CEBV Weekly: March 13, 2023
Some good news. But we still envision a future awash with veto stamps.
When we’re immersed in the bleakness that is the Arizona state legislature, it’s easy to overlook encouraging news. So this week, we’re pleased to highlight Gov. Hobbs’ creation of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People’s Task Force. This outgrowth of the study committees our legislature established in 2019 and 2022 “will bring together states and tribal leaders to find pathways to justice for the missing and murdered.”
The task force will propose legislation to address the study committee’s 83 (!) recommendations. They’ll also work with law enforcement and tribal authorities to collect data about violence against indigenous people.
Establishment of the original study committee passed through a deeply divided legislature, giving us hope that this bunch may eventually get something done that’s worth celebrating. Toxic partisanship throttles good governance, and that’s a source of endless frustration to voters who expect their lawmakers to work on matters they care about: public health and safety, the water crisis, good public schools, and investing in our state’s future.
The bills being heard this week are most decidedly not anything worth celebrating. The razor-thin GOP majority continues to overindulge its most extreme members by advancing hyperpartisan nonsense instead of common-sense solutions. If passed by both chambers, this nonsense will likely meet the brick wall of Gov. Hobbs’ veto stamp — just as “teacher gag bill” SB1305 did this week.
⏰ If you have 15 minutes: Act on the Spotlight Bills, below.
⏰⏰ If you have 30 minutes: Use Request to Speak on all bills in committee. Head on over to CEBV’s Facebook or Twitter to see our RTS crib sheet, the Sunday Morning Quickie!
⏰⏰⏰ If you have 45 minutes: Contact your senator and representatives on the bills being heard 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. Our featured speaker is Nebraska state senator Megan Hunt, who is famous for vowing to wage an all-out fight against an abortion ban in her state, including a filibuster if necessary: “We’re going to take every minute possible on this bill and make it as difficult as possible to pass.” 💪🏻
Issue 1: Opioid Prescriptions & Public Health
Last Monday, lawmakers in the House Health & Human Services Committee discussed SB1254, which would remove the requirement that prescribed opioids must have a red cap. Ultimately, those lawmakers voted it down. Two Republicans on the committee, Selina Bliss (R-1) and Matt Gress (R-4), mentioned citizen RTS opposition in their vote explanations and said they wished members of the public had appeared to testify.
The red cap was first proposed by those recovering from opioid addiction as a tool to help curb the crisis. Arizona passed the law as part of former Gov. Ducey’s 2018 special session on opioids. The color is meant as a clear warning, like a red flag, that helps patients make more informed decisions about the medication they choose to take. The only concern seems to center around privacy, which is easily addressed with the white paper bag that is customarily provided in nearly all pharmacies.
SB1254 is being heard again this Monday. If you believe a red cap makes a difference, particularly if you have been personally impacted by the opioid epidemic, this committee is asking to hear from you. Reach out to our testimony coordinator Brandy Reese at brandy@cebv.us, and she’ll help you.
Issue 2: New Bills in Request to Speak
This is the first time these bills have appeared in the CEBV Weekly. More information is available below; simply search for the bill numbers. If you RTS on nothing else this week, please weigh in on these. We recommend an OPPOSE stance for each.
SB1005 would ban parents from having to pay attorney fees or damages if they lose a lawsuit against a public school or teacher (but not an ESA-funded private school or teacher). The “parents bill of rights,” pushed by the extremist Center for Arizona Policy, is often wielded as a far-right political bludgeon.
SB1092 would fine the Bar and the state Supreme Court for “infringing” on “political speech” of lawyers. The bill appears to be intended to address a freshman Arizona lawmaker who is under investigation by the State Bar for filing bad-faith lawsuits over the 2020 election.
SB1565 would ban Arizona elections from using artificial intelligence or learning hardware, firmware, or software. Prompted by a belief these tools are being used to mix up signatures and register dead voters; there’s no proof that’s ever happened. Elections officials in Arizona don’t use this technology, making this bill unnecessary.
SB1411 would take away rights from people with certain disabilities who receive services by “automatically and immediately” turning their parents into their guardians when they turn 18. The child would get no say in whether this happened; only the parent would have a say, and then only if they opted out at least six months before the child's 18th birthday.
