CEBV Weekly: February 20, 2023
It's time for lawmakers to set vitriol aside and get down to business. They know they need to. But when will they?
This week marks the first major bill deadline at the Legislature: bills that haven’t been passed out of committee in their chamber of origin are considered dead for the year.
It’s also Crossover Week: most committee hearings are suspended (except for Appropriations and Rules) while lawmakers debate and vote on bills in an attempt to pass them over to the other chamber. We’ll see long days of debate, and even longer agendas, in a flurry of activity to get bad policy rushed through so it can start all over again on the other side of the courtyard.
Much of that bad policy will be dead on arrival, as Gov. Hobbs demonstrated this week: she issued brisk, businesslike vetoes to the partisan “status-quo” budget, the first 13 bills passed this session.
That sets up a stalemate that could last until the waning days of June. Hobbs says her door is open to Republican lawmakers who wish to work together, but Republican legislative leaders are still licking their wounds. They’re telling reporters Hobbs needs to come to them, and that the Legislature has already “fulfilled (its) constitutional duty” — implying they don’t intend to create another budget that could actually pass.
That’s nonsense, of course. The proof is in this week’s Appropriations Committee agendas, which are long but shockingly sensible, signaling a willingness to set vitriol aside and get down to business.
Republican legislative leaders may not be ready to admit it, but despite their bluster, they know deep down that they are going to have to put ego aside and work with the Democratic governor for the good of our state. The question is not whether that will happen, but when.
⏰ If you have 10 minutes: Use RTS and contact your lawmakers on the Spotlight Bills, below.
⏰⏰ If you have 20 minutes: Contact your senator and representatives. Ask them to oppose SB1324 and HB2560, along with any other bills that would publish our ballots or expose our voter data to the public. If you did last week, please do it again.
⏰⏰⏰ If you have 30 minutes: Use Request to Speak on the bills in Appropriations.
⏰⏰⏰⏰ If you have 45 minutes: Contact your lawmakers on the bills being heard in Rules this week that mean the most to you.
⏰⏰⏰⏰⏰ If you have 60 minutes: Join us on Zoom at 4pm on Sunday for our next CEBV Happy Hour. We’ll have featured speakers from the Human Rights Campaign, Equality Arizona, and one•n•ten.
Spotlight Issue: Good Bills for a Change
After weeks of nonsense, this week’s Appropriations committees bring a refreshing change. We’re highlighting one good bill in each committee: HB2329, which sets up five-year loans to help disadvantaged first-time homebuyers afford a down payment, and SB1544, which would help keep families together by raising the monthly stipend for kinship foster care parents (those related to the child).
Contact the members of House Appropriations on HB2329, and the members of Senate Appropriations on SB1544. Committee information is here.
There are so many bills going through House Appropriations this week that the committee is planning to meet on both Monday and Wednesday. All bills are scheduled for both days. Your RTS bill position will hold for both committees, but comments must be directed to either Monday or Wednesday. If you want to be sure lawmakers see them, copy your comments to both days.
Monday
HB2284, sponsored by David Livingston (R-28), would create state-funded “tent cities” for individuals experiencing homelessness, and bans unhoused people from camping or storing property outside those areas. It would also ban “unauthorized sleeping” on state land, even as rising rents are pushing more people toward that option. Arizona has one of the worst homelessness crises in the nation. This would segregate and criminalize people without addressing the root causes, “a vicious mix of inflation, stagnant wages, limited housing, and skyrocketing rent.” Why not invest in the Housing Trust Fund (HB2256) or prioritize another, better option? Scheduled for House Appropriations Committee, Monday and Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HB2329, sponsored by Marcelino Quiñonez (D-11), would appropriate $12 million from the general fund to create the First Generation Home Buyers Down Payment Assistance Grant Fund. The fund would provide five-year loans for first-time disadvantaged homebuyers to use for down payments. The goal is to help people buy what may be the first home for anyone in their extended family. Scheduled for House Appropriations Committee, Monday and Wednesday. SUPPORT.
