AZ NEEDS GOOD BILLS SIGNED INTO LAW!
Last week 12 bills were added to the growing list of bills vetoed by Governor Hobbs. The total number of vetoes this session is up to 111 versus 165 bills signed into law.
A quick rundown of latest vetoes:
SB1413 would have forced city officials to tear down homeless encampments and charge people living in them with criminal trespassing. —In her veto letter, Hobbs criticized the bill for ignoring the causes of homelessness and failing to advocate for any real solutions besides punishment.
SB1265 sought to outlawed the use of ranked-choice voting, despite the fact that it currently doesn’t exist anywhere in the state. Another bill, identical to this one, was already vetoed in April. Why did they try again? There may be a ranked choice voting proposition on the 2024 ballot. Had this bill been signed, petitions for a referendum rather than an initiative would need to be circulated. A referendum only has a 90 day circulation period from the date the legislature adjourns.
A very deceptive bill, SB1696 sought to make it a class 5 felony to film sexually explicit acts on government-owned property, including schools.
While the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, framed it as a protection of students, the proposal went beyond the penalties for filming explicit acts on school property. It would have added the referral of students to sexually explicit materials, such as books, to the same violations for which a teacher or librarian could be punished with 2 years in prison.
Hobbs dismissed the bill for its potential to lead teachers and librarians to pull books from school shelves.
SB1146 would have prohibited the state from investing in companies that donate to organizations that “promote” abortions for minors or refer minors to “sexually explicit materials”. Hobbs rejected the measure, saying it “needlessly politicizes decisions best made by professional portfolio managers at the Treasurer’s Office.”
SB1201 would have prohibited election officials from using voter signatures in e-pollbooks — used when voters sign into a polling place or voting center — to verify signatures on early ballots. Pollbooks have been just one of the many resources used to verify signatures. Sen. Kavanagh was bill sponsor.
SB1268 would have made it more difficult for Arizonans hoping to have their homes annexed into a nearby city by raising the required petition percentage from a simple majority to 60% of property owners.
SB1277 would have made it a class 1 misdemeanor, which carries a penalty of up to 6 months in jail, for anyone to operate a drone to photograph another person when they have a “reasonable expectation of privacy.” Hobbs noted it would likely have inhibited the work of journalists, telecommunication and even insurance providers.
SB1040 was Sen. Kavanagh’s bathroom bill requiring schools to make special accommodations for trans people. The senator has said he will try it next year as a school “shower facility” bill.
SB1213 required the Elections Procedures Manual be approved by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee in addition to the Governor and Attorney General.
SB1243 increased the amount individuals can contribute to Student Tuition organizations (STOs). An STO provides tuition scholarships to private school students from funds given as a dollar for dollar tax credit donation. This is money that never makes it into the general fund but given directly to an STO. The STO gets to keep 10% for operations funding.
SB1264 would have prohibited elections officers or employees from being a member of a political action committee (PAC). (this bill was written to target recorder Richer)
SB1597 would have required Maricopa and Pima counties to provide at least one polling location in each Legislative District that allowed for the on-site tabulation of voted early ballots by the 2024 general election.
Check out the governor’s letters explaining her veto actions on all 111 vetoes here. Choose All Veto Actions in drop down menu.
Both chambers will return from their month long recess and gavel in on Monday June 12th. It is expected they will only be in session two days then recess again until August. If they were to adjourn, Sine Die*, they would need to have a 2/3 majority in agreement to reconvene for a special session or they could be called to a special session by the governor. There are some “control issues” at play.
*Sine Die is final adjournment of a regular session.
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