Republicans at the Arizona State Legislature Are Ignoring Democratic Sponsored Bills That Will Help People

• Providing Paid Family and Medical Leave
• Permanently removing the state expenditure cap on public school spending.
• Ensuring corporations pay their fair share in taxes.
• Making sure there is accountability for all tax expenditures.
• Sharing more state revenue with Tribal Communities.
• Helping the poor.

Who would be against any of that?

Apparently, most Republicans at the Arizona State Legislature (and probably across the country.)

The above issues and many others have been stalled by Republican leadership and have not even received a hearing notice.

In a statement from the Arizona Center for Economic Progress (with the heading “the bigger the bill, the harder it falls,”) on these proposals not receiving proper attention:

“This year, state lawmakers in Arizona introduced nearly 1700 pieces of legislation. Committee chairs, using their power through rules and deadlines, select which bills receive a hearing for consideration. Every year many promising, important, and popular proposals fail to receive a hearing or committee vote during the legislative session.

Last month was the deadline for bills to get an initial hearing in committee. While hearing every single bill is not feasible, there are many good proposals that deserve recognition and merit consideration for future legislative action.

Although these bills were not given a committee hearing this session, these bills help Arizona improve transparency in our tax code, strengthen the state’s fiscal health, and invest in Arizonans struggling to recover from the pandemic.

The Arizona Center for Economic Progress is committed to uplifting solutions and strong policies that build a better future for all Arizonans.”

In response to a request for comment for this article, Children’s Action Alliance head and former Executive Director of the Arizona Center for Economic Progress David Lujan wrote:

“Every year there are legislators who introduce good bills that have strong support from Arizonans, yet they never even get a hearing. The Arizona Center for Economic Progress likes to recognize those bills and the legislators who sponsor them. I think it is especially important to point these bills out in an election year, because if voters are upset that these bills are not getting  consideration, then the answer is to elect lawmakers who will make these issues more of a priority in the future.”

Commenting on the bill to help the poor by expanding cash assistance to individuals with low incomes, LD-9 House Representative (and fellow BOF writer) Pamela Powers Hannley wrote:

“Part of the affordable housing crisis in the state of Arizona is that our basic public assistance doesn’t come close to paying for one month’s rent. Arizona forces people to live in poverty and sickness because of our stingy policies. I have been proposing expansion of cash assistance to the poor to the full five years allowed by the federal government and increasing the monthly payment. Passage of HB2797 or the mirror bill proposed by Senator Rebecca Rios would be transformational. It not
only expands cash assistance to the poor to the full five years, it benchmarks the rate at current poverty levels (instead of the current 1992 benchmark) and eliminates the tricks that kick people off of assistance. This will help people keep a roof over their heads and food on the table while they work to improve their lives. If Arizona were truly a “pro-life” state, we wouldn’t be forcing so many Moms and their children to live in poverty.”

Mr. Lujan, also a former Arizona Legislative Leader, is right.

While there has been bipartisan movement on popular measures such as increased aid to foster care families, juvenile justice reform, and a state earned income tax credit, It is necessary to elect lawmakers who will pursue an all encompassing forward agenda and let these bills see the light of day. Only then will the state move forward in a fairer and equitable direction.