HB2460 would claw back a 2021 law that banned the suspension of K-4 students unless they were at least 7 years old or they brought a dangerous weapon or drugs to school. Administrators say the suspension limitations make dealing with behavioral issues difficult, but suspensions aren’t a good way to solve behavioral issues, even for older students.
Note: the bill deadline is looming down on lawmakers. If the Senate bills below aren’t heard in House committee, or House bills in Senate committee, by March 24, they’re considered dead for the year. Legislative leadership is choosing to advance these horrifying pieces of legislation in order to keep them alive in the face of that deadline.
Each of these bills is scheduled for a floor vote on Monday. COW and Third Read floor calendars are released only the night before, so we don’t yet have information for Tuesday through Thursday. Contact your senator or representatives directly, as applicable, on bills you care about.
SB1117, sponsored by Steve Kaiser (R-2), would eliminate most city authority over residential housing. The idea is to create a “flood of housing” in hopes that it will become more affordable, but the bill contains no affordability requirement. It also does not implement any of the recommendations from last year’s Housing Supply Study Committee, such as provisions for inclusionary zoning (which mandates that a portion of all units in new housing projects must be affordable) or the high cost of land. The end result will likely be to incentivize the development of market-rate and luxury housing, placing all the power in developers’ hands, while not providing housing options for those who need them most. Senate President Warren Petersen has made it clear he wants to speed up home building. (Petersen is a realtor whose parents own a large home building company.) Supported by Realtors, home builders, and the Goldwater Institute. Scheduled for a Senate floor vote, 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. Duplicate bill HB2560, sponsored by Ben Toma (R-27), awaits the House floor. Scheduled for a Senate floor vote, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1559, sponsored by Steve Kaiser (R-2), would exempt from state taxes all of the profits for a corporation in its first year of business, half the profits in its second year, and a quarter in its third year. Arizona already gives away far more in tax loopholes and carve-outs than it spends in its state budget every year. Most corporations in Arizona pay only the minimum tax of $50. The bill’s fiscal note observes “a lack of detailed business income data” and estimates the cost at $34.3 million in FY2025. State revenues are already forecast to crater over the next two years; this is no time to further cut taxes. Scheduled for a Senate floor vote, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1611, sponsored by Anthony Kern (R-27), would ban government from contracting with any company unless the contract specifies the company will not "discriminate" based on political affiliation or social or environmental values. Similar to a failed bill from last year and several this session. One recent study says such efforts could cost Arizona millions. Scheduled for a Senate floor vote, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1694, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), 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 would be authorized to sue. Diversity, equity and inclusion is a philosophy designed to harness the differences, talents and unique qualities of all individuals. When did living in a country that looks like the world, and intentionally making space for all different kinds of people, become a bad thing? Scheduled for a Senate floor vote, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1700, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), would double down on last year's measures to ban many books from schools and institute public review of them. Any parent would be allowed to ask a school to remove a book, the Department of Education would be required to maintain a list of banned books, and public schools would have to publish a list for 4 months before giving books to students. The bill is potentially unconstitutional; it takes aim at "gender fluidity" and "gender pronouns," and would write an inaccurate, weaponized definition of "grooming" into statute. Attempts to ban books in schools are on the rise nationwide, with a focus on local school boards. This horrifying bill not only harms the fight against child sexual abuse, but our children's ability to learn. Many of the targeted books reflect realities kids across Arizona are living; choosing to pull reality out of libraries won't create good citizens. Scheduled for a Senate floor vote, Monday. OPPOSE.
HB2502, sponsored by Matt Gress (R-4), would force courts to retroactively apply child support for pregnancies. This so-called “fetal personhood” bill is an attempt to give fetuses the same legal rights as people. Driven by anti-abortion crusaders who want to see a constitutional ban on reproductive freedoms, this incredibly unpopular, anti-scientific concept would also criminalize IVF and many forms of contraception. The US Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge forcing fetal personhood in October. Scheduled for a House floor vote, Monday. OPPOSE.
The stakes are higher now. All of these bills have been through committees and a full floor vote in their chamber of origin. From here, the path to the governor’s desk is much shorter: only a single floor vote remains.
