Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Your presence is requested. For those of you who have signed up for a legislative account to submit testimony online, now's your chance.
It's Manic Monday for the GOP batshit crazy base in the Arizona legislature. Below are just a few of the highlights (hardly a complete list).
MONDAY
Senate
Judiciary Committee Agenda (.pdf), Room SHR1, at 2:00 p.m. includes: SB 1270 (.pdf), the Senate version of Rep. "Fast Eddie" Farnsworth's (R-Gilbert) bill to repeal the GOP Voter Suppression Act, HB 2305 subject to a citizens referendum ("citizens veto"), HB 2196 (.pdf).
SB 1469 (.pdf) "Allows a person having an interest that is or may be adversely affected by a constitutional provision or a statute that was enacted by voter approved initiative or referendum to file a civil action in superior court on that person’s own behalf or to join an action as a matter of right alleging a violation of any portion of that measure, or defend an action in superior court on that person’s own behalf or to join in the defense of an action as a matter of right in defense of any portion of that measure." Senate Majority Whip Adam Driggs is the principal sponsor.
This is a "teabaggers want to reverse your citizen-approved initiatives and referendums" vexatious litigation free-for-all. Those health care and education citizens initiatives that Arizona voters passed over the years -- they are in the teabaggers' cross-hairs.
SB 1294 (.pdf) is the gun worshipers' wet dream, sponsored by the Neo-Confederate "interposition, nullification and secession" caucus (Ward, Burgess, Crandell, D. Farnsworth, Borelli, Gowan, Mitchell, Seel, Thorpe, Barton, Kwasman. Livingston, and Petersen). This gun worshiper's wet dream "Declares federal law that violates the Second Amendment invalid and void in Arizona and prohibits state and local enforcement of federal firearm laws within the state." This language suggests that some entity other than the judiciary -- ultimately the U.S. Supreme Court -- will decide what is in violation of the Second Amendment because otherwise, what is the point of this bill? If the courts have struck down a law, it is not enforced. Duh!
But the bill goes beyond nullification of federal law. It also "Prohibits the state treasurer from transferring monies to a political subdivision in the fiscal year after a final judicial determination is made holding that the political subdivision adopted a rule, order, ordinance or policy that intentionally violated the provisions of the bill." Looking at you, City of Tucson!
It also "Disqualifies an agent or employee of the state or its political subdivisions who knowingly violates the provisions of the bill from any state commission that the person possesses and deems that office vacant and forever prohibits that person from holding office in Arizona." This provision is blatantly unconstitutional. This bill is a prophylactic preemptive attempt to intimidate local governments from regulating firearms in the future.
Rules Committee Agenda (.pdf), Caucus Room 1, at 1:00 p.m. includes: more Neo-Confederate "interposition, nullification and secession"measures. SB 1093 (.pdf) is the return of the "constitutional sheriffs" Tenther bill from Rep. David Gowan in 2012 (HB 2434). This nonsense is promoted by far-right extremist groups like former Graham County Sheriff Richard Mack's conspiratorial Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association. The bill "Requires federal agencies (agencies) to register their presence with the county sheriff to conduct business in that county," and "Allows the sheriff to impose a registration fee." The criminal penalties on federal law enforcement agents in previous iterations of this Tenther bill have been stripped out.
SR 1003 (.pdf) is a resolution which "Pronounces the Senate’s support for the nullification of all rules implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency." Because these teabaggers want Arizona to be the new West Virginia! "Nullification" is unconstitutional no matter how many times teabaggers tell themselves it is not.
SCR 1006 (.pdf) calls for shifting management of Mexican gray wolves, a protected endangered species, from federal to state control and focusing reintroduction efforts on the other side of the border in Mexico. Because teabaggers believe they can dictate to the federal governments of two nations.
There is one animal teabaggers do like -- "constitutional" chickens! SB 1151(.pdf) "Prohibits municipalities from adopting zoning ordinances that forbid residents in single-family detached homes from keeping fowl in their backyards." Fowl is defined as "a bird that is raised for the purpose of consumption."
A number of commenters on this blog pitched a fit about their precious chickens, but "fowl" would include any bird raised for eggs and/or its meat, which includes waterfowl like ducks and geese, and any other fowl, e.g., turkeys, pigeons, quails, etc., and presumably would also include ostriches. Oh, you didn't consider that in the definition of fowl, did you? And whatever happened to small government conservatives for local control? This is "big brother" in the state of Maricopa once again dictating to county and city governments.
Of course, there is an anti-union measure, SB 1094 (.pdf) which would prohibit "third party deductions from school district employee paychecks without annual authorization." This is meant to add to the cost and complexity of managing paycheck deductions for union employees.
Committee on Government and Environment Agenda (.pdf), Room SHR 3 at 2:00 p.m. includes the return of the "legal tender" bill again, SB 1096 (.pdf), which "Permits the state to recognize coin or bullion with silver or gold content as legal tender." It "Recognizes the following as legal tender in this state," including "specie that is within the scope of state authority to make a legal tender, as determined by the order of a court of competent jurisdiction." In other words, the Confederate State of Arizona wants to mint state coinage because U.S. "guvmint" paper money is just fiat money that is worthless.
HOUSE
Rules Committee Agenda, Room HHR at 1:00 p.m. includes: Rep. "Fast Eddie" Farnsworth's (R-Gilbert) bill to repeal the GOP Voter Suppression Act, HB 2305 subject to a citizens referendum ("citizens veto"), HB 2196 (.pdf). Also "Fast Eddie's" Religious Bigotry bill advanced in committee last week, HB 2153 (.pdf).
HB 2102(.pdf) would modify the procedure used to fill legislative vacancies, removing the requirement for precinct committeemen to nominate persons from the same county as the incumbent when filling a vacancy in the Legislature, and eliminates consideration of the precinct committeemen’s county of residence in determining a quorum.
Education Agenda (.pdf), Room HHR at 2:00 p.m. includes: Rep. Ethan Orr's proposed strike-everything amendment to HB 2176 (.pdf) which funds ninth grade students enrolled in a Joint Technical Education District. The bill "Adds ninth grade students to the requirement that JTEDs only count a student in the student count and ADM if the student is enrolled in courses that are approved by the JTED and, if applicable, participating school districts." No language about funding after the ninth grade.
Ways And Means Agenda (.pdf), Room HHR at 2:00 p.m. includes: HB 2291 (.pdf), the bill to expand the definition of qualifying student under the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program.
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