CEBV Weekly: February 12, 2024

Agendas longer than we've ever seen them — and a rare compromise.

Sometimes miracles do happen at the Arizona State Legislature. With the passage of HB2785, signed into law by Gov. Katie Hobbs on Friday, lawmakers resolved a thorny election timeline issue after a weeklong negotiation akin to achieving peace in the Middle East. In the swamp of conspiracy theories, bad ideas, attacks on gay and trans kids, and awful tax policy, we take some time to appreciate a rare bipartisan success.  

The thorny problem that demanded a real-life solution was the 2024 Primary and General Election timeline, which County officials have been raising the alarm about for months. Republican lawmakers raised the mandatory recount threshold in 2022, which voting experts warned would trigger an avalanche of recounts for counties to manage. The counties warned that Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, was the latest possible date to implement a plan, but Republican leaders stonewalled until time was set to run out. 

Negotiations were led by Republican Rep. Alex Kolodin (R-3) and Democratic Rep. Laura Terech (D-4), an unlikely pairing who demonstrated what can be achieved when opposing parties negotiate in good faith and compromise without relinquishing dearly held principles. Negotiators shed tears of relief, and a few election deniers fumed and raged, but the bill passed overwhelmingly. 

As Votebeat’s Jen Fifield reports, a key to achieving compromise was making some of the changes temporary. Stakeholders such as the Arizona Association of Counties, who represented county election officials in negotiations, were vastly relieved, although we still need a long-term solution. “It was very satisfying. I’m actually pretty emotional about the whole thing, honestly,” said Jen Marson, Executive Director of the Association, choking up. “It’s very nice to see everybody come together.” 

While the negotiations were conducted behind closed doors, attend CEBV’s Happy Hour on Sunday to hear key details from our own Rep. Laura Terech. We’re bursting with pride and admiration, and trust Rep. Terech will be able to catch up on sleep and sustenance before Sunday afternoon. 

Do you appreciate the many hours of work it takes to produce a resource like this every week? Throw a few bucks in our tip jar.

⏰ If you have 10 minutes: Use RTS 2.0 (formally “My Bill Positions”) to lift up the 25 good bills that legislative Republicans aren’t giving hearings. That list is here.

⏰⏰ If you have 25 minutes: Use Request to Speak to oppose the bad ballot referral bills in committee this week.

⏰⏰⏰ If you have 35 minutes: Also use RTS to lift up the good bills below.

⏰⏰⏰⏰ If you have 55 minutes: Also use RTS to weigh in on all bills below. It’s important that we make the dearth of support clear for these terrible ideas.

⏰⏰⏰⏰⏰ If you have 60 minutes: Join us on Zoom at 4pm on Sunday for our next CEBV Happy Hour conversation. This week’s featured guest is Laura Terech (D-4). We’ll meet every Sunday at 4 PM through the end of session. Sign up in advance here.

Support the Good Bills

You may notice we’ve got way more good bills than usual this week (19!!). That’s partially because it’s the last week for bills to be heard in committee (Appropriations gets an extra week), and partially because there are just more bills overall. Nevertheless, please take time to lift these up.

• SB1346, Epstein (D-12), would fund planting trees at schools across Arizona, prioritizing lower-income areas that are typically hotter and have less shade

• SB1353, Marsh (D-4), would require the Arizona Department of Education to estimate funding for ESA vouchers in advance for the upcoming fiscal year

• SB1354, Marsh (D-4), would require schools that take ESA vouchers to tell parents whether they provide special-education services for their students, and to honor IEP and 504 plans unless the parents waive those rights in writing

• SB1398, Epstein (D-12), would give public district and charter schools serving grades 6-12 the funding to make menstrual hygiene products available free of charge in all women's and gender-neutral restrooms

• SB1415, Anna Hernandez (D-24), would require larger cities to allow guest houses

• SB1464, Bennett (R-1), would award $500,000 in grants for school community gardens

• SB1483, Diaz (D-22), would ban “lunch shaming” at school

• SB1489, Diaz (D-22), would expand the Arizona Promise Program, Arizona's statewide financial aid for low-income students, to community colleges

• SB1535, Burch (D-9), would allow schools to administer glucagon at school if necessary to treat severe hypoglycemia

• SB1555, Bennett (R-1), would create policies to help teachers who are also nursing mothers nurse their children

• SB1572, Shope (R-16), adds dual enrollment programs to the teacher professional development program and repeals last year’s incentive bonus

• SB1600, Bennett (R-1), would require district and charter schools to train each of their school resource officers how to recognize and effectively interact with children with disabilities

• HB2218, Terech (D-4), would stop schools from suspending students for their unexcused absences

• HB2362, Sandoval (D-23), is subject to a striker that would create a study committee on educator health insurance costs

• HB2734, Ortiz (D-24), would reduce the minimum number of parking spaces required at apartment complexes near downtown and light rail, and at complexes for elderly and special needs communities

• HB2747, C Hernandez (D-21), would limit the length of trains going through Arizona

• HB2824, Hodge (D-8), would establish a commendation for K-12 students who complete at least 200 hours of community service

• HB2861, Schwiebert (D-2), would increase required relocation costs for condos, making sure owners get a fair deal if they’re forced to sell to investors

• HB2866, Cook (R-7), would establish a registration fee of $135 for all-electric vehicles

Because these would go directly to voters, Gov. Hobbs cannot veto them. It’s very important we stop them before they get to our ballots.

What our ballots could look like in 2024 if Republican majority lawmakers get their way. Image courtesy of the Arizona Agenda

• SCR1011, Rogers (R-7), amending the Constitution to require that voters be US citizens 18+ and to ban reforms such as ranked choice or top-two voting from ever being instituted

• SCR1013, Kavanagh (R-3), would ask voters to ban trans kids from using the school bathrooms, changing facilities and “sleeping quarters” that align with their gender identities

• SCR1015, Kern (R-27), would ban a laundry list of culture-war conspiracy theories, setting up a potential McCarthy-level witch hunt for public schools and agencies

• SCR1019, Kern (R-27), and HCR2056, Montenegro (R-29), enshrining racism in the state Constitution

• SCR1020, Mesnard (R-13), automatically extending the previous year’s state budget if lawmakers don’t pass one in time

• SCR1023, Mesnard (R-13), amending the Constitution to require cities and school districts hold their elections on general election days only

• SCR1027, Mesnard (R-13), a top-down mandate version of Prop 123 in the state Constitution that restricts funds to “eligible teachers” rather than the many and varied needs of public schools

• SCR1034, Hoffman (R-15), barring district and charter schools from reducing teacher salaries even if they don’t have the funds

• SCR1036, Wadsack (R-17), putting an end to “at-large” city council members

• SCR1037, Wadsack (R-17), repealing charter cities in Arizona with fewer than 500,000 residents (because the legislature cannot as easily preempt their laws)

• SCR1040, Mesnard (R-13), Permanent school fund; distribution; uses

• SCR1041, Mesnard (R-13), amending the Constitution to allow anyone to sue to knock a citizen initiative off the ballot on grounds that it is not constitutional

• SCR1043, Gowan (R-19), banning “at-large” city council members, as well as ranked-choice and top-two voting on the city level

• SCR1044, Gowan (R-19), making many of Arizona’s judges appointed for life and voiding the entire judicial retention slate on our November ballots

• HCR2050, Griffin (R-19), banning Arizona, its cities and counties, and its public schools from banning gas cars or gas stoves

• HCR2052, McGarr (R-17), allowing the legislature to block agency rulemaking, preventing state agencies from doing their jobs

• HCR2060, Toma (R-27), forcing cities and counties to confirm the “lawful presence” of all their employees and subcontractors or commit a Class 6 felony

Monday

SB1006, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would require Arizona’s retirement system to divest from companies that “promote, facilitate or advocate for” abortions for minors, or for “the inclusion of, or the referral of students to, sexually explicit material.” This ill-considered blanket mandate would leave half a million teachers, municipal workers and other government employees with retirement accounts that are unable to invest in most major companies, and creates a minefield for investors and pension fund managers. Gov. Hobbs vetoed the same bill last year. Scheduled for Senate Finance & Commerce Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1009, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would ban candidates, volunteers and nonprofits from registering people to vote by mail, making it harder for people to engage in the civic process. Scheduled for Senate Elections Committee, Monday and Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1116, sponsored by Ken Bennett (R-1), would make it illegal for anyone to receive money or other compensation for registering people to vote based on the number of registrations they collect. This assumes nefarious activities and penalizes voter registration efforts. Bennett introduced a similar bill last year, which Gov. Hobbs vetoed. Scheduled for Senate Elections Committee, Monday and Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1124, sponsored by Wendy Rogers (R-7), would ban social media platforms from purposely "deplatforming" or “shadow banning” a candidate. Inspired by a conspiracy theory that right-wingers, candidates in particular, are being persecuted by “Big Tech” via settings which let the user post and browse the site normally but limit their posts’ reach to other users. Rogers introduced a similar bill last year, which Gov. Hobbs vetoed. Scheduled for Senate Transportation, Technology & Missing Children Committee, Monday and Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1158, sponsored by Janae Shamp (R-29), would ban states from removing Trump from the ballot for violating the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. On Thursday, the US Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether to disqualify him because of his role in the January 6, 2021 insurrection attempt. The state legislature has no business preempting judicial decision-making. Scheduled for Senate Elections Committee, Monday and Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1261, sponsored by Wendy Rogers (R-7), would remove a school district’s ability to hold all-mail elections, such as or bonds and overrides. Scheduled for Senate Elections Committee, Monday and Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1282, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would explicitly reject federal funding for biking and walking infrastructure, depriving Arizona communities of millions of available dollars. In 2017, Arizona received at least $18 million in federal funding for bike/ped work through the Transportation Alternatives program alone, only one of at least 14 potential federal funding programs for bike/ped safety projects. This appears to be a “sore loser” bill motivated by the loss of federal grant funding to widen I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson. Hoffman introduced the same bill last year, which failed to pass. Scheduled for Senate Transportation, Technology & Missing Children Committee, Monday and Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1316, sponsored by Catherine Miranda (D-11), would create a special license plate for sororities and fraternities. Arizona currently has 101 special plates, with a portion of each purchase going to a different cause. Not only does having so many plates create difficulties for law enforcement, but some of the plates raise money for political groups, such as the hate group Alliance Defending Freedom and the anti-abortion Arizona Life Coalition. Arizona added 8 more plates just last year. When will it stop? Scheduled for Senate Transportation, Technology & Missing Children Committee, Monday and Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1375, sponsored by Shawnna Bolick (R-2), would require each ballot be printed with a unique ID number that allows ballots to be linked to specific voting locations. This concept, part of MAGA Republicans’ rampant election denialism conspiracy theory, was part of a package of bills that expelled conspiracy theorist Liz Harris introduced last year to “try to convince voters their votes were stolen.” No good reason exists to make this change. Scheduled for Senate Elections Committee, Monday and Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1415, sponsored by Anna Hernandez (D-24), would require cities with 75,000+ residents to allow “accessory dwelling units,” commonly known as guest houses, of up to 1,000 square feet or 75% of the size of the original home on the lot. Some cities, such as Phoenix, are already doing something similar. Cities would not be able to require the ADU to match the original home design or stop owners from renting them long-term. We note that the bill doesn't require a kitchen, a compromise made to favor affordability. Scheduled for Senate Finance & Commerce Committee, Monday. SUPPORT.

SB1448, sponsored by Flavio Bravo (D-26), would create a special license plate for neurodiversity services. Arizona currently has 101 special plates, with a portion of each purchase going to a different cause. Not only does having so many plates create difficulties for law enforcement, but some of the plates raise money for political groups, such as the hate group Alliance Defending Freedom and the anti-abortion Arizona Life Coalition. Arizona added 8 more plates just last year. When will it stop? Scheduled for Senate Transportation, Technology & Missing Children Committee, Monday and Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1556, sponsored by Ken Bennett (R-1), is a tax cut for out-of-state remote sellers. Arizona has required out-of-state sellers to pay sales tax since 2019 following a US Supreme Court ruling (South Dakota v. Wayfair). Since then, far-right factions have been trying to undo or limit the law. This would hold long-term, negative and potentially disastrous impacts for the state general fund (which is already running a $1.7 billion deficit) and would negatively impact state services from public safety to public schools. Scheduled for Senate Finance & Commerce Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1561, sponsored by Ken Bennett (R-1), would create a special license plate for wildland fire prevention. Arizona currently has 101 special plates, with a portion of each purchase going to a different cause. Not only does having so many plates create difficulties for law enforcement, but some of the plates raise money for political groups, such as the hate group Alliance Defending Freedom and the anti-abortion Arizona Life Coalition. Arizona added 8 more plates just last year. When will it stop? Scheduled for Senate Transportation, Technology & Missing Children Committee, Monday and Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1637, sponsored by Frank Carroll (R-28), would ban public utility companies like APS, SRP and TEP from owning or operating EV charging stations. Government involvement in new or emerging markets like EV charging networks is far more common (and economically rational) than government involvement in mature markets like gas stations. We cannot expect the private market alone to quickly create a robust charging network. The bill may also preempt the Corporation Commission’s authority. Scheduled for Senate Finance & Commerce Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1653, sponsored by Ken Bennett (R-1), would require copies of digital ballot images to be made publicly available online. This was recommended by Cyber Ninjas after their failed ballot review. Other than the obvious privacy concerns, including vigilantism, this may only generate more mistrust in our democracy. Not all ballots can be made public, so there's no way a random person could replicate the results of an official election count. Part of a continued wave of efforts to restrict and undermine Arizonans’ freedom to vote. Bennett (R-1) introduced the sam bill last year, which Gov. Hobbs vetoed. Scheduled for Senate Elections Committee, Monday and Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1680, sponsored by David Gowan (R-19), would allow anyone to get out of a ticket, and its consequences, by paying a $100 civil penalty. People who paid this fee would be exempt from having the moving violation count against their insurance or toward a suspended or revoked driver license. Scheduled for Senate Transportation, Technology & Missing Children Committee, Monday and Thursday. OPPOSE.

SCR1011, sponsored by Wendy Rogers (R-7), would ask voters to amend the Arizona Constitution to require that voters be US citizens 18 years or older and to ban reforms such as ranked choice or top-two voting from ever being instituted. Lawmakers already passed a measure last year asking voters to ban ranked choice voting, which will appear on our November ballots. Scheduled for Senate Elections Committee, Monday and Thursday. OPPOSE. 

SCR1023, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would ask voters to amend the Arizona Constitution to require cities and school districts hold their elections on general election days only. Scheduled for Senate Elections Committee, Monday and Thursday. OPPOSE.

SCR1041, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would ask voters to change the state constitution to allow anyone to sue to knock a citizen initiative off the ballot on grounds that it is not constitutional. Scheduled for Senate Elections Committee, Monday and Thursday. OPPOSE.

SCR1043, sponsored by David Gowan (R-19), would put an end to “at-large” city council members. The bill would ask voters to change the state Constitution to require that only voters who live in a certain city district be eligible to vote for that district’s council members. For good measure, the bill also bans ranked-choice and top-two voting on the city level. Scheduled for Senate Elections Committee, Monday and Thursday. OPPOSE.

