Request to Speak on Voter Suppression and other Bills

Here are the Request to Speak actions for this week. 

Sign on to your Request to Speak account, click the blue Request to Speak button, click on New Request in the nav bar (left column), then simply cut and paste the bill number into Search Phrase (for example:HB2170). Push blue Add Request button, weigh in FOR or AGAINST, click No on Do you wish to speak? (in person), leave a short Comment, and click on SUBMIT. For another submission, click on the New Request link in the nav bar on the left and follow the directions above.

Coming Up at the Arizona Legislature this Week. Monday, March 14th Senate Committee on Government at 2:00 PM  HB2170 election mailings; third-party disclosures (Kavanagh) requires any communication that includes an election document -- voter registration or early ballot form -- or a link to that form, to include a disclaimer “Not From a Government Agency.” This is unnecessary is a way to try and discredit groups doing voter outreach. OPPOSE HB2236 voter registration; request required (Hoffman: Barton, Blackman, et al) prohibits any automatic voter registration. This again is unnecessary and the opposite direction we should be moving with registration. OPPOSE HB2617 voter registration; cancellations; causes (Chaplik: Barton, Biasiucci, et al) requires county recorders to cancel people’s voter registrations based on potentially unreliable sources, which could result in eligible voters being kicked off the rolls. OPPOSE House Committee on Land, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs at 2:00 PM  SB1270 state parks; lottery; heritage fund (Shope) appropriates $3 million for the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund, which funds local and state parks, trails, historic preservation, and cultural resource protection. We would like to see this bumped up to $10 million -- the amount it was originally allocated by voters. SUPPORT SB1594 (now: state lands; annexation; delegation; minerals) (Kerr) says that the rights to explore and develop mineral resources under state law continue without additional permits or approvals from local government authorities. Local government should be able to require certain things of mining operations. OPPOSE Tuesday, March 15th House Committee on Natural Resources, Energy, & Water at 2:00 PM SB1717 (now: mine inspector; abandoned mines; appropriation) (Gowan) appropriates $1,122,000 and six full-time equivalent positions from the state General Fund to the State Mine Inspector to inventory and coordinate the closure of abandoned mines in Arizona. SUPPORT Senate Committee on Appropriations at 2:00 PM HB2255 fireworks; permissible use; Diwali(Biasiucci) prohibits cities and towns from limiting fireworks on and before Diwali, which is in late October. Do we really need more days and nights of fireworks? How about saying no fireworks on any holidays?   HB2317 appropriation; border fence construction (Kavanagh: Chaplik, Griffin, et al.) appropriates $150 million for border wall. OPPOSE HB2728 appropriations; ADOT; tier 2 studies (Wilmeth) appropriates $25 million for a tier 2 study of the environmentally harmful I-11 freeway in Maricopa County. OPPOSE Wednesday, March 16th House Committee on Appropriations at 1:30 PM  SB1270 state parks; lottery; heritage fund (Shope) See above. SB1717 (now: mine inspector; abandoned mines; appropriation) (Gowan) See above. Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Energy, and Water at 2:00 PM HB2181 (now: game and fish; taking wolves) (Cook) forbids the Arizona Game and Fish Commission from prohibiting any person from killing a wolf that is actively threatening or attacking a person, livestock, or other domestic animal. Wolves rarely attack humans, anyone can kill a wolf or other animal if the animal is attacking them or they fear for their life, so that is not an issue and is absolutely unnecessary language, but the provisions on threatening or attacking livestock or other domestic animals can provide an invitation to those who would like to see wolves again exterminated in the wild. Not having clear guidance against killing wolves, can invite “baiting” of wolves with livestock or other animals. OPPOSE HB2389 - rulemaking review; time frame rulemaking review; time frame (Dunn) will have a strike-everything amendment on River Water Transfer. It is now posted. The strike-everything amendment will limit the transfer of Colorado River water, specifically 4th priority water, away from the river to communities in central Arizona. SUPPORT  House Committee on Transportation at 2:00 PM SB1377 (now: off-highway vehicles; fund; instruction; operation) (Kerr: Rogers) says that landowners and lessees do not have a duty to keep lands safe for entry and use by recreational users or to warn of or maintain lands and trails against unsafe conditions. Don't we all have a duty to try to address unsafe conditions? OPPOSE Thursday, March 17th Senate and House will be taking floor action. Please, see my other blog for information on how to Contact your State Legislators regarding Bad Water, Electric Energy and Voting Bills before Thursday.