https://irc-az.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/lookup/index.html?appid=424810a4667049388ef6df4f0c73098b
https://www.azleg.gov/MemberRoster/
In these changing times it has become so important to remain politically active, stay informed, hold our politicians and corporations accountable, and keep on top of our representatives to make sure they are representing our best interests. Please, support the actions and issues that matter to YOU. I will do my best to keep up with what is happening in our government and post the latest petitions and calls to action. Please, check in daily.
Before shutting things down, the Senate passed several bad bills, but did reject some as well, including a harmful bill promoted by Rep Kolodin to allow "brackish groundwater" to help developers get around the assured water supply requirements. That was HB2186. The Senate passed HB2646 power plants; public service corporations (Bliss) 16-11-3 with only Republicans voting yes. This is a bad bill that would extend the life of outdated, expensive, dirty coal plants at the expense of utility ratepayers, setting out-of-reach parameters for their closures, and requiring the Attorney General to be engaged in opposing federal rules that would expedite their retirement. HB2646 seeks to prop up fossil fuel plants in an effort to rescue plants that are incredibly costly to keep in operation. Keeping fossil fuel plants operating longer is at the expense of ratepayers, who are kept on the hook to pay for expensive plants to remain in operation when it is more cost effective to transition to renewable energy like wind, solar, and storage. |
The AZ Senate also passed HB2002 power plants; transmission lines; definition (Griffin). It excludes switchyards and substations from review by the AZ Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee (Committee). The Committee is one of the few entities that considers environmental factors relative to siting and utilities are chipping away at what it applies to both at the Legislature and the Arizona Corporation Commission. This has not yet been transmitted to the governor, but will likely go to her next week. Ask Governor Hobbs to veto this too. You can call the Governor at (602) 542-4331 or use the Governor's website. While you're at it, you can also thank the Governor for vetoing HB2788 United Nations; sustainable development; prohibition. It states that Arizona or any of its political subdivisions cannot adopt the sustainable development agenda of the United Nations. Apparently, the Legislature did not want to support ending poverty, achieving food security, ensuring healthy lives, achieving gender equality, and protecting the planet and our ability to live on it. We're glad the governor does. You can read her veto message here. Below are the potential ballot measures that the Legislature may refer for a vote. These were previously Request to Speak actions but, if you have not done so already, please contact your legislators about opposing them. HCR2032 voting centers; precinct voting (Jones: B Parker, Smith, et al.) would put a measure on the 2024 ballot that prohibits boards of supervisors from establishing voting centers to accommodate additional voting for a specific election as needed. It also eliminates no-excuse mail-in voting, limiting a method of voting used by 80% of Arizonans. If approved, this would result in lower voter turnout. This awaits action in Senate Committee of the Whole. HCR2040 public monies; prohibited expenditures (Smith: Biasiucci, Carbone, et al.) is another one of those referrals. It would place a measure on the 2024 ballot to prohibit the state or any political subdivision, including universities, to spend any public dollars to reduce global temperatures, have a climate action plan, participate in anything related to reducing meat consumption, do anything to address impacts of racism, etc. It wraps this up with a bow related to prohibiting "furthering Marxist ideologies." This awaits action in the Senate Rules Committee. HCR2050 energy source; restriction; prohibition (Griffin: Biasiucci, Bliss, et al) would put on the 2024 ballot a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit a city, town, county or any other political subdivision of the state from restricting the manufacture, use or sale of a device based on the energy source that is either used to power the device or consumed by the device. Device is not defined, but this is clearly intended to preclude any limits on fossil fuel "devices," including gas. This will make it harder to protect our air, our water, our health, and our communities. It awaits action in the Senate Rules Committee. HCR2058 legislative districts; population; census; citizenship (Heap: Chaplik, Gillette, et al) would put a measure on the 2024 ballot to require a state census that the Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) must use to determine legislative districts based on citizenship population. This is a direct attack on the IRC and would subvert US census data to dilute and attack communities, as well as being an expensive replication of the work done by the US Census Bureau. If successfully referred and approved, it would impact minority districts disproportionately. This awaits action in the Senate Rules Committee. SCR1041 ballot measures; challenges (Mesnard) refers a measure that allows challenges to proposed ballot measures by any person and earlier in the process. This would hinder citizen ballot measures as they could be challenged while people are still collecting signatures. This awaits action by the House Rules Committee. To find out who your legislators are, find your district here: https://irc-az.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/lookup/index.html?appid=424810a4667049388ef6df4f0c73098b Use that district to find contact info on your representatives: https://www.azleg.gov/MemberRoster/ Use that district to find contact info on your senator: |
Key concerns at this point in the session are measures that bypass the Governor and go directly to the ballot. There are several of those outstanding, including HCR2032 voting centers; precinct voting (Jones: B Parker, Smith, et al.). It would put a measure on the 2024 ballot that prohibits boards of supervisors from establishing voting centers to accommodate additional voting for a specific election as needed. It also eliminates no-excuse mail-in voting, limiting a method of voting used by 80% of Arizonans. If approved, this would result in lower voter turnout.
