "bad", but definitely interesting procedurally: a striker to HB2095, allowing Maricopa and Pima counties to waive a performance bond for certain facilities construction projects if the construction costs do not exceed $500K. The original bill would allow all political subdivisions to do that.
Children and Family Affairs, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR5. Nothing that looks too troubling at this point (perhaps the "bay at the moon" crowd is setting aside this time to catch its breath).
Transportation and Infrastructure, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR1. On the agenda: HB2564, requiring that photo radar traffic enforcement devices must be operated by law enforcement personnel for citations issue on the basis of such devices to be valid; HB2662, updating the penalties for traffic infractions related to excessive speed.
Rural and Economic Development, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR5. Looks harmless so far.
Health, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR4. On the agenda: a striker to HB2040, relating to school immunization requirements (this one doesn't seem bad).
Banking and Financial Services, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR3. Looks harmless so far, but some of this is very technical and I don't fully understand the real world impact of some of the proposals.
Federalism and States' Rights, Wednesday, 9 a.m., HHR5. When you select your popcorn for this meeting, go with Jiffy Pop. Whoever has extra tin foil at this one will make a bundle from selling it. On the agenda: apropaganda session presentation, a striker to HB2055, barring any the state, any of its subdivisions, or their employees from aiding the federal government in the enforcement/administration of the pending "Waters of the United States" rule from the EPA; HB2145, requiring delegates to a future federal Constitutional convention to take an oath to not allow consideration of any "unauthorized" amendments; HB2176, the lege's annual ploy to wrest control of federal block grants to AZ from the governor; HB2368, barring the state or its political subdivisions from even cooperating with an executive order of the President of the US; HB2481, changing state law so that if a constitutional convention in AZ approves an amendment to the US Constitution it must notify the Archivist of the US. Current law requires that the US SOS is the one notified; HB2643, barring the state or its subdivisions from enforcing or even cooperating with the federal Affordable Care Act (aka - "Obamacare"); a striker to HB2058, barring the state or its subdivisions from enforcing or cooperating with any federal rules or regulation that isn't specifically approved by Congress.
Judiciary, Wednesday, 9 a.m., HHR3. On the agenda: HB2378, making it a felony for a peace officer to engage in sexual activity with a victim or with the subject of an investigation (class 2, 3, or 5, depending on the age of non-law enforcement participant in the activity).
Commerce, Wednesday, 9:30 a.m., HHR1. Looks harmless so far.
Insurance, Wednesday, 10 a.m., HHR4. Looks harmless so far.
Education, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR4. On the agenda: HB2190, creating a replacement for Common Core; HB2246, allowing parents to opt out (on behalf of their children); HB2250, expandingschool vouchers "empowerment scholarship accounts"; HB2562, about removing limitations on how school districts may spend the proceeds of property sales; HB2668, creating a fund for "results-based school-readiness contracts" (it's so specific, it seems to be aimed at funneling money to a specific company; I don't know which one, but this bears looking into).
Appropriations, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR1. On the agenda: HB2617, creating a "regulatory relief tax credit" (assuming the bill is passed by the Ways and Means Committee on Monday).
Military Affairs and Public Safety, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR5. On the agenda: HB2431, signing on to something called the "uniform firearms transfer compact". Among its provisions: barring any state that is a member of the compact from crafting any rules concerning the transfer of firearms, even by popular vote. Also, the member states cannot withdraw from the compact without the unanimous approval of all of the other members of the compact.
Government and Higher Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR1. On the agenda: HB2261, requiring the state board of regents to recognize career and technical education credits as fine arts credits for the purpose of admissions to the state's university; HB2570, barring municipalities from adopting vegetation requirements.
Agriculture, Water, and Lands, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR3. On the agenda: a lot of neo-secessionist garbage.
The House has posted a Third Read (final approval) calendar and a COW (Committee of the Whole) calendar for Monday. The Senate has posted a Third Read calendar for Monday. When others are posted, they will be available here.
The Capitol Events calendar is here.
Public meeting notices from the Arizona Department of Administration here.
