Legislative Alert – Feb 14, 2022

COCONINO COUNTY DEMOCRATS

ARIZONA LEGISLATIVE ALERT

February 14, 2022

Here is the contact information for our Legislators:

AZ SENATE:

                        LD 6 – Wendy Rogers                        602-926-3042 

                        LD 7 – Theresa Hatathlie                    602-926-5160 

President         Karen Fann                                         602-926-5874 

Majority Ldr     Rick Gray                                            602-926-5413 

AZ 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!!)

Other Resources to Find Out More on Key Arizona Legislative Issues:

RTS Access via AZ Legislature Web Site:        https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview?SessionID=125

Coconino County Democratic Party: https://coconinodemocrats.org/category/action-alerts/

Civic Engagement Beyond Voting: https://www.cebv.us/

Save our Schools:  https://sosarizona.org/

Anne Schneider’s Alerts:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/18Z2KAoOtBd3S4kORzQnfaHP6jtLHWhqI/view

AAUW – Arizona: https://www.aauwarizona.org/

ANIMAL WELFARE – Arizona Humane Society

Legislative Initiatives to Create a Safer Arizona – Arizona Humane Society (azhumane.org)

DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE – Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence

2022 Legislative Agenda (acesdv.org)

Sign up for weekly legislative alerts on Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence : Sign Up to Stay in Touch (constantcontact.com)

EDUCATION

Arizona Education Association – Legislative Alert Sign-Up: AEA Legislative Update | Arizona Education Association (arizonaea.org)

Arizona School Boards Association – Legislative – Arizona School Boards Association (azsba.org)

ENVIRONMENTAL

Sierra Club Legislative Alerts: 2022 Legislative Updates | Sierra Club

Sierra Club Legislative Tracker: Legislative Tracker | Sierra Club

HEALTH and WELFARE

Arizona Nurses Association

2022 AzNA Healthcare Bill Watch List – Arizona Nurses Association (aznurse.org)

National Association of Social Workers, Arizona Chapter

Action Alerts and Legislative Updates (socialworkers.org)

TECHNOLOGY – Arizona Technology Council

ICBD-580-AZTC-Public-Policy-2022_V12-Digital_Compressed.pdf (aztechcouncil.org) – mostly policy statements and federal legislation, but some discussion is more relevant to state legislation and appropriations.

VETERANS

Arizona Veterans Legislation Proposals 2022 – Jackson Law (jacksonlawgroupaz.com)

BILLS SPONSORED BY WENDY ROGERS, WALT BLACKMAN, or BRENDA BARTON

SB 1338 – Wendy Rogers (R-6) – OPPOSE – Would eliminate machine tabulation of votes forcing expensive hand counting.

SB 1346 – Wendy Rogers (R-6) – OPPOSE – Would ban government or government contractors from going door to door to ask about an employee’s vaccination status!

SB 1465 – Wendy Rogers (R-6) – OPPOSE – Would make it necessary to revoke the certification of any voting equipment that doesn’t meet ridiculous and arbitrary standards set by Ms. Rogers – clearly meant to weaken our voting system.

SB 1032 – Wendy Rogers (R-6) – OPPOSE – Would appropriate money from state general fund to fund the construction of a border wall.

SB 1034 – Wendy Rogers (R-6) – OPPOSE – Would exempt disabled veterans from state property taxes – we already give away a lot of money in tax credits – let’s spend money to actually help disabled veterans.

SB 1044 – Wendy Rogers – OPPOSE  – Would force the state to contract for the federally mandated personal responsibility education program and sexual risk avoidance education grant program ONLY with companies who do not provide abortions.  Direct slap at Planned Parenthood, a leading provider of these programs.

SB 1134 – Wendy Rogers – OPPOSE – Would ban the use of photo radar for almost all instances.

SB 1254 – Wendy Rogers – OPPOSE – Would require that any employer who has its employees get vaccinated or other medical requirement will be liable to be sued.

HB 2624 – Walt Blackman – OPPOSE – Would penalize cities and counties if they don’t spend enough on law enforcement.

HB 2711 – Brenda Barton – SUPPORT – Would allow smaller cities to require permits for AirBnBs, limit their number and treat them like hotels.

HCR 2028 – Walt Blackman – OPPOSE – Would ask voters to amend the AZ constitution to set a minimum value that cities and counties must collectively spend on law enforcement.

HB 2622 – Walter Blackman (R-6) – SUPPORT – Would extend coverage of state’s Medicaid program for kids in foster care until they turn 26.

GOVERNANCE

SB 1198 – Warren Petersen (R-12) – OPPOSE – Would effectively put an end to the League of Cities and Towns, the Arizona Association of Counties and the Arizona School Boards Association.

SCR – 1024 – J D Mesnard (R-17) – OPPOSE – Would ask voters to establish a Lieutenant Governor position.

SCR 1048 – J D Mesnard (R-17) – OPPOSE – Would call a constitutional convention – nominal purpose to impose term limits – but real purpose is to totally rewrite the US Constitution.

SB 1631 – Sine Kerr (R-13) – OPPOSE – Would disallow retail electric competition and interfere with the Corporation Commission planning process.

SB 1541 – Vince Leach (R-11) – OPPOSE – A Clear attempt to preclude the Republican Party to have to pay damages for politically motivated and frivolous lawsuits over the 2020 election.

