There are actually more new bills this week than last, & the majority of them are not good. Get on the AZ Legislature website and RTS, call, and email. Contact info for our Coconino County representatives is below.
GOVERNANCE/VOTING RIGHTS
HB 2054 – OPPOSE – Creates a partisan gubernatorially-appointed commission empowered to overrule the current Citizens’ Clean Election Commission.
HB 2343 – OPPOSE – (Repeat from last week) – Mandates that anyone depositing an early ballot at an early voting location or voting center must: 1) show a selected form of ID, and 2) sign and complete a delivery log.
HCR 2004 – OPPOSE – Puts Arizona on record as supporting the Electoral College (instead of the bipartisan National Popular Vote Compact).
HCR 2046 – OPPOSE – Requires reauthorization of every citizen-passed initiative or referendum every 10 years.
SB 1020 – OPPOSE – Places a “warning label,” intended to discourage a “yes” vote, on every citizen initiative or referendum on the state ballot.
TAXES
HB 2002 – OPPOSE – Provides a dollar-for-dollar state tax credit for apprenticeship programs. Such programs may deserve state-level public support, but not at the cost of revenue reductions to other equally- or more-deserving programs, such as public education. Restore the Great Recession tax cuts before further cutting revenues.
HB 2290 – OPPOSE – Provides (mainly utilities) a dollar-for-dollar state tax credit for renewable energy production. Such programs may deserve state-level public support, but not at the cost of revenue reductions to other equally- or more-deserving programs, such as public education. Restore the Great Recession tax cuts before cutting revenues further!
HB 2293 – OPPOSE – Provides —mainly to utilities—a dollar-for-dollar state tax credit for the purchase of renewable energy storage equipment. Such a program may deserve state-level public support, but not at the cost of revenue reductions to other equally- or more-deserving programs, such as public education. Restore the Great Recession tax cuts before cutting revenues further!
HB 2621 – OPPOSE – Provides a dollar-for-dollar state tax credit for the purchase of water conservation systems. Such programs deserve state-level public support, but not at the cost of revenue reductions to other equally- or more-deserving programs, such as public education. Restore the tax cuts made during the Great Recession before further cutting revenues. Restore the Great Recession tax cuts before cutting revenues further!
HB 2732 – OPPOSE – Provides—mainly to developers—a dollar-for-dollar state tax credit for the provision of affordable housing. Such programs deserve state-level public support, but not at the cost of revenue reductions to other equally- or more-deserving programs, such as public education. Restore the Great Recession tax cuts before cutting revenues further!
HB 2778 – OPPOSE – Omnibus tax bill that would cut state taxes by $250–300 million in each of the next three years. See related SB 1398.
SB 1237 – OPPOSE – Provides a state tax deduction for veterans. Such a program deserves state-level public support, but not at the cost of revenue reductions to other equally- or more-deserving programs, such as public education. Restore the Great Recession tax cuts before cutting revenues further!
SB 1398 – OPPOSE – Senate version of HB 2778; together these two omnibus tax bills would slash the state budget each year for three years.
SB 1489 – OPPOSE – Ties the state income tax to changes in inflation and population growth, so that the state’s per capita spending can never increase.
EDUCATION
HB 2015 – OPPOSE – Prohibits teachers from bringing in supplementary materials to their classrooms without prior approval from the local Board of Education!?! Honestly, this bill appears to be an attempt to kill a ‘Red for Ed’ talking point, at the expense of Arizona’s children.
HB 2087 – OPPOSE – Requires setting up a “threat assessment team” in every public school.
HB 2898 – OPPOSE – Increases the number of so-called “Empowerment Scholarships” that allow Arizona public funds to be used for private or religious school tuition out-of-state.
HCR 2001 – SUPPORT – Strengthens and improves Arizona’s English language education programs.
ENVIRONMENT
HB 2084 – OPPOSE – Authorizes private landowners to construct international boundary walls on their properties without building permits. In Senate Government Cttee on March 2.
HB 2101 – SUPPORT – Appropriates $1 million to the Arizona Water Protection Fund, to provide grants for projects that protect water quality and quantity, and that maintain, enhance, and restore rivers and streams and associated riparian habitats. In Senate Appropriations Cttee March 3.
HB 2896 – SUPPORT – Allows county Boards of Supervisors to designate “Rural Management Areas” for groundwater basins that are at risk for depletion, set local management goals, and develop management plans, which must then be approved by the Arizona Dept. of Water Resources.
SB 1565 – SUPPORT – Appropriates $300,000 to the Arizona Dept. of Health to develop and implement a blood-testing program for individuals exposed to perfluorinated “Forever” chemicals through drinking water.
LOCAL CONTROL
HB 2313 – OPPOSE – Prohibits local governments from setting stricter requirements for fire sprinkler systems.
HB 2672 – OPPOSE – Prohibits local government control over certain kinds of water rights.
IMMIGRATION
HB 2598 – OPPOSE – Permits individual victims of crime committed by undocumented individuals in a sanctuary city to sue the municipality.
HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES
HB 2052 – SUPPORT – Extends Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (“AHCCCS”) coverages for chiropractic care.
HB 2104 – SUPPORT – Defines “Education” as a qualifying “Work Credit” for persons receiving childcare assistance.
HB 2246 – SUPPORT – Extends AHCCCS coverages on diabetes-related medical issues.
HB 2632 – SUPPORT – Widens eligibility and automates renewal of those under 26 years of age for coverage by AHCCCS.
HB 2642 – SUPPORT – Includes pregnant women under anti-discrimination protection clauses of existing fair employment acts.
HB 2695 – SUPPORT – Defines “Financial Literacy Classes” as a qualifying “Work Credit” for persons receiving childcare assistance.
SB 1163 – SUPPORT – Extends AHCCCS coverages for substance abuses treatments.
SB 1170 – SUPPORT – Extends AHCCCS coverages for dental services for pregnant women.
SB 1323 – SUPPORT – Makes kinship foster care families eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (“TANF”).
SB 1472 – SUPPORT – Appropriates $1 million from the General Fund and $2.4 million from Medicaid to AHCCCS for the purpose of incentivizing post-partum medical office visits.
SCR 1020 – OPPOSE – Excludes existing citizens’ initiatives that deal specifically with public health or safety from the Voter Protection Act, so that simple majority votes in the two Legislature chambers would suffice to repeal them.
NATIVE AMERICANS
HB 2244 – SUPPORT – Expands Medicare and Medicaid coverage for medical and dental services for Native Americans.
ABORTION RIGHTS
HB 2338 – OPPOSE – Prohibits the Health 211 hotline from providing abortion information, and provides $1.5 million to non-profits that provide prenatal care without offering information about abortion services.
SB 1329 – OPPOSE – Senate companion bill to HB 2338, above.
LGBTQ+
HB 2706 – OPPOSE – Prohibits trans-women from participating in women’s sports of any kind, including intramural.
GUNS
SB 1664 – OPPOSE – Imposes civil liability on government organizations for persons harmed by criminal conduct in “gun-free” zones when the person harmed could have been helped by possessing a firearm.
Share this: