Last Week at the Legislature
Sunday, March 19, 2023
Hi Friend,
We just completed the tenth week of the Arizona legislature's 56th session, and the decisions made or not made there will affect all of us. It's my great honor to serve as your representative on the House Education, Appropriations, and Sub-Appropriations Committee on Budgeting and Finance. Here's a recap of what happened last week and a preview of next week.
Judy
Representative Judy Schwiebert, LD2
jschwiebert@azleg.gov
Minimal Floor & Committee Action This Week
This week we saw short agendas on the House floor Monday through Wednesday, and floor was cancelled altogether on Thursday.
Also, the Appropriations Committee didn't meet at all, and in the Education Committee we heard just two bills. One was from Senator Hoffman, SB1145, requiring the Board of Regents (ABOR) to allow students to request an exemption from the university activity fee if they are a veteran, recently married, or object to the fee on religious or moral grounds. There was no definition for "recently". The sponsor seemed to believe that universities expose students to morally abhorrent information.
Actually, there is already a process in place for students to request an exemption as the Board of Regents explained. Also, students themselves determine how the fees will be used, and need that revenue to pay for the speakers and programs they choose. Universities are centers for free speech. I voted NO, but it passed out of committee along party lines.
AZ State House Bill Counter
As of Friday, March 17, 2023
House Bills
461 Total number of Republican bills
348 Total number of Democrat bills
Third Read (When Bills are Voted on)
46 Total number of bills (house and senate) ready for Third Read
24 Total number of house bills ready for Rules (last step before Third Read)
4 Total number of DEM bills ready for Third Read.
House Bills Sent to the Senate for Consideration
255 Total number of house bills (Rep and Dem) sent
15 Total number of house DEM bills sent
Senate Bills Sent to the House for Consideration
275 Total number of senate bills sent to House (Rep and Dem)
6 Total number of senate Dem bills sent to House
Status of My Bills
Out of the 13 bills on which I'm the prime sponsor, two of them were heard in committee this session.
One of them, HCR2037 a non-partisan Resolution requested by constituents to celebrate the Assyrian New Year, will actually be heard on the House floor on Monday, March 20 at 1:15 pm. The bill includes 44 Republican and Democratic co-sponsors. I'm looking forward to introducing the three leaders and hundreds of volunteers who worked hard to help make this bill happen.
The second one, HB2784, failed when it was heard in the House Commerce committee. It would protect Arizona condo owners from being forced out of their homes by out-of-state investors. Those investors have since been ratcheting up actions to force these condo owners to sell their homes at low-ball prices. So, I've been working with one of the owners and attorneys at the legislature to create a "Striker" to replace the contents of a current bill with our proposal. Tomorrow, on Monday, March 20, I will meet with one of my seat mates Senator Kaiser, attorneys for the Chicago investor, one of the condo homeowners, and another state representative to try to reach agreement on legislation. At a time when we're facing such a critical affordable housing shortage, the very least we can do is to protect current Arizona homeowners from being forced out of their homes by out-of-state corporate investors.
Join Us for a Zoom Town Hall this Thursday, March 23 at 7 pm
Ask questions, or just listen in about what's happening in your House. RSVP here for a link.
Be on the lookout for our in-person Budget Town Hall in April.
It's a Trap: HB2800 Likely to be Considered This Week
Increase funding in the State Budget Instead!
It's likely that this week we will hear HB2800, a bill that markets itself as an increase in teacher pay. That's long been a top priority for me and our caucus. However, the devil is in the details, and this bill comes with provisions that would further endanger our students, teachers and schools.
My fellow teacher, Rep Nancy Gutierrez, and I wrote an editorial that was published on Friday in the Arizona Capitol Times. You can read it at this link.
Or read it here:
As longtime teachers who came to the Legislature to better invest in our children and schools, it felt strange to find ourselves voting “no” in committee on House Bill 2800, a bill that markets itself as a way to increase teacher salaries.
Clearly, we absolutely agree that teachers should receive a significant and sustainable raise. That’s exactly what we plan to fight for in a negotiated, bi-partisan state budget.
But HB2800 is a headline without the rest of the story. The devil, as they say, is in the details. And many of the details in HB2800 are troubling.
First, the plan leaves out special education teachers, counselors, instructional specialists, and other vital members of the school team who are in short supply. Without them, we grossly increase the burden on teachers.
Fiscally, this bill only provides one-time funding for the next two years. It does not address where the money will come from for the on-going increase.
Projections indicate Arizona will not have sufficient ongoing funds to add $700 million annually in one-time spending as this bill specifies. The sponsor does not say what he would cut from the budget to continue this funding.
Frankly, properly investing in our public schools has not been a goal of the GOP – instead, they have prioritized tax cuts for the wealthy, and this year alone are giving away almost $400 million in taxpayer dollars to unaccountable private schools with no transparency.
