We Support Arizona Educators!

The League of Arizona supports educators in the #RedForEd movement, who voted on Thursday to walk out of their schools on April 26th. League leaders are hopeful that this walk-out, supported by over 78% of all teachers, will encourage the Legislature and Governor to agree to quickly pass a budget that will accomplish the goals that the walkout aims for.

The League has lobbied against public funds being diverted from public schools and into private schools, and against ever-increasing tax cuts and credits that have continued to diminish the ability of the state to meet its constitutional obligation to its children and young people.

League leaders believe that the planned walkout is not an indication that teachers are willing to recklessly abandon their students for selfish personal gain, but rather that they are at their wits' end in trying to get their students' schools funded properly, in all the ways schools need funding: not only their own salaries, but also necessary things like buildings and infrastructure; books and technology; and support services like counseling, medical, the library, transportation and food services.

Teachers are striking in support of their students, because nothing else has worked.

So, in step with the other organizations we have been in coalition with over the past year, that share our goals, we say "Go for it, teachers! It's about time that those from whom so much is demanded receive the compensation and attention that your jobs deserve."

What About Gov. Ducey’s 20% Pay Increase?

• NOT sustainable: His plan pulls money from environmental and other State programs and assumes amazing general fund income growth. He promises action beyond his potential tenure as Governor.
• NOT comprehensive: His plan only addresses teacher salaries.
• NOT enough: His plan does not restore the budget to pre-recession levels and there is NO foundational strategy for future, fair, consistent funding of education in Arizona.
• NOT equitable: We still have all those tax credits and vouchers pulling money from public schools.

What Can You Do?
Call your legislators and ask them to come up with a real plan for funding education in AZ!
https://www.azleg.gov/MemberRoster

High-five a teacher!
Teachers have planned “walk ins” Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
You can wear red and walk or drive by a school near you.

Rally at the Capitol Next Week and on Walk-Out Day
Check your news channels for details.
 
Atend AZED101 (Arizona Education 101)
Tuesday, April 24 7 p.m.
Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation
6400 West Del Rio, Chandler, AZ 85226.

PLEASE VOLUNTEER TO GATHER SIGNATURES!

Many (if not most) of the most progressive changes in Arizona law
have come as a result of successful citizen initiatives.

Let's make sure the Outlaw Dirty Money (ODM) initiative campaign
continues its momentum!
Your help in getting signatures is critical as we enter the last 6 weeks of the
ODM campaign. Sign up here. If you need petitions, notary services or information on turning in petitions,
contact Cindy Hans: 480-353-6255, cthans1@gmail.com.

We all KNOW that legislators make policy at least in part based on WHO
they feel they need most to please --
which often comes down to who paid into their election campaigns.
But how do WE know who those benefactors are, and what they might
want our legislators to do?

The Arizona Republic recently endorsed this campaign:

“A candidate’s donor list is a more likely predictor of post-election behavior than a candidate’s stump speech.   That’s why voters need to see a complete list of donors.

It is why the importance of an informed electorate outweighs any arguments in favor
of maintaining a cloak of invisibility for non-profit groups
that are currently exempt from disclosure rules.”
 https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/editorial/2018/04/15/dark-money-why-we-support-arizona-outlaw-dark-money-intiaitive/508859002/ 

ACTION ALERT

League lobbyists are testifying March 14th on the bills below.
You can help League advocate by contacting Committee members from your computer or your phone -- call, email directly, or use RTS.

Show your thumbs-up or thumbs-down reaction to a bill in committee by using"Request to Speak" (RTS) online: at azleg.gov.
Need to open an RTS account? Send your request to info@lwvaz.org.

We're in that stretch of the legislative session where bills that passed the House earlier are being heard in the Senate and bills that passed the Senate are being heard in the House.