Monday
SB1047, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would make it a crime for a person to be within 20 feet of a “dangerous incident” if a police officer said to step back. Interfering with a crime scene investigation is already illegal; this would remove transparency in law enforcement by banning the public from observing police in action. In 2022, Kavanagh introduced a similar bill making it illegal to film police any closer than 8 feet. After media filed a suit, the law was deemed unconstitutional, and a court injunction made the law unenforceable. Part of a package of bills from Republican state lawmakers that would expand police authority. Scheduled for House Military Affairs & Public Safety Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1250, 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 the bar is “sincerely held religious belief.” Scheduled for House Health & Human Services Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1254, sponsored by Janae Shamp (R-29), would remove the requirement that prescribed opioids must have a red cap. This requirement was first proposed by those recovering from opioid addiction as a tool to help curb the opioid crisis. The color of the cap is meant as a clear warning, like a red flag, that helps patients make more informed decisions about the medication they choose to take. Arizona passed the law as part of Gov. Ducey’s 2018 opioid special session. Scheduled for House Health & Human Services Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
HB2014, sponsored by David Livingston (R-28), would quadruple over 3 years the amount Arizona spends on a specific type of STO (School Tuition Organization) voucher. STO vouchers, which topped $1 billion back in 2017, are paid for by dollar-for-dollar tax credits that siphon funds from the state coffers that fund public schools. Arizona capped STO voucher growth in 2019 due to bipartisan agreement that the exponential increases were harmful. While similar to a bill from 2 years ago, this bill also blurs the lines between ESA and STO voucher funding. Arizona’s ESA voucher program ballooned by 400% this year, with the vast majority of funding going to families who have never sent their children to public school. The bill's fiscal note says the expansion will cost the state $14 million a year when fully phased in. Scheduled for Senate Finance Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
HB2586, sponsored by Neal Carter (R-15), would ban the Arizona Department of Transportation from displaying anything other than highway or AMBER alerts on the dynamic message signs over our freeways. This would also prohibit notices advising motorists of “no burn” days during periods of high pollution, state and national park information, wildfire alerts, messages honoring first responders who die in the line of duty, and elections-related information urging people to vote. Prompted by residual MAGA angst over 2020’s “social distancing, wash hands” messages. Scheduled for Senate Transportation & Technology Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
Tuesday
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 House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.
SB1167, sponsored by Steve Kaiser (R-2), would tie 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. Scheduled for House Commerce Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.
HB2624, sponsored by Leo Biasiucci (R-30), would force Arizona’s Medicaid system to redetermine the eligibility of all 2.4 million patients it serves by the end of 2023. The legislation would kick off all patients whose eligibility is unconfirmed, not just those determined to be ineligible. AHCCCS already has a plan in place at the direction of the federal government, which is set to be completed at the start of March 2024; an estimated 650,000 Arizonans could lose their health care. If lawmakers force a faster timeline, people with serious conditions could be kicked off their health insurance coverage, leading to the loss of necessary treatment. When pressed, the sponsor called it “not that big of a deal” and said, “I think that they’re going to be fine.” Scheduled for Senate Health & Human Services Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.
