COCONINO COUNTY DEMOCRATS ARIZONA LEGISLATIVE ALERT
March 26, 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!
SB 1239 – OPPOSE – ROGERS – Would allow state agencies to accept cryptocurrency as payment by partnering with a private third-party company. Crypto is a gamble used by the mega rich. USE RTS!
HB 2291 – SUPPORT – STRIKER – COOK – Would continue the Arizona Schools for the Deaf and Blind for another 8 years! USE RTS!
ANTI – EGS LEGISLATION
(Environmental, Social, Governance)
SB 1139 – OPPOSE – Creates definition of “nonpecuniary factor” to mean consideration of corporate governance, social or environmental “nonpecuniary factors”. In short, it would prohibit looking at risk from the sense of good governance, social responsibility, and environmental goals. Organizations against this bill include AZ National Organization for Women and the State Conference NAACP. USE RTS!
OR Contact Your Senator!
SB 1500 – OPPOSE – Would require all state investments be made solely for pecuniary benefit and specifically prohibits boycotting any investment company. Probably intended to prevent boycotting fossil fuels. USE RTS! Or Contact Your Senator!
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!
EDUCATION
HB 2800 – OPPOSE – Would give raises to district and charter teachers who teach more than 50% of the time. The concept is admirable, the bill is unworkable. It lacks flexibility for schools to adapt to state funding cut backs, it does NOT cover support personnel, and funding is tied to “accountability” measures (even through ESA Vouchers are not accountable!). Contact Your Representative Directly!
SB 1410 – OPPOSE – STRIKER – Would require public schools (not charter or ESA funded schools) to establish the equivalent of Supt. Horne’s “teacher snitch line” for parents to report purported violations of their rights!!! Contact Your Senator!
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!
HB 2533 – OPPOSE – Would require public schools to post a list of every item teachers use or discuss with students!! 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 2539 – OPPOSE – Would force the State Board of Education to implement a “public awareness program” that promotes the use of the tax-payer funded ESA voucher program! USE RTS!
HB 2786 – OPPOSE – Would require school boards to notify parents of recommended or funded “training opportunities” for teachers or school administrators. This is intended to ban anything that might be remotely construed to be social-emotional learning. The Horne administration wants to ban anything that might be like “critical race theory”. USE RTS!
VOTER SUPPRESSION
HB 2305 – OPPOSE – Would force election officials to allow political party representatives to observe ballot signature verification. Contact Your Representative Directly!
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. Contact Your Representative Directly!
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 1144 – OPPOSE – Would ban “electronic vote adjudication”, – the process to resolve ballots with some errors – a process that is used today only sparingly. No good reason to ban such a practice. 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 1596 – OPPOSE – Would require government offices, including school district offices, to serve as polling places if elections officials ask for it. This is a sly attempt to promote a return to precinct-style voting. USE RTS!
SB 1095 – OPPOSE – Would require early ballot envelopes to include a written warning about delayed results – an attempt to further confuse voters. USE RTS!
SB 1140 – OPPOSE – Would ban county-based voting centers and mandate that counties return to precinct-style voting. The voting center concept is very beneficial – it provides voter convenience, financial savings and increased turnout. USE RTS!
SB 1143 – OPPOSE – Would ban anyone except political parties and election officials from distributing early ballot or early voting request forms to voters. Why shouldn’t regular folks help their neighbors register to vote the way they want to? Could this end early voting sign up at the DMV? USE RTS
SB 1595 – OPPOSE – Would make voters present ID in order to drop off their early ballot after 7PM on the Friday before Election Day. This would unnecessarily complicate voting for 20% of all voters and likely result in more ballots being rejected. USE RTS!
SB 1597 – OPPOSE – Would require elections officials to tabulate early ballots on-site at polling places no later than November 2024. There is not appropriation to support this very expensive requirement. USE RTS!
HB 2078 – OPPOSE – Would set up a mandatory election audit process that candidates, political parties and PAC’s could exploit. USE RTS!
HB 2319 – OPPOSE – Would declare transparency the overreaching goal for conducting elections and declares existing court opinions on elections do not have any precedent if they conflict with this bill. Poorly written open for a lot of court challenges at our expense. USE RTS!
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. USE RTS!
HB 2552 – OPPOSE – Would ban the use of ranked choice voting in Arizona. USE RTS!