SCR1044, sponsored by David Gowan (R-19), would change the state Constitution to make judges in Arizona’s most populous counties appointed for life instead of retained by the voters every 4 to 6 years. Retention questions would go to the voters only in limited cases, such if the judge is convicted of a felony. The measure is written retroactively, so if voters pass it, the entire judicial retention slate for November would be thrown out, and all the judges would stay in office. This applies to judges in Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, and Coconino Counties, as well as Appellate and Supreme Courts, all of which are selected as part of the constitutionally mandated Merit Selection Process. Scheduled for Senate Elections Committee, Monday and Thursday. OPPOSE.

HB2181, sponsored by Alexander Kolodin (R-3), would ban Arizona’s governor from calling the National Guard into active duty unless Congress or the Arizona Legislature requests it. In December, Gov. Hobbs ordered National Guard troops to the border with Mexico due to the "unmitigated humanitarian crisis." The Senate’s rules attorneys warned lawmakers this week that similar bill SB1121 is unconstitutional. Scheduled for House Military Affairs & Public Safety Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2362, sponsored by Mariana Sandoval (D-23), is subject to a striker that would create a study committee on educator health insurance costs. Gov. Hobbs’ educator retention task force found health insurance issues were a key problem for teachers; some report needing to cut spending on things like food and clothing to pay their health care premiums and other out-of-pocket costs. Study committees are the typical first step toward policy change. Use your RTS comments to say you support the striker. Scheduled for House Health & Human Services Committee, Monday. SUPPORT with comments.

HB2376, sponsored by Lupe Diaz (R-19), would block private individuals from selling or giving property to the federal government without express permission from the legislature. The idea, also introduced in 2021, seems to be to stop executive actions to set aside land for national monuments. That would not only threaten conservation efforts, but Arizona’s $1.4 billion outdoor recreation industry and local economies tied to that. Scheduled for House Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2722, sponsored by Travis Grantham (R-14), would require the state of Arizona to pay for $10,000 worth of life insurance for each member of the National Guard. Grantham serves in the National Guard, meaning he would personally benefit from this bill. Arizona’s general fund is facing a $1.7 billion deficit. Scheduled for House Military Affairs & Public Safety Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2748, sponsored by Joseph Chaplik (R-3), would make it a state crime to cross a federal border without the required documentation and give local police immunity to arrest migrants crossing the border. The bill, which carries echoes of Arizona’s notorious SB1070, could conflict with a 2012 US Supreme Court ruling that said Arizona has no right to enforce federal immigration laws. Similar bill SB1231, Shamp (R-29), went through committee last week. Scheduled for House Military Affairs & Public Safety Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

Tuesday

SB1407, sponsored by Janae Shamp (R-29), would force employers to allow employees to claim a religious exemption from the COVID or flu vaccines, or any vaccination FDA-approved for emergency use. Employers would not be allowed to question an employee's religious beliefs, or to “discriminate” against an employee based on vaccination status. Currently employees must have a “sincerely held religious belief.” Arizona is already headed in the wrong direction for public health; vaccine exemption rates are so high, experts say they’re “a disaster waiting to happen.” This puts the collective well-being of all Arizonans at risk. Shamp introduced the same bill last year, which Gov. Hobbs vetoed. Scheduled for Senate Health & Human Services Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

SB1511, sponsored by Janae Shamp (R-29), would force insurance companies to pay the medical costs for those who want to “detransition” from sex changes “and reclaim their God-given gender.” Shamp says she based the bill on a belief that “political ideology” is driving gender-affirming care. The bill is being pushed by the evangelical Christian lobbyist group Center for Arizona Policy. Scheduled for Senate Health & Human Services Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

SB1580, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), would ban DCS and foster parents from vaccinating a child for whom they have temporary or court-ordered custody, on the basis of “parents' rights.” Scheduled for Senate Health & Human Services Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

SB1628, sponsored by Sine Kerr (R-25), would remove any reference to gender in Arizona law and replace it with “sex,” defined as the male or female label assigned to someone at birth based on their physical and reproductive characteristics. This narrow and inflexible definition of biological sex would eliminate any legal recognition of transgender people. Not only is there no evidence that transgender-friendly policies endanger anyone, transgender people face a much higher risk of violence, a risk that is elevated under restrictive policies like these. The law could also negatively impact schools’ funding sources. Title IX forbids schools from engaging in sex-based discrimination, which includes sexual orientation and gender identity; under this bill, schools could be put in the impossible position of violating state law or losing federal funding. The bill is being pushed by the evangelical Christian lobbyist group Center for Arizona Policy. Scheduled for Senate Health & Human Services Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

HB2200, sponsored by Tim Dunn (R-25), would allow the state, its cities and counties, and public service corporations to transport groundwater away from the Harquahala Irrigation Non-Expansion Area. These areas are called “non-expansion” for a reason: they’re designed to preserve the viability of existing agriculture in an area where groundwater is the principal source of water and we’re already pumping more than the sustainable limit. This bill would allow additional pumping, and that’s bad policy. Scheduled for House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

HB2218, sponsored by Laura Terech (D-4), would ban school districts and charter schools from suspending students for their unexcused absences. It is insensible to force a kid out of school for missing school. Unlike other bills on the same subject, this leaves schools free to deal with the situation in other ways. Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. SUPPORT.

HB2484, sponsored by Barbara Parker (R-10), would require district and charter schools to prominently post on their websites whether they have a registered nurse. If they don’t, they must either post the health credentials of each person who provides health care services to students, or post that non-credentialed individuals provide health care. Meanwhile, ESA voucher-funded schools don’t have any regulation. Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

HB2592, sponsored by Michael Carbone (R-25), would tie Arizona’s length of unemployment relief to Arizona’s unemployment rate. This would disproportionately harm rural areas and people of color, who typically have higher rates of unemployment compared to the state average. Reducing weeks of assistance will force some people to accept jobs that do not match their skill sets and pay less than their prior earnings, which is bad for both workers and the economy. Last year’s sponsor did not consult any economists when writing the bill, which failed to pass. Scheduled for House Commerce Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

HB2648, sponsored by Teresa Martinez (R-16), would allow out-of-state residents to buy a vehicle here tax-free with a “special 30-day nonresident registration permit.” The cost is speculative, between $5 and $15 million per year. Meanwhile, Arizona’s general fund faces a $1.7 billion deficit. The bill is purpose-written for Lucid Motors, which has a factory in the sponsor’s district, in the hopes it will generate tourism. Martinez introduced a similar bill last year, which Gov. Hobbs vetoed. Scheduled for House Commerce Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

HB2734, sponsored by Analise Ortiz (D-24), would reduce the minimum number of parking spaces developers would be required to build at apartment complexes near downtown and light rail, and at complexes for elderly and special needs communities. Phoenix instituted a similar change last month. The thinking is that it will improve rent affordability and livability by reducing costs associated with building parking spaces, steer people toward public transit, and reduce the asphalt that adds to the urban heat island effect. Scheduled for House Commerce Committee, Tuesday. SUPPORT.

HB2759, sponsored by Alma Hernandez (D-20), would ban all Arizona colleges and universities from formally recognizing student organizations that support a "foreign terrorist organization." If they refuse, they would lose state funding. The bill is inspired by the recent escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, an issue which cannot be reduced to a sound bite about genocide against the Israeli people. The Palestinian death toll has soared past 25,000, with most of the casualties women and children; the UN calls the scale of civilian killings “heartbreaking and utterly unacceptable” with no end in sight. The issue is complex and does not warrant a blanket ban. This is a weaponized policy that should not be enacted in the heat of a conflagration like the current conflict. Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

HB2779, sponsored by David Marshall (R-7), would increase SBE’s instruction requirements on Holocaust education from twice in grades 7-12 to at least 3 full school days. The state should not be mandating curriculum. Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

HB2793, sponsored by Beverly Pingerelli (R-28), would require district charter school boards to restrict student access to the internet, including social media, and limit students’ use of phones during the school day to only for educational purposes or during an emergency, including during meals, passing periods and recess. Schools should be allowed to set their own policies and not struggle under top-down legislative mandates. Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

HB2861, sponsored by Judy Schwiebert (D-2), would increase required relocation costs for condo sales, making sure owners get a fair deal if they’re forced to sell to investors. Scheduled for House Commerce Committee, Tuesday. SUPPORT.

