It’s a light week right now as the AZ Legislature shifts bills between houses. Next week will see a return to the flurry of activity. Be alert for a number of very bad bills to resurface as they make their way through their sister chamber. This might be a good week to focus on lobbying Senator Sinema to get her to support eliminating the Senate Filibuster and to support raising the minimum wage. She seems to need a LOT of reminding of who got her elected and what we all stand for. See our federal alerts.
Here is a segment of an alert from Save Our Schools:
USE RTS FOR THE BILLS LISTED BELOW
Request to Speak is a unique tool that the AZ state legislature has available for Arizonians to make comments opposing or supporting bills making their way through the legislature. To learn more about Request to Speak visit https://www.cebv.us/rts.html
To use Request to Speak visit https://apps.azleg.gov/RequestToSpeak
HEALTH CARE
SB1096 – SUPPORT – Monday Committee – STRIKER – Would fund AHCCCS, Arizona’s Medicaid System. The money to fund the $3 billion program exists but permission to spend those funds was inadvertently left out of last year’s “skinny budget”. The bill would also fund Kids Care, a program to provide low-cost health insurance to more than 32,000 children of the working poor.
EDUCATION
SB1097 – SUPPORT – Tuesday Committee – Would clarify excused absences for mental health reasons for students.
HB2241 – SUPPORT – Tuesday Committee – Would require students to be taught about the Holocaust and other genocides at least twice between the 7th and 12th grades. All the more important given the current events!
SB1376 – SUPPORT – Tuesday Committee – Would require health education in schools to include a mental health component. Mental health issues among youth have been on a steady, alarming rise in recent years.
HB2705 – SUPPORT – Tuesday Committee – This is an emergency measure that prohibits a school from establishing a dress code policy that prevents students from wearing traditional tribal regalia or objects of cultural significance at a graduation ceremony.
GOVERNANCE
SB1104 – OPPOSE – Wednesday Committee – Would require political campaigns to itemize every contribution from someone outside of Arizona, complete with occupation and employer. This would hit hardest at groups which have reshaped politics by collecting small-dollar contributions and distributing across the nation for state legislative races
GENERAL FUND
SB1135 – OPPOSE – Wednesday Committee – Would increase the allowable dollar-for-dollar 529 tax deduction, currently a total of $2,000 single/$4,000 couple to $2,000/$4,000 per 529 beneficiary. The change would be retroactive to 2020. Huge impact on general fund tax revenue!
ENVIRONMENT
SB1370 – SUPPORT – Would extends termination dates (or in one case re-establishes a program already terminated) for several important programs within the AZ Dept of Environmental Quality (DEQ). These programs include such programs as the Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program and the (Drinking Water) Monitoring and Assistance Program.
SB1442 – SUPPORT – Would clarify and add to the list of mechanisms for collaboration and funding so that the State Forester can address hazardous fuels in our forests to increase forest health and reduce fire/flood hazards.
HB2079 – OPPOSE – Deals with the eradication of invasive vegetation – Sierra Club opposes because there is no provision to protect ecosystem health, wildlife, or native species.
HB2188 – SUPPORT – Provides more formal regulation of pest management and pesticide businesses.
If you have questions about the Coconino Democrats Legislative Committe please reach out to Darrell Boomgaarden at
If you need help troubleshooting RTS or have any technical difficulties please feel free to reach out to Kyle Nitschke at or (480) 560-4652
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