AZ Legislative Update 09-08-2023

Tech talk took over the Capitol this week when the House Ad Hoc Committee on Oversight, Accountability & Big Tech hosted a four-hour hearing to discuss the role of technology in elections and governance. The Committee used its first hearing to focus on opinions about Governor Hobbs’ efforts to remove specific election-related social media posts when she was Secretary of State. (The Governor’s office says her actions were simply an effort to reduce misinformation about Arizona’s elections procedures on social media; Republicans say it was an inappropriate effort to censor free speech.) The hearing also served as a forum for discussion on whether online searches influenced the outcome of the last election.

Next week, legislative action will move to Scottsdale, where the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Budgetary Funding Formulas will host a hearing on the use of hotels as emergency homeless shelters.

In the News Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R) filed a lawsuit in an ongoing dispute about Arizona’s dual language program and redirected federal COVID-19 funds to tutoring programs. The Governor expanded paid family leave benefits for state employees. Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) is watching for new fiscal estimates for the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program. Arizona has one of the highest rates of unvaccinated kindergarten students. A new law caused an unintended tax increase for some Arizonans. The state budget provided grants for schools to plant trees.

On the Bright Side… Pets and prisoners can help each other.