What Is The Makeup Of The Arizona State Legislature

In one case once more, the Arizona Legislature has unmasked itself, putting a breathtaking lack of competence on display for all to see.

It seems our leaders, Republicans and Democrats alike, fast-tracked a bill into law final week, one that will alter the mode political party activists become political party officials.

Simply none of the legislators actually read the bill before voting on information technology. At present Republican Political party activists are furious and Republican lawmakers are scrambling to fix information technology.

Something made all the harder by the fact that they will need the assistance of Democratic legislators — people they've rolled over and ignored for years — to gear up information technology.

Democrats certainly should agree to aid their GOP colleagues ... for a cost.

How to make a mess of things in one day

This particular mess was created final calendar week, when the Firm and Senate leadership pushed through a pair of bills to analyze the number of nominating signatures congressional and legislative candidates will need to collect to get on the ballot this yr. It's a one-time cleanup, to deal with logistical problems created by the redrawing of political lines in last yr'south once-a-decade redistricting process.

In lodge for the beak to go into immediate effect —  so that candidates could get-go filing their nominating petitions this week —  the Legislature bypassed all public hearings and all opportunity for debate or report. Instead, legislative leaders declared an "emergency" on Th and took an immediate vote, passing the plan by the required 2-thirds bulk and shipping it off to Gov. Doug Ducey who promptly signed the bill into law.

Unfortunately, it appears no one actually read the bill. If they had, they'd have realized information technology also changed the way the parties' precinct committeemen are selected.

PC's, as they are called, are the activist base of each party. They are the people who determine the party'due south direction and leadership. They knock on doors to become legislators elected and if a seat in their district becomes vacant, they depict up the list of possible replacements for appointment by the Board of Supervisors.

PC's are elected during the primary. About run unopposed and some seats become unfilled, though activists in the MAGA wing of the GOP are working hard to change that, to forestall any motion toward moderation within the party.

GOP activists are furious

Imagine their surprise to wake upward on Fri and find out that PCs won't be elected this year and that the number of PCs may even exist cutting. The "emergency" bill calls for PC's, instead, to be appointed by the county political parties this year, with the blessing of the Board of Supervisors.

Democrats don't seem to much intendance. Republican activists, however, are furious which, in plough, means Republican legislators are furious.

"HB2839 was sold as a way to overcome the incompetence of Katie Hobbs ," Rep. Joseph Chaplik, R-Scottsdale, tweeted over the weekend. "I requested a meeting with leadership Monday morning to correct the PC result IMMEDIATELY I am demanding that we re-empower our grassroots PC's and their hard work for this land."

Pity Rep. Chaplik didn't empower himself by actually reading the bill before voting for it concluding week.

"I won't betoken fingers. I will simply say that new linguistic communication is usually highlighted in a bill proposal," Sen. Kelly Townsend, R-Apache Junction, tweeted. "HB2389 PC changes were not highlighted. I have recommended that we repeal it & start over with a properly formatted bill, sent through committee with public comments. #DoItRight"

Really, new language isn't highlighted in a beak that sets "session law" — impacting merely this year and not a permanent change in law. It'south surprising that a longtime legislator similar Townsend wouldn't know that.

Just to be off-white, she's apparently non alone.

Oops. Can nosotros have a exercise-over?

So at present the push button is on to apace repeal the law they approved but never read.

There is just ane slight problem.

Because a two-thirds majority was needed to pass this "emergency" police, that aforementioned supermajority is required to repeal it. Republicans will demand the support of Democrats.

On Monday afternoon, all 3 Democrats on the House Rules Committee voted against allowing the introduction of a pecker to repeal the PC changes. Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Reginald Bolding, D-Laveen, told the Arizona Mirror that he wouldn't commit to supporting the program.

"With regards to whether or not they'll receive an emergency clause to kick this in … I would be interested to hear a compelling case they could make to myself and my caucus why we should do that," Bolding told the Mirror'due south Jeremy Duda.

Democrats (for once) are in the driver'south seat

Democrats' refusal to commit is prompting some Republicans to go along the assault, which is always a neat way to circular up support.

Still Democrats shouldn't leave their Republican colleagues hanging. They should agree to repeal the police.

For a toll.

Perhaps a guarantee by Fann and House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, to exit the land's early voting system alone and to put the kibosh on election "reforms" that aim to make it more difficult to vote.

Or maybe a seat at the table, for once, when Republicans are setting the country's budget priorities.

Or how near an agreement from Republicans to kill their plan to divert more than revenue enhancement money to private schools through a massive expansion of school vouchers?

Republicans are pouring on the pressure, demanding that Democrats "protect democracy" past ensuring that PC's volition proceed to be elected rather than appointed.

"Every single legislator should be equally motivated to protect republic!" GOP activist Merissa Hamilton tweeted. "There should have been ZERO votes on this neb last week. This is a failure of leadership by both sides!"

She's admittedly right.

Now information technology's time for her and the Republican legislators who jump to the party's tune to acknowledge that democracy also resulted in nearly half of the Firm and Senate being represented by Democrats.

Yet those Democrats — and thus the voters they represent — are ignored by the Republicans who hold a mere one-vote majority in each bedchamber.

Ignored, that is, until they are needed.

Like at present.

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurieRoberts.

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Source: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2022/03/08/embarrassment-arizona-legislature-strikes-again/9427709002/

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