Weekly Legislative Reports

The end of the state fiscal year is less than two weeks away, but the legislature did not make any obvious progress toward a state budget this week. Instead, legislators turned their attention to new legislation that would significantly alter the state’s education funding system. Republicans in the House Ways & Means Committee approved bills that would invest an additional $400 million in education programs, but only if the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program expands to include all Arizona students. Currently, ESA enrollment is limited to students with disabilities or those who meet other specific criteria.

After weeks of closed-door negotiations, Governor Ducey and Republican legislative leaders have a budget deal – they just don’t have the votes to pass it. While most Republican lawmakers say they could support the proposal, several Republicans staunchly oppose it because they believe it spends too much or too little. Democrats say they can’t support it because it does not include their priorities, including more education funding and a new earned income tax credit.

Behind closed doors this week, Republican legislative leaders continued their efforts to find support from their colleagues for a budget agreement. Their quest for cooperation was hindered by the debates and divisions that unfolded in public, and divisive floor sessions interrupted the two days the House and Senate convened. In the Senate, the debate unfolded around gun control and whether the state should increase background checks for some gun sales. In the House, Republican leaders quickly adjourned for the week to interrupt an attempt to decertify the results of the 2020 election. Focus on the decertification effort, which House Speaker Rusty Bowers (R-Mesa) blocked earlier this year, was renewed when Senate Republicans hosted a forum to share their views on election fraud allegations.

It was a short but dramatic week at the Arizona Capitol. House and Senate floor sessions were dominated by debates about the school shooting in Texas and gun control bills that never advanced this legislative session. As Republicans and Democrats sharply disagreed about the causes of gun violence and the best approach to curbing it, Governor Ducey hinted that he might try to renew the discussion on his proposal to block gun ownership from dangerous individuals – a measure that was blocked two years in a row by opposition from his own political party.

The legislature continues to set a low bar for itself, and the House and Senate faced attendance challenges again this week as some lawmakers found other things to occupy their time. Both legislative chambers kicked off the week by voting to cancel most floor sessions while Republican leaders continued their budget talks behind the scenes.

House and Senate leaders had to schedule votes around legislators’ absences this week because some lawmakers were not at the Capitol for the limited floor sessions. The House met Monday and Thursday to vote on several proposals, including a limited driving license for someone who lost driving privileges because of a DUI and continued traumatic event counseling for first responders and public safety employees.