HB 2591 – OPPOSE – Would mandate that ballot drop boxes must be located inside a county building or secured to a building or footing. USE RTS!
HB 2613 – OPPOSE – Would ban all electronic voting equipment from primary use unless it meets Department of Defense cybersecurity standards. Unnecessary and based on more conspiracy theories. USE RTS!
LGBTQ RIGHTS
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. Contact Your Senator!
HB 2312 – OPPOSE – Would allow shelters to refuse to hire “biological male” employees to serve women or minors who live there and would attempt to exempt shelters from existing gender discrimination statues. USE RTS!
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 1026 – OPPOSE – Would threaten school funding by prohibiting organizations that receive state tax dollars from hosting “drag shows” to entertain people under 18. The definition of “drag shows” is broad enough to include school plays (such as Shakespeare) or football players who dress up as cheerleaders for pep rallies. USE RTS
SB 1698 – OPPOSE – Would add drag shows to a state law about dangerous crimes against children. The bill equates a drag show with an adult-oriented performance and makes it a crime on par with bestiality, child sex trafficking, second-degree murder, and sexual assault. A viewing of “Mulan” or “Hairspray” could result in a class 4 felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Bonkers! USE RTS!
ENVIRONMENTAL
SB 1660 – OPPOSE – Would create a whole new category of treated waste water specifically for manufacturers. This has the potential of draining our groundwater and threatening the quality of our tap water. It is designed specifically to accommodate a new Nestle’ plant in Phoenix!! USE RTS!
HEALTH & WELFARE
HB 2338 – SUPPORT – Would expand Arizona’s Medicaid system to include preventative dental care. USE RTS!
PUBLIC SAFETY
SB 1029 – OPPOSE – Would expand Arizona’s first-degree murder law to include deaths by fentanyl, potentially subjecting friends or family of overdose victims to prosecution. USE RTS!
SB 1188 – SUPPORT – Would ban consumer fireworks from being used on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. USE RTS!
HB 2094 – OPPOSE – Would relax regulations on food trucks. Sponsored by a representative who owns a food truck!! USE RTS!
HB 2667 – OPPOSE – 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 (something that is ridiculously easy to get). USE RTS
TAXATION
SB 1281 – OPPOSE – Would give income tax rebates of $200 for individual and $400 for a couple for tax year 2022. This could cost the state general fund almost $1 Billion!!! USE RTS!
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!!
HOMELESSNESS
SB 1413 – OPPOSE – Would require cities and counties to immediately remove any “homeless encampment” and throw away all materials found there!! USE RTS!
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!
GOVERNANCE
SCR 1002 – OPPOSE – Would ask voters to restrict their own direct democracy powers by requiring a supermajority vote on constitutional amendments!! USE RTS!
SCR 1023 – OPPOSE – Would ask voters to amend the state Constitution to repeal charter cities in Arizona. Larger cities can adopt a charter which then supersedes any state law that conflicts with purely municipal affairs. State lawmakers have long hated charter cities since it restricts their ability to mandate things. USE RTS!
SCR 1024 – OPPOSE – STRIKER – Would ask voters to enshrine racism in the Arizona Constitution! This measure would prevent the state from giving minority-owned businesses any preferences in state contracts, keep school districts from specifically hiring black or brown teachers in an effort to increase representation, block teachers from discussing inclusion and equity issues and ban certain content from being taught!! USE RTS!!
SCR 1027 – OPPOSE – Would ask voters to outlaw ranked-choice voting for city elections! USE RTS!
SB 1255 – OPPOSE – Would restrict Arizona agencies from creating rules that would increase regulatory costs by more than $500,000 over 5 years. This would severely restrict the Governor’s ability to regulate unaccountable, wasteful spending (like ESA vouchers). USE RTS!
ENVIRONMENTAL
HB 2411 – OPPOSE – Would make solar and wind farms illegal on state or federal land that is currently leased for grazing!! USE RTS!
WOMEN’S RIGHTS
HB 2502 – OPPOSE – Would force courts to retroactively apply child support for pregnancies. This is a “fetal personhood” bill – designed to give fetuses the same legal rights as people. Driven by anti-abortion crusaders this type of legislation would lead to crimalizing IVF and many forms of contraception. USE RTS!
SOCIAL SAFETY NET
SB 1167 – OPPOSE – 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. USE RTS
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! 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. 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