Bills assaulting the AIRC pass senate committee

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The bills assaulting the AIRC that I told you about yesterday breezed through the Senate Government Reform Committee. You're shocked, I'm sure. Redistricting commission repeal clears committee - Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required):

A proposed referral that would ask voters whether they wanted to eliminate the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission took its first step toward the November ballot Wednesday.

The Senate Government Reform Committee approved SCR1035 on a 4-2 party-line vote[.]

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Senate Majority Leader Andy Biggs, who sponsored the measure, said . . . “My remedy, what I believe, is you’ve got to blow it up.”

Hmmm, given his testimony before the AIRC last year I am pretty sure he meant this quite literally, not figuratively.

The committee also approved SB1489, which would require the IRC to also draw district lines for counties, cities, school districts and other political subdivisions. [Committee Chairman] Rick Murphy, the bill’s sponsor, said the bill wasn’t entirely symbolic, despite the logistical problems with having the five-member IRC draw lines for hundreds of cities, counties and other entities.

But Murphy said the bill was mostly meant to make a point about the arguments that legislators shouldn’t draw their own districts because they’re driven by self-interest.

“Why do we want that at the city and county level if we don’t want it at the state level? It seems to me if that’s really a problem, if that’s the real reason, either it’s a problem or it’s not. If it’s a problem then we should fix it universally and if it’s not then we should leave it alone universally,” Murphy said after the hearing.

Of course, Lori Klein said “I find it hard to stomach, but given the interesting wisdom in this, I will pass it out of committee.” Interesting wisdom? This guy is throwing a childish temper-tantrum.

SB1489 passed on a 5-1 vote, with Gallardo joining the Republicans. [Whaaa..?] Sen. David Lujan, D-Phoenix, was the only vote against the bill.

But the bill may not get past the full Senate. Because of the Voter Protection Act [Prop. 105 (1998)], the bill will need a three-fourths vote in the Legislature and will have to “further the intent of the voters.”

Ain't gonna happen, making this waste of time an "entirely symbolic" exercise in Tea-Publicans venting about the AIRC again. I do not think Rick Murphy understands the meaning of "entirely symbolic."