COCONINO COUNTY DEMOCRATS ARIZONA LEGISLATIVE ALERT
Aoril 2, 2023
LD 1 / LD 6/ LD 7 REPRESENTATIVE SPONSORED BILLS
SB 1106 – ROGERS – OPPOSE – Would ban social media platforms from willfully “deplatforming” or “shadow banning” a candidate. Based on conspiracy theory that right-wingers are being persecuted by Big Tech. USE RTS!
HB 2291 – SUPPORT – STRIKER – COOK – Would continue the Arizona Schools for the Deaf and Blind for another 8 years! USE RTS!
DEMOCRACY
SB 1088 – OPPOSE – Would allow police officers to cite “non operators” for violations. Thisbill is aimed at bicyclists and scooter riders – could apply to passengers as well. Would probably lead to increased racial profiling. CONTACT OUR REPS DIRECT!
GOVERNANCE
SB 1131 – OPPOSE – STRIKER – Would ban cities charging taxes on rent. This would cost cities over $200 million per year. Many cities use this tax to fund police, fire, libraries, etc. This striker brings back a similar bill that Gov. Hobbs already vetoed!! CONTACT OUR REPS DIRECT!
SB 1225 – OPPOSE – STRIKER – Would limit the sale of nicotine products to ages 21+. Sounds good but it would also ban cities from enacting stricter regulations! Arizona is one of only 10 states that do NOT require a tobacco sales license. Retailers currently do whatever they want without fear of retribution regardless of the laws. CONTACT YOUR REP DIRECTLY AND USE RTS!
HB 2545 – OPPOSE STRIKER – Would ban the governor from issuing any public health emergency declaration for more than 7 days without monthly approval of 2/3 of the legislature afterwards to have it renewed. Incredible!! CONTACT YOUR REP DIRECTLY!
SB 1265 – OPPOSE – Would ban the use of rank-choice voting Arizona. This is a practice that leads to more centrist candidates becoming elected – no wonder the MAGA republicans are afraid of this. USE RTS
SB 1278 – OPPOSE – Would preempt cities and counties from restricting people from using gas stoves. This is the newest culture-war ridiculousness. Intended to drive faux outrage!! USE RTS!
PUBLIC SAFETY
SB 1285 – OPPOSE – STRIKER – Would require the Arizona Medical Board to grant a medical license to international graduates who have not completed an accredited US residency! Currently this not allowed anywhere in the US!! CONTACT YOUR REP DIRECTLY AND USE RTS!
SOCIAL SAFETY NET
HB 2108 – OPPOSE – Would add additional requirements and hurdles to those seeking unemployment insurance. Arizona pays the SECOND LOWEST benefit of any state already and the amount hasn’t been raised since 2004!! People who are out of work need help not hinderance! CONTACT YOUR REP DIRECTLY!
VOTER SUPPRESSION
HB 2415 – OPPOSE – Would further restrict the state’s early voting list (AEVL) by stripping voters if they fail to vote their early ballots in all elections within a given election cycle. CONTACT YOUR REP DIRECTLY!!
HB 2552 – OPPOSE – Would ban the use of ranked choice voting in Arizona. CONTACT YOUR REP DIRECTLY!
HB 2591 – OPPOSE – Would mandate that ballot drop boxes must be located inside a county building or secured to a building or footing. CONTACT YOUR REP DIRECTLY!
SB 1170 – OPPOSE – Would ban unmonitored drop boxes. These are accessible, convenient, reliable and secure and HUGELY POPULAR!! USE RTS!
HB 2305 – OPPOSE – Would force election officials to allow political party representatives to observe ballot signature verification. USE RTS!
HB 2722 – OPPOSE – Would allow county elections officials to hand count all of the ballots for any election. Such a move would put ballot security at risk, create counting errors, and damage voter confidence. USE RTS!
SB 1135 – OPPOSE – Would force voters who try to return their early ballot at the polls on Election Day to stand in line, surrender their early ballot, show ID and then wait their turn to fill in a fresh ballot. USE RTS!
SB 1264 – OPPOSE – Would ban any election official from forming a PAC. This is a “sore loser” bill aimed at specific people who are doing just this in opposition to right-wing Republicans. USE RTS!
SB 1332 – OPPOSE – Would make the “cast vote record” a public record. This is a recipt of everything scanned by a voting machine. It’s the latest example of the endless and fruitless search for proof of election wrong doing. Never substantiated! USE RTS!
