Progress Arizona

Good morning, Rj! Happy Sunday! ☀️

Republicans try to make voting harder. HCR2032 would remove early on-site voting locations and ban voting centers, which allow Arizonans the option to cast their ballot at whatever voting location is most convenient for them. It is among a slate of anti-democracy proposals that Republican legislators are pushing to limit our voices in our elections and take away our power. Arizonans aren’t voting how some lawmakers want us to, so they’re attacking voter registration, ballot initiatives, and more. Notably, Gov. Hobbs cannot veto these referrals. If they pass, they could be sent to Arizonans’ ballots, making them unnecessarily long and confusing.

GOP blocks the right to birth control. On Wednesday, every single Republican State Representative voted to block the Right to Contraception, a bill that would have protected Arizonans’ ability to access all forms of birth control and the rights of healthcare providers to prescribe it. Following the Alabama IVF ruling enshrining fetal personhood, efforts by Republicans to implement birth control bans in states like Idaho and Missouri, and indications that the U.S. Supreme Court could seek to overturn the constitutional right to contraception, this bill has been a top priority. Yet, the #2 Republican in the Arizona Legislature, Sonny Borelli, denied that it was a necessity and instead blamed “women” for promiscuity, suggesting that they should “hold an aspirin between their knees” to prevent unwanted pregnancy.

The judge tosses Tom Horne’s lawsuit, which attacks dual-language instruction models. Horne has long pushed English-only instruction despite the well-researched benefits of dual-language instruction for English learners. But his attacks on dual-language programs are not based in fact, but rather, his own bigotry. Arizona’s Superintendent of Education should be supporting Arizona’s diverse student population and the tools students need to succeed, not pushing for restrictive policies that actually hinder educational development. All Arizona students deserve inclusivity and equal access to quality education.

ICYMI: Gov. Hobbs will cancel $2 billion medical debt for up to one million Arizonans. Here’s how!

Presidential Preference Election. Return your early ballot to any voting center (it’s too late to put it in the mail!) or cast your vote in person before 7pm on Tuesday, March 19, 2024.

Speak out for hardworking Arizonans! SCR1040 is being amended to allow employers to pay tipped employees less than they currently make. Join Opportunity Arizona in speaking out against SCR1040 in the House Commerce Committee at 2pm on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Register here.

Thanks for reading Last Week, This Morning! ☕️

Abigail with Progress Arizona

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