More info. here:
GOP wants to scrap Arizona early voting. The plan is 1 vote away from the November ballotFor this legislative update we are focusing more on some bills that we think might come to the floor next week, especially two referrals. The referrals cannot be vetoed, so need special attention. Please, sign these petitions from the Sierra Club to urge your legislators to vote "no" on these terrible bills. |
Please take action and tell your representatives to oppose SB1221. It sets up an impossible process for establishing basin management areas and codifies current overpumping of rural groundwater. |
HCR2040 public monies; prohibited expenditures (Smith: Biasiucci, Carbone, et al.) is one of those referrals. It would place a measure on the 2024 ballot to prohibit the state or any political subdivision, including universities, to do anything to help reduce global temperatures, have a climate action plan, participate in anything related to reducing meat consumption, etc. It wraps this up with a bow related to prohibiting "furthering Marxist ideologies." It is clearly intended to connect all of these issues and motivate voters who fear that there is a vast conspiracy to make this a better world. |
HCR2050 energy source; restriction; prohibition (Griffin: Biasiucci, Bliss, et al) passed out of the Senate Natural Resources, Energy, and Water Committee along party lines on Thursday. It would put on the 2024 ballot a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit a city, town, county or any other political subdivision of the state from restricting the manufacture, use or sale of a device based on the energy source that is either used to power the device or consumed by the device. Device is not defined, but this is clearly intended to preclude any limits on fossil fuel "devices," including gas. This will make it harder to protect our air, our water, our health, and our communities. |
Arizona has roughly 28 million acres of federal public lands. These places provide extensive opportunities for recreation and key habitat and corridors for numerous animal species. Public lands provide us with clean air and clean water, and they, like other lands in our state, are all Indigenous lands -- that should be part of the context of what happens with them. The AZ Legislature has frequently sought more control of our federal public lands, attempting to privatize and eliminate or weaken protections for the land, water, and wildlife. These bills have been vetoed by Republican governors and also defeated overwhelmingly on the ballot. Arizonans love our public lands. Please tell your senator to vote no on bills that seek to hinder protection of public lands and waters. Read more about them and take action here. Take action to protect public lands: https://act.sierraclub.org/actions/Arizona?actionId=AR0426717 |
Strike-everything sneaks in new bills |
WHEW! Easy week... |
There aren't many Request to Speak actions this week because most of these bills were previously in the other chamber of the legislature and we commented on them there.
Enjoy Wednesday's presentation on state parks, if you choose to view that!Monday, March 11th
This week I have included some bad voting bills because it makes it difficult to advocate for the environment if we can’t vote.
Unfortunately, HCR 2050 made it through committee and awaits a Third Read vote in the house. If it passes it will put this horrific bill on the ballot. Governor Hobbs won't be able to veto it! If you haven't already, please, reach out to your legislators using the Sierra Club’s petition (link below).
HCR2050 energy source; restriction; prohibition (Griffin: Biasiucci, Bliss, et al) would put on the ballot a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit a city, town, county or any other political subdivision of the state from restricting the manufacture, use or sale of a device based on the energy source that is either used to power the device or consumed by the device. Device is not defined, but this is clearly intended to preclude any limits on fossil fuels, including gas. This will make it harder to protect our air, our water, our health, and our communities.
Take action against HCR2050 here.
