Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
I warned you that it was going to be a manic Monday for the GOP batshit crazy base in the Arizona legislature -- the "meth lab of democracy" as Jon Stewart of The Daily Show calls it.
The Senate Rules Committee approved by a party-line vote:
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" --chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, etc. 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.
The Senate Rules Committee held 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.
In other action ...
The Senate Committee on Government and Environment passed on a party-line 4-2 vote (one absent) 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.
The House Rules Committee passed on a 6-1 vote, with Democrat Albert Hale joining five Tea-Publicans (two absent), Rep. "Fast Eddie" Farnsworth's Religious Bigotry bill advanced in committee last week, HB 2153 (.pdf). I don't know what Albert was thinking.
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