Good Government and Really Bad Judgment in the Arizona State Senate Education Committee on Tuesday

There was some good news and really bad news in the Arizona State Senate Education Committee yesterday (March 23, 2021.)

Aid to Students attending Community College.

In a unanimous decision in the Senate Education Committee,  Democratic and Republican State Senators approved HB2638 which earmarks $10 million in scholarships for students wishing to attend community college.

Commenting to the Arizona Capitol Times, Legislative District (LD) 28 State Representative Aaron Lieberman said the goal of the bill is to get recent and expected high school graduates to enroll in college and restore enrollment levels that have plummeted due to the COVID 19 Pandemic.

That way more students will be educated and trained on the jobs needed for the current labor force.

Students who qualify for Pell Grants will be eligible to receive up to $3,000 in scholarship funding.

Representative Lieberman said that he expects three thousand students could benefit from this legislation if it passes the State Legislature.

This is an example of what is possible when good government practices are followed.

Bipartisanship going in the Wrong Direction with the Death of a Bill Requiring the Clergy to Report Sex Offenses. 

This bill should have been a no brainer….to pass.

The Senate Education Committee considered a measure that would require members of the clergy to report sexual offense incidents.

To most rational people, that would seem like a bill, like the aid for college students that could get unanimous support.

Unfortunately, there is a bipartisan group of State Senators who put the rules of the Catholic Church over the safety of children.

The bill died in committee on a four to four vote with Republicans and Democrats voting against the measure.

That is a serious lapse of judgment on the four people that voted against the measure.

According to reporting from the Capitol Times, Republican Senator T.J. Shope and Democrat Sally Ann Gonzales voted no because they saw the measure on an attack on their Catholic Faith, specifically the confidentially associated with the confessional.

Both Shope and Gonzales have apparently not watched Spotlight. 

This is another reason organized religions need to adapt to the times to protect all members of their flock. Even defense attorneys are required to report their clients if they know or suspect they are about to commit a crime. The clergy, from any faith, should do the same.

Senate Education Chairperson LD 20 State Senator Paul Boyer, a Republican, said it well when he commented:

“I don’t believe when I stand before God, that he’s going to say ‘Did you protect the church?He’s going to say, ‘Did you protect children?’”

As devout as Shope and Gonzales profess to be, I am sure they are looking forward to that conversation when their time comes.

This bill should have passed. Children’s safety is a no-brainer. Public Servants are entrusted with protecting the public, not religious organizations.

If they can not do that, they should leave public service.