Request to Speak on the following bills before they are heard in their respective committees.
Sign onto the RTS app:
https://apps.azleg.gov/account/signon
Review RTS directions:
https://desktopactivisttucson.blogspot.com/2018/03/request-to-speak-time.html
Monday, March 4th
Senate Elections Committee at 2:00 PM
Senate Finance and Commerce Committee at 2:00PM
House Municipal Affairs and Public Safety at 2:00 PM
Brace yourself. There are so many bad bills advancing at our state legislature that I am including the Sierra Club's recommended actions in this post. Next week, the House will start hearing Senate bills and the Senate will start hearing House bills. They will continue to vote on the hundreds of bills on the Floor of each house, too. No new Request to Speak actions this week - if you've been keeping up. If you haven't, please, check last week's post for the bill numbers. See the Call-in and Petition actions from the Sierra Club below... The "Billapalooza" of bad policy advanced an incredible number of bad bills on multiple levels, including racist measures, prohibitions and preemptions on climate action, anti-democracy bills, and a plethora of harmful water bills. In addition to all of that, they advanced the bills to try and remove protections from public lands and objected to sustainability goals such as ending poverty. HB2788 United Nations; sustainable development; prohibition (Jones: Biasiucci, Bliss, et al.) prohibiting Arizona or any of its political subdivisions from adopting the sustainable development agenda of the United Nations, which means they are objecting to support for ending poverty, support for achieving food security, ensuring healthy lives, achieving gender equality, and protecting the planet and our ability to live on it by objecting to action on climate change and promoting water sustainability. Passed House Committee of the Whole (COW) and awaits a Third Read vote. HCR2040 public monies; prohibited expenditures (Smith: Biasiucci, Carbone, et al.) was amended in House COW to add a prohibition on the floor to add prohibitions on any kind of affirmative action in hiring. HCR2040 refers to the ballot a measure to prohibit the state or any political subdivision, including universities, to do anything to help reduce global temperatures, have a climate action plan, participate in anything related to reducing meat consumption, etc. It wraps this up with a bow related to prohibiting "furthering Marxist ideologies." It is clearly intended to connect all of these issues and motivate voters who fear that there is a vast conspiracy to make this a better world. It awaits a Third Read vote. Two comparable measures, SCR1015 and SB1195 are on the Senate COW calendar for Monday. Call your representatives and ask them to oppose HB2788 and HCR2040 and call your Senators and ask them to oppose SCR1015 and SB1195. Speaker Toma's anti-immigrant measure, HCR2060, which expands the provisions of the horribly racist SB1070, passed out of the House along party lines. You can read more about it here. It sure would be nice if some of those businesses would speak out against this. Please also ask your representatives to vote no on HCR2050 energy source; restriction; prohibition (Griffin: Biasiucci, Bliss, et al). It refers to the ballot a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit a city, town, county or any other political subdivision of the state from restricting the manufacture, use or sale of a device based on the energy source that is either used to power the device or consumed by the device. Device is not defined, but this is clearly intended to preclude any limits on fossil fuels, including gas. This will make it harder to protect our air, our water, our health, and our communities. Thank you to Representative Oscar de los Santos for speaking up against this bad policy. You can hear his remarks and the ridiculous response to them here. You can find contact information for all legislators here. |
Protect Public Lands and Waters |
|
The Arizona Legislature is again launching an attack on public lands and waters via a series of bills and memorials (messages to Congress and the President) asking that no more lands or waters be protected and that current protections be rescinded, and seeking to require legislative permission to protect any additional federal public land. Please send a message to your Arizona Representatives asking them to vote NO on all of these bills! The Arizona Legislature also has a large number of bills that weaken water protections. Please send your representatives a message to oppose bills that create more loopholes and that allow for more pumping of precious groundwater. Ask your representatives to vote NO on harmful water bills. |
The Arizona Legislature is again launching an attack on public lands and waters via a series of bills and memorials (messages to Congress and the President) asking that no more lands or waters be protected and that current protections be rescinded, and seeking to require legislative permission to protect any additional federal public land. Please send a message to your Arizona Representatives asking them to vote NO on all of these bills! |
Three exceptions to this bad policy blitz, include the following good bills that passed in committee:
|