No Capitol Watch This Week! Stay Tuned For Next Week!
Legislature at stand still on budget after passing Day 150 of the session. The AZ GOP has focused their efforts at the end of this extremely long legislative session, not on the budget process, but on bills that they wanted to see passed that weren’t during the session. Bills that have died like SB1532, the Teacher Gag Bill which is now HB2898, and HB2891, the GOP Power Grab Bill, have been some of the irrelevant and unnecessary policies tucked away in the Budget Reconciliation Bills.
If there is no budget by the end of this month, then Arizona will have its very own government shutdown. If GOP legislators continue to push bills that have either been vetoed or have failed on the Senate/House floor, then Arizona citizens will be the ones who face the consequences.
Flat Tax Failed!! Although the AZ Leg has been unable to pass budget bills that will end the session, there was a bill HB2900, which would have introduced a flat tax in Arizona. This flat tax proposed by Ducey and the AZ GOP would have given tax cuts to only the wealthiest Arizonans. It also would have cut hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for our Arizona cities and towns, which at the end of the day, if our cities and towns aren’t properly funded, then regular citizens are the ones who suffer. The fact that this bill failed (barely by one vote) is a step in the right direction, however there is potential for provisions in this bill to be reintroduced.
Amp Up AZ! This week, Progress Arizona, Fuerte, Rural AZ Engage, Our Voice Our Vote and more are coming together for a week of action to spread more information about Redistricting and Fair Maps!
On Thursday, there will be a Jeopardy Game Night at 5:30 hosted by Our Voice Our Vote and All on the Line which you are able to sign up for HERE.
On Friday, we will be hosting an Open-Mic Night with talented artists, performers, and passionate members of the community! You can sign up and learn more about this event HERE.
Arizona 411 is a weekly newsletter to give you a weekly recap on what’s happening at the state legislature.