Since HB2800 prohibits a school from reducing the increased salaries, if the Legislature fails to fulfill its promised line-item funding, are schools on their own to figure out how to pay for that increase? That could mean enormous class sizes or even school shutdowns.
The bill also increases costs for schools as they face increased retirement and Social Security payments that go with those higher salaries, exacerbating the inequities between wealthy districts and those in lower socio-economic areas.
Finally, the funds in this bill are also subject to the school spending limit, which so far has no permanent fix since Republicans continue to ignore Democratic proposals to update it.
This bill is a wolf in sheep’s clothing that threatens instability for our teachers, schools, and all Arizonans who depend on an educated workforce.
The sponsor would have known of these issues if he had worked together with nonpartisan education experts from the Arizona School Boards Association, the Arizona School Administrators, the Arizona Education Association, the Arizona Association of School Business Officials, individual superintendents and others, all of whom have shared serious concerns about HB2800.
But frankly, the Republicans who ran on this bill already have the knowledge and experience to know that this plan won’t work in the long term. It may make a great headline, but our students deserve real solutions, not just shiny promises.
If the sponsor is serious about addressing this long-time issue, we urge him to work together with those of us who have been championing increases in public school salaries and funding that have gone unheard of for over a decade by the Republican majority.
This year, Democrats again worked with education leaders to create HB2779, which would provide funding in the base to allow public schools the local control they deserve to significantly raise salaries for all teachers as well as staff who are also in short supply. But typically, it was not even given a hearing.
For years, Republicans have insisted that money bills like this should be negotiated in the budget. So, let’s do that – commit to working together for long-term raises and investments in our teachers and public schools in the budget.
After all, we finally have a governor who shares Arizonans’ long-standing demands to increase teacher and staff salaries – and funding for public schools.
Our children deserve better than political games and false promises. Please join us in urging our colleagues to vote NO on HB2800, and instead work together for bipartisan solutions with the governor and those of us listening to teachers and other education experts.
Prior to being elected, Rep. Judy Schwiebert was a teacher for 27 years – teaching English at Greenway High School before becoming the teacher librarian at Cactus High School. Rep. Nancy Gutierrez, D-Tucson, is a longtime classroom teacher (English, math, yoga) at the high school and community college level. She is currently on leave from Tucson High School, where she has taught yoga since 2013, but will return to the classroom in August.
Do you know someone on Medicaid?
Over 650,000 Arizonans Could Lose Medicaid (AHCCCS) coverage starting April 1
Because AHCCCS was not allowed to drop members during the pandemic, total AHCCCS membership has increased by about 1/3. However, now approximately 650,000 AHCCCS members are at risk of losing coverage. The return to regular renewal processes will for first time in three years allow AHCCCS and KidsCare to disenroll members. See an AZ Central article here.
About 325,000 AHCCCS members are at risk of losing coverage because they have not responded to AHCCCS letters and texts. AHCCCS members need to sign up for text/email alerts for AHCCCS notifications, log in to www.healthearizonaplus.gov, and go to “Message Center” on the toolbar, and click on “Manage My Alerts and Letters.” Members need to be reminded to look for any letters from AHCCCS or DES (Department of Economic Security) and respond if needed. If AHCCCS can’t reach a member, they will be disenrolled. Please note that renewal letters arrive with a DES return address, NOT an AHCCCS return address.
Another 325,000 people are no longer eligible for AHCCCS for a variety of factual reasons. Some are now earning too much to qualify. Because losing Medicaid (AHCCCS or KidsCare is a considered a qualifying event, discontinued AHCCCS members can enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace. Some people will qualify for a no-cost Qualified Health Plan from Healthcare.gov, and others will find low monthly premiums. Many can get coverage for $10 a month or less.
Cover Arizona has an online appointment system that connects Arizonans to bilingual, certified application assisters and navigators: Virtual or in-person options available for AHCCCS, KidsCare, SNAP and Health Insurance Marketplace (Obamacare). Schedule an appointment: www.coveraz.org/connector or call 800-377-3536
In Arizona, 49% of our 1.74 million children under 19 now have health insurance through AHCCCS or KidsCare. As continuous coverage requirements end, it is critical for consumers to take steps to help children (and parents) stay enrolled in health coverage.
Next Week
Call to Action! From Civic Engagement Beyond Voting (CEBV) and Save Our Schools Arizona
This week we'll be hearing many bills that will impact all our lives. I invite you to learn more about those from these two great grassroots organizations. They'll help you learn how to contact your legislators to give them your input.