Notes:
All committees meetings and agendas are subject to change without notice, and frequently do. If you plan to travel to the Capitol to observe or weigh in on the consideration of a particular measure, check with the lege ahead of time to confirm that the meeting that you are interesting in is still on schedule and your item(s) of interest is still on the agenda for that meeting.
Meeting rooms designated "HHR" are in the House of Representatives building.
Meeting rooms designated "SHR" are in the Senate building.
Some agendas are summarized as "looks harmless", but if they cover an area of interest to you, examine the agenda and the bills on it. If I missed something significant, please leave a comment letting me know.
All House committee agendas can be found here.
All Senate committee agendas can be found here.
On the Senate side of the Capitol -
Natural Resources, Monday, 9 a.m., SHR109. On the agenda: a striker to SB1041, expanding off-track betting on races; SB1386, making it a felony for anyone (including the federal government) to transport to and release into an area an endangered species unless specifically authorized by state or federal law (this proposal seems to be targeted at the possible introduction of endangered species into areas that one or another corporation want to develop); SCR1015, a proposed amendment to Arizona's constitution barring the federal agency or official from enforcing any regulation that affects "nonnavigable, intrastate waters or waterways" in Arizona.
State Debt and Budget Reform, Monday, 10 a.m., SHR3. Short agenda, and I would characterize it as "looks harmless", but I don't completely understand the potential real world impact of the bill proposals.
Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., Caucus Room 1. Long agenda, some bad bills, to be rubberstamped on their way to floor consideration.
Commerce and Workforce Development, Monday. 1:45 p.m., SHR1. On the agenda: a striker to SB1118, stating that standard car insurance doesn't cover situations where a vehicle is being used as to provide "transportation network services" (i.e. - Uber and Lyft).
Water and Energy, Monday, 2 p.m., SHR3. On the agenda: a striker to SB1007, creating the "Joint Legislative Review Committee on State Implementation Plans Relating to Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Existing Power Plants" and tasking it to oppose any federal regulation impacting CO2 emissions in AZ that might impact businesses in AZ (no, the bill doesn't state that specifically, but the many provisions in the bill add up to just that).
Rural Affairs and Environment, Tuesday, 9 a.m., SHR109. Mostly strikers on the agenda. On the agenda: a
Federalism, Mandates, and Fiscal Responsibility, Tuesday, 9 a.m., SHR3.
Transportation, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR1. Looks harmless so far.
Appropriations, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR109. On the agenda: SB1466, creating a fund to compensate ranchers and other livestock producers for livestock lost to reintroduced Mexican wolves, and a board to administer that fund.
Public Safety, Military, and Technology, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR1. On the agenda: another
Finance, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR3. On the agenda: SB1133, relating to municipalities and sale tax refunds; SB1433, mandating that municipalities and counties reimburse utilities that have to relocate a facility due to a public works project.
Health and Human Services, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR1. On the agenda: SB1283, regarding colocation of outpatient treatment centers, and other matters. I don't have the subject area knowledge to point out what is specifically bad about this, but my inner cynic wonders if this is less about enhancing patient care and more about enhancing someone's profits.
Government, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR3. Based on this agenda, this should be called the "Bad Government" committee. On that agenda: SB1193, expanding the protection from most zoning laws that is conferred on charter schools to anything owned, leased, or operated by them; SB1266, making changes to the uses of Clean Elections funds, mostly to do with officeholder expense accounts; SB1273, requiring ADOT to issue REAL ID-compliant drivers' licenses upon request; SB1309, relating to party PCs, their terms of office, and proxies for meetings of party state, county, and legislative district committees; SB1340, requiring that anyone giving more than ten early ballots to an election official also give that official their identifying information...and that the Secretary of State publish that information; SB1345, requiring a government entity (state, county, local, or other subdivision) that acquires previously private property make available for sale property of equal value; SCR1002, proposing to amend the state constitution so that the rules of procedure in the state's courts are subject to change by the legislature or by a the voters.
