The star of the legislative show this week was not the hero, but the villain, who happens to be our poor excuse for a governor.
She vetoed Senate Bill SB1231, which would have made it a crime to cross our southern border at any location other than a designated point of entry. It also would have provided some legal protection for law enforcement personnel against legal actions resulting from their efforts to enforce SB1231.
The smirk on Hobbs’ face as she proudly displayed her veto letter assured us beyond any doubt that she has no interest in protecting AZ residents against the onslaught of illegal migrants. Hopefully, the Republicans can come up with a viable candidate to remove this gubernatorial cancer when the next election comes along.
Some important bills advanced this week, all with votes along party lines. Among them:
SB1472 – prohibited uses; public monies Government entities may not use any public monies to promote, support or maintain diversity, equity and inclusion or to engage in political or social activism
HB2629 – schools; instruction; victims of communism Requires that schools teach students about the horrors of communism. Not a single Democrat voted in favor of this bill. Could they be that misinformed, or are they just evil?
HB2482 – voter registration changes; text notice Requires that voters be sent notices when changes happen in their voter status. This is a step in the right direction. What is not clear is why there should be changes in voter status that were not requested or approved by the voters.
At AZPEOPLESLOBBYIST.COM, we are keeping track of significant activity involving the bills we are watching. You may check out that activity by going to:
https://azpeopleslobbyist.com/2024/03/az-peopleslobbyist-activity-report/
Next week, there will be a lot of activity, involving a variety of subjects. Here are some highlights:
HCR2049 – ballot measures; challenges. Allows the challenging of the constitutionality of initiative measures before they placed on the ballot. Legislative referrals to the voters have to go through the same process as other bills. This increases the probability that those bills will be proper and constitutional. The initiative does not have this safeguard, so it makes sense to proceed carefully.
SCR1019 – preferential treatment; discrimination; prohibited. Discrimination is just as bad when used against so-called privileged classes as when used against so-called minorities. This bill is aimed at reflecting that.
SB1056 – municipalities; counties; fee increases; vote Currently, it takes a 2/3 majority vote to increase taxes by the legislature. It makes sense that all subdivisions have the same rule.
All upcoming activity involving the bills we are watching may be seeing by going to our current call-to-action alert, at
https://azpeopleslobbyist.com/2024/03/current-updates-and-call-to-action/
In our YouTube channel, we discuss in great detail some of the more significant bills that are scheduled for activity. Those discussions may be viewed at:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWJMh_R2FcPTVELm8eEuPPziFY5tgoWB4
Make sure that you contact your legislators and let them know your position on the bills and issues that are important to you.