Last Week at the Legislature
Sunday, April 30, 2023
Hi Friend,
This past week, your state legislature met for floor votes on just Tuesday and Wednesday, but there was plenty of nonsense. Here's a review of some of the bills we considered, much of which was about more partisan attacks from the Republicans.
What we should be doing is taking votes on bills dealing with the very real issues Arizonans face - the water, affordable housing, teacher shortage crises and healthcare costs that we need to address in the state budget. However, since the member that was expelled last week has not yet been replaced, Republicans are still one vote short in the House. That means they don't have a built-in majority to push through their agenda.
In the meantime, I've been meeting with colleagues to work through some of our budget priorities. That's where you come in. Representative Laura Terech, Senator Christine Marsh and I want to get your take on the budget. Please join us at our north Phoenix in-person Budget Town Hall on May 6 at Paradise Valley Community Center from 3-4:30!
Judy
Representative Judy Schwiebert, LD2
jschwiebert@azleg.gov
RSVP NOW for our Budget Town Hall
My colleagues Rep Laura Terech, Senator Christine Marsh and I will be updating folks on what's happening with the state budget, and listening to YOUR budget priorities. RSVP here for this IN-PERSON event!
Among My Top Budget Priorities: Pay Our Public School Teachers & Staff!
Republicans spent the past 8 years shrinking state revenue, creating tax loopholes for the wealthiest people and corporations, and creating an unaccountable private school voucher scam that's set to drain $500 Million in new money from the state budget. The overwhelming number of families cashing in on taxpayer funds were already sending their students to private schools.
We should be respecting the choice of 90% of Arizona families who choose their local public schools. We can give away $500 Million a year in taxpayer dollars to unaccountable schools with these vouchers, or we can pay our teachers and staff. I vote to pay our educators.
How I Voted on
Floor Action This Past Week
Tuesday
HB2509 (Grantham) food preparation; sale; cottage food (The "Tamale" bill)
The majority's first order of business on Tuesday was to push for a politically-motivated override of the governor's veto of this out-of-state ALEC model legislation. The vote became literally a political circus where those of us who voted NO on the override were portrayed as just not caring about hard-working Latinos.
The truth is that this important issue requires a balance between the interests of the hard-working people who make their living selling homemade food with the interests of small mom and pop restaurants as well as public health. Just a couple of weeks ago two small restaurant owners in my district came to my office for help because they’d already lost $50,000 in business during the past year because of the competition from people serving food out of their backyards. They said, “Why are we even following the rules when people with no overhead can just undercut us?” Yet the bill sponsor was unwilling to consider additional amendments when I approached him.
That's why I voted NO on the original bill - and why I voted NO on Tuesday to overriding the Governor's veto. I would appreciate the chance to work on legislation with ARIZONA stakeholders that will better protect homemade sales, small mom and pop restaurants AND reasonable guidelines to protect public health. Instead, we got political theater.
As my colleague, Representative Mariana Sandoval said in her NO vote explanation, "People WILL continue to use their skills and talents and continue to sell tamales, pupusas, pastelitos, etc. We have been eating these foods for many years and this bill WILL NOT have an effect on any (of them). If our colleagues are serious about the work ahead, we invite them to join us to develop common-sense policy solutions that will show Arizonans we can rise above partisan distractions.This is about far more than tamales. It's also about creating a massively unregulated or deregulated environment, and it's fair to ask ourselves who wants this to happen and why. It echoes the AirBnB bill that had broad bi-partisan support, AND subsequent broad bi-partisan buyer's remorse.. That bill was clearly about more than renting out an extra room or your condo while you're away to make some extra cash. Corporate entities have moved into that unregulated space, bought up apartments to create unregulated hotels, and have added to our affordable housing crisis..."
