Most of the significant activity at the Capitol this week centered on actions by legislators that did not involve voting on specific legislation. They include an announcement by Rep. Gress, a response to rogue Pima County Board of Supervisors by Rep. Nguyen, and a letter to Governor Katie Hobbs by Rep. Gress.
On March 13, Rep. Gress announced the launching of a new tuition scholarship program for the spouses and children of law enforcement and correctional officers who seek higher education. There are certain requirements that must be met to qualify. For more information on this program, click HERE A video of this announcement may be viewed by clicking HERE
Also on March 13, Rep. Nguyen called on the Pima County Board of Supervisors to repeal an ordnance they recently passed, which imposes some draconian firearm reporting requirements, in violation of state statutes. Detailed information may be obtained by clicking HERE
On March 15, Rep. Gress responded to criticism that Hobbs made of his Floor amendment to house bill HB 2209. This bill continues the Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA) for three years and prescribes additional responsibilities for the ICA and its divisions related to inspections, violations and State Plan proposals.
According to Rep. Gress, “The bill is designed to preserve Arizona’s right-to-work laws, protect businesses from unnecessary financial and safety liabilities, and maintain workplace security without succumbing to external pressures, including a rule proposed by the Biden Administration.” More information may be obtained about this bill by clicking HERE
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:
HB2479 – missing; abducted; runaway children Recent hearings have revealed that DCS is not doing all it can to help these children. This bill is aimed at addressing some of those deficiencies.
SB1151 – school classrooms; ten commandments; posting ARS15-341 prohibits the displaying of religious materials in schools. This bill would exempt the Ten Commandments from that prohibition. It is a noble idea, but it may encourage other religions and/or sects to demand the same exemption for their materials.
SB1064 – gasoline formulations; air quality. This bill is aimed at avoiding the obscene gasoline prices that we experienced in the summer of 2023, resulting from Hobbs’ failure to do her duty as governor.
SCR1036 – cities; towns; elections This bill would prohibit rogue cities like Tucson from conducting city election votes “at large”. This practice prevents representation of citizens in districts where the prevailing views are opposite those of the whole city.
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.