It was an incredibly busy week at the Capitol. This was the last week for bills to get through committees in their chamber of origin, which meant some packed committee agendas.
BAD NEWS
The House Elections Committee saw a lot of action this week. Three bad bills, HB2489, HB2616, and HCR2005, squeezed through the committee on a party-line vote.
HB2616 is particularly egregious, as it would criminalize paying staff to register voters. While the sponsor indicated in committee that this would not be the bill’s final form, there was no amendment offered in committee. We will monitor this bill very closely in the coming weeks.
GOOD NEWS
Things weren’t all bad in the House Elections Committee, however. A "strike-everything" amendment to HB 2327 would allow early voting to continue right up until Election Day, a reform that would help provide access to voters at a convenient time close to the election. And HB 2076, the rare pro-Clean Elections bill to get a hearing, would somewhat strengthen candidates' ability to use our voter-approved Clean Elections system.
Keep an eye out for when these bills are being heard.
The action certainly isn't over. Next week, the House and Senate will focus on voting dozens of bills out and sending them across the courtyard to the other chamber. AANF is preparing for long floor sessions as bills are passed through the COW and Third Reading processes.
You can still contact your legislators to let them know how you feel about these bills.
> See right column for contact information >
Update provided by Arizona Advocacy Network and Foundation
http://www.azadvocacy.org/
http://www.azadvocacy.org/
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