SB 1471 – OPPOSE – Would set up a “man-versus-machine test” of whether humans are better or worse than machines at counting ballots! USE RTS!
SB 1518 – OPPOSE – Would allow voters to skip the signature verification process by presenting an ID when dropping off ballets on Election Day. This would break the chain of ballot custody! The bill also bans one person in a family from dropping off ballots after the Friday before Election Day. USE RTS!
JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE/ACCOUNTABILITY
HB 2757 – OPPOSE – Would expand retention elections for appeals court judges to be statewide, rather than county wide. A transparent attempt to keep appellate judges from being unseated by diluting the vote. CONTACT YOUR REP DIRECTLY!
EDUCATION
SB 1001 – OPPOSE – Would ban teachers from using a student’s chosen pronouns without written permission from parents. The bill continues Republican theme of pushing manufactured, divisive culture war issues for political profit. USE RTS!
HB 2538 – OPPOSE – Would allow district and charter schools to offer live, remote instruction for students in grades 9 thru 12 in exchange for a portion of school funding. Offering bonuses for passing grades monetizes learning and leads to inequality. USE RTS!
HB 2705 – OPPOSE – Would create a school safety training pilot program that appears intended to qualify teachers and staff to carry concealed weapons! USE RTS!
SB 1323 – OPPOSE – Would put Arizona public school teachers (but not teachers at ESA funded schools) behind bars for up to two years if they so much as recommend a book to students that lawmakers consider too “sexually explicit”!!!! USE RTS!
SB 1694 – OPPOSE – Would ban the state, including 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 the workforce on the basis of sex, race or color. USE RTS!
HOMELESSNESS
HB 2379 – OPPOSE – Would ban Arizona and its cities and counties from requiring hotels and motels to participate in housing voucher programs that house homeless individuals and families in unoccupied guest rooms. USE RTS!
SB 1413 – OPPOSE – Would require cities and counties to immediately remove any “homeless encampment” and throw away all materials found there!! USE RTS!
LGBTQ RIGHTS
SB 1028 – OPPOSE – Would classify drag performances as “adult cabaret” – similar to strip show categorization – and ban them from public property or anywhere else a minor may be able to see them. Since Arizona does not define “drag performances” this could ban everything from drag story hours for kids or performances of Cabaret, Rent and even Peter Pan. USE RTS!
SB 1030 – OPPOSE – 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. USE RTS
SB 1040 – Kavanagh (R-3) – OPPOSE – Would ban trans kids from using the school bathrooms, changing facilities and “sleeping quarters” that align with their gender identity. Allows anyone to sue. Previous legislation like this has been found to be unconstitutional – this will lead to serious legal challenges that will need to be defended at tax-payer expense. USE RTS!
ANTI – EGS LEGISLATION
(Environmental, Social, Governance)
SB 1138 – OPPOSE – Prohibits any financial institution from doing business in Arizona if they “discriminate” based on social credit, environmental, social governance or similar value based or impact criteria. Organizations opposed include the AZ National Organization for Women and the State Conference NAACP. USE RTS! Or Contact Your Senator!
SB 1611 – KERN – (R-27) – OPPOSE – 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. Could cost Arizona millions!! USE RTS!
TAXATION
SB 1559 – Kaiser (R-2) – OPPOSE – Would exempt from state taxes all of the profits for a corporation in its first year of business, half of the profits in its second year, and a quarter of its third year profits! Clearly a terrible idea for tax revenue which is already forecasted to crater in the next two years! USE RTS!
Here is the contact information for our Legislators:
AZ SENATE:
LD 1 – Ken Bennett 602-926-5874
LD 7 – Wendy Rogers 602-926-3042
LD 6 – Theresa Hatathlie 602-926-5160
President Warren Petersen 602-926-4136
Majority Ldr Sonny Borrelli 602-926-5031
Minority Ldr Raquel Teran 602-926-3308
AZ HOUSE:
LD 1 – Selina Bliss 602-926-4018
LD 1 – Quang Nguyen 602-926-3258
LD 7 – David Cook 602-926-5162
LD 7 – David Marshall 602-926-3579
LD 6 – Mae Peshlakai 602-926-3708
LD 6 – Myron Tsosie 602-926-3157
Speaker Ben Toma 602-926-3298
Majority Ldr Leo Biasiucci 602-926-3018
Minority Ldr Andres Cano 602-926-3027
E-Mail Contact for Governor Katie Hobbs:
https://azgovernor.gov/contact/form/contact-governor-hobbs