NOW WHAT?

Apr 19
2 min read

You just can’t make this stuff up!

This past week saw GOP lawmakers take mirror bills to the Appropriations Committees in both chambers. The mirror bills HB2945 and SB1734 are identical bills addressing the funding shortfall which will deplete funding, by May 1, for a program in the state Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) . The bills, opposed by disability communities, and everyone else with a modicum of common-sense and compassion, would reduce funding and modify the ongoing program into eventual extinction. Both bills, as written, are an attack on families with disabled children. A clean continuation for the remainder of the fiscal year needed to pass. The bills, as presented, had strings attached and showed a complete lack of understanding of the services needed by the disability community.

What happened in the senate: Two separate amendments were offered. One amendment, sponsored by a democrat, would have turned the bill into a pure funding extension taking money from the general fund. It was defeated. The second amendment, offered by a republican, added more strings and hurdles to the program’s continuation. The bill with the second amendment offered passed with a partisan vote then went on to pass the Rules Committee. The next step would be to go to a Floor vote.

What happened in the House: Prior to the House Appropriation committee meeting to vote on HB2945, a bi-partisan amendment was agreed upon, sponsored by a republican member of the Appropriations Committee. It was not ideal but democrats believed it was a solid step in the right direction. The amendment sponsor had garnered enough support from republican committee members to indicate the amendment would be accepted and the amended bill could be voted and passed. BUT WAIT! All session long the Appropriations Committee has been comprised of 11 republicans and 7 democrats. Ten minutes before last week’s meeting the Chair of the Committee got permission from the Speaker of the House to add 3 new republican members to the Committee, bringing the tally to 14 republicans and 7 democrats. The bipartisan amendment to solve the disability fund was defeated and the original bill passed 11 yes to 10 no. The 3 new republican members insured its passage without being amended.

The governor, who had been trying to find a solution all session, reached her tipping point.

On Thursday she announced that any bill not yet on her desk, which includes both SB1734 and HB2945, along with others, would be vetoed until she is sent a reasonable, negotiated bill to fund DDD. This tactic was used in the past by other governors (including Ducey).

We will see finger pointing and lots of name calling in the next week. A solution, possible up until this past week, has now been made more difficult as republicans are not adept at backing themselves out of corners they have created.