HCR2050, sponsored by Gail Griffin (R-19), would ask voters to amend the state Constitution to ban Arizona, its cities and counties, and its public schools from restricting devices based on their energy source. This could be based on any number of conspiracy theories, for example, that government is inflating the price of gas to push Americans into electric cars, or that government is trying to ban gas stoves. Scheduled for House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

Wednesday

SB1040, sponsored by Anthony Kern (R-27), would allow students at Arizona’s three public universities to get out of paying their student activity fees if the fees “violate the conscience of the student” or for a host of other reasons, including: recent military service, marriage or parenthood; religious or moral objections; non-participation; financial hardship; or part-time presence. Activity fees serve as a common good. A university should retain final say over the funding allocation for its programs, rather than the legislature inserting itself in the minutiae of university budgeting. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SB1122, sponsored by Wendy Rogers (R-7), would allow anyone to file a complaint with ADE alleging that a school district has violated a state law that requires the displaying of the US flag, the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights in each classroom. Violations would incur a $1000 civil penalty. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SB1132, sponsored by Juan Mendez (D-8), would require school districts and child care facilities to test their water for lead contamination, and to notify parents and arrange for non-contaminated drinking water if lead is found. The bill requires ADE to identify existing federal, state and other grant monies to assist with the testing prescribed by this section, and to assist with funding subject to legislative appropriation "if compliance imposes an unreasonable financial hardship." Since 2021, DHS has offered free testing for schools, and has identified 9 out of 220 that have some lead in the water. Even very low levels of lead exposure can have physical or behavioral health impacts on children. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT.

SB1151, sponsored by Anthony Kern (R-27), permits a teacher or administrator in any school in the state to read or post in any school building copies or excerpts of the Ten Commandments, pursuant to applicable state laws. Right now, all public schools are prohibited from including religious or partisan materials. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SB1292, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would strip the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors of their power by splitting up Maricopa County into four smaller counties. The gerrymandered proposal packs Democrats into one county, leaving Republicans to control the other three. This would be a vast expansion of government, creating more than 160 new departments based on nothing more than frustration that county officials refuse to embrace baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. This is the third straight year Hoffman has introduced the bill. Scheduled for Senate Government Committee, Wednesday and Friday. OPPOSE.

SB1346, sponsored by Mitzi Epstein (D-12), would fund planting more trees on school campuses across Arizona, prioritizing schools in lower-income neighborhoods that are typically hotter and have less shade than those in more affluent areas. The idea was incorporated into last year’s budget, but expires June 30. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT.

SB1353, sponsored by Christine Marsh (D-4), would require the Arizona Department of Education to provide the legislature with an estimate of how much funding it requires for ESA vouchers in advance for the upcoming fiscal year. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT.

SB1354, sponsored by Christine Marsh (D-4), would require schools that accept ESA vouchers to notify parents of whether they provide special-education services for their students, and to honor students' IEP and 504 plans unless the parents waive those rights in writing. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT.

SB1398, sponsored by Mitzi Epstein (D-12), would require public district and charter schools that serve students in grades 6-12 to make menstrual hygiene products available free of charge in all women's and gender-neutral restrooms in the school, and appropriates $2.5 million for the program. For middle and high school girls, these products are a need, and always in short supply. Many teachers pay for them out of their own pockets. A step toward providing a healthy, dependable environment that supports student learning. Epstein introduced the same bill last year, which was eventually wrapped into the state budget, but the funding expires on June 30. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT.

SB1459, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would require district and charter schools to report details on student discipline to ADE, and states ADE’s belief that “the school has no reasonable justification for implementing disciplinary actions in fewer than 75%” of cases per year. If schools don’t meet this bar, ADE can demote the school’s letter grade. Arizona’s current state superintendent, Tom Horne, holds polarized positions on discipline and is pushing the change on the grounds that “discipline has evaporated and classrooms have become anarchic.” He has said he believes cracking down will help solve teacher retention. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SB1464, sponsored by Ken Bennett (R-1), would appropriate $500,000 from the general fund in FY2024-25 to ADE to award grants to school districts and charter schools to build community gardens. School gardens offer many benefits, including making healthy food more appealing to kids, helping fight hunger, and aiding emotional regulation. The idea from Lela Alston (D-5) was incorporated into last year’s budget, but expires June 30. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT.

SB1466, sponsored by Ken Bennett (R-1), would reinstate statewide testing to graduate from high school. In 2015, when Republican lawmakers overwhelmingly chose to repeal the requirement, they stated that "the test has no meaning behind it" and that "placing all the responsibility and stress on individual students for the success of our educational system is unfair." Other states that have repealed their high-stakes test requirements caution against conflating a measure of learning with “a meaningless hoop to jump through.” This bill contains no exceptions for students with many forms of special needs who struggle to pass standardized tests. Bennett introduced a similar bill last year. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SB1472, sponsored by Anthony Kern (R-27), would ban the state, including public schools, from requiring "diversity, equity, and inclusion programs" for its employees, spending public funds on such programs, or setting policies to influence the composition of its workforce on the basis of race, sex, or color. Any employee required to participate could sue. Diversity, equity and inclusion is a philosophy designed to harness the differences, talents and unique qualities of all individuals; this bill pretends our differences don’t exist. Republican lawmakers have introduced 50 similar anti-DEI bills in 20 states. Similar to a bill from last year, which failed to pass, and to SB1005, Hoffman (R-15), which has already passed the Senate. Scheduled for Senate Government Committee, Wednesday and Friday. OPPOSE.

SB1477, sponsored by Anthony Kern (R-27), would create a "grade challenge department" within the Arizona Board of Regents to hear challenges from public university students regarding grades received in any class or on any assignment if a student alleges a grade was awarded because of “political bias.” The department could order faculty to regrade or reevaluate the student's work. Reminiscent of McCarthyist hysteria. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SB1479, sponsored by Brian Fernandez (D-23), bans consumer fireworks from being sold in tents, requires sellers to be licensed, and raises the purchasing age to 18. However, it also legalizes “aerial device” consumer fireworks. This is one of the more dangerous types, as they can injure people some distance away from where they are launched. Arizona legalized small fireworks in 2009 after industry lobbyists assured lawmakers that anything that explodes or shoots into the air would stay illegal. Committee chair David Gowan works for TNT Fireworks, whose lobbyists write bills for him, and has been trying to pass this concept into law for years. Please comment and ask for the aerial device provision to be removed. Scheduled for Senate Military Affairs, Public Safety & Border Security Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE with comments.

SB1483, sponsored by Eva Diaz (D-22), would have Arizona join at least 11 other states in banning “lunch shaming” at school. The bill would outlaw actions that bring attention to students who are unable to pay for a school meal, including refusal to serve the child, the serving of an alternative (lesser) meal, chores or disciplinary treatment. Lawmakers first introduced the proposal in 2018 after one elementary school humiliated a student by stamping his arm with the words "LUNCH MONEY.” Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT.

SB1489, sponsored by Eva Diaz (D-22), would expand the Arizona Promise Program, Arizona's first statewide financial aid program, to community colleges. Low-income students could receive up to $3,000 a year toward their expenses for 2 years. This would make higher education more accessible and affordable to the students who need it most. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT.

SB1535, sponsored by Eva Burch (D-9), would allow district and charter schools to administer glucagon at school if necessary. Glucagon helps regulate blood glucose and is used to treat severe hypoglycemia. A change that could save a child’s life. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT.