Bills Discussed Tuesday - But Not Yet Voted Upon
SB1001 (Kavanaugh/Pingerelli) pronouns; biological sex; school policies
This culture war bill was the FIRST bill submitted for this session. It addresses none of the pressing issues Arizonans face, but only serves to make life harder for the minority of young people who are most vulnerable to depression and suicide. It bans teachers from using a student's chosen pronouns without written parental permission, handcuffing teachers from treating students with the respect that everyone deserves. Many of us shared stories from young people, parents, and teachers who bravely shared their own experiences and urged a NO vote. When we do vote, it will likely pass along party lines. I hope Gov Hobbs will use that VETO stamp.
Election Bills
The multiple bills which continue to attack our freedom to vote this session are based on the presumption that there was something wrong with the past two elections. Multiple investigations and court rulings have confirmed that Arizona has a safe and secure voting system. The danger to our elections comes from these false accusations and bills that undermine our elections. I will vote NO on each of the following bills.
SB1140 (Hoffman) elections; voting centers; polling places
This bill requires schools to provide space for polling places, closes schools on election days, and limits the use of voting centers to be in addition to polling places, not in place of them. Rep Laura Terech and Rep Oscar De Los Santos from the Elections committee pointed out that the County Supervisors Association raised several concerns: the increased costs with no appropriation from the legislature, staffing difficulties at a time when they've been unable to recruit enough poll workers , and confusing voters since some counties ONLY offer voting centers. Counties believe that current law permits different counties the flexibility they need to assure their communities have the ability to vote securely. Also, voting centers make voting more convenient, flexible, and accessible by allowing voters to cast their ballot securely at any vote center in their county. They save money, reduce wait times, and reduce the number of provisional ballots.
SB1141 (Hoffman) early ballot drop off; identification
Requires a voter dropping off an early ballot to attest in writing that they are allowed to drop off another voter's ballot and to provide identification. There are claims that a bill such as this prevents election fraud via people dropping off multiple ballots. However, the only case to be prosecuted in Arizona is against a 66 year old grandmother in San Luis who collected four ballots in 2020. Factcheck here.
SB1142 (Hoffman) voter registration events; posting
Requires the Secretary of State and the County Recorders to publicly post a list of events attended in which voter registration services were provided.This isn't controversial. Requiring them to post on their respective website the location, title of event and all organizations affiliated with the event is an unnecessary drain on time and resources.
SB1143 (Hoffman) voting registrations; ballot requests; source
Limits the use of voter signatures and distribution of early ballot request forms. Why shouldn't we allow people to be permitted to help register their neighbors to vote the way they want to? Registering voters and informing them of the opportunity to get an early ballot should not be limited to just political parties and county recorders. Many of us also have concerns about this leading to a ban on the checkbox at the DMV where someone can indicate they’d like to sign up for the Active Early Voting List.
Wednesday Bills
SB1208 (Kaiser) dropout recovery programs revisions
This bill modifies the eligibility, notification, and reporting requirements for an alternative district schools or alternative charter school that operates a dropout recovery program.Among the changes are requiring Dropout recovery and prevention programs to report monthly progress for students and make annual reports on the number of students who are progressing and graduating. Schools can operate their own dropout recovery program, or contract with an outside provider to help them regain students. I voted YES.
HB2456 (Pingerelli) ASDB; continuation
By law, every eight years state agencies are up for a review to determine if they should be continued or not. As per the Arizona Constitution, the Arizona School for the Deaf and Bind is named as the school to educate deaf and blind students which they have been doing since the 1920's. We passed their continuation out of the State House unanimously in February, but for an unknown reason Republican Senators held up the continuation, putting the school in and their families in uncertainty for months. Ultimately, Senators passed a four year continuation, but what they put the school and these families through was reprehensible. I voted YES, but like several others, when I explained my vote vowed to work next year to ensure an eight year continuation. The bill passed unanimously.