Financial Institutions, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR109. On the agenda: SB1189, allowing out of state insurers to sell policies in Arizona (in a way that allows them to circumvent most AZ laws and rules regarding such).
Judiciary, Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR109. Looks harmless so far, but may merit further examination.
Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR1. SB1459, allowing schools to use physical restraints or seclusion techniques to control students, and prescribing acceptable practices for both.
On the House side of the Capitol -
Elections, Monday, 9:30 a.m., HHR4. On the agenda: HB2081, barring cash as qualifying contributions for Clean Elections candidates; HB2138, moving the date of the state's primary election from August to May; HB2407, making it more difficult for petition drives for referenda and recalls (yes, the Rs in the lege are still pissed over the recall of Russell Pearce a few years ago); HB2613, specifying the period during which the use of public resources by municipalities, school districts, etc. to influence the outcome of elections is barred (from the date the election is called through the date of the actual election); HB2649, changing definitions and reporting requirements for "political committees". Some might try to tell you this is harmless, but a quick examination of the text of the bill uncovered three examples of "bad" policy - 1. To be subject to reporting requirements, a committee/organization's "primary" purpose must be to influence the outcome of an election...without defining "primary". 2. Doubles the threshold below which a committee doesn't have to report (from $250 to $500). 3. Remove the requirement that organizations working to oppose a recall election of a public officer file as a political committee; HB2644, allowing political signs to go up 86 days before an election. Currently, the period when signs can go up starts at 45 days before an election; a striker to HB2652, specifying the term of office of an elected party PC; HB2664, allowing political parties to nominate candidates by party caucus, instead of a primary election (where, horror of all horrors, independent voters might cast a ballot) (Note: "horror of all horrors" is sarcasm, folks) Per the agenda, this item is on the agenda for discussion only, at this point.
Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., HHR4. Long agenda of items to be rubber-stamped on their way to floor action.
Ways and Means, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR3. On the agenda: a striker to HB2069, Rep. JD Mesnard's attempt to revive his scheme to reduce the state's income tax by whatever amount of revenue is collected as sales tax on online transactions ("revive" because his original attempt at this, HB2061, failed to pass a floor vote); a striker to HB2450, exempting billboard rentals from sales tax liability; HB2617, creating a "regulatory relief tax credit".
County and Municipal Affairs, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR4. On the agenda: not sure it is "bad", but definitely interesting procedurally: a striker to HB2095, allowing Maricopa and Pima counties to waive a performance bond for certain facilities construction projects if the construction costs do not exceed $500K. The original bill would allow all political subdivisions to do that.
Children and Family Affairs, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR5. Nothing that looks too troubling at this point (perhaps the "bay at the moon" crowd is setting aside this time to catch its breath).
Transportation and Infrastructure, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR1. On the agenda: HB2564, requiring that photo radar traffic enforcement devices must be operated by law enforcement personnel for citations issue on the basis of such devices to be valid; HB2662, updating the penalties for traffic infractions related to excessive speed.
Rural and Economic Development, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR5. Looks harmless so far.
Health, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR4. On the agenda: a striker to HB2040, relating to school immunization requirements (this one doesn't seem bad).
Banking and Financial Services, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR3. Looks harmless so far, but some of this is very technical and I don't fully understand the real world impact of some of the proposals.
Federalism and States' Rights, Wednesday, 9 a.m., HHR5. When you select your popcorn for this meeting, go with Jiffy Pop. Whoever has extra tin foil at this one will make a bundle from selling it. On the agenda: a
Judiciary, Wednesday, 9 a.m., HHR3. On the agenda: HB2378, making it a felony for a peace officer to engage in sexual activity with a victim or with the subject of an investigation (class 2, 3, or 5, depending on the age of non-law enforcement participant in the activity).
Commerce, Wednesday, 9:30 a.m., HHR1. Looks harmless so far.
Insurance, Wednesday, 10 a.m., HHR4. Looks harmless so far.
Education, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR4. On the agenda: HB2190, creating a replacement for Common Core; HB2246, allowing parents to opt out (on behalf of their children); HB2250, expanding
Appropriations, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR1. On the agenda: HB2617, creating a "regulatory relief tax credit" (assuming the bill is passed by the Ways and Means Committee on Monday).