Bill being Heard in House Ways and Means, 10 am.
(click here for contact information)
Ugenti-Rita, Chair; Kevin Payne, Vice-Chair; Bolding, Cardenas, Epstein, Kern, Lawrence, Leach, Payne, Weninger

SB1467 -- Yarbrough. STOs; corporations; caps; scholarship eligibility

OPPOSED
Effect: Tax credits go to STOs (student tuition organizations) which, in turn, give these for scholarships to “non-governmental” schools (private, religious, and home schooling). Originally, this bill was in part designed to cap the 20% annual aggregate growth of this corporate tuition tax credit. No longer; the 20% increase will continue.

The bill also allows the amount allowable for a scholarship grant to increase annually by inflation or 2% (whichever is larger). The bill opens the program to the home schooled and those moving here from other states. It allows more students to take advantage of Empowerment Scholarships Accounts, increasing those costs. For some students, permits the scholarship not to be limited to $4,200 but to be the full amount of the tuition.

The League believes the continuing annual tax credit growth, the extra spending allowances and the inflation factors still undermine the adequate funding of public schools -- public schools are still missing more than $1 billion in funding compared to 2008 -- and continues to oppose any public funds going to private or religious schools, particularly in light of reduced accountability of those schools in comparison with public schools.

Bills being heard in Senate Government Committee
(click here for contact information)
Sonny Borrelli, Chair; Contreras, Farnsworth, Griffin, Kavanagh, Mendez, Meza

HB2182 -- Campaign Finance, candidate committee, transfer -- Coleman/Shope
League OPPOSES
Effect: A candidate committee for a city or town election would be able to transfer unlimited contributions made to a candidate for that local office, to that same candidate's committee for a statewide or legislative office. (Aggregate limits for individual contributions would still apply.)

This is a campaign finance transparency issue. Donors to the original candidate committee will not have agreed to have their monies transferred to a new campaign, for a different office.
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Upcoming dates and deadlines:

3/23 - Last day to hear Senate Bills in House Committee and House Bills in Senate Committee
4/7 - Last day for conference committees in Senate
4/13 - Last day of conference committee in House
4/17 - 100th day 
4/21 - Sine Die

If a bill gets to Governor Ducey's desk, his contact is:
engage@az.gov
602.542.4331
You can find a contact form at:

http://azgovernor.gov/engage/form/contact-governor-ducey

ACTION ALERT
Show your thumbs-up or thumbs-down reaction to a bill in committee by using"Request to Speak" (RTS) online: at azleg.gov.

Need to open an RTS account? Send your request to info@lwvaz.org.

SB1034
Yarbrough. Independent redistricting commission; membership
League strongly OPPOSED. 

Save the independence of the
Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC)!

This bill has been assigned to the HOUSE GOV Committee.
That committee does not yet have the bill on its agenda, so you cannot yet use RTS. BUT, you can contact Speaker Mesnard (602) 926-4481) and tell him how you feel, as well as contact members of the Government Committee.

(click here for contact information)
Douglas Coleman, Chair; Clark, Clodfelter, John, Martinez, Salman, Thorpe, Ugenti-Rita

Effect: League supports the increase of IRC Commissioners in this (amended) bill from 5 to 9.  The worst aspect of the bill is that it Constitutionally eliminates -- for all but one of the IRC commissioners -- the independent Appellate Commission's role in selecting a pool of qualified candidates for selection into the IRC. It gives the LEGISLATURE the power to make 8 of the 9 appointments, including those who would not, ostensibly, be connected to any party!

Will redistricting ever be non-political?
No, of course not. BUT . . . it can be more fair!

While all across the country legislators in many states are allowed to gerrymander district boundaries to ensure their party's dominance in the next election, in Arizona we have an Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC). The IRC was created with the very active involvement of the League via Proposition 106 in 2000, and it was supported by 56% of voters. The IRC is bipartisan, currently legislated to have 2 Republicans, 2 Democrats and an Independent.

A critical element in the League's support of the IRC is the aspect of greater independence from legislative influence. The IRC receives League support because prospective candidates for the IRC– Republicans, Democrats and Independents -- are first vetted by the already-existing, nonpartisan Commission on Appellate Court Appointments. A final pool of 10 Republicans, 10 Democrats and 5 Independents is established