Month: February 2014

AZ Lege repeals HB 2305, the citizens referendum is now off the ballot

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Our lawless legislature continues to demonstrate its contempt for the citizens of Arizona and their constitutional right to refer an act of the legislature to the voters to decide in a citizens referendum ("citizens veto"). The larger context here is its utter contempt for democracy and the right to vote.

More than 140,000 Arizonans braved the heat of an Arizona summer to circulate and sign petitions to refer HB 2305, the GOP Voter Suppression Act, to the ballot in November to let the people decide on what the legislature enacted as a "strike everything" amendment in the dead of night when no one was watching. There was no public notice, and no public hearing before a committee.

Last week, the Arizona House on a party-line vote voted to deny Arizonans their constitutional right to vote on a citizens-referred referendum. Arizona House approves bill to repeal election-law changes.

Yesterday, the Senate Tea-Publicans complete their anti-democraticdenial of your constitutional rights. Arizona Senate repeals 2013 election law:

The Arizona Senate has voted to repeal a sweeping 2013 Arizona election law that included trimming the state’s permanent early voting list and a host of other provisions that incensed voter-rights advocates.

Majority Republicans who pushed House Bill 2305 through last June voted Thursday to repeal the law 17-12. The House passed an identical bill last week. The bill will now go to the governor.

Repealing the law will cancel the voter referendum.

Senator Melvin Courageously Stands Up For Ignorance

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By Tom Prezelski

Re-Posted from Rum, Romanism and Rebellion

There is actually a pretty vigorous debate over Common Core Standards and many legitimate questions over to what extent, or even if, they should be implemented. It is a debate that needs to happen, and one that should be conducted with rigor, integrity, and an eye toward our future needs as a community, state, and nation.

Cotton_hillOf course, this is not the sort of debate that is happening in the Arizona Legislature, thanks largely to Senator Al Melvin (R-Segregated Gated Retirement Community North of Town). Melvin's SB 1310, which passed a Senate Committee yesterday, bans the implementation of Common Core in Arizona. The Senator's stated reason for his opposition cited no specifics, merely that the standards were a good idea from "the private sector and the governors" that got "hijacked by Washington." In other words, the merits of the standards are less of an issue than the fact that they are being championed by The Big Bad Black Man.

Action Alert: Contact Governor Brewer, tell her to veto SB 1062, the Religious Bigotry bill

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Tea-Publican controlled Arizona House passed the Religious Bigotry today, and conformed the bill to the Senate version passed yesterday. The bill will now be transmitted to Governor Jan Brewer. Contact Governor Brewer and tell her to veto this state-sanctioned discrimination bill, as she did last year. Arizona does not need another blacke eye like SB 1070.

The Arizona Republic reports, Ariz. House passes controversial religion bill; goes to Gov. Brewer:

Kill-bill-vol-1The Legislature has given final approval to a controversial religion bill that’s spurring intense debate at the Legislature and across the country.

The legislation, written by the conservative advocacy group Center for Arizona Policy and the Christian legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom, would allow individuals to use religious beliefs as a defense against a lawsuit.

Opponents have dubbed it the “right to discriminate” bill, and say it could prompt an economic backlash against the state, similar to what they say occurred when the state passed the controversial immigration law Senate Bill 1070 in 2010.

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The bill will be sent to Gov. Jan Brewer, who has five days to sign it into law, veto the bill or do nothing and allow it to become law.

Arizona Supreme Court smacks down Arizona’s lawless legislature, again

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

PensionsOur lawless legislature has lost yet another case in court, this time over the Elected Officials Retirement Plan (specifically retired judges). This is the second time in recent years that the Arizona Supreme Court has struck down as unconstitutional attempt by Tea-Publicans in the Arizona legislature to reduce benefits to retirees of public employee pension plans. I am sure the editorial board of the Arizona Republic will have a sad over this ruling.

Howard Fischer reports, AZ Supreme Court: Judges’ pensions can’t be cut:

State lawmakers cannot balance the budget by limiting pension benefit increases for retired judges, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

The justices said a voter-approved section of the state constitution makes public pension plans a contractual relationship. More to the point, that provision says benefits “shall not be diminished or impaired.”

Justice Robert Brutinel, writing for the unanimous court said that language applies not just to what retired judges were getting at any one time. He said it also means lawmakers cannot tinker with already existing formulas that determine how much those benefits will increase each year.

Thursday’s ruling puts a damper on efforts by legislators to sharply restrain the obligations of the state to finance existing public pensions. But it does not bar lawmakers from setting new rules for those who have not yet become judges.

Action Alert: Religious Bigotry bill on House COW Calendar today

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The House calendar for the Committee of the Whole (COW) today includes Rep. "Fast Eddie" Farnsworth's House version of the Religious Bigotry bill, HB 2153, passed by Tea-Publicans in the Senate on Wednesday. Business takes place this afternoon.

Where are the "Mythical Moderate Republicans" in the Republican Party establishment and the business community, in particular, the chamber organizations? The "Mythical Moderate Republican" Ethan Orr (R-Tucson) will have to vote on this bill. LD 9 will be watching, E.Orr.

Other bills on the COW Calendar in the House today of note:

HB 2012, Rep. John Kavanagh's "vexatious litigation" bill that somehow exempts the Arizona Legislature and the "Kochtopus" Death Star, the Goldwater Institute, who file more vexatious litigation than anyone else.

HB 2058, Rep. John Kavanagh's bill to limit compensation under public pensions. This bill may be preempted by an Arizona Supreme Court decision to be announced today. Arizona high court to rule on judges' pensions.

HB 2107, Rep. John Kavanagh's bill regarding the number of candidate and ballot measure signatures in elections. This is the piecemeal approach to enacting HB 2305 that you have heard about.