Military Affairs and Public Safety, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR5. On the agenda: HB2431, signing on to something called the "uniform firearms transfer compact". Among its provisions: barring any state that is a member of the compact from crafting any rules concerning the transfer of firearms, even by popular vote. Also, the member states cannot withdraw from the compact without the unanimous approval of all of the other members of the compact.
Government and Higher Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR1. On the agenda: HB2261, requiring the state board of regents to recognize career and technical education credits as fine arts credits for the purpose of admissions to the state's university; HB2570, barring municipalities from adopting vegetation requirements.
Agriculture, Water, and Lands, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR3. On the agenda: a lot of neo-secessionist garbage.
The House has posted a Third Read (final approval) calendar and a COW (Committee of the Whole) calendar for Monday. The Senate has posted a Third Read calendar for Monday. When others are posted, they will be available here.
The Capitol Events calendar is here.
Public meeting notices from the Arizona Department of Administration here.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
AZlege going local in its search for corporate anti-science propaganda
The things you see when reading AZ lege committee agendas...
From the agenda for next Tuesday's meeting of the Arizona State Senate Committee on Federalism, Mandates, and Fiscal Responsibility (aka - the "Executive Committee of the Black Helicopter Caucus"):
Intrigued by the name "Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change", I did a little research.
Eye-opening stuff, but nonetheless, not unexpected.
From Sourcewatch's page on the group -
From Mother Jones, written by Josh Harkinson -
According to IRS filings from the group (OK, its Form 990 for 2013, available here) and the group's filings with the Arizona Corporation Commission, the "Center" is less a "center" than a "house", in Tempe (turns out that the Idso clan has ties to ASU).
Oh, and considering the group's ties to ALEC, it probably isn't a coincidence that this is taking place during the same week of ALEC's annual recruiting dinner/schmoozefest with the Arizona lege.
From the agenda for next Tuesday's meeting of the Arizona State Senate Committee on Federalism, Mandates, and Fiscal Responsibility (aka - the "Executive Committee of the Black Helicopter Caucus"):
Intrigued by the name "Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change", I did a little research.
Eye-opening stuff, but nonetheless, not unexpected.
From Sourcewatch's page on the group -
The Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change is one of Mother Jones magazine's 2009 global warming skeptic "Dirty Dozen of Climate Change Denial"[1]. Founded in 1998 by members of the Idso family, its income has increased in recent years.
{snip}
In August 2011, Center founder and Chairman Craig Idso spoke on "Benefit Analysis of CO2" (previously known as "Warming Up to Climate Change: The Many Benefits of Increased Atmospheric CO2") at the Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force meeting at the 2011 American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Annual Meeting.
From Mother Jones, written by Josh Harkinson -
The Idso clan is the von Trapp family of climate change denial. In 1980, paterfamilias Sherwood Idso, a self-described "bio-climatologist," published a paper in Science concluding that doubling the world's carbon dioxide concentration wouldn't change the planet's temperature all that much. In years that followed, Idso and his colleagues at Arizona State University's Office of Climatology received more than $1 million in research funding from oil, coal, and utility interests. In 1990, he coauthored a paper funded by a coal mining company, titled "Greenhouse Cooling."
Oh, and considering the group's ties to ALEC, it probably isn't a coincidence that this is taking place during the same week of ALEC's annual recruiting dinner/schmoozefest with the Arizona lege.
Jon Stewart leaving The Daily Show
In one of the earliest posts here (May 4, 2006), I wrote simply -
Colbert retired his character in late December to prepare for his new gig as host of the The Late Show, which he will be taking over later this year when current host David Letterman retires.
Now Jon Stewart is also stepping away from his iconic spot as host (and guiding light) of The Daily Show.
From NPR, written by Bill Chappell -
Many in the media are waxing poetically over the news of Stewart's departure (probably because he won't be around to skewer their professional foibles), so I won't go overboard here, just noting that to me, he is (soon to be "was") TV's version of Molly Ivins - able to stoke their audience's fires of outrage while tickling their funny bones at the same time.
And that is the highest compliment that I can offer.
One group that probably isn't sad to hear about Stewart's impending departure?
Arizona electeds.
Arizona has been featured on The Daily Show numerous times during Stewart's tenure, and while a few may have been less scathing than others, none have be *positive*. However, almost all of them have aimed at the acts (and ideas and statements) of AZ's elected officials.
One of his commentaries on an event in AZ, this one from the immediate aftermath on the mass shooting in Tucson where six people were killed and more than a dozen others, including former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, were wounded (the commentary isn't "funny", per se, but it is spot on) -
I think that 20 years from now, we are going to look back with wonder and awe at Comedy Central's one/two punch of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.
Has there ever been a more spot-on hour of political/social commentary and satire?
Colbert retired his character in late December to prepare for his new gig as host of the The Late Show, which he will be taking over later this year when current host David Letterman retires.
Now Jon Stewart is also stepping away from his iconic spot as host (and guiding light) of The Daily Show.
From NPR, written by Bill Chappell -
Taping last night's show shortly before the news of his departure became public, The Daily Show host Jon Stewart faced an awkward task: telling a studio audience that he's leaving the show.
In the process, Stewart couldn't resist making fun of himself.
"Seventeen years is the longest I have ever in my life held a job," he said, "by 16 years and 5 months."
Saying that he had been given "an incredible opportunity to pilot this wonderful franchise," Stewart later added, "in my heart I know it is time for someone else to have that opportunity."
Many in the media are waxing poetically over the news of Stewart's departure (probably because he won't be around to skewer their professional foibles), so I won't go overboard here, just noting that to me, he is (soon to be "was") TV's version of Molly Ivins - able to stoke their audience's fires of outrage while tickling their funny bones at the same time.
And that is the highest compliment that I can offer.
One group that probably isn't sad to hear about Stewart's impending departure?
Arizona electeds.
Arizona has been featured on The Daily Show numerous times during Stewart's tenure, and while a few may have been less scathing than others, none have be *positive*. However, almost all of them have aimed at the acts (and ideas and statements) of AZ's elected officials.
One of his commentaries on an event in AZ, this one from the immediate aftermath on the mass shooting in Tucson where six people were killed and more than a dozen others, including former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, were wounded (the commentary isn't "funny", per se, but it is spot on) -
Sunday, February 08, 2015
Arizona Legislature: The coming week
NOTE2: The post has been completed.
We've entered the period of the legislative session where almost every committee agenda will be changed before the meeting time, and when consideration of strikers will be present at nearly every meeting.
Notes:
All committees meetings and agendas are subject to change without notice, and frequently do. If you plan to travel to the Capitol to observe or weigh in on the consideration of a particular measure, check with the lege ahead of time to confirm that the meeting that you are interesting in is still on schedule and your item(s) of interest is still on the agenda for that meeting.
Meeting rooms designated "HHR" are in the House of Representatives building.
Meeting rooms designated "SHR" are in the Senate building.
Some agendas are summarized as "looks harmless", but if they cover an area of interest to you, examine the agenda and the bills on it. If I missed something significant, please leave a comment letting me know.
All House committee agendas can be found here.
All Senate committee agendas can be found here.
On the Senate side of the Capitol -
Natural Resources, Monday, 9 a.m., SHR109. On the agenda: SB1185, appropriating $250K to the AZAG to pay for litigation against the feds' reintroduction of the Mexican gray wolf into Arizona; SB1225, creating a committee to study the uses of industrial hemp; SB1441, possibly the most important bill of the session. It declares that copper is the official "state metal" of Arizona.
Nice to know all of the real problems facing the state have been successfully addressed.
State Debt and Budget Reform, Monday, 9 a.m., SHR3. On the agenda: SCR1013, a proposed amendment to the state constitution to give the lege the authority to preempt any state administrative rule that it doesn't like.
Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., Caucus Room 1. Long agenda, a few controversial measures. Rubber stamp (on their way to floor action).