SB1410 (Wadsack) school districts; parent complaints; reporting (strike everything bill)
And.... in a state that's among the lowest in the nation for per pupil funding, and facing a critical teacher shortage and retention crisis, the attacks against schools and teachers keep coming. This one would require a school district to create a parent complaint process, and directs the Attorney General to investigate them for violations of state law or the Arizona Constitution at a legislator's request. It further specifies that the State Treasurer shall withhold and redistribute state money that's in violation. This bill was discussed on the floor in COW, but will come back later for a vote.
Highlights of Last Week
Monday with AZ SOS Adrian Fontes
I was so pleased to visit with Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and his Government Liaison George Diaz in my office last Monday. It was extremely helpful to go over their budget requests that are needed to keep our elections safe and secure and improve response times for business services. Due to on-going attacks and intimidation of county election officials in particular, almost every County Recorders' office across Arizona has new staff that needs training and support.
Tuesday with LD2 Constituents
Thank you so much to the coalition of folks from LD2 representing the People First Economy for meeting with me and Rep. Keith Seaman at the Capitol on Tuesday. I appreciate you Josh, Blake, Natalya, Luce, Matt, Gabby, Kerry, Kayla, Cynthia and Lily - and share your budget priorities.
1. $150 Million to the Housing Trust Fund for affordable housing and eviction prevention
2. $40 Million for the Promise program to help make higher education more affordable
3. Paid Family Leave
4. Corporate tax fairness.
Wednesday's Denim Day to Support Sexual Violence Survivors
Many of us wore denim on the floor on Wednesday, April 26, during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Standing in solidarity with Someplace Safe and thousands of individuals and organizations across the country, we honor and support victims and survivors of sexual violence.
Wednesday's Administrative Assistants' Day
Representative Cesar Aguilar and I share an office suite as well as two wonderful administrative assistants. Thank you so much to Lori Goodspeed (to my right) and Laura Mendoza (to my left) for your great work. We couldn't do this without you!
Wednesday lunch with the AAPI Caucus
I was so pleased to have lunch with representatives from the newly formed Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) caucus on Wednesday. Thank you to members of OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates, the first and only national Pan-Asian Pacific American civil rights organization headquartered in DC for sharing the history of AAPI prejudice and discrimination - and the many ways they are seeking to educate and advocate for inclusion.
Wednesday's 5th Anniversary of Red for Ed
As our "Teacher Caucus" of State Representatives entered the Governor’s 8th floor conference room on Wednesday to discuss education priorities with the governor's staff, we looked out on the route we each walked exactly five years ago for Red for Ed with 75,000 of our teacher colleagues. None of us imagined at the time that we’d now be here as legislators fighting for students and teachers from new heights. Memories of that journey brought tears to my eyes.
Wednesday's Affordable Housing Tour
I appreciated the chance to setup a tour of Perfect Fit Housing’s production facility for several of my colleagues, and representatives from the city and church leaders. Perfect Fit is ready to build tiny homes housing that could be installed in a manner of weeks and shield. With some land and grant money, these tiny homes could provide at least one temporary solution to our affordable housing crisis. Thanks to Sarah Liguori and Rep Laura Terech for being among those who joined us.
Celebrating National Library Week
April 23-29 is National Library Week and this year’s theme is There’s More to the Story. As a longtime teacher and school librarian, Iwas especially proud to read a statement on the floor about the vital role libraries play in our schools and communities.
This year the American Library Association (ALA) is highlighting the importance of our freedom to read, which has long been an essential part of our American way of life. Yet challenges to book and library materials nearly doubled in 2022. Overwhelmingly, these challenges came from groups at library board meetings demanding the removal of long lists of books created by organized censorship groups who share these lists on social media. A majority of Americans across party lines do NOT support book bans.
So this week, the ALA released its list of the Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022, nearly all of which are written by or about members of the LGBTQIA+ community or by and about Black, indigenous, or other people of color.
The ALA President said, “Each year, ALA recognizes all of the brave authors whose work challenges readers with stories that disrupt the status quo and offer fresh perspectives on tough issues…. Closing our eyes to the reality portrayed in these stories will not make life’s challenges disappear.”