SB1555, sponsored by Ken Bennett (R-1), would require district and charter schools to allow a nursing mother who is a teacher at the school from bringing her infant to the school in order to breastfeed. The bill also requires reasonable accommodations, including reasonable breaks and a private place to nurse. The bill should come with an appropriation to help schools meet these requirements, but otherwise deserves our support. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT with comments.

SB1572, sponsored by TJ Shope (R-16), adds dual enrollment programs to the teacher professional development program, and repeals the incentive bonus passed last year for teachers, school districts and charter schools for students who pass dual enrollment courses (which allow them to earn credit for college classes). Only about half of Arizona schools offer dual enrollment; low-income and rural students have the biggest access gaps. This bill would help narrow that gap. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT.

SB1600, sponsored by Ken Bennett (R-1), would require district and charter schools to train each of their school resource officers how to recognize and effectively interact with children with disabilities. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. Studies show that students with disabilities are among those most often negatively impacted by school policing; this best practice would help address that. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT.

SB1686, sponsored by David Gowan (R-19), would allow any district or charter school to set up its own career and technical education program and receive funding for it from the state, bypassing a quality system that has been in place for years and disrupting every successful publicly funded CTE program that exists now. CTE districts work because they pool resources from different geographic areas, extending programs to students who would not otherwise have access to them. The bill would increase costs to the state without any benefit. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SCR1019, sponsored by Anthony Kern (R-27), asks voters to enshrine racism in the state Constitution. This culture-war-driven measure would prevent the state from giving minority-owned businesses any preference in state contracts, keep school districts from specifically hiring black or brown teachers in an effort to increase representation, block teachers from discussing inclusion and equity issues that have arisen despite the 14th Amendment, and ban certain content from being taught in schools. This would negatively impact student learning, teacher retention and recruitment, and does nothing to prevent discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity in taxpayer-funded private schools receiving ESA vouchers. Scheduled for Senate Government Committee, Wednesday and Friday. OPPOSE.

SCR1040, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would ask voters to allow the Arizona State School Fund (the state land trust from which Prop 123 monies flow) to provide guaranteed financing for district and charter schools, including bonds, overrides and capital financing. This could put the land trust's current ability to fund schools at risk; it also clutters the ballot, making it more likely any potential Prop 123 extension will fail due to voter confusion. Because it would go directly to voters, Gov. Hobbs cannot veto it. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

HB2271, sponsored by Barbara Parker (R-10), would create a special vehicle license plate for Religious Educational Institutions. Arizona currently has 101 special plates, with a portion of each purchase going to a different cause. Not only does having so many plates create difficulties for law enforcement, but some of the plates raise money for political groups, such as the hate group Alliance Defending Freedom and the anti-abortion Arizona Life Coalition. Arizona added 8 more plates just last year. When will it stop? Scheduled for House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

HB2375, sponsored by Lupe Diaz (R-19), would preemptively ban cities and counties from establishing any guaranteed income program such as Universal Basic Income. These types of programs challenge the premise that people (especially poor people) can’t be trusted to spend money responsibly and for their own good without supervision. In fact, they do a better job of reaching the poor than means-tested programs. Pilot programs in cities like Denver and Vancouver resulted in decreases in homelessness and increases in gainful employment. Scheduled for House Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

HB2481, sponsored by Barbara Parker (R-10), would strip the requirement that the state legislature take public comment before passing laws. Undemocratic and shady. Scheduled for House Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

HB2747, sponsored by Consuelo Hernandez (D-21), would limit the length of trains going through Arizona to 8,500 feet, or about 1.6 miles long. While that may seem like a lot, the two main railroads operating in Arizona have been running trains that are a lot longer. That can block traffic, sometimes for more than two hours, which impacts public safety. Excessive length and weight (151 cars, 9,300 feet and 18,000 tons) played a role in last year’s train derailment in Ohio. Companies which run longer trains do so primarily because they are cheaper to operate. A similar bill failed to pass last year. Scheduled for House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT.

HB2788, sponsored by Rachel Jones (R-17), would ban Arizona, its cities and counties, and its public schools from adopting the UN goals for sustainable development. These goals include tackling substantive issues such as extreme poverty and hunger, quality education, gender equality and climate change. Scheduled for House Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

HB2819, sponsored by Quang Nguyen (R-1), would allow unsupervised minors to carry loaded firearms on private property with parental consent. Scheduled for House Judiciary Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

HB2821, sponsored by Steve Montenegro (R-29), would make it a state crime to cross a federal border without the required documentation and give local police immunity to arrest migrants crossing the border. The bill, which carries echoes of Arizona’s notorious SB1070, could conflict with a 2012 US Supreme Court ruling that said Arizona has no right to enforce federal immigration laws. See similar bill SB1231, Shamp (R-29). Scheduled for House Judiciary Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

HB2824, sponsored by Jevin Hodge (D-8), would establish an ADE community service commendation for K-12 students who complete at least 200 hours of community service. Scheduled for House Government Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT.

HB2859, sponsored by Matt Gress (R-4), would create a special vehicle license plate for teen suicide awareness. Arizona currently has 101 special plates, with a portion of each purchase going to a different cause. Not only does having so many plates create difficulties for law enforcement, but some of the plates raise money for political groups, such as the hate group Alliance Defending Freedom and the anti-abortion Arizona Life Coalition. Arizona added 8 more plates just last year. When will it stop? Scheduled for House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

HB2866, sponsored by David Cook (R-7), would establish a registration fee of $135 for all-electric vehicles. This would help fund Arizona road repair and maintenance. The fee is more than a gas-powered car currently pays, but when the idea was introduced several years ago, one lawmaker said, "I don’t mind; I use roads." The managing editor of the Weekly drives an electric car and feels the same way. Scheduled for House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT.

HB2880, sponsored by Chris Mathis (D-18), would create a special vehicle license plate for Arizona bicycling. Arizona currently has 101 special plates, with a portion of each purchase going to a different cause. Not only does having so many plates create difficulties for law enforcement, but some of the plates raise money for political groups, such as the hate group Alliance Defending Freedom and the anti-abortion Arizona Life Coalition. Arizona added 8 more plates just last year. When will it stop? Scheduled for House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

HCR2052, sponsored by Cory McGarr (R-17), would insert the legislature into the agency rulemaking process by requiring the legislature give final approval for agency rules via a majority vote. This absurd overreach would prevent our state agencies from effectively doing their jobs. See also HB2471. Scheduled for House Regulatory Affairs Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

HCR2056, sponsored by Steve Montenegro (R-29), asks voters to enshrine racism in the state Constitution. This culture-war-driven measure would prevent the state from giving minority-owned businesses any preference in state contracts, keep school districts from specifically hiring black or brown teachers in an effort to increase representation, block teachers from discussing inclusion and equity issues that have arisen despite the 14th Amendment, and ban certain content from being taught in schools. This would negatively impact student learning, teacher retention and recruitment, and does nothing to prevent discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity in taxpayer-funded private schools receiving ESA vouchers. See also SCR1019, Kern (R-27). Scheduled for House Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

HCR2060, sponsored by Ben Toma (R-27), would ask voters to require cities and counties that receive public funds for social welfare programs to use E-Verify to confirm the “lawful presence” of all of their employees, independent contractors and subcontractors. Violation would be a Class 6 felony for the employer. The sponsor is running in a crowded primary for Congress in a deep-red district. This smells like red meat for his base rather than a serious proposal, and would unnecessarily clutter an already crowded ballot. Scheduled for House Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

Thursday

SB1146, sponsored by Anthony Kern (R-27), would allow meat, poultry and seafood products made from animals that were not given a mRNA vaccination to be labeled "mRNA free." The bill appears to be driven by a false conspiracy theory that mRNA vaccines have entered the US food supply. A similar bill was introduced last year in Tennessee. Duplicate bill HB2406, Gillette (R-30), is already through committee. Scheduled for Senate Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee, Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1243, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), would allow anyone who has a grandfathered right to groundwater in the Phoenix, Tucson or Pinal Active Management Areas to sell or give that right — or the groundwater itself — to anyone else in the area. This would be incredibly destructive for Arizona’s water future. Thanks in large part to lax regulation of Arizona groundwater, rural wells are already drying up. Scheduled for Senate Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee, Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1344, sponsored by Anthony Kern (R-27), would expand Arizona’s first-degree murder statutes to include deaths by fentanyl if the drug can be traced back to a specific individual. The bill’s broad language could subject friends or family of overdose victims to prosecution that includes penalties of life in prison or the death penalty. Cancer patients, for example, use fentanyl patches for pain management, and accidental overdoses by children have become common. Law enforcement should focus on high-risk offenders, expand rehabilitative programs, and work to reduce prison populations, rather than further criminalizing drug use. The same bill failed to pass last year. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary Committee, Thursday - HELD on 2/8. OPPOSE.

