Some interesting vetoes by Governor Brewer

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

I told you about Governor Jan Brewer's first seven vetoes in Let's not get carried away here, people. This week she has added several more notches to her veto pen. And some of these vetoes are due to your pressure on the governor's office. Be sure to send a "thank you" to the governor.

HB 2707 is "son of TABOR." This bill would have imposed a ceiling on state spending that was determined by the level of spending in the previous year, adjusted for inflation and population growth. Arizona is at rock-botton right now, and this bill would have locked us into that condition indefinitely into the future. This was the big one, people. Be sure to thank the governor for her veto of this bill.

SB 1593 would have allowed out-of-state companies to write health-insurance policies in Arizona and waived Arizona's 32 insurance mandates, which require insurers to cover a host of treatments and services. This was a "race to the bottom" in health-insurance coverage. The Arizona Department of Insurance has no regulatory jurisdiction over out-of-state health-insurance policies. If you have a claim to make against your insurer, you would have had to pursue it in the state in which the insurance policy originated or in federal court. This is another big one, people. Be sure to thank the governor for her veto of this bill.

SB 1322 was the unduly burdensome bill from Sen. Frank Antenori and Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio which would have required only the cities of Phoenix and Tucson to competitively bid city services that cost more than $500,000. The purpose was to "privatize" city services on the ideological belief that private business always does the job better and cheaper than government. Riiight. Brewer in her veto letter said the bill was "riddled with shortcomings" and was an attempt to micromanage decisions best made at the local level. Antenori is already threatening to bring this bill back again and subject all municipalities in Arizona to his ideological foolishness.

SB 1088 was a strike everything amendment which would have directed the governor to enter into an "Interstate Health Care Freedom Compact" with other states. This bill was the brainchild of health-insurance companies' front-man, Dr. Eric Novack, who gave us Prop. 106, the so-called Health Care Freedom Act in 2010.

This was the second Neoconfederate secessionist "interstate compact" bill vetoed by Governor Brewer. She previously vetoed SB 1592 which would have directed the governor to enter into a Health Care Compact (Compact) on behalf of Arizona with any state lawfully joined in the Compact. A confederacy of states aligned in opposition to "Obamacare" violates Article I, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution. Only Congress can authorize "compacts" among states, and this is normally done for the limited purpose of resource management (like watersheds).

SB 1186 was a "tax corrections" bill that included provisions for the jobs program Governor Brewer signed into law earlier this year, to which the anti-public education supporters of private school tuition tax credits (STOs) attached an amendment once again trying to increase private school tuition tax credits.

 Governor Brewer previously vetoed HB 2581 which would have removed the cap on corporate contributions to STOs while increasing the cap on individual contributions. Thanks to the shenanigans of these anti-public education Tea-Publicans, Governor Brewer has said she may have to call a special session to pass a "clean" tax corrections bill.

HB 2700 which would have given state employees a paid holiday on Feb. 14, 2012, and every 100 years thereafter in honor of the day Arizona became a state. It is a once-in-a-lifetime day off… this was just mean-spirited.

HB 2577 and SB 1561 which would have given the Legislature the authority to appropriate noncustodial federal monies (block grants and other federal monies that provide the state with discretion regarding the development, implementation or operation of a program or service) instead of the governor. This is a separation of powers turf war over federal funds. These bills get vetoed every couple of years.

h/t The Arizona Republic