Wednesday
SB1005, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would ban parents from having to pay attorney fees or damages if they lose a lawsuit against a public school or teacher (but not an ESA-funded private school or teacher). The sponsor said his bill was necessary because “the (public) school has unlimited resources.” The bill builds on a law passed last year that lets parents sue if they think their parental rights were “usurped.” The “parents bill of rights” concept, pushed by the extremist Center for Arizona Policy, is often wielded as a far-right political bludgeon. Scheduled for House Judiciary Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
SB1009, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would make it a felony to damage or destroy any public or private monument or statue. The movement to remove Confederate monuments has grown since a white supremacist killed nine black people at a South Carolina church in 2015 and since a now-convicted and imprisoned police officer murdered George Floyd in 2020. This is the third straight year Kavanagh has introduced this bill. Damaging a statue simply does not rise to felony magnitude. Passed Senate on party lines 3/1. Scheduled for House Judiciary Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
SB1021, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would require the Attorney General to defend all laws passed by the legislature against all legal challenges, unless 2/3 of the members of both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees vote otherwise. Likely motivated by AG Mayes’ statements on defending the state in recent abortion and ongoing capital funding matters, as well as former AG Brnovich’s refusal to defend Kavanagh’s 2022 law banning filming police within 8 feet (a law which the legislature’s own attorneys told them was unconstitutional). Passed the full Senate 2/21. Scheduled for House Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
SB1074, sponsored by Sonny Borrelli (R-30), 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 House Municipal Oversight & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
SB1087, sponsored by Anthony Kern (R-27), would force state regulatory boards and agencies to waive or reduce license fees if their bank balance hits a certain amount. Spurred on by lobbyists at the Goldwater Institute, Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity, and other large national think tanks, Republican lawmakers routinely sponsor deregulation measures that would harm public safety and state finances. Scheduled for House Regulatory Affairs Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
SB1092, sponsored by Anthony Kern (R-27), would fine the Bar and the state Supreme Court for “infringing” on “political speech” of lawyers. The bill appears to be intended to aid Arizona lawyer and freshman lawmaker Alex Kolodin (R-3), who is under investigation by the State Bar for filing bad-faith lawsuits over the 2020 election. Attorneys across the country and in Arizona have faced disciplinary action and revocation of their licenses for frivolous claims of election fraud and lawsuits against political rivals. The State Bar and the Arizona Supreme Court both say there’s no problem needing to be fixed. Scheduled for House Judiciary Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
SB1095, sponsored by Frank Carroll (R-28), would require early ballot envelopes to include a written warning that ballots returned via drop box or mailed after the Friday before the election could cause delayed election results. County elections officials oppose the change on the grounds it would cause confusion: for years, voters have been advised to mail their ballots back by the Wednesday before the election. Ballots mailed from rural areas on Friday might not make it to the county recorder’s office by the deadline of 7 PM on Election Day. Held last week, but once again scheduled for House Municipal Oversight & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
SB1105, sponsored by Frank Carroll (R-28), would require elections officials to immediately tabulate early ballots that are brought to the polls on Election Day, rather than putting them through the signature verification process. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer says that would break the chain of ballot custody, harming election integrity, and a spokeswoman for the Association of Counties said the bill was “unimplementable.” Scheduled for House Municipal Oversight & Elections Committee, Wednesday. 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 House Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
SB1170, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would ban unmonitored drop boxes. These are accessible, convenient, reliable, secure, and hugely popular, yet some lawmakers continue to insist without evidence that they increase election fraud. Scheduled for House Municipal Oversight & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
SB1243, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would eliminate the "individual" and "switcher" categories for STO (School Tuition Organization) vouchers, roll them into a single category, and increase the maximum contribution amount. This would reduce tracking, make it easier for STOs to take in more money with less administration cost, and circumvent requirements that students attend public schools first. In other words, it's a way to bolster profit. Scheduled for House Ways & Means Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
SB1260, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would accelerate tax cuts on Arizona “small business” income to 2.5% for tax years, starting in 2023. Arizona already gives away far more in tax loopholes and carve-outs than it spends in its state budget every year. Meanwhile, 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. The bill has no fiscal note to estimate the cost. Scheduled for House Ways & Means Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
SB1428, 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. Last year, California became the first state to ban the sale of guns and ammo on state property, which will put an end to gun shows at county fairgrounds. Scheduled for House Judiciary Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
