Last Week at the Legislature
Thursday, Jan 11, 2024
Hi Friend,
Welcome back to Last Week at the Legislature, my weekly report to you on what's happening in your State House, what I'm doing, and how I voted. It's an honor to serve you.
As one of your state representatives, it's important to me that I am listening and reporting back to you. That's why in addition to these newsletters, I also regularly hold coffee chats and Town Halls. In fact, my first Town Hall for this session will be this Saturday. I hope you will join me - and State House candidate Stephanie Simacek. Whatever the case, please feel free to contact me anytime.
Judy
Representative Judy Schwiebert, LD2
jschwiebert@azleg.gov
www.JudySchwiebert.com
602-935-0468
Register for the Town Hall at this link, or just come! We'll be at Shadow Rock UCC at 12861 N. 8th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ from 3-4 pm.
We are also resuming our monthly Zoom town halls this month. You may sign up for any or all of the Zoom town halls here and the link to join will be emailed to you the day before.
The First Week of Session
The first day of session featured the annual Governor's State of the State Address where she laid out some of our successes and challenges. It's an honor to be in the room to hear her calling on all of us to put aside partisan politics and work together for the people of Arizona. Among the issues she prioritized were taking action on border security, ensuring our water supply, doing more to protect our most vulnerable citizens including those in long term care facilities, and whatever schools families choose, ensuring that we keep all students safe, protect parent rights, and provide accountability to taxpayers. As we face a $400 Million deficit this year, it will be up to us to make smart cuts and policy choices. I encourage you to watch her speech here.
Each legislator may invite four guests to the proceedings, and I was so pleased to have with me (L to R)
Nahrain Bet Younadam, a constituent, teacher at University of Arizona, and member of the Assyrian American community in our district.
Mary Fortney, longtime champion for democracy and my campaign manager.
Stephanie Simacek, mom, former 1st grade teacher, Deer Valley School Board member, local business owner, and candidate for the Arizona House.
Mikah Dyer, a senior at Ironwood High School, member of the Peoria City Youth Council, and now candidate for the Peoria School Board.
Wednesday was Indian Nations & Tribes Legislative Day. I so appreciated the opportunity to hear about the priorities of our native people.
It's an Honor to Represent You
The focus of this week is to draft initial bills and garner support from other legislators. The floor of the legislature is busy with all of us sharing our drafts with one another and asking for support.
I'm proud to be running legislation to improve the lives of all Arizonans specifically in response to constituent requests. Those include bills to
Provide genetic testing for cancer before any diagnosis. These tests will save lives, prevent the agony of prolonged treatment for patients and families, and reduce medical costs.
Prohibit hospitals from adding facility fees for a doctor's office visit
Hold abusive sober living and behavioral health homes accountable by giving the Department of Health the ability to more effectively penalize bad actors
Ensure that out of state corporations pushing Arizona condo owners out of their homes must at least pay fair market value that will enable them to find comparable place to live.
In response to what I'm hearing from all of you, I am also proposing or supporting legislation that will
Increase salaries for all educators who are so crucial to fostering student growth and preparing our future workforce.
Create a School Mental Health Professionals Academy to increase the number of school counselors, psychologists and social workers to meet the rising mental health crisis among young people
Allow the School Facilities Board to build new school facilities when it's more fiscally responsible than repairing them
Update the 1980-era Aggregate Expenditure Limit that prevents schools from spending the funds allocated to them by the legislature
Ensure that private schools that receive state taxpayer dollars (through ESA vouchers) keep students safe by requiring fingerprinting and background checks for all employees; and protect parent rights by providing transparency up front about the special education programs they provide and a complaint process. I am also working to protect parents and taxpayers by preventing private schools from price gouging by raising tuition more than the cost of living. Finally, I also believe that being fiscally responsible includes cracking down on the use of tax dollars to purchase luxury items with ESA vouchers..
Roll back state pre-emptions of cities' ability to require developers to include affordable priced housing in their plans.
Restore a permanent funding source to the Housing Trust Fund to ensure on-going revenue for this vital resource.
Send voters a referral that would allow them to roll back the state pre-emption of cities' ability to regulate their own short term rental market.
Protect vulnerable elders and people with disabilities from the widely-reported abuse taking place in some long-term care facilities.
Also, I share the concerns I'm hearing from so many of you about the increasing number of illegal fireworks that are disrupting the lives of family members and pets in the middle of the night. I am working with City Councilwoman Debra Stark to find ways to support police and firefighters in enforcing our laws - and to determine if we need new laws, or just to enforce the ones we already have.
I also continue to co-sponsor other legislation being run by both my Republican and Democratic colleagues. Finally, after this week all legislators still have the opportunity to propose up to seven additional bills, so stay tuned.
Nominate a Community Builder!
As a lifelong member of our community, I'm so grateful to the many people and local businesses who make it such a great place to live. That's why I'm excited to be partnering with the North Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, Bell Road Business Alliance, and Stoke Interactive to recognize many of the local Community Builders in our neighborhood.
We need YOU to make this happen, though! Please use this easy form to nominate one or more of our locally owned businesses or nonprofits in LD2 for the vital role they play in making our community the safe, thriving, unique place it is.
Among Our First Community Builder Awards!
Serafina Coffee Roasters
15414 N. 7th Street
Moon Valley neighbor Eric Shelley nominated Serafina Coffee Roasters at 7th St and Coral Gables, saying, “This little coffee shop has quickly emerged from the days of the pandemic to become a cornerstone of the Moon Valley neighborhood. With a great selection of food and beverage choices it is a go-to spot for people to meet and chat, read a book or otherwise spend some time in the community. The shop hosts local events including Thunderbird High School music performances. It is a place where you’re likely to run into a neighbor grabbing a latte in the morning and it just brings a spirit of community togetherness at a time when the world needs more of that."
Thank you to local owner Damien Serafine for being a great North Phoenix Community Builder!
LD2 Democrats of North Phoenix
Wednesday January 17, 6:30 pm
NEW LOCATION!!
Aspire Innovation Center, 20402 N 15th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85027
Do you want a state government that prioritizes
Paying our children's educators better
Addressing the water, affordable housing, and climate change crises
Protecting our freedom to vote by mail or in person
Ensuring we can make our own reproductive healthcare decisions without politicians' interference
Don't let the current legislative majority's culture wars make you lose hope. Join like-minded folks committed to electing a new majority of state legislators who will focus on addressing the vital priorities that all Arizonans share. In 2024, our legislative district is likely to be the one that decides whether we get a new direction for our state.
The LD2 Dems offer hybrid meetings on the third Wednesday of each month where we hear from advocacy groups and candidates about how each one of us can make a difference . RSVP for the zoom link -or get directions here to join us in person!
Our wonderful LD2 State House candidate, Stephanie Simacek, and I will both be speaking about why we agreed to make the commitment to serve our community in the state legislature.
Be Part of the Team To Win for Everyday Arizonans
Volunteer For Our Campaign
We're already hard at work contacting voters in our community about what's at stake in the race for our Legislative District 2 House and Senate seats: a new majority that's listening and working for everyday Arizonans. But no one can do it alone.
The two most important things to do right now are
Join a Community Canvass. We're knocking doors and getting petition signatures to qualify for the ballot as we listen to fellow voters who want a legislature committed to addressing our shared priorities. Use this link to find a day and time that works for you. We'll buddy you up with someone experienced. We need door knockers and drivers.
Donate to our campaign. We need everyone's help to pay for the staff, literature, and other advertising that are essential to winning this competitive race.