Arizona Legislative Alert 3/23/2021

Monday, 5/24, budget bills will be released.  These are likely led by a massive tax cut of $1.9 billion in the form of a “flat tax” which slashes income tax on higher-income earners in direct defiance of voters’ clearly expressed will via Prop 208.

We will issue another Legislative Alert on Monday with budget bill numbers for which we can use RTS to respond.

HB2792 – OPPOSE – Would make it a class 5 felony to send someone a ballot if they didn’t explicitly request one.  Scheduled for a full Senate vote on Monday, 5/24.  CALL SENATORS AND SENATE LEADERSHIP ASAP!

Here is the contact information for our Legislators:

SENATE:

LD 6 – Wendy Rogers 602-926-3042

LD 7 – Jamescita Peshlakai 602-926-3160

President Karen Fann 602-926-5874

Majority Ldr Rick Gray 602-926-5413

HOUSE:

LD 6 – Walt Blackman 602-926-3043

LD 6 – Brenda Barton 602-926-3421

LD 7 – Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren 602-926-3069

LD 7 – Myron Tsosie 602-926-3157

Speaker Russell Bowers 602-926-3128

Majority Ldr Ben Toma 602-926-3298

CONTACT THE GOVERNOR AS BILLS MOVE TO HIM TO SIGN

IT IS BEST TO CALL HIS OFFICE TO VOICE YOUR OPPOSITION – 602-542-4331.

IF YOU TWEET – SEND YOUR OPPOSITION VIA TWITTER – @DOUGDUCEY 

(He hates to get Tweets it seems!!)

USE RESISTBOT as well:

  1.  Click on “Messages” on your iphone
  2. Type in 504-09 and hit send
  3. Type in “Resist” and send
  4. Follow requests for information that appear
  5. Select the person you want to send a message to – legislator, governor, etc.
  6. Draft your message and hit send
  7. Resist bot takes care of the rest.

There are many bills that are still alive and could be passed anytime until the Legislature adjourns.  We MUST remain vigilant.  Here is a list of bills that are still “alive” and to which we need to be alert for action.

SB1526 – SUPPORT – CRIMINAL REFORM – Reform provisions for incarcerated women

SB1532 – OPPOSE – EDUCATION – Striker – Aimed to prevent teachers from walking out on strike

SB1783 – OPPOSE – EDUCATION – Guts Prop 208 via alternative income tax for small businesses.

SB1135 – Oppose – EDUCATION – Reduced general funds via increase tax deductions for 529 savings accounts

SB1273 – OPPOSE – EDUCATION – Expands STO credits to wide range of extra-curricular activities

SB1452 – OPPOSE – EDUCATION – Huge expansion of ESA program to 2/3 of all students!

HB2248 – OPPOSE – ENVIRONMENT – Prohibit Corporation Commission from promoting clean energy

HB2014 – OPPOSE – GOVERNANCE – Greatly increase Governor’s power to overrule government agencies

HB2840 – OPPOSE – GUNS – Allows guns to be brought on school grounds in cars by parents

HB2551 – OPPOSE – GUNS – Allows people to carry guns almost anywhere they want

SB1514 – SUPPORT – SAFETY NET – Would convert a hotel into a homeless shelter

HB2309 – OPPOSE – DEMOCRACY – Makes it a crime to protest with six others or more if police declare it an unlawful assembly – Huge opportunity for misuse!!

HB2648 – OPPOSE – RELIGION – Keeps religious organizations open during a pandemic

SB1118 – OPPOSE – TAXES – Would expand STO tax credits to kids who transfer to private schools from home schooling – further weakens Public Schools.

SB1041 – OPPOSE – TAXES – Would quadruple amount AZ spends on STO credits

SB1713 – OPPOSE – VOTING – Requires voter ID on affidavit for each early ballot that is sent in.

SB1531 – OPPOSE – VOTING – Requires petition circulators to read full descriptions on petitions aloud to signers

HB2373 – OPPOSE – VOTING – Forces anyone who requests or receives 10 or more voter registration forms to place their unique identifier on each form.

SB1106 – OPPOSE – VOTING – Eliminates the requirement that county recorders locate a person if their mailed ballot is returned.

Once the Legislature does, in fact, adjourn – then its our job to remind people of just what these representatives did.  We must make it a reality that they will be held accountable for what they have done.  This will be our job for 2022 and beyond.  Here are some of the bills that have been passed by the Legislature and Signed by the Governor:

HB2318 – SUPPORT – CRIMINAL JUSTICE – Curtails the use of “Hannah priors” which allowed attorneys to prosecute based on multiple charges for a single crime.

SB1448 – OPPOSE – ENVIRONMENT – Makes it harder to sue agricultural industries near housing developments and urban areas for pollution, smell, etc.

SB1382 – OPPOSE – GUNSWENDY ROGERS – Defines firearms and ammunition stores to be essential businesses during emergencies.

HB2111 – OPPOSE – GUNS – Deems any law that “violates the second amendment” to be null and void in Arizona.

SB1457 – OPPOSE – WOMEN’S RIGHTS – Bans genetic abnormality abortions.

SB1254 – OPPOSE – WOMEN’S RIGHTS – Requires publishing names of agencies that offer pregnancy counseling BUT prohibits including on the list any that refer to abortion clinics or perform abortions.

HB2575 – OPPOSE – PUBLIC SAFETY – Allows clergy to visit hospitals during a pandemic without any protective measures taken to contain the decease.

HB2569 – OPPOSE – VOTING – Prohibits county recorders from using private funds to support election costs.

SB1485 – OPPOSE – VOTING – Changed Permanent Early Voting to Active Early Voting – removes voters from PEVL if they fail to vote by early ballot in all elections for two election cycles.

SB1497 – OPPOSE – VOTING – Requires ballots and publicity pamphlets that contain citizen initiatives to carry a “Prop 108 disclosure” to intimidate voters or petition signers by saying it would require a 3/4 vote of the legislature to overturn it.

HB2308 – OPPOSE – VOTING – Adds recall petitions to the “strict compliance” rules so that any small, innocuous, technical violation disqualifies the whole thing.

SB1003 – OPPOSE – VOTING– Restricts county recorders authority to permit people to correct errors on their ballot, such as forgetting to sign the outer envelope.

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