Commerce and Workforce Development, Monday 1:45 p.m., SHR1. On the agenda: SB1403, defining "consumer lawsuit loans" and setting the maximum interest rate for the same (at 36%).
Water and Energy, Monday, 2 p.m., SHR3. On the agenda: SB1465, specifying certain material must be included in contracts for "distributed energy" systems (aka - "rooftop solar"); and SCM1014, asking that the EPA do nothing to help reduce ozone levels in the atmosphere (if this passes, and it will, maybe next year the lege can pass a resolution suggesting that the name of the EPA be changed to "CPA", or "Corporate Protection Agency").
Rural Affairs and Environment, Tuesday, 9 a.m., SHR109. On the agenda: SB1466, creating a fund to compensate livestock owners for livestock lost to wolves reintroduced into a given area by the federal government, and establishing a board to administer that fund.
Federalism, Mandates, and Fiscal Responsibility, Tuesday, 9 a.m. SHR3. A neo-secessionist/"bay at the moon" special. On the agenda: SB1291, enacting penalties for political subdivisions (i.e. - counties, municipalities, etc.) that enact gun laws that are more restrictive than anything produced by the state legislature; SB1330, invalidating federal laws relating to firearms (actually, it specifies laws that are in violation of the 2nd Amendment, but it doesn't define an objective standard to determine that) and creates penalties for individuals and political subdivisions that do anything to enforce such federal laws; SB1331, barring political subdivisions and their employees from assisting the federal government in the collection of "metadata"; SB1384, requiring federal law enforcement officers to gain the permission of a county's sheriff before conducting law enforcement activities in a given county.
Transportation, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR1. On the agenda: SB1273, requiring the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to issue a REAL ID compliant or Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) Enhanced Driver License (EDL) to an applicant requesting one; SB1369, allowing local authorities to establish speed limits on roads that are within their jurisdiction but not under their control (many of the state's highways serve as surface streets in some of the state's smaller towns).
Appropriations, Tuesday, 2 p.m., SHR109. Looks harmless so far.
Public Safety, Military, and Technology, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR1. On the agenda: In addition to three measures that are also on Tuesday's Federalism, etc. agenda (SBs 1291, 1330, and 1384) SB1335, allowing homeowners to sue to block (and collect costs and damages) a political subdivision from requiring a homeowner to install a sprinkler system in a home; SB1445, proposing to keep secret for 90 days the names of police officers who use deadly force; SB1460, automatically restoring the gun possession rights for those who have had criminal convictions set aside.
Finance, Wednesday, 9 a.m., SHR3. On the agenda: SB1446, "reforming" sales tax as it pertains to building contractors.
Health and Human Services, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR1. On the agenda: SB1318, seeking to harass abortion clinics by imposing more stringent paperwork requirements upon them; SB1329, imposing a requirement that a SNAP benefit card have a photo of the benefit recipient; SCR1003, expressing the lege's opposition to something called the "Interstate Medical Licensure Compact".
Government, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR3. On the agenda: SB1287, classifying the showing of another voter's ballot to another party as a class 2 misdemeanor, with the exception of situations where a voter has revealed the contents of that ballot voluntarily (such as by posting a pic of their ballot on social media); SB1339, allowing public agencies to refuse to comply with a public records request if that request is "unduly burdensome".
Financial Institutions, Wednesday, 2 p.m., SHR109. On the agenda: nine bills that look harmless but are also technical enough that I don't understand the real-world impact of them.
Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., SHR1. On the agenda: SB1434, expanding school vouchers; SB1463, creating the equivalent of school vouchers for online courses, siphoning ever more funds from school districts.
Note: I use the phrase "school vouchers" where the lege uses the phrase "empowerment scholarships".
Note2: They don't use "empowerment scholarships" for the online course funding, at this time.
Judiciary, Thursday, 10 a.m., SHR109. On the agenda: SB1195, codifying that someone who has been arrested does not have to provide a biometric identifier that is needed to unlock an electronic device unless a valid search warrant has been issued.
