AZ Legislative Update 02-18-2022

The legislature can move very quickly and very slowly when considering legislation, and this week it did both. On Monday, leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties in the House and Senate introduced measures to raise the cap on school spending – thus avoiding cuts to school budgets later this spring. The language is carefully crafted to avoid any connection to the ongoing litigation about how the spending cap relates to Proposition 208 education funding. The House passed its version of the proposal within 24 hours, exceeding the necessary two-thirds majority with a bipartisan coalition of 45 votes.

The Senate did not act with similar urgency, adjourning for the weekend after Senate President Karen Fann (RPrescott) could not get enough votes to lift the school spending cap. Senate Democrats are ready to vote for the measure, but most Senate Republicans say they will not support it until after the courts rule on Proposition 208. President Fann will continue discussions with her caucus to find the votes she needs to advance the proposal.

Action – or the lack thereof – on the school spending cap did not distract from legislators’ focus on other policy issues. Committees on both sides of the Capitol mall spent very long days considering hundreds of bills, motivated by a looming deadline for committee hearings. Some bills were controversial, like House proposals to split Maricopa County, direct how EMTs counsel patients, exempt gun sales from taxation, and require schools to teach gun safety.

Senate committees voted to require ballots to be counted by hand, block members of the Chinese Communist Party from buying land in Arizona, authorize legislators to detain anyone who does not follow a legislative subpoena, and limit local governments’ lobbying activities. The Senate Health & Human Services Committee approved a bill to restrict irreversible gender reassignment surgeries for minors; the bill is a revised version of a proposal that failed in the Committee last week.

Not everything successfully passed committees. Bipartisan majorities voted down proposals to give judges the authority to change some mandatory minimum sentences, prohibit the state from some contracts with organizations that have a connection to abortions, and limit photo radar.

During long floor sessions, the House and Senate voted to advance almost 80 bills into the second half of the legislative process. The Senate passed bills to ban abortion after 15 weeks, expand the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program, and prohibit local government officials from requiring businesses to close during an emergency. House members agreed to require school boards to approve all school library books, make animal shelters try to contact a cat or dog’s owner, and require schools to teach about political ideologies.

Republicans and Democrats worked together to limit fireworks at night, ban home insurers from considering dog breeds, require annual increases to law enforcement budgets each year, block investors from forcing condo sales, and appropriate $1.1 million to close abandoned mines.

What's Next

Today’s the last day for bills to advance through most policy committees, and almost 900 bills appear to be dead for this year because they didn’t meet that deadline. More than 600 proposals are still eligible to advance, though – including a lot of bills about elections.

Arizona’s Bipartisan Focus on Workforce Development

“Workforce development” is a catchphrase used a lot at the Capitol this year, as Arizona faces a shortage of qualified workers for business, health care, and schools. Governor Ducey started the year with a focus on the nursing workforce, proposing $25.7 million for a partnership with Creighton University’s accelerated program for nursing students. Legislators have added their own ideas, including:

• Investments in health care workers

  HB 2691 would put $227.5 million over five years into workforce development for physical and behavioral health care and expand partnerships with university and community college training programs.

• Investments in STEM workers

  Several proposals hope to direct funding into science, technology, engineering, and math education to increase the workforce in those fields.

  • HB 2017 would add $8.6 million to Maricopa Community College District’s STEM and workforce programs;
  • HB 2607 allocates $3 million to STEM learning and workforce opportunities through the Arizona Commerce Authority; and
  • SB 1470 creates a code writers initiative through the Arizona Department of Education 
• Investments in adult workers

  Some legislators are focused on adult education programs that provide job training skills.

  • HB 2123 creates an Adult Workforce Diploma Program, where participants earn a high school diploma along with career and technical skills;
  • HB 2122 requires the State Board of Education to create a continuing high school and workforce training program designed to help adult learners receive a high school diploma and the credentials they need to work in industry; and
  • HB 2658, which creates a community college adult education workforce development program to help adult learners earn a high school diploma and community college degree or industry-recognized credentials.

These bills are moving through the legislative process with varying degrees of success, and they’ll continue to drive the discussion – and the budget decisions – about how to increase Arizona’s trained workforce.

In the Elections

A Congressional committee wants to talk to Arizona Republican officials about false electors. Some people still hope Governor Ducey runs for the U.S. Senate.

In the Courts

All but one member of the Arizona Supreme Court will consider whether the Senate can keep ballot recount records secret – another step in the Senate’s costly legal battles. The Arizona Court of Appeals said the legislature has to follow the open meeting laws it enacts. A Superior Court judge heard arguments in a case that will decide whether voters will consider the legislature’s cuts to income taxes. The Arizona Supreme Court formed a task force to study ethics rules for public attorneys.

In the News

The number of veterans experiencing homelessness in Arizona has increased. This economist believes housing prices threaten the state’s economy. Arizona’s getting $11 million in federal funding for electric vehicle charging stations. States have their own ideas about how to spend federal infrastructure money.

On the Bright Side...

This commuter found his way back home.