Senate Appropriations meeting on Friday

Posted by Craig McDermott

A quick update between reformats on my home computer…

As the state lege remains at a near-standstill due to ongoing (but closed-door, of course) budget negotiations between the Republicans in the lege and the Republicans in the Governor's office, there are a few signs of life.

Almost all committee meetings were cancelled this week, and it looks like they won't be holding any next week, either.

However, tomorrow at 9 a.m. in SHR109, the Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to meet.

There are a number of mostly bad Russell Pearce-sponsored Senate bills on the agenda.  Since both chambers' committees were supposed to complete consideration of their own chambers' bills last week, my guess is that Senate President Bob Burns allowed a few more to be heard as payment for Pearce bringing up a Burns bill for consideration.

On the agenda:

– A strike-everything amendment to SB1108, loosening Arizona's concealed carry laws to the point of practical non-existence…

– A striker to SB1109, mandating that a verbal or written disciplinary warning issued to a law enforcement officer cannot be placed in their personnel file, among other things (Pearce used to be a deputy sheriff, most of his family is in the law enforcement industry, most of his friends are in the biz…can you see where this is leading? 🙂 )…

– SB1242, protecting Arizona's oppressed employers from the scourge of labor actions…yes, that's sarcasm folks – as long as the lege is in session, Arizona's employers don't have to worry about being oppressed…

All of these Pearce bills and more, just to make room for …

– A striker to SCR1060, a measure from Bob Burns that, if approved by the voters, would raise the state's debt limit.  There are a few clauses in this one that look to be ticking time bombs, but someone who is more awake than me will have to go over it.

Later…