Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Last week Rep. Stevie "Secession" Smith (R-Maricopa) was promoting his House Bill 2291, a resolution of "interposition and nullification" to oppose any new federal firearms regulations. They're baaack! Arizona's Neo-Confederate dead-enders are back. This long-discredited theory is entirely unconstitutional.
This week, little Stevie is demonstrating that he still has a man-crush on nativist and racist disgraced former Senate President Russell Pearce, who was recalled by the voters of his old district last year and rejected by the voters of his new district.
Little Stevie is back with his bill rejected by the legislature last year to compensate Ol' Russell for his recall election, even though Ol' Russell was not out-of-pocket one thin dime of his own money in his unsuccessful recall bid. In other words, Rep. Stevie "Secession" Smith wants to give disgraced former Senate President Russell Pearce a taxpayer-funded windfall as a parting gift. New bill to reimburse Russell Pearce is filed:
Rep. Steve Smith, R-Maricopa, filed House Bill 2290, which proposes
to pay the "reasonable special election campaign expenses" of any
elected official who faces a recall out of the relevant state, county or
local government's general fund. It requires the individual to submit
an itemized account of campaign expenses to the appropriate governing
body. The Legislature or appropriate governing body then must approve
the amount.
The bill is retroactive to expenses "incurred for a recall election
held in November 2011." Pearce's was the only recall election that
month.
Pearce did not spend any of his own money in the campaign, but raised
and spent about $261,000 in donations from individuals and political
committees. If the bill were to pass, he could charge the state for that
amount.
No other state lawmaker has yet signed on in support of the bill… A similar bill last session died on the last day of the legislative session due to lack of support.
Rep. Stevie "Secession" Smith is one seriously messed-up piece of work. He almost makes his seatmate Sen. Cap'n Al Melvin appear to be the rational and sane one — i said almost. Which begs the obvious question, what the hell is wrong with the voters of Legislative District 11?