SB 1575 – Kelly Townsend (R-16) – OPPOSE – A continuing attempt to punish the Maricopa County Supervisors for not participating in their failed, partisan “audit”.

HB 2471 – Frank Carroll (R-22) – OPPOSE – Would further reduce the Governor’s ability to deal with an emergency situation.

HB 2656 – Jake Hoffman (R-12) – OPPOSE – Would ban financial institutions from “discriminating” against someone based on their political, social or environmental values. 

HCR 2031 – Regina Cobb (R-5) – OPPOSE – Another attempt to punish Flagstaff for having a higher minimum wage than the state-mandated one.

HB 2592 – Neal Carter (R-8) – SUPPORT – Would increase the stipend to Superior Court jurors that would allow everyday citizens to serve on juries easier.

HB 2787 – Jake Hoffman (R-12) – OPPOSE – Would negate the Maricopa County Supervisors by splitting up the county into four smaller counties.

VOTING RIGHTS

SB 1476 – Kelly Townsend (R-16) – OPPOSE – Would require consecutively numbered ballots that would compromise the value of a secret ballot.

SB 1478 – Kelly Townsend (R-16) – OPPOSE – Would ban the requiring of any specific kind of pen to mark a ballot.

SB 1572 – Kelly Townsend (R-16) – OPPOSE – Would require county recorders to publish a list of eligible voters on their websites before each primary and general election plus a whole host of other unnecessary waste of time actions as well as terrible invasion of privacy.

SB 1629 – Sonny Borelli (R-5) – OPPOSE – Would make voter registration extremely difficult through unnecessary requirements.

SCR 1012 – J D Mesnard (R-17) – OPPOSE – Would ask voters to require that they present an ID in order to vote.

HB 2041 – Leo Biasiucci (R-5) – OPPOSE – Would mandate special ballot paper that imposes unnecessary complexity and cost on the voting process.

HB 2240 – Jake Hoffman (R-12) – OPPOSE – Would ban voting centers.

HB 2242 – Jake Hoffman (R-12) – OPPOSE – Would require independent verification of the accuracy of voter information on every registration form.  No mention of how that might be done.

HB 2492 – Jake Hoffman (R-12) – OPPOSE – Would require proof of residency to register to vote at least for the federal only ballot – a clear violation of federal law.

LGBTQ RIGHTS

SB 1510 – Sean Bowie (D-18) – SUPPORT – Would ban healthcare professionals from using the widely discredited practice of LGBT “conversion therapy”.

SB 1138 – Warren Petersen (R-12) – OPPOSE – Would ban medical personnel from helping anyone under the age of 18 with their gender transition.

HB 2314 – John Kavanagh (R-23) – OPPOSE – Would ban trans kids from using school bathrooms, or other facilities without undue scrutiny of their bodies.

HB 2608 – Judy Burges (R-1) – OPPOSE – Would ban medical personnel from helping anyone under the age of 18 with their gender transition.

PUBLIC SAFETY

SB 1016 – Kelly Townsend (R-16) – OPPOSE – Would stop pharmacies from refusing to fill prescriptions for off-label uses in times of emergency.  A clear attempt to allow the dangerous practice of using wacko cures for COVID promoted by far-right groups and that cause considerable harm to people.

HB 2086 – Joanne Osborne (R-13) – OPPOSE – Would ban schools from requiring covid immunizations for attendance

HB 2166 – Steve Kaiser (R-15) – OPPOSE – Would exempt guns and firearm equipment from sales tax since such items are “necessities”!

HB 2619 – Steve Kaiser (R-15) – OPPOSE – Would require the Arizona Department of Health Services to provide a link on their website to a widely debunked QAnon supporting unverified reporting services.

TAXATION AND REDUCTIONS IN GENERAL FUNDS

SB 1372 – Tyler Pace (R-25) – OPPOSE – Would allow anyone who lives outside of Arizona to buy a vehicle in Arizona free of state and city sales taxes!  Huge benefit to the wealthy who can afford to fly into Arizona, buy a car and drive it home.

HB 2591 – Travis Grantham (R-12) – OPPOSE – Would use state tax dollars to construct the border wall.

EDUCATION

CRITICAL !!!   USE RTS OR BILL PREFERENCE TO SUPPORT THESE BILLS!!

The Arizona Legislature needs to override the constitutional aggregate expenditure limit by March 1, 2022, or school districts across Arizona will need to cut a total of nearly $1.2 billion (16%) from their budgets this year. These cuts would be devastating for our students and would impact extracurriculars, specialized programs like Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate, and staffing shortages and pay.

AEA members and educators – Senator Christine Marsh and Representative Jennifer Pawlik – have introduced legislation to authorize the override for this year (SCR1022 / HCR2012) and repeal the limit (SCR1023)

HB 2448 – Quang Nguyen (R-1) – OPPOSE – Would require public schools to provide firearms training sometime between grades 6 and 12.

HB 2739 – Michelle Udall (R-25) – OPPOSE – Would not allow school board members to work for an association of school boards – an unnecessary effort to limit qualified applicants to school boards.

HB 2808 – Michelle Udall (R-25) – OPPOSE – Would punish poorly performing schools by shutting them down – without real tools to help those schools succeed.

HB 2009 – Steve Kaiser (R-15) – OPPOSE – Would subject schools to the whims of individual lawmakers through withholding their funding.

HB 2803 – John Fillmore (R-16) – OPPOSE – Would make every AZ student eligible for a private school voucher.

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