CEBV Weekly: June 5, 2023
$900 million we don't have for vouchers. There's a new shark in town. And, transit riders are puppies?
A lot happened this week for the legislature being “on vacation.” Most of it involves magical thinking.
Voucher spiral
This week, the Arizona Department of Education issued an astronomical updated estimate projecting the newly expanded universal ESA voucher program will cost the state $900 million in 2024 alone. Multiple factors are driving the increase, including that vouchers cost more (not less) than public school and that many voucher users represent a brand-new cost to taxpayers since they were not previously in the public system.
The question on everyone’s lips is how we’ll pay for it. Lawmakers already spent every cent of Arizona’s $1.2 billion surplus in this year’s budget, much of it on pork and pet projects. Digging into the Rainy Day Fund, as some legislators have hinted, would mean robbing our state’s emergency reserve so that rich families can subsidize tuition at elite private academies. As history reminds us, when times get tough and the budget knives come out, our schools feel the hurt first.
What’s next? Naturally, Republican lawmakers and the pro-voucher lobbying echo chamber are doing everything they can to ignore the impending tsunami, including challenging ADE's numbers and straight-up telling lies. But this budget-busting shock has led Gov. Katie Hobbs to promise redoubled efforts to clap a lid on this fiscally ruinous train wreck. (See the “new blood” section below for why that’s a more meaningful promise than the one she made in January.)
Prop 400 update
Gov. Hobbs is now negotiating directly with Republican legislative leaders on a deal to return Prop 400 to the ballot. If she’s successful, Maricopa County voters will get the chance to extend our half-cent sales tax for transportation.
For nearly 40 years, Prop 400 has paid for massive development, including freeways, bus routes and light rail projects. It’s boosted our economy, attracted businesses and driven tourism. Arizona wouldn’t be the same without it.
The problem continues to be the far right, led by Warren Petersen, who are stubbornly stonewalling due to dogmatic opposition to public transit that isn’t grounded in reality. It doesn’t matter that 27 mayors, three tribes and two counties have unanimously approved a plan, that fellow conservatives are calling them out for dragging their heels, or that their opposition is now making national headlines. The MAGA caucus simply doesn’t want to hear it.
Kenn Weise, the mayor of Avondale and the chair of the Maricopa Association of Governments, said GOP lawmakers he’s met with like Jake Hoffman just don’t get how important transit is. He said Hoffman and others scoffed when he noted that metro Phoenix light rail and buses counted 32 million boardings last year.
“And Hoffman says to me ‘well those aren’t real people,’ Weise said. “And I said, ‘Well, they’re not puppies and they’re not kittens and they’re not ghosts.’ ” (Associated Press)
We can’t imagine thinking 32 million people are imaginary. Will Petersen and Hoffman’s hubris finally catch up with them? Godspeed, Gov. Hobbs. You’ll need it.
New blood on the 9th floor
After the disastrous “negotiations” of last month’s budget, which were widely reported to involve Gov. Hobbs arm-twisting, threatening and bullying her own caucus, Gov. Hobbs’ chief of staff resigned. Many insiders said Hobbs should “lay off the social workers and hire a shark,” and we’re thrilled to report she’s done just that.
Her new pick, former House Minority Leader Chad Campbell, is best known for his work with former Gov. Jan Brewer to pass Medicaid expansion in 2013, over the objections of sitting lawmakers like Kelli Ward and then-Senate President Andy Biggs. We hope he’ll guide her toward flexing her legitimate power to strike deals with our extremist legislature that are more like the one President Biden just crafted on the federal level.
Will they ever go home?
The most nauseating (but persistent) rumor we’ve been hearing is that the legislature simply won’t adjourn this year — or will stay in session far past usual, into October. This would continue their recent pattern of “work,” with lawmakers coming back in for a day or two and then going home for weeks. Already this year, our legislature has taken over a month’s worth of recess in that fashion.
The push to stick around is apparently coming from lawmakers on the extreme right (yup, them again), who may think it helps them retain a measure of perceived control over Gov. Hobbs. While in session, they can waive rules, introduce bills and vote, but once the legislature adjourns sine die (a Latin phrase meaning “without a day”), they can’t take any action until Hobbs summons them back — either in a special session or as regularly scheduled on Jan. 8, 2024.
So will they actually stay in session? That carries a couple of problems. The first is bills. Other than the budget, which gets its own effective date, our Constitution specifies that unless a bill is passed with an emergency clause (which requires a two-thirds supermajority), it doesn’t become law until 90 days after legislative session ends. This year, the fate of 142 bills so far (choose “Signed by Governor” from the drop-down to view) depends on the date of sine die. Those include a bill to extend trauma counseling to 911 dispatchers; a bill to expand gray water use; ten bills to continue state agencies like the state board of accountancy, the state parks board and the School for the Deaf & Blind; and various bills intended to clarify how budget monies are to be spent. If the legislature doesn’t sine die until October, these bills don’t become law until January.
The second problem is per diem. Even in recess, lawmakers continue to collect per diem payments (which are meant to help them pay for lodging and travel expenses) for any day they say they’re conducting legislative business. The appearance of taking taxpayer money while not visibly working isn’t great, obviously.
Only a simple majority vote is needed from both chambers to adjourn sine die. Here’s hoping Arizona has 31 representatives and 16 senators who have more important things to do than linger unnecessarily.
⏰ If you have 10 minutes: Contact your lawmakers and Gov. Hobbs, asking for action on the crisis in public education. Our friends at Save Our Schools Arizona have a one-click form that makes this easy.
⏰⏰ If you have 20 minutes: Contact your lawmakers and urge them to advance a sensible Prop 400 to the ballot. They don’t know better than 27 mayors and the entire Maricopa Association of Governments (and transit riders aren’t puppies).
⏰⏰⏰ Will session ever end? Sign up for our Legislative Session Wrap-Up on June 25 (HERE) or June 29 (HERE).
⏰⏰⏰⏰ This weekend: Due to the legislature’s continued recess, our CEBV Happy Hours remain on pause. The Legislature reconvenes June 12, so watch this space and your email; we’ll catch up with a Happy Hour on June 18 if needed.
Use our website. Civic Engagement Beyond Voting’s website features tons of resources, including a RTS training video that’s 5 minutes well spent.
Follow our social media. Our most timely updates are posted on Twitter.
Subscribe. Enter your email address below to have the entire text of these updates emailed to you. (This is driven by Substack, separately from our CEBV emails. Those will still exist: as always, they’ll contain additional information and calls to action, along with a link to the content here.)