Legislative Update – April 1, 2016

This week in Arizona, work on bills continues to wind down in preparation for a budget.  So far, 106 bills have been passed by the Legislature and 89 of those have been signed by Governor Ducey.  One has been vetoed.  SB1197 (schools; cursive writing requirement) would have mandated schools to instruct cursive writing.  

Campaign Finance Reform Passes House

A large election reform package has received its final approval from the Legislature.  Senator Adam Driggs (R-Phoenix) has sponsored SB1516 (campaign finance amendments) which has passed largely along partisan lines.  It has several key provisions including:

• Eliminates $100 cap on spending in tickets, food, and alcohol for fundraisers for candidates,
• Eliminates law that requires groups spending money in elections to register with the state and allows them to refuse to disclose funding sources if they are registered as a social welfare organization,
• Allows candidates that accrue large war chests to transfer that money to others.

The bill has been transmitted to the Governor and is waiting for his signature. 

House Elections Committee Examines Last Week’s Primary

In the wake of last week’s disastrous presidential primary election, the House Elections Committee held a special hearing on Monday to allow disgruntled voters the opportunity to air their frustrations.  While the intent of the hearing was to examine what led to the reduced polling sites and what the Legislature could do to fix it,  the prevailing message from the crowd was a demand for Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell’s resignation.  Purcell apologized repeatedly calling it a horrible mistake that she feels terrible about and attributed the problem to a lack of funding from the state.   She pointed out that the counties have been absorbing election costs that should be covered by the state for years.  This year they examined early voting data and assumed that cutting back on polling locations was a financially smart decision.   Purcell has shared that she will not resign and will seek reelection. 

Governor Ducey stated that he believes part of the solutions is allowing independents to vote in presidential preference elections. “One way we can fix things is to simplify them. That means allowing independents to vote in presidential primaries, just as they vote in all other Arizona primaries. A big part of yesterday’s problem was registered voters showing up, and being told they couldn’t vote. That’s just wrong. If people want to take the time to vote they should be able to, and their vote should be counted.”  Many do not share Ducey’s opinion.  Back in January Senate President Andy Biggs (R-Gilbert) pointed out, “Part of the First Amendment is freedom to associate. They’ve chosen not to associate with any party. Why should they determine the Republicans’ nominee?”  

Secretary of State Michelle Reagan  believes that the presidential primary election should be abolished altogether in Arizona due to the fact that the taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for a $10 million dollar election that many can’t participate in.   Notably, independents are the largest bloc of voters in this state at 36.9%. 

Tobin Running for Seat on Corporation Commission

Former Speaker of the House and 2014 Congressional District 1 candidate Andy Tobin has filed his paperwork to run for the Corporation Commission this fall.  Tobin was appointed by Governor Ducey to fill out the remainder of Susan Bitter Smith’s term when she resigned earlier this year.   Tobin will be campaigning for one of three open spots on the Corporation Commission.   Within the Republican party, Representative Rick Gray (R-Sun City) and former legislator Al Melvin are also running and Commissioner Bob Burns is seeking reelection.   Democrats Tom Chabin and Bill Mundell are running as a ticket.

Ethics Complaint on Travel and Per Diem Reimbursement Dismissed

The Ethics Committee complaint against Speaker Gowan, Representative Darrin Mitchell (R- Litchfield Park), Representative Steve Montenegro (R-Litchfield Park) and Representative Michelle Ugenti (R-Scottsdale) has been dismissed by the committee chairman.   Representative David Stevens (R-Sierra Vista), who chairs the committee, stated that he found the complaints to have been based on news reports and articles.  Further, he pointed out that since the Attorney General’s office has already undertaken an investigation, it would be inappropriate for the Ethics Committee to conduct its own.   The complaint accused Gowan and the others of using state resources for  unofficial business and taking reimbursements that were not entitled to.