SB1430, sponsored by Wendy Rogers (R-7), would ban wind farms from being located within 6 miles of someone else’s property border without written consent. Wind farms have long been caught in the world of conspiracy theories, somehow turning a simple machine into a public health hazard that supposedly causes birth defects, cancer, etc. Meanwhile, local governments are banning green energy faster than they’re building it. This bill would move Arizona in the wrong direction. Scheduled for Senate Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee, Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1593, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), would ban “the existence of a homeless encampment,” and would require cities and counties to “remove all homeless encampments,” if “other options for indoor shelter exist.” This draconian measure would apply even if those “other options” are full; the bill contains no guardrails for what will happen to people or their things once the “encampments” are removed. Criminalizing homelessness is not a solution to Arizona’s housing crisis. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary Committee, Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1612, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), would require cities and counties to determine the locations where “aggressive solicitation” occurs and put up signs detailing the penalties. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary Committee, Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1613, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), would allow a private citizen to make an arrest if they witness what they believe to be theft from a retail store. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary Committee, Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1615, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), changes the legislative intent of Title 25 (which governs Marital and Domestic Relations) to add "protecting and promoting the parents' bill of rights." This would force the judiciary to consider everything in that title under the lens of statute written by the evangelical Christian lobbyist group Center for Arizona Policy. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary Committee, Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1648, sponsored by Ken Bennett (R-1), would allow meat, poultry and seafood products made from animals that were not given a mRNA vaccination to be labeled "mRNA free." The bill appears to be driven by a false conspiracy theory that mRNA vaccines have entered the US food supply. A similar bill was introduced last year in Tennessee. Several similar bills are moving in Arizona this year. Scheduled for Senate Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee, Thursday. OPPOSE.

SB1649, sponsored by Ken Bennett (R-1), would preemptively ban the sale or production of lab-grown meat, and would allow anyone whose business is “adversely affected’’ by their sale (such as ranchers) to sue for up to $100,000 in damages. Lab-grown meat is produced by cultivating animal cells directly instead of raising and slaughtering animals for food. Cultivated meat uses significantly fewer resources, reduces pollution, and lowers food-borne illnesses. It’s not yet commercially viable on a wide scale, but scientists are working on it. Mirror bill HB2121 is already through committee. Scheduled for Senate Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee, Thursday. OPPOSE.

SCR1036, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), would put an end to “at-large” city council members. The bill would ask voters to change the state Constitution to require that only voters who live in a certain city district be eligible to vote for that district’s council members. Scheduled for Senate Elections Committee, Thursday. OPPOSE.

SCR1037, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), would ask voters to amend the state Constitution to repeal charter cities in Arizona with fewer than 500,000 residents. City charters supersede any state law that conflicts with purely municipal affairs. State lawmakers have long hated charter cities, passing numerous laws that preempt city regulations on elections, firearms, immigration, smoking, plastic bag use, puppy mills, sugary drinks, water distribution, regulation of dark money, and so much more. Wadsack introduced the same bill last year (which failed to pass) and said her intent is to get more Republicans elected to the Tucson City Council. Scheduled for Senate Elections Committee, Thursday. OPPOSE.

Bills in Rules Committees

Rules exists only to consider whether a bill is constitutional and in the proper form for passage; the committee doesn’t take testimony an These bills will proceed to caucus (separate partisan meetings of all Democrats and all Republicans) and from there to a full floor vote. Contact your senator for Senate bills, your representatives for House bills.