SB1565, sponsored by Frank Carroll (R-28), would ban Arizona elections from using artificial intelligence or learning hardware, firmware, or software. Sen. Sonny Borrelli (R-30) explained in committee that he believes 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. Scheduled for House Municipal Oversight & Elections Committee, Wednesday. 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, so the bill would require schools to close. 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 elections workers. Scheduled for House Municipal Oversight & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
SB1696, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would double down on a bill passed last year by banning district and charter schools from exposing minors to "sexually explicit materials." The incredibly broad description includes text, audio and video that references sexual contact, sexual excitement, and even physical contact with a person's clothed or unclothed buttocks. This would ban many classic works of literature, from Shakespeare to Maya Angelou. Violations would be a class 5 felony, punishable by up to 2 years in jail. Scheduled for House Government Committee, Wednesday. 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 House Ways & Means Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HB2094, sponsored by Kevin Payne (R-21), would relax regulations on food trucks. Payne, who owns a food truck, sponsored the same bill in 2019. Scheduled for Senate Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HB2309, sponsored by Rachel Jones (R-17), would ban Arizona and all its counties and cities from complying with US law if it’s inconsistent with Arizona law regarding the authority of state and local law enforcement agencies. Perhaps some legislators need pocket copies of the US Constitution? Article VI, Paragraph 2, known as the “supremacy clause,” states that the federal constitution and laws take precedence over state ones — not the other way around. Scheduled for Senate Military Affairs, Public Safety & Border Security Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HB2332, sponsored by Selina Bliss (R-1), would require public district and charter schools to provide students with firearms training between grades 6 and 12. Training would focus on safe handling of firearms, identifying danger signs or careless handling of firearms, and proper storage. Parents or a student's IEP team would be allowed to opt children out. Disturbingly, the bill also allows schools to accept in-kind donations of materials, equipment or services to be used in the trainings from any person or legal entity, with no safety provisions. Some critics have characterized the bill as “an attempt to give the NRA a foothold into classrooms” and to “pull kids into gun culture.” Nearly identical to a bill from last year. Part of a package of bills trying to force guns into schools. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
Thursday
HB2427, sponsored by Matt Gress (R-4), would lower barriers to filing aggravated assault charges against someone who knowingly attacks a pregnant person and increases mandatory sentencing. This sneaky attempt to codify the concept of fetal personhood harms the rights of anyone who is pregnant. The Arizona Coalition To End Sexual And Domestic Violence opposes the bill. Gress worked with the Center for Arizona Policy, an evangelical Christian lobbyist group trying to outlaw abortion, to craft some of his bills. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary Committee, Thursday. OPPOSE.
HB2535, sponsored by Austin Smith (R-29), would exempt wells on private property from municipal regulation if they’re on unincorporated land that is later annexed. Researchers warn that Arizona is rapidly depleting its groundwater, in large part due to lack of regulation, and that “our own survival is at stake.” Scheduled for Senate Natural Resources, Energy & Water 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 at any time. Contact your senator for Senate bills, your representatives for House bills.
SB1011, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would make municipal elections, like mayors and city councils, partisan beginning in 2024. Local government officials are not fixing Republican or Democratic potholes. They should spend their time on local issues, not partisanship. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1013, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would do away with “free speech zones” on college campuses, instead allowing anyone who is “lawfully present” on a university campus to protest anywhere on campus the law permits them to be. This could give rise to protests in classrooms and other protected areas, creating serious safety issues. Influenced by the Goldwater Institute, a wealthy right-wing lobbying firm. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1024, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would ban tents, tarps, boxes or “any full or partial enclosure for habitation” on streets, sidewalks or other public rights of way. In 2019, the Supreme Court refused to hear a case challenging homeless people’s right to sleep on the sidewalk if no other shelter is available. Part of a package of bills from Republican state lawmakers that target people experiencing homelessness. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1028, sponsored by Anthony Kern (R-27), would classify drag performances as “adult cabaret” (a category historically limited to strip shows) and ban them from public property or anywhere else a minor may be able to see them. As Arizona law contains no definition for drag performances, this could ban everything from drag story hours for kids to performances of Cabaret, Rent and even Peter Pan. A first violation would carry to up to 6 months in jail; a subsequent violation would be a felony. Similar attacks on free expression have been proposed in at least 10 states this year. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1030, sponsored by Anthony Kern (R-27), would mandate that counties change their zoning laws to define business that hold “drag shows” as adult-oriented, and would also ban the beloved Sunday drag brunch. The goal seems to be to mislead the public, intimidate LGBTQ people by perpetuating false, offensive narratives, and marginalize or force out of business dozens of restaurants and bookstores statewide. Polls show that Americans from every political ideology and age group oppose anti-trans legislation. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1096, sponsored by Frank Carroll (R-28), would ban government and banks from contracting with any company that "discriminates" against weapons manufacturers. The bill seeks to stop the recent trend of banks exercising their right to do business with whom they choose by ending loans to gun companies. Ironically, the bill follows an Arizona Supreme Court ruling proclaiming a constitutional right to refuse to provide custom wedding invitations for same-sex couples. A previous version of this bill was backed by the NRA. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1109, sponsored by Wendy Rogers (R-7), would legalize gun silencers. These are inherently dangerous devices that could confuse the police or the public during a shooting and allow an active shooter to conceal their location. Silencers have been used in serious and deadly crimes over the years, including a mass shooting in 2019 where the gunman used a silencer that one survivor said made his weapon sound like “a nail gun.” The silencer industry has been visiting statehouses around the country and giving demonstrations to state lawmakers to market its products. Passed the full Senate, 2/21. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1141, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would require anyone who turns in an early ballot at the polls to show ID, and if they turn in more than one ballot, to sign an affidavit. Violators would be subject to a class 5 felony. The claim that people dropping off multiple ballots is somehow proof of election fraud is patently false. The only case ever prosecuted in Arizona is a 66-year-old grandmother who collected four ballots in 2020. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1142, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would require publicly posted lists of each event the Secretary of State or a county recorder attends and provides voter registration services. Hoffman said in committee that his intent is to open elections officials to complaints under a 2016 law that allows any state lawmaker to order the Attorney General to investigate whether counties are violating state law. GOP lawmakers have traditionally used these 1487 complaints to block policies they disagree with. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1201, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would ban signatures on polling place or voting center electronic pollbooks from being used for signature comparisons to verify early ballots. The sponsor explained in committee that he views these signatures as “inherently fraudulent” because they are electronic, even though they come from an official source. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
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 House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1234, sponsored by Wendy Rogers (R-7), would ban the use of photo radar. Numerous studies have found both speed and red-light cameras offer many safety benefits. Conspicuous, fixed cameras reduce traffic crashes and injuries by up to 35 percent. Nobody likes a ticket, but Arizona has had speed cameras since 1987 for good reason. Repealing photo radar will lead to more dangerous roads and more collisions. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1236, sponsored by Wendy Rogers (R-7), would ban cities and counties from charging taxes or fees on blockchain technology. Cryptocurrency is a bubble that is already popping and a playground for the mega-rich. It's incredibly environmentally destructive: each Bitcoin transaction consumes enough electricity to run an American home for 6 weeks. Even the Wall Street Journal says crypto should be banned, calling it “a gambling contract with a nearly 100% edge for the house.”Passed the Senate 2/21. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1312, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would ban government from setting goals to reduce vehicle miles of travel. Reducing vehicle miles burns fewer fossil fuels and extends road life, which is good for the state. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1331, sponsored by Janae Shamp (R-29), would ban school governing boards from restricting or prohibiting the parent of a student from carrying or transporting a firearm on school property if the parent possesses a valid concealed weapons permit. Getting a concealed-weapons permit in Arizona is ridiculously easy. Meanwhile, angry parents are disrupting school board meetings and threatening school staff. Do we really want to arm them? Armed members of the public are required to go through a metal detector before entering Arizona’s House of Representatives, and must either leave their weapons in their vehicles or check them with security — a fact which Alexander Kolodin (R-3) acknowledged “does make us look slightly hypocritical.” Part of a package of bills trying to force guns into schools. A federal law, the Gun Free School Zones Act of 1990, protects nearly every school as a gun-free zone. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1411, sponsored by Justine Wadsack (R-17), would take away rights from people with certain disabilities who receive services by “automatically and immediately” turning their parents into their guardians when they turn 18. The child would get no say in whether this happened; only the parent would have a say, and then only if they notified the Department of Economic Security at least six months before the child's 18th birthday. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1564, sponsored by Steve Kaiser (R-2), would mandate that students at small private schools or who use ESA vouchers must be allowed into interscholastic activities at public schools. Athletics should be something parents consider when choosing a school for their student. When parents opt out of local schools, they opt out of their extracurriculars too. ESA vouchers siphon dollars away from local public schools; it is unreasonable to require those schools to also squeeze non-attendees into extracurriculars who made a different choice. Scheduled for House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1599, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would impose penalties of up to $5,000 per day for school districts that don't post teacher salary information as already required by law. Along with being egregiously excessive compared to the nature of the offense, this mandate does not include a requirement to post a comparison to teacher salaries in other states, nor does it apply to taxpayer-funded, private voucher schools. Scheduled for House 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 House Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
