Last Week This Morning: The longest legislative session in AZ history

 

The longest legislative session in Arizona history. After only two days back at the Capitol, the Legislature has adjourned again, but unfortunately not for Sine Die. They will come back at the beginning of August to continue moving legislation forward and to resolve issues with the infrastructure tax, Prop 400, after Republicans refused to pass a plan that had support from a bipartisan majority in both chambers.

 

DACA-versary. Thursday marked the 11th anniversary of the announcement of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program! This program was secured thanks to the organizers and activists who are continuing to fight for a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. DACA has provided over 800,000 Dreamers to work lawfully and pursue an education in the U.S., and in Arizona there are currently over 20,000 active DACA recipients. It’s time for Congress to take action towards a permanent solution to protect Dreamers and create a pathway to citizenship, as the Biden-Harris administration has called for.

 

AZ stands between tribes and their water. Don’t miss this deep-dive by ProPublica and High Country News into how Arizona negotiates water rights with Arizona tribes, putting Indigenous communities at an extreme disadvantage through strongarm tactics.

 

ICYMI: Celebrating partners!

• CHISPA AZ’s tree-planting bill signed into law. Gov. Hobbs has signed a bill that allocated $300,000 for planting Trees for Kids in low-income public schools across Arizona.
• LUCHA and the Working Families Party announced a partnership to elect leaders who will represent the real needs of our communities, including tackling the climate crisis.

 

 

Voting Rights Coalition press conference. On Tuesday, we joined our partners with the Arizona Voting Rights Coalition to bring awareness to voting related bills that were passed and killed during the 2023 AZ State Legislative session. Catch some of the footage from Cronkite News here.