On the House side of the Capitol -
Elections, Monday, 10 a.m., HHR4. On the agenda: HB2109, requiring specific language be used on ballots for bond approval; HB2536, the House version of SB1287 above. The bills are slightly different in language and effect, so eventually one will be discarded. I don't know which that will be; HB2265, which, subject to voter approval, creates the office of Lieutenant Governor, and makes that person the director of the Arizona Department of Administration.
Rules, Monday, 1 p.m., HHR4. Loonnng agenda. A few controversial measures. Rubberstamp.
County and Municipal Affairs, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR4. On the agenda: HB2558. Under current law, if a municipality wants to sell off a piece of real property, it must gain the approval of the voters if the value of the property exceeds $500K. This proposal would raise the threshold to $1.5 million.
Children and Family Affairs, Monday, 2 p.m., HHR5. Looks mostly harmless.
Transportation and Infrastructure, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR1. On the agenda: HB2411. Under current law, if someone commits a traffic violation and is sentenced to attend a defensive driving school, that person is not eligible to attend defensive driving school for at least 24 months. This measure would reduce that period to 12 months.
Health, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR4. Looks harmless, but there is a proposed striker to HB2556, relating to "hospitals; healthcare quality assurance". No text available as of this writing.
Banking and Financial Services, Tuesday, 2 p.m., HHR3. On the agenda: A striker to HB2220, relating to "security freezes; protect consumer"; and a possible striker to HB2611. "Possible" because while the striker is shown on the bill's detail page, it is NOT listed on the agenda. The original bill proposal specifies a definition and some minimal regulations for "consumer flex loans"; the proposed striker looks to be a more technical update of financial services statutes.
Federalism and States' Rights, Wednesday, 9 a.m., HHR4. On the agenda: HB2175. I'm not a lawyer, so this one should definitely be studied by one to be certain, but this looks like the lege's idea of a subtle claim to all public lands in the state; HB2326, calling for an amendment to the US Constitution relating to requiring a balanced budget, with some specific clauses mentioned (and not all of those clauses are budget-specific).
Commerce, Wednesday, 9:30 a.m., HHR1. Looks relatively harmless so far.
Judiciary, Wednesday, 10 a.m., HHR3. On the agenda: a striker to HB2089, turning the bill from one that would make it felony aggravated assault if someone commits an otherwise misdemeanor assault on an elected official into one that would make that change, but for "judicial officers"; HB2131, lifting the cap on attorney fees that can be awarded when a private party prevails over the government in a tax matter; a striker to HB2076, proposing to increase the size of the state supreme court from five justices to seven; HB2299, adding definitions and clauses to state law regarding sex offenders; HB2413, relating to civil penalties for "phishing"; HB2561, narrowing the state's law regarding the unlawful distribution of private images.
Insurance, Wednesday, 10 a.m., HHR4. On the agenda: HB2346, exempting workers' comp insurers from having to provide reimbursement for medical marijuana (this will need a 3/4 vote to pass if it goes before the full chamber).
Appropriations, Wednesday, 2 p.m., HHR1. On the agenda: a same-subject striker to HB2380, relating to public notice and the state budget (striker language not available as of this writing).
Military Affairs and Public Safety, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR5. Gun nuts rejoice! On the agenda: HB2320, allowing firearms to be possessed in nearly all public events and establishments; and HB2509, with certain exceptions, making it aggravated assault (a class 4 felony) to take control or attempt to take control of another person's firearm.
Government and Higher Education, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR1. Long agenda. On it: HB2315. Current state law requires local governments to post certain financial information on the internet. This bill calls for the firing of the public officer responsible for that if the information isn't properly posted.
Agriculture, Water, and Lands, Thursday, 9 a.m., HHR3. Looks harmless so far.
The House has posted a Third Read (final approval) calendar and a COW (Committee of the Whole) calendar for Monday. The Senate has posted a Third Read calendar for Monday. When others are posted, they will be available here.
The Capitol Events calendar is here.
Public meeting notices from the Arizona Department of Administration here.
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