SB1112, sponsored by Sonny Borrelli (R-30), would preempt cities with over 50,000 residents from regulating most zoning for single-family homes, including lot sizes, square footage or dimensions, lot coverage, accessory structures, and design, architectural and aesthetic elements. In our profit-driven free-market economy, blanket deregulation simply won’t work without also including tenant protections like subsidized housing and rent regulation measures (or mandating construction of actual affordable dwellings) to ensure those who need it most have realistic options. Mirror bill HB2570. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1166, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would force schools to notify parents within five days if their minor child asked a teacher to use a preferred pronoun or name different from their biological sex or given name. It would also allow teachers to refuse to comply with that request, effectively greenlighting the misgendering of students. The sponsor says he’s compromised to try to get it past Gov. Hobbs’ veto stamp by making this year’s bill more “permissive” than last year’s, which required teachers to obtain written parental permission before they could respect a student’s identity. He dismissed the idea that requiring disclosure of a student’s gender identity would effectively amount to a ban for students with hostile families, saying that’s a matter for Child Protective Services to handle. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1182, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), is a shower-only version of last year’s “bathroom bill” that would ban trans kids from using the showers at school that align with their gender identities. Anyone who “encounters” a trans person in a shower area could file suit against public schools. A federal court found that these policies violate the US Constitution and Title IX, so in addition to being monstrously cruel and creating harm from continued anti-trans rhetoric, this would open Arizona to a host of lawsuits at taxpayer expense. Polls show that Americans from every political ideology and age group oppose anti-trans legislation. Gov. Hobbs vetoed last year’s bill. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1187, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would require public schools in a district that has a bond or override election on the ballot to be polling places "only if other nearby appropriate government buildings are unavailable," voiding the available space and child safety exemptions currently in statute. No external entity knows better for local schools than their own staff; state lawmakers should not be mandating this decision for them. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1189, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), would ban cities from prohibiting or regulating gun shows within their boundaries. Unregulated gun shows can be a magnet for traffickers to obtain large quantities of weapons without background checks. Guns purchased at gun shows are much more likely to be used in criminal activity. Two years ago, California became the first state to ban the sale of guns and ammo on state property, putting an end to gun shows at county fairgrounds there. The sponsor ran the same bill last year, which Gov. Hobbs vetoed. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1190, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), would create a special license plate for community college enrollment. Arizona currently has 101 special plates, with a portion of each purchase going to a different cause. Not only does having so many plates create difficulties for law enforcement, but some of the plates raise money for political groups, such as the hate group Alliance Defending Freedom and the anti-abortion Arizona Life Coalition. Arizona added 8 more plates just last year. When will it stop? Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1195, sponsored by Anthony Kern (R-27), would ask voters to ban Arizona, its cities and counties, and its state universities and community colleges from spending public funds to promote a laundry list of culture-war conspiracy theories. These include reducing meat or dairy consumption or production, eating insects, walking or biking more, taking public transit, reducing air travel, limiting the number of articles of clothing a person may buy or own, recycling water for drinking, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, limiting the increase of global temperature, producing or adopting a climate action plan, replacing private ownership, furthering Marxist ideologies, or implementing mass surveillance systems to monitor motor vehicle travel. The “Marxist ideologies” line alone could usher in a McCarthy-level witch hunt in public schools. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1198, sponsored by Wendy Rogers (R-7), would prohibit universities and community colleges from banning anyone with a concealed weapons permit — not just students — from possessing, storing, transporting guns on campus. College campuses and guns are a deadly combination, increasing the risks of suicide, homicide and sexual assault. Even our founding fathers believed guns had no place on college campuses. Getting a concealed-weapons permit in Arizona is ridiculously easy. This is at least the third straight year for this bill. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1213, sponsored by Wendy Rogers (R-7), penalizes cities such as Flagstaff and Tucson for voting to set a higher minimum wage than the state’s. It allows individuals and corporations to deduct from their taxes some of the difference between the local and state minimum wages. These tax credits would then be deducted from the revenues the state is supposed to share with cities. Any unused tax credits could be rolled over for five years. Depending on how many companies take the credit, it could deplete a community’s entire state funding. This aims to punish cities for providing a living wage for their residents, as well as preempting local authority. The sponsor introduced a similar bill last year, which failed to pass and would have cost cities $127 million in FY 2026. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1231, sponsored by Janae Shamp (R-29), would make it a state crime to cross a federal border without the required documentation and give local police immunity to arrest migrants crossing the border. The bill, which carries echoes of Arizona’s notorious SB1070, could conflict with a 2012 US Supreme Court ruling that said Arizona has no right to enforce federal immigration laws. Similar bill HB2748, Chaplik (R-3), is in committee this week. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1240, sponsored by Janae Shamp (R-29), would make the “cast vote record” (a receipt of everything scanned by a voting machine) a public record. Election deniers have overwhelmed the Maricopa County Elections Department with a deluge of requests for this tedious and routine document, insisting baselessly that it will help detect fraudulent voting patterns — just another example of conspiracy theorists’ endless, fruitless quest for election wrongdoing. The sponsor introduced the same bill last year, which Gov. Hobbs vetoed . Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1280, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would make those who are subject to registration as a sex offender ineligible to serve on public school boards. The bill does not mention ESA voucher-funded private schools. (Do these lawmakers think there are no predators at private schools? There are; here are several specific examples.) Please ask in your RTS comment that ESA voucher-funded private schools be added to the bill. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1286, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would require all district schools to close on primary and general election days, and district schools (but not charter or ESA voucher-funded schools) to offer their gymnasiums as polling places. Teachers would be required to attend inservice training and banned from taking a vacation day, presumably to keep them from working the polls. Arizona and the nation are already struggling to find enough election workers; it makes no sense to legislate a ban on teachers doing their patriotic duty — to say nothing of the disruption this would cause to families. Similar to a bill from last year that Gov. Hobbs vetoed. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1307, sponsored by Anthony Kern (R-27), would require the Board of Regents to fire employees and expel students at Arizona’s three state universities for “individual conduct that materially and substantially infringes on the rights of other persons to engage in or listen to expressive activity.” Last year an ASU director alleged that she lost her job after bringing Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA and Dennis Prager to campus for an event. The university says the director’s division shut down because the funding donor pulled his financial contribution, but Sen. Kern announced his intention to defund ASU, saying, “Hate speech is really free speech.” Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1357, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would move the signature affidavit on an early ballot to be inside the envelope for “privacy purposes.” The bill does not contain an appropriation for the cost of redesigning ballot materials, which would be substantial. Voting rights officials have not indicated the current setup, which is also used by multiple other states, poses any problem. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1360, sponsored by Frank Carroll (R-28), would ban Arizona elections from using artificial intelligence or learning hardware, firmware, or software. Motivated by a conspiracy theory that this technology can be used maliciously to mix up signatures and register dead voters; there’s no proof that’s ever happened. Elections officials in Arizona don’t use it, making this bill unnecessary. The sponsor introduced the same bill last year, which Gov. Hobbs vetoed. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1369, sponsored by Shawnna Bolick (R-2), would require each school district and individual public school to post on its website information on students’ race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and age that is meant for the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. Schools would also have to complete a newly created survey from the Arizona Department of Education on bullying, fighting, harassment and other school safety issues, which ADE would post on their website. Public schools are already subject to many laws covering discrimination and bullying, making this an excessive overreach. Meanwhile, bills to expand these protections to kids at ESA voucher-funded schools are going unheard. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1370, sponsored by Shawnna Bolick (R-2), would ban cities from requiring businesses run by youth under 18 to be licensed or pay sales taxes if they make under $10,000 per year. This bill would prop up for-profit fairs that are closely tied with Arizona private schools and pro-voucher lobbyists. Removing requirements for licensure opens the door to exposing kids to predatory practices or exploiting kids whose parents receive state tax dollars to spend on their kids’ businesses, often in lieu of school instruction. It also cracks the door open to rolling back child labor laws, as is happening in multiple other states. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1406, sponsored by Janae Shamp (R-29), would require the Arizona Medical Board to give licenses to practice medicine to international graduates who have not completed an accredited US residency. Currently, this is not allowed anywhere else in the US. Doctors’ groups oppose the bill as a safety and quality issue. Libertarians in Arizona have long degraded professional standards in the name of “cutting red tape”; last year, Koch-backed libertarian group Americans for Prosperity pushed a similar bill, which failed to pass. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1455, sponsored by Ken Bennett (R-1), extends the deadline for the public school tax credit to be used for broader purposes, including capital items, school meal programs, consumable health care supplies, playground equipment and shade structures. The current deadline is June 30, 2024. Having the flexibility to determine what needs attention most will benefit local schools. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. SUPPORT.

SB1465, sponsored by Ken Bennett (R-1), would make the required literacy endorsement for certificated K-5 teachers (passed in 2021) voluntary. Teachers must do all of this on their own time and with their own money, meaning these onerous requirements are encouraging many educators to leave the classroom. Making it voluntary would level the playing field a bit between highly regulated certificated teachers and other, less regulated types of educators. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. SUPPORT.