HB2338, sponsored by Amish Shah (D-5), would expand Arizona’s Medicaid system to include preventive dental care. This would help maintain overall health and wellness, and save money by helping people avoid serious dental problems. Research shows that gum disease (which is preventable with routine care) may play a role in the development of a number of other conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and respiratory disease. Currently, adults on AHCCCS get only emergency dental care; exams, X-rays, cleanings and other preventive dentistry is not covered. Scheduled for House Appropriations Committee, Monday and Wednesday. SUPPORT.
HB2447, sponsored by Teresa Martinez (R-16), would allow out-of-state residents to buy a vehicle tax-free as long as they first purchase a “special ten-day nonresident registration permit.” The cost on this is highly speculative, around $2.6 million per year. Why should those who can afford to fly here to buy a car get to do so tax-free? Scheduled for House Appropriations Committee, Monday and Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HB2538, sponsored by Beverly Pingerelli (R-28), would allow district and charter schools to offer live, remote instruction for students in grades 9-12 in exchange for a portion of school funding. Schools would get a $500 incentive bonus for each remote student who passes the course. Offering bonuses for passing grades monetizes learning and leads to cherry-picking of students and other forms of inequity. Scheduled for House Appropriations Committee, Monday and Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HB2800, sponsored by Matt Gress (R-4), would give raises to district and charter teachers who teach more than 50% of the day: $5,000 ($400 million) in FY2023-24 and $10,000 ($700 million) in FY2024-25. Though the concept is admirable, the bill is poorly thought out to the point of being unworkable. The lack of flexibility means that, if the coming recession drives the legislature to cut funding to public schools, districts will be forced to lay off teachers (thus increasing class sizes) rather than reduce pay to make ends meet. It leaves out half-time teachers and school support personnel like bus drivers. It ties funds to an "accountability" measure, even though public school funding is already highly accountable and we’re spending hundreds of millions a year on ESA vouchers with zero accountability. And the funds would be subject to the AEL school spending cap. Teacher pay bill HB2779 (Schwiebert, D-2), which was constructed thoughtfully with input from many education experts, was not given a hearing. Scheduled for House Appropriations Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
Thursday
SB1544, sponsored by Lela Alston (D-5), would raise the monthly stipend for kinship foster care parents (those related to the child) to the same $600 per month that every other foster parent gets. Kinship foster parents are often grandparents raising grandkids; the bill sponsor, who has been working for parity for these families since 2019, says some families must send the children back to the state because they cannot afford to take care of them. Scheduled for Senate Appropriations Committee, Thursday. SUPPORT.
SB1546, sponsored by Lela Alston (D-5), would set up a $100,000 grant program for district and charter school community gardens. School gardens offer many benefits, including making healthy food more appealing to kids, helping fight hunger, and aiding emotional regulation. Scheduled for Senate Appropriations Committee, Thursday. SUPPORT.
SB1717, sponsored by Steve Kaiser (R-2), would give incentive bonuses to teachers and district and charter schools for students who pass a qualifying dual enrollment course (which allows high school students 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 makes the program just another kind of inequitable "results-based funding" — reinforcing the achievement gap in public schools instead of narrowing it. Scheduled for Senate Appropriations Committee, Thursday. OPPOSE.
SCR1011, sponsored by Steve Kaiser (R-2), would ask voters to allow the Housing Trust Fund to be used to fund state-funded “tent cities” for individuals experiencing homelessness, which would have to be prioritized before any permanent housing solution. Any city with higher homeless rates than the state average would face penalties, encouraging them to simply evict people. It would also ban “unauthorized sleeping” on state land, even as rising rents push more people toward that option. Arizona has one of the worst homelessness crises in the nation. This would segregate and criminalize people without addressing the root causes: “a vicious mix of inflation, stagnant wages, limited housing, and skyrocketing rent.” Why not invest in another, better option? Scheduled for Senate Appropriations 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 and won’t read comments.
These bills will likely proceed to caucus (separate partisan meetings of all Democrats and all Republicans) and from there to a full floor vote, which could happen this week. Bottom line: Treat these as bills that could get a full vote any time. Contact your senator for Senate bills, your representatives for House bills.
