AZ Legislative Update 2-19-2021

Today marks a big milestone for the 2021 legislative session – it’s the last day for bills to make their way through policy committee hearings in the chamber where they were introduced. Legislators have worked long days and into the nights. Some committees suspended their hearings late in the evening and resumed the next day; one committee brought its members back to the Capitol today for a rare Friday hearing.

Their efforts paid off for the sponsors of more than 300 proposals that received committee approval this week. More than 1,000 other bills and resolutions, however – nearly 57% of the measures introduced this session – will not advance this year unless their sponsors can amend them onto other legislation.

Legislators will not be bored as they move past the first committee deadline, though. Hundreds of bills still await their turn for debate and votes, and next month policy committees will begin hearings on proposals that already made it through the first half of the legislative process.

Tempers Still Hot in Senate

Senators’ floor debates repeatedly turned into emotional arguments this week, as they operated under tension from last week’s passionate discussion of a contempt declaration against the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. Republicans’ frustration with Senator Paul Boyer (R-Glendale) boiled over when he joined with Democrats to kill a bill that would prevent non-active voters from automatically receiving an early ballot. The sponsor of that bill, Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita (R-Scottsdale), used a procedural motion to force another vote on Boyer’s bill to expand the Empowerment Scholarship Account program. That controversial measure passed the Senate early this week but now it has to go through additional votes before it can have a House committee hearing.

The visible anger on the Senate floor extended to other bills, as well, sparking debates between and within political parties. This level of emotion is unusual for the Senate, which is often viewed as a calmer, quieter body than the House, which has twice as many members.

The growing divisions in the Senate Republican caucus are significant and could overshadow legislative leaders’ efforts to build support for a state budget. It remains to be seen whether the Republicans’ frustration with each other will lead to a budget plan that can find bipartisan support.

Priority Bills

This week, the House Education Committee unanimously approved a strike everything amendment (ASDB; local education agencies) to HB 2863 that designates the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind as local education agencies for purposes of federal education funding and state and federal accountability.

The Senate Education Committee:

• Amended and unanimously approved SB 1572 (schools; early literacy), which expands teaching requirements to include capability to teach reading, requires the SBE to adopt a statewide kindergarten entry evaluation tool if funding exists for it, and expands parental notification for reading deficiencies.
• Unanimously approved a strike-everything amendment (dyslexia screening; appropriation) to SB 1684 that provides $2.28 million to ADE for dyslexia and literacy services.
• Amended and unanimously approved SB 1717 (teachers academy; revisions), which aligns state law with Proposition 108 – Invest in Education, expanding the Arizona Teachers Academy to include students that commit to teaching in schools that primarily serve students with disabilities.

The Senate failed to pass SB 1292 (appropriation; dyslexia and literacy services), which would have directed $2.5 million for dyslexia and literacy services through the Arizona Department of Education, because of disagreement over an amendment that would have benefited a vendor.

What’s Next?

Next week, policy committees take a break as Appropriations Committees convene to process more bills. Though the committees are responsible for considering budget-related bills, next week they will also hear amendments that would revive proposals that have failed to advance on other bills.

Governor Orders Study on COVID-19’s Impact on Student Learning

Citing a recent study on student setbacks last year, this week Governor Ducey ordered the State Board of Education to study the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on Arizona students’ learning. “Getting kids caught up and on track needs to be a top focus of ours,” the Governor said.

The executive order requires the Board to use assessment data and other academic data to compare students’ performances this year with other years, focusing on the impacts in various demographics. The report is due by November 1.

In the Courts

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider a challenge to Arizona’s voting laws. The pandemic slowed the court systems, and that reduced Arizona’s prison population. Arizona’s Attorney General still thinks the Governor’s pandemic rules can’t treat bars differently than restaurants.

In the News

The Governor thinks the federal government should consult local officials about border policy. Representative Mark Finchem (R-Tucson) filed an ethics complaint against his Democratic colleagues because of their ethics complaints against him. Representative Jennifer Pawlik (D-Chandler) is the new State Director for Women in Government. More delays at the U.S. Census Bureau will further slow Arizona’s independent redistricting. The Arizona Latino Legislative Caucus asked the Governor to prioritize COVID-19 vaccinations to communities of color. The state announced transportation infrastructure priorities. This study says the East Valley is a great place to work from home. There’s lots of speculation about what Doug Ducey will do after his time as Governor ends.

On the Bright Side…

Hugs help and these young Arizonans are serving others.