SB1468, sponsored by Anthony Kern (R-27), would allow applicants to sue for court review if a state agency denied, suspended or revoked their occupational license if the person believes it happened for “political reasons” or due to “political bias.” Reminiscent of McCarthyist hysteria. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1495, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would more than double certain business property tax exemptions, from $207,366 to $500,000 per taxpayer. With a projected deficit of more than $1.7 billion caused in large part by oversized tax cuts, now is not the time to give away even more state revenue via tax cuts! Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1583, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), would require each public school in Arizona to give parents an overview of the ESA voucher program, including award amount and approved expenses; a list of charter schools located a “reasonable distance” from the school; and several pages of information on “Arizona’s school choice options” for the parent to sign. The school would be required to keep a copy of the signed disclosure in the student’s file and to assist any parent who wants to switch schools after reading the pamphlet. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1639, sponsored by Frank Carroll (R-28), would establish a study committee on gold and silver currency, whether this state should invest state resources in gold and silver, prudent investment practices for this state related to gold and silver, and fiduciary management of gold and silver in an investment portfolio. Related to a bill from last session based on beliefs that our banking system is imploding, the federal government is conspiring to cause a central banking crisis by controlling your money, and the end of Western civilization as we know it is imminent. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SCR1013, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would ask voters to ban trans kids from using the school bathrooms, changing facilities and “sleeping quarters” that align with their gender identities. It would create a situation where trans kids couldn’t use any facilities at all without undue scrutiny of their bodies, calling that a "reasonable accommodation." Anyone who “encounters” a trans person in a bathroom could file suit against public schools. A federal court found that these policies violate the US Constitution and Title IX, so in addition to being monstrously cruel and creating harm from continued anti-trans rhetoric, this would open Arizona to a host of lawsuits at taxpayer expense. Gov. Hobbs vetoed a similar bill last year; this one goes to the voters, so she can’t veto it. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SCR1015, sponsored by Anthony Kern (R-27), would ask voters to ban Arizona, its cities and counties, and its state universities and community colleges from spending public funds to promote a laundry list of culture-war conspiracy theories. These include reducing meat or dairy consumption or production, eating insects, walking or biking more, taking public transit, reducing air travel, limiting the number of articles of clothing a person may buy or own, recycling water for drinking, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, limiting the increase of global temperature, producing or adopting a climate action plan, replacing private ownership, furthering Marxist ideologies, or implementing mass surveillance systems to monitor motor vehicle travel. The “Marxist ideologies” line alone could usher in a McCarthy-level witch hunt in public schools. Mirror bill HCR2040 is also in committee this week, upping the danger level. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SCR1020, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would ask voters to amend the state Constitution to automatically extend the previous year’s state budget if lawmakers don’t pass one in time. This would remove the only real motivation for lawmakers to work together and avoid shutting down our state. Lawmakers' only constitutional responsibility is to pass a budget by the start of the new fiscal year (no later than June 30). The same bill failed to pass last year. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SCR1027, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would ask voters to put a new version of Prop 123 in the state Constitution that restricts funds to “eligible teachers” only, rather than the many and varied needs of public schools as the expiring version of Prop 123 allows. Individual schools are best suited to determine their own needs, and don’t need a top-down mandate. Use your RTS comments to encourage Republican lawmakers to work with the governor and their Democratic colleagues to craft a bill that has the support to pass. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SCR1034, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would ask voters to set the actual salary schedule for Prop 123. Normally the legislature does this internally in case anything needs changing, but sending it to voters makes it impossible to tweak later. It directs funds to classroom teachers only, expecting the strapped general fund (which is currently facing a $1.7 billion deficit) to somehow backfill the current $257 million for general school funding. It bars district and charter schools from reducing teacher salaries below the FY2024-25 amount, even if the prop fails to direct the necessary funds to schools. It restricts funds to only certain types of teachers, which is like buying a new transmission for a car but not replacing its four flat tires. Putting two measures on the ballot in an already crowded year is a clear indication that this is just for talking points and legislative Republicans don’t much care if it succeeds or not. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2121, sponsored by David Marshall (R-7), would preemptively ban the sale or production of lab-grown meat, and would allow anyone whose business is “adversely affected’’ by their sale (such as ranchers) to sue for up to $100,000 in damages. Lab-grown meat is produced by cultivating animal cells directly instead of raising and slaughtering animals for food. Cultivated meat uses significantly fewer resources, reduces pollution, and lowers food-borne illnesses. It’s not yet commercially viable on a wide scale, but scientists are working on it. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2143, sponsored by David Cook (R-7), would waive fees for driver licenses and state IDs for people experiencing homelessness. This good idea, long championed by former House Minority Leader Reginald Bolding, deserves to become law. The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee discussed the bill last week and did not vote; it’s back on the agenda for this Wednesday. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. SUPPORT.

HB2232, sponsored by Jennifer Longdon (D-5), would add “on-track equipment” to railroad crossing safety statutes, thus requiring that vehicles stop for this equipment. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. SUPPORT.

HB2281, sponsored by Leo Biasiucci (R-30), would require counties to charge a 12.5% royalty on profits from solar farms that sell electricity commercially and divide the money up among residents. The effort is aimed at companies that use private or state-owned lands to generate electricity to sell to out-of-state utilities. Solar companies are investing billions of dollars in Arizona and creating thousands of jobs. Critics say the proposal is “a trade war starting, anti-business kind of thing that Arizona would lose,” and argue the costs would get passed along to customers when the taxed states decide to retaliate and charge taxes on out-of-state energy Arizona buys, such as from New Mexico wind farms. The bill is being fast-tracked; duplicate bill SB1066 went through its Senate committee last week. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2389, sponsored by Alexander Kolodin (R-3), would ban the sale of any motor vehicle in Arizona if it can be remotely shut off by someone not the owner of the vehicle who does not have a physical key. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is working to develop "passive" driver alcohol detection, using sensors that measure alcohol in a driver's skin or breath, as potential new standard equipment in new vehicles to prevent alcohol-related accidents and deaths. Alcohol-related crashes kill over 10,000 people every year nationwide. Opposition to the plan seems to center on the misbelief in a right to drive while drunk. (Driving is a privilege; the US Constitution guarantees a right to travel, but not the right to drive.) Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2405, sponsored by John Gillette (R-30), would allow county recorders to make a person’s voter registration inactive if they have reasonable cause to believe the voter provided fraudulent or incorrect registration information. This circumvents processes which are already working and could violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2457, sponsored by Steve Montenegro (R-29), would require state retirement funds to evaluate their investments solely based on finances, in a crusade against “woke” banks. This culture war against an imaginary problem carries real consequences for those who depend on Arizona’s retirement system. An ill-considered blanket mandate could leave Arizona teachers with retirement accounts that are unable to invest in most major companies. Similar to a number of failed bills from previous sessions. One recent study says such efforts could cost Arizona millions. Read our ESG explainer. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2501, sponsored by Leo Biasiucci (R-30), would form a process to remove a community college district from a county — in essence, removing community colleges like Arizona Western College from smaller counties like La Paz. This would negatively affect rural K-12 students taking dual enrollment and CTED courses. Rural students have few options and don’t need them further reduced. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2545 and HB2546, sponsored by Rachel Jones (R-17), would exempt all vehicles manufactured after 2018 from vehicle emissions testing. The bills are virtually identical except that each uses a different attempt to exempt the changes from federal EPA air quality requirements, neither of which will stand up in court. The EPA says vehicle inspection and emissions “help improve air quality by identifying cars and trucks that may need repairs.” They also save consumers money on fuel in the long run. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2588, sponsored by Tim Dunn (R-25), would require notaries to get a valid fingerprint clearance card, provide their thumbprint with each notarization, and notify the secretary of state via certified mail if they change their email address. Many private citizens become notaries to assist with citizen initiatives; this unnecessary red tape would stifle citizen participation in democracy. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2593, sponsored by Michael Carbone (R-25), would require state agencies and other organizations that receive public records requests to acknowledge the request and notify the requester of the expected date the request will be processed. Willful or bad-faith noncompliance would be subject to civil penalties of up to $5,000. The public records process is rife with red tape and often stacked against private citizens; this would help. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. SUPPORT.

HB2658, sponsored by Joseph Chaplik (R-3), would ban pedestrians from soliciting donations on a painted or raised traffic island or median. The penalties escalate, with a third offense carrying a penalty of up to six months in jail. Panhandling bans purport to be about safety, but in actuality criminalize homelessness, making the problem less visible rather than tackling the underlying social issues. It would be more productive to fund social housing or shelter beds instead. A similar bill with constitutionality issues failed to pass last session. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2703, sponsored by Alexander Kolodin (R-3), would give the Board of Supervisors 14 calendar days to make an appointment in the event of legislative vacancy. The clock would start ticking after the state party chair submitted the 3 candidate nominees chosen by legislative district activists. The bill appears motivated by the long decision process at the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to replace expelled election denier Liz Harris; that process involved getting legal advice as to whether the board was legally bound to nominate one of the three choices (all election deniers). Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

HB2719, sponsored by Michael Carbone (R-25), would require school bond and override measures to have 60%+ approval from eligible voters — not just voters who turn out — in order to pass. In effect, this measure would stop school districts from ever getting bond or overrides passed again. The measure also applies to cities, counties, cities and community college districts. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

2024 Session Timeline

Friday, 2/16	        Last day for a bill to get out of committees in its originating house 
Monday, 2/19	        Crossover Week begins (most committee hearings are suspended) 
Friday, 3/22              Last day for a bill to get out of committees in its crossover house 
                                  (and the last day to use RTS until a budget drops)
Tuesday, 4/16         100th Day of Session (the stated end goal; can be changed) 

Flag this handy list of contact info, committee chairs and assignments, updated for 2024.

Bookmark CEBV’s Linktree. Want to attend a Civics, Persuasion, Testimony, RTS or other training? Ready to register for an upcoming Spotlight Conversation or view a past one? Need to stay informed? Looking for our social media, inspiration, or self-care tips? It’s all here on our Linktree: