Heads up Citizens

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Lost in the hubub over the Special Session today is this equally important hearing that Craig previously covered in his "The Coming Week" post:

Senate Appropriations will meet on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in SHR109.

This one is possibly the lowlight of the week.

It's got a striker to SCR1015 that would send to the ballot TABOR-like restrictions on government appropriations (from Russell Pearce, of course). [And previously supported by Jan Brewer.]

It also has Pearce's SCR1033, a plan to completely repeal the Voter Protection Act and open up all voter-approved measures to legislative meddling and/or repeal. [Jan Brewer previously proposed only a temporary suspension of the Voter Protection Act.]

Russell Pearce is pure evil. Both bills should never have seen the light of day. Contact your senators.

UPDATE: The Senate Appropriations Committee approved SCR1033, which repeals Prop. 105. It was approved by a vote of 6-to-2. The ballot measure will ask voters to repeal a constitutional amendment limiting lawmakers’ ability to amend voter-mandated spending. Panel approves ballot measure to repeal voter protection on spending

A good chunk of the state budget is voter-protected. Under Prop. 105, which voters passed in 1998, the Legislature cannot amend a ballot proposition unless the amendment “furthers the purposes” of the original proposition. The amendment also must be approved by three-fourths vote of the Legislature.

An analysis prepared by the Legislature’s budget arm in 2008 stated that about $3.6 billion of the state’s then $10-billion general fund budget could be viewed as voter-protected. Additionally, some $1.2 billion in non-general fund spending also appeared to be subject to the provisions of Prop. 105, according to the Joint Budget Legislative Committee.

If voters pass SCR1033, lawmakers would have the ability to amend these voter-mandated spending programs. Lawmakers would also be able to dip into programs that have a dedicated revenue stream, such as the tobacco tax that funds the Early Childhood Development and Health Board.

I do not support a repeal of Prop. 105 unless it is tied to a repeal of Prop. 108 – the two-thirds super-majority requirement to increase taxes or to reduce tax credits and exemptions. That would do far more to "remove the political handcuffs off of this body,” Senator Pearce.