SB1695, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would ban Maricopa and Pima county supervisors from certifying election results if “election laws were violated and the violations resulted in the disenfranchisement of at least 1% of the eligible voters in the county.” This has not happened a single time in state or national history. In such cases, the county would be forced to hold a new election, and any county supervisor who opposed would lose their seat. This is driven by a ridiculous conspiracy theory (and anger at county supervisors who refuse to buy in) and causing real damage to our democracy. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
HB2308, sponsored by Rachel Jones (R-17), would ban the Secretary of State from overseeing an election in which s/he is a candidate, instead being required to announce a replacement for those duties. This bill is driven by the false conspiracy theory that Katie Hobbs somehow faked her 2022 gubernatorial win through her electoral powers as Secretary of State. That’s just nonsense. In Arizona, as in the majority of states, an elected official is responsible for certifying statewide results, and elected officials routinely certify their own wins and losses. It's also common for elected officials to continue their duties while seeking higher offices. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
HB2394, sponsored by Austin Smith (R-29), bans Arizona and its cities and counties from enforcing any tax on firearms or ammo, on the grounds that it “might create a chilling effect on the purchase or ownership of those items by law-abiding citizens.” The federal government has taxed these items since 1919. It seems some lawmakers need pocket copies of the US Constitution and knowledge of the “supremacy clause”: on February 13, before this bill passed the full House, the legislature’s nonpartisan rules attorneys warned them it’s unconstitutional. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
HB2460, sponsored by Beverly Pingerelli (R-28), would claw back a 2021 law that banned the suspension of K-4 students unless they were at least 7 years old or they brought a dangerous weapon or drugs to school. This bill allows those students to be suspended for up to 2 days at a time for any reason, with a school-year cap on total suspensions for those students at 10 days. Administrators say the suspension limitations make dealing with behavioral issues difficult, but the American Institute for Research found in a 2021 study that suspensions aren’t a good way to solve behavioral issues, even for middle- and high school students. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
HB2472, sponsored by Steve Montenegro (R-29), would ban the state from requiring banks to use a “social credit score” when evaluating loan worthiness. Driven by a panic that society will hold extremists accountable for their actions, the goal is to stop "discrimination" based on political affiliation or social or environmental values. This is absurd: unlike race, religion or gender, political opinion isn’t covered by fair lending laws. Similar to a failed bill from last year. One recent study says such efforts could cost Arizona millions. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
HB2474, sponsored by Steve Montenegro (R-29), would ban immunizations that have received FDA emergency use authorization from being required for school attendance. There are no scientific grounds to justify this bill; in fact, a recent scientific review praises the emergency use authorization process. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
HB2477, sponsored by Steve Montenegro (R-29), affirms the importance of the electoral college system for presidential elections. That system is an artifact that has long outlived its usefulness. It was designed to empower southern slave-owning whites, continues to adversely impact black voters by diluting their political power, and has handed victory to the loser of the popular vote twice in the past two decades, a schism that seriously undermines the legitimacy of our elections. Only 35% of Americans support keeping it. Scheduled for Senate Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
HB2800, sponsored by Matt Gress (R-4), would give large raises to certain district and charter teachers who teach more than 50% of the day. Though the concept is admirable, the bill is 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. 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 Rules Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
2023 Session Timeline
Legislative majority leadership may change bill deadlines at any point. The budget deadline, however, is set in stone because it is tied to the state’s fiscal year.
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) Friday, 6/30 Last day to pass a budget before the government shuts down
Use Request to Speak. Our elected officials need to know what we think!
Use our website. Civic Engagement Beyond Voting’s website features tons of resources, including a RTS training video that’s 5 minutes well spent.
Attend our Happy Hours. Our guest for this week’s Zoom RTS Happy Hour is Nebraska state senator Megan Hunt. As always, we’ll also have legislative info and Q&A with Melinda. We’ll meet every Sunday at 4 PM through the end of session; sign up in advance here.
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.)
