We have entered the second half of this legislative session. With some exceptions, from this point on, only bills that survived the House may be considered in the Senate and only bills that survived the Senate may be considered in the House.
The net result is that now we have considerably fewer bills to track. We also have to be more vigilant, because this is the time when strike-everything amendments flourish. Contrary to standard amendments, that only amend a bill, these amendments replace the whole bill with text from another bill that failed to advance elsewhere.
Among the bills that we are tracking, two very important bills advanced, HCR2060 and SB1064.
House bill HCR2060 aims at reducing the incentive to enter this country illegally, by limiting both government assistance and employment to those aliens who are here lawfully. It does that by expanding the use of e-verify and increasing the penalties for those who violate e-verify requirements.
More information on HCR2060 may be found HERE
The other important bill that advanced, SB1064, provides a path for Arizona residents to avoid the obscenely high gasoline prices that we had to endure during the summer of 2023. This bill expands the number of gasoline blends that may be used in Arizona, thereby reducing the probability of huge price increases because of shortages.
An ADI article dealing with this issue may be read HERE
This table lists some of the more significant bills that experienced action this week:
| BILL # AND SHORT TITLE | COMMITTEE | RESULT |
| HB2768 – elections; public resources; conflict referral | House Appropriations | ADVANCED |
| HB2782 – homeless shelter fund; performance audit | House Appropriations | ADVANCED |
| HB2858 – social media protections; minors | House Appropriations | ADVANCED |
| HCR2060 – lawful presence; e-verify program; penalties | House Appropriations | ADVANCED |
| SB1148 – income tax; rebate; seniors | Senate Appropriations | ADVANCED |
| HB2482 – voter registration changes; text notice | House Third Reading | ADVANCED |
| HB2645 – foster children; high school; transfer | House Third Reading | ADVANCED |
| HB2703 – supervisors; legislative vacancy; appointment | House Third Reading | ADVANCED |
| SB1064 – gasoline formulations; air quality. | Senate Third Reading | ADVANCED |
Next week we are back to square one for the bills that survived their original chamber, and work their way through the other chamber, in their quest to become law.
Among the bills we are tracking, here is a list of the more interesting ones:
| BILL # AND SHORT TITLE | COMMITTEE |
| SB1067 – DCS; group homes; investigations | House Health & Human Services |
| HB2042 – food preparation; sale; cottage food | Senate Finance and Commerce |
| HB2183 – parental rights; medical records | Senate Health and Human Services |
| SB1005 – public monies; ideology training; prohibition | House Government |
| SB1495 – personal property exemption; increase | House Ways & Means |
| SB1189 – political subdivisions; gun shows; preemption | House Judiciary |
| SB1198 – disruption; educational institution; concealed weapon | House Judiciary |
| SB1097 – school districts; partisan elections | House Municipal Oversight & Elections |
| SB1286 – elections; voting centers; polling places | House Municipal Oversight & Elections |
| SB1357 – early ballots; affidavits; privacy | House Municipal Oversight & Elections |
| HB2178 – universities; student fees; clubs; organizations | Senate Education |