Click here for this week's CEBV's Weekly for a summary of bills on every issue that will be in committee this week and how to take action to support - or oppose them. From CEBV:
"...This week is the last chance for bills to receive a full vote in their “home” chamber. This will allow them to be put on a committee agenda in the other chamber, survive the upcoming crossover bill deadline and, hopefully, get a chance at becoming law... We’ve listed five good ideas in the “Bills on the Floor” section below, marked with a 🌟. Please contact Senate President Warren Petersen at wpetersen@azleg.gov or 602-926-4136, thank him for hearing these bills, and encourage him to see the process through by ensuring they make it on the board for a simple up-or-down vote.
Click here for this week's Ed Report from Save Our Schools to learn more about the really bad education bills that will be in committee this week and how to contact committee members as well as your legislators to oppose them. From Save Our Schools:
"Monday marks day 71 of this legislative session, and thus far NONE of the many needs of Arizona schools — underfunded and overcrowded classrooms, overworked and underpaid educators, crumbling school facilities, and a lack of resources at every level — have been addressed. Many of our elected officials are busying themselves with such performative shenanigans that we’ve begun to wonder if it’s possible to die from secondhand embarrassment. (As our kids would say, it’s so cringe.)"
AZ schools face a $4.5 billion annual deficit compared to other states
According to the most recent data from the US Census Bureau and Education Law Center, each Arizona student is receiving at least $4,200 less yearly than their national peers, despite federal COVID relief dollars and recent investments from the state. For Arizona’s 1 million-plus students, this totals a $4.5 billion gap that significantly impacts students’ futures and directly fuels the state’s exploding teacher retention crisis.
What could $4.5 billion do for our schools every year?
Read the most recent Blog from the Save Our Schools AZ Network
Highlights of Last Week
Monday's Visit from a Member of the Ukrainian Parliament
We welcomed a member of the Ukranian parliament who thanked Arizona and the US for our unwavering support.
Tuesday with School Leaders
At a meeting regarding transportation grants for schools, it was a pleasure to run into former Cactus High School student and now CFO of the Dysart School District, Ken Hicks. I also really appreciated the chance to meet Holbrook School Superintendent Dr. Robert Koerperich in person (not pictured). We worked together earlier this session to allow the School Facilities Board (SFB) to use funds to replace rather than repair aging school buildings when it's more fiscally responsible to do so.
Wednesday: Me & My Shadow
It was so much fun to be shadowed by a member of Peer Solutions, my mini-me Judy (in jeans), a 4th grader at Machan School who loves gymnastics, roller skating, and skateboarding. Peer Solutions annually sets up a Shadow a Legislator Day as a student-driven activity to help build young leaders. Joining us for the photo were Rep Matt Gress, Rep Keith Seaman, and their shadows.
Wednesday: Meeting with Aliento Leaders
Thank you so much to Joanie Rose from Stand Indivisible for bringing in the amazing leaders of Aliento,Reyna Montoya and Jose Patono together with Aliento members from Grand Canyon University. They are powerful voices for greater justice policies that will improve the lives of Dreamers and everyone in our state.
Wednesday: Meeting with Credit Unions
It was great to meet with reps from Go West, OneAZ, Copper State, and AZ Financial Credit Unions today. As a longtime member of Desert Financial, I know that member-owned credit unions are the smart way to bank. Thank you for your service!
Wednesday: LD2 Dems Meeting
Thank you to our LD2 Dems community for a great meeting Wednesday - and special thanks to Ricardo Serna, president of the Maricopa County Young Dems. It is voters under 40 across all racial groups who overwhelmingly vote for Dems, and that’s why the MCYD group is getting them even more engaged. Register for meetings held on the third Wednesday of each month to learn more about how you can help support good policies in Arizona.
Thursday with Arizona Faith Network about Affordable Housing & Homelessness
Representative Analise Ortiz and I deeply appreciated the chance to meet with Rev Katie Sexton-Wood, Billie Fidlin, and Ellie Hutchison, Methodist and United Church of Christ leaders in the Arizona Faith Network about the affordable housing and homelessness crisis across the state. They reported their work with too many seniors forced onto the streets when because they can no longer afford housing, and the need to create SRO units (Single Residency Occupations which provides a single bedroom and private bath). In fact, some of their churches are looking at building those types of units in their unused parking lots. They will also be sending us a list of their cooling stations for summer where unsheltered people can get water and cool off.
Friday I Snuck Away to Oregon
As co-founders of Theater Works in the West Valley, our family has a long history with the arts. The latest family show was on Friday, so I snuck away for a quick trip to Portland to see my granddaughter Arden play Jack in the Portland Drama Club's (PDC) production of Into the Woods, Jr. Ardie was wonderful! I'm so proud of the whole family. That's my son Ehren (who also builds the sets after his day job) looking on with a smile. Big congrats to my daughter-in-law Caroline who is the creative genius behind PDC and makes such a wonderful difference in the lives of thousands of kids.