Libraries provide a place for everyone to belong from young children to accomplished researchers, from those who have spent their lives in our community to those who have just arrived. They’re a place to learn something new, escape into a new or familiar story, learn empathy and kindness, and grow - not just our knowledge, but our world. Libraries exist to inspire, nurture and support all of us, wherever we are in life.
I invite everyone to visit the American Library Association website at ALA.org to learn more about how you can help champion the freedom to read.
Thursday's Arizona Education Association (AEA) Town Hall!
Thank you to Arizona Education Association (AEA) for the great North Phoenix Town Hall on Thursday night. I really appreciated the chance to listen to your priorities as teachers and staff and answer questions. I agree! We need to prioritize teacher and staff salaries over the $500 Million being siphoned from our state budget for unaccountable vouchers.
Click here for this week's Ed Report from Save Our Schools
Here's a portion of what you'll learn from Save Our Schools this week:
Top 10 Reasons to Roll Back Vouchers
With budget talks becoming more gridlocked and a state legislature that is recessed for the second time in a month, it’s time to focus our efforts on what matters most: rolling back ESA vouchers before they fully dismantle Arizona’s public schools.
Bankrupting our schools & our state. The ESA voucher program is now costing the state over $500 million annually. That number is still spiraling upwards, making priorities such as a teacher pay raise unattainable.
Taxpayer-funded coupon. A full 80% of universal ESA vouchers are going to subsidize private schooling and homeschooling for families who’d already chosenprivate options so every voucher is a subtraction from the local public school.
Nobody’s getting what they need. Special needs ESA families are rightfully furious with Supt. Horne’s utter inability to manage the program, citing unpaid invoices, canceled debit cards, difficult vendors and a host of other problems.
Abysmal academic results nationwide. Researchers say voucher programs cause “catastrophic academic harm” and “there is no upside.”
Zero background or safety checks. The lack of even the most basic safety measures puts children at direct risk — for example, an East Valley ESA instructor recently indicted for child sex crimes is still listed on the ESA vendor list.
State-funded hate. ESA vouchers use our tax dollars to prop up schools that openly discriminate on the basis of religious belief, sexual orientation, gender identity and more.
Charter schools are converting to private. Schools that cherry-pick high-achieving students are announcing their plans to convert to private status and use ESA voucher funding. This means they’ll get more money with zero oversight.
Brainwashing students. ESA vouchers are being used to open MAGA academies such as Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA Academy, designed to indoctrinate students in partisan ideology.
Harms rural public schools and communities. The cost of ESA vouchers drains resources from rural areas that fully rely on their community public schools. Families in 10 wealthy Maricopa County districts alone receive $116 million in ESA voucher funding each year, while rural schools foot the bill.
It’s designed this way. Pro-voucher lobbyists have routinely opposed any transparency or accountability for Arizona’s ESA voucher program, stripping out every attempt to monitor whether children are learning or how taxpayer dollars are spent. The program’s not fixable because it was designed to be a grift.
Click here for this week's Civic Engagement Beyond Voting Weekly Report
Here's a portion of what you'll learn from CEBV this week:
"We’re getting tired of this.
Our state lawmakers returned Tuesday from a nearly 2-week break. They gaveled back in to have themselves a contentious few hours in the theater of the absurd, spewing trumped-up outrage over a fictitious issue that isn’t public education, water, affordable housing, homelessness, or a state budget. They then adjourned again, this time until May 3.
GOP leaders say they plan to use the time to continue negotiations on the state budget. However, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors seems in no hurry to fill the vacant seat of expelled conspiracy theorist Liz Harris. They’re holding individual hourlong interviews with the 3 candidates on Wednesday, the day the legislature gavels back in, and have announced no timetable for their decision. As we were all reminded Tuesday, it’s hard for Republicans to pass legislation along party lines without a full majority complement of Republicans."