Last Week This Morning: Sinema a top recipient from private prisons

We just launched our 2023 Progress Scorecard! The Progress Scorecard makes it easy for Arizonans to find out how their lawmakers performed this session. We graded lawmakers on over 100 priority bills in critical areas that affect the livelihoods of Arizonans. The Scorecard assigns lawmakers an overall score from 0-100, but it also has detailed records of votes and simple descriptions of legislation. Copper Courier calls it “one of the best resources for quickly understanding how lawmakers spent their time at the Capitol.”

Horne spending millions to market vouchers. Tom Horne is spending another $10M of taxpayer dollars that should have gone to public schools to advertise out-of-control private school vouchers that are primarily benefiting wealthy families. Meanwhile, the 92% of students who attend Arizona public schools lose out due to budget cuts forced by far-right politicians who refuse to adequately fund Arizona’s K-12 schools. Notably, the $10M that Horne is spending came from anti-public education State Senator Janae Shamp as part of budget negotiations.

Private prisons fund Sinema. Our state’s senior Senator is one of the top recipients from private prison company CoreCivic, because of course she is. CoreCivic has a history of inhumane conditions and treatment of incarcerated people, such as at the Florence, Arizona ICE facility. Arizona’s move to privatize prisons is extremely costly for the state, but is generating CoreCivic millions in profits. Early in her career, Sinema was critical of private prisons, calling them a “disaster”, but now she takes their cash.

Biden Admin announces first drugs eligible for Medicare negotiation. The first ten prescription drugs treat diabetes, blood clots, blood cancers, arthritis, and heart disease. The ability for Medicare to negotiate on prices will make a major difference to lower costs for Seniors with these conditions – Americans on average pay more than double the cost for the same prescription medications.  Find more information here.

 

 

AG Kris Mayes “goes in on” AZ Republicans after they sent her and Governor Hobbs a letter fear-mongering about immigration. Watch here.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tell your lawmaker how you feel about their 2023 Progress Score. During this critical time in our state, the Progress Scorecard helps Arizonans hold their lawmakers accountable for their votes this past session. Let your lawmakers know how you feel about their scores!