SB1040, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would 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, 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. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1074, sponsored by Sonny Borrelli (R-30), is subject to a striker that would ban all electronic voting equipment from primary use unless it meets Department of Defense cybersecurity standards, all pieces of it are made in the US, and the auditor general is given copies of the source codes. Inspired by a baseless conspiracy theory about (get this) vote-flipping supercomputers. A coalition of federal cybersecurity and election officials called the 2020 presidential election the “most secure in American history.” See duplicate bill HB2613, sponsored by Steve Montenegro (R-29). Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1114, sponsored by Wendy Rogers (R-7), would appropriate $3.64 million to the existing hyperbaric oxygen therapy fund for military veterans, currently comprised of private donations and grants. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is mostly used to treat decompression sickness from scuba diving, but can also be used for serious infections, making it likely this is an attempt at state funding for fraudulent COVID treatment. Last year, lawmakers wrapped an identical bill into the state budget; Ducey used his first line-item veto on it, citing a "lack of public support" (hi, that’s us). Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1140, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would mandate that counties return to precinct-style voting. The voting center model has numerous benefits, including voter convenience, financial savings, and increased turnout. Lawmakers should be making it easier, not harder, for us to vote. See duplicate bill HB2304. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1145, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would exempt students at Arizona’s three in-state universities from student activity fees if the student says the payment would “violate their conscience” or if the student meets any of a list of reasons for exemption, including objecting on religious or moral grounds, financial hardship, and part-time status. Universities already give fee waivers for financial hardship; this is intended to enshrine culture wars into statute. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1146, 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. Hoffman introduced the same bill last year. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1156, sponsored by Anthony Kern (R-27), would allow people to deduct a maximum of $40,000 in income from their state taxes for adoption, up from $3,000. Adoptive parents are a sympathetic group of people, which is the point. Lawmakers in Arizona have long used incrementalism to advance various harmful policies on school vouchers, reproductive rights, and more. Meanwhile, Arizona already gives away far more in tax loopholes and carve-outs than it spends in its state budget every year. The bill contains no fiscal note to estimate the cost. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1160, sponsored by Christine Marsh (D-4), would keep someone who seeks medical help for another person experiencing a drug-related overdose from being arrested for possession or use of drugs. Research shows the most common reason people don't seek medical help in these situations is fear of arrest, and also that most overdoses are witnessed. Immunizing witnesses from prosecution will reduce this fear and save lives. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. SUPPORT.
SB1213, sponsored by Anthony Kern (R-27), mandates that the Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC), in addition to the Attorney General and governor, sign off on the Secretary of State’s official elections procedure manual. The manual became politicized when former Attorney General Brnovich, a Republican, unsuccessfully sued former Secretary of State Hobbs, a Democrat, to try to get her to publish a manual more to his liking. Now that both the AG and SoS are Democrats, it’s unlikely anyone will sue. Like the other legislative committees, JLAC membership is stacked, with 7 Republicans and 4 Democrats — making this bill just another transparent attempt to politicize the process. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1239, sponsored by Wendy Rogers (R-7), would allow state agencies to accept cryptocurrency as payment by partnering with a private third-party company. Cryptocurrency is an environmentally destructive bubble that is already popping and a playground for the mega-rich. Even the Wall Street Journal says crypto should be banned, calling it “a gambling contract with a nearly 100% edge for the house.” Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1281, sponsored by Janae Shamp (R-29), is subject to a striker that would mandate state income tax rebates of $200 individual, $400 joint, for tax year 2022. The bill has no fiscal note, but roughly 2.7 million people file income taxes in Arizona every year, so this would likely cost the state a jaw-dropping sum: between $540 million and $1.1 billion. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1300, 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. The same bill was also introduced last year. Duplicate bill HB2667, sponsored by Rachel Jones (R-17), is also in committee this week. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1313, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would ban cities from making any plans that would “reduce overall system capacity of motor vehicle traffic.” From crashes to climate, from health to finances, our car-centric society is literally killing us. Cities actively working to change this should be commended, not quashed. This bill is based on an absurd conspiracy theory that believes the world government wants to limit people’s freedom of movement and advance a totalitarian agenda. (Yes, really.) Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1314, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would ban the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) Transportation Planning Division from adopting a motor vehicle travel mile reduction target or any other demand management policy or project. Demand management is a proactive approach to improve transportation efficiency which doesn’t assume private cars as the best or only solution for urban mobility; its use saves money and makes our cities more livable. Another bill based on an absurd conspiracy theory. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1324, 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; nearly every question they raised has been found to be misleading, inaccurate, or false. Georgia and some Colorado counties have put ballot images online in an attempt to calm conspiracy theories. But, other than the obvious privacy concerns, this may only generate more mistrust in our democracy. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer says 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. See duplicate bill HB2560, sponsored by Ben Toma (R-27). Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1332, 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. It’s the latest example of the endless, fruitless quest for a smoking gun that has so far yielded no proof of election wrongdoing. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1366, sponsored by Wendy Rogers (R-7), mandates medical personnel to inform women seeking abortions that health benefits may be available to her if she chooses to stay pregnant, that the father of the unborn child is required to provide child support, and that assistance and adoption services are available. They must offer her a list of alternatives to abortion, and tell her that “coercing a woman to undergo an abortion is unlawful.” Bills like this serve no medical purpose, but instead seek to dissuade people from exercising bodily autonomy. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1410, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), would extend so-called “1487 complaints” to school boards. Passed in 2016, SB1487 allows any state lawmaker to order the Attorney General to investigate whether a city is violating state law. GOP lawmakers have traditionally used 1487 complaints to block cities from enacting policies they disagree with. The same bill was also introduced last year. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1413, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), would require cities and counties to immediately remove any "homeless encampment" and throw away all materials found there. Homeless people on private property would be charged with trespassing. The bill does not include solutions for housing or shelter. The definition of “homeless encampment” is so broadly written as to criminalize recreational camping. In addition to being blatantly cruel, this bill criminalizes homelessness and has constitutionality issues. The bill was written by the libertarian lobbyist group Goldwater Institute. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1433, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), would mandate any employer who requires a person be vaccinated for COVID be liable for damages that result from a “significant injury” caused by receiving the vaccine, with a minimum penalty of $1 million. The COVID vaccine is proven to be safe and effective. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1471, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would set up a “man-versus-machine test” of whether humans are better or worse than machines at counting ballots. This would essentially serve as a hand-count audit, measuring accuracy as well as the time and resources required to implement hand counting statewide. Driven by a false belief that machine counting is inherently suspect and susceptible to fraud. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer is supporting the bill, saying it “will build confidence in our election system by showing that machine tabulation is highly accurate, free of bias, and fast.” Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1500, sponsored by Frank Carroll (R-28), would require state retirement funds to evaluate their investments solely based on finances. Similar to other bills this session that crusade against “pro-abortion, pro-sex-ed” banks. This culture war against an imaginary problem could create real consequences for those who depend on Arizona’s retirement system. An ill-considered blanket mandate such as this could leave half a million teachers, municipal workers and other government employees with retirement accounts that are unable to invest in most major companies, and may create a minefield for investors and pension fund managers. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1518, sponsored by Ken Bennett (R-1), would allow voters to skip the signature verification process by presenting ID when dropping their early ballots off on Election Day. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer has said that would break the chain of ballot custody, harming election integrity. After the Friday before Election Day, the bill would also ban one person in a family from dropping off the whole family’s early ballots, which could result in more ballots being rejected. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1559, sponsored by Steve Kaiser (R-2), would exempt from state taxes all of the first-year profits for a corporation in its first year of business, half the profits in its second year, and a quarter in its third year. It would also waive all fees. Arizona already gives away far more in tax loopholes and carve-outs than it spends in its state budget every year, while most corporations in Arizona pay only the minimum tax of $50. State revenues are already forecast to crater over the next two years; this is no time to further cut taxes. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1577, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would mandate that, if Arizona has a budget surplus in any given year, the state would have to automatically cut income tax rates by 50% for the following year. Arizona has just begun to dig itself out of the systemic disinvestment of the Great Recession, which left us with a state government underfunded in nearly every area that still struggles to provide the most basic of services. Meanwhile, Arizona still gives away more money every year in tax cuts, credits and carve-outs than it spends in its budget. The budget surplus isn’t evidence that we’re collecting too much revenue; it’s evidence of lawmakers’ persistent unwillingness to invest in our state and its people. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1595, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would make voters present ID in order to drop off their early ballots after 7 PM on the Friday before election day. This would complicate voting for over 1 in 5 voters, resulting in more ballots being rejected. Arizona is a national leader in voting by mail, pioneering the program over 30 years ago. Only about half of Arizona counties even have the capability to tabulate ballots on-site at polling places on Election Day. Voters just refused in November to adopt new ID restrictions for early ballots. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1596, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would require government offices, including school district offices, to serve as polling places if elections officials ask for it. The chaos of Election Day is disruptive to a school’s normal operation and could put students at risk by allowing unverified individuals into a building during school hours. Apparently intended to facilitate a return to precinct-style voting, but Arizona and the nation are already struggling to find enough elections workers. Meanwhile, voting centers offer numerous benefits, including convenience, financial savings and increased turnout. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1597, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would require elections officials to tabulate early ballots on-site at polling places no later than November 2024. Only about half of Arizona counties even have the capability to tabulate ballots on-site at polling places on Election Day. The bill comes with no appropriation for the significant investments that would be required to make this bill reality. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1600, sponsored by Janae Shamp (R-29), would broaden a controversial anti-abortion bill from 2017 that requires clinics, hospitals and physicians to “care for a baby delivered alive.” Physicians and parents opposed the 2017 bill for forcing unnecessary procedures on babies with no chance of survival instead of allowing these babies to die in the arms of their parents. The bill removes compromise language inserted to help the bill pass and inserts language related to the concept of fetal personhood. Any violation would be a felony and result in the loss of the medical professional’s license. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SCR1018, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would ask voters to amend the Arizona Constitution to ban government from charging anyone based on their vehicle miles traveled or monitoring people’s vehicle miles traveled. Reducing how many miles we drive burns fewer fossil fuels and extends road life, which is good for the state. Based on an absurd conspiracy theory that believes the world government wants to limit people’s freedom of movement and advance a totalitarian agenda. (Yes, really.) Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SCR1023, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), would ask voters to amend the state Constitution to repeal charter cities in Arizona. Currently larger cities can adopt a charter, which then supersedes 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. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SCR1025, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), would ask voters to insert the “parents bill of rights” into the state Constitution. This concept, pushed by the extremist Center for Arizona Policy, is often wielded as a far-right political bludgeon against schools, health care organizations and children’s advocacy groups. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SCR1034, 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 avoid the threat of a government shutdown if lawmakers couldn’t compromise in time, but would also remove the only real motivation for them to work together and do so. In past years, lawmakers have finished nearly every budget with days or even hours to spare before the start of the next fiscal year. Similar bill HCR2038, sponsored by David Livingston (R-28). Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SCR1035, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would ask voters to mandate that, if Arizona has a budget surplus in any given year, the state automatically cut income tax rates by 50% for the following year. Arizona has just begun to dig itself out of the Great Recession, which left us with a state government that’s underfunded in nearly every area and still struggles to provide the most basic of services. Meanwhile, Arizona still gives away more money every year in tax cuts, credits and carve-outs than it spends in its budget. The budget surplus isn’t evidence that we’re collecting too much revenue; it’s evidence of lawmakers’ systemic unwillingness to invest in our state and its people. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
2023 Session Timeline
Monday, 2/20 Crossover Week begins (most committee hearings are suspended) Friday, 3/24 Last day for a bill to get out of committees in its crossover house Saturday, 4/22 100th Day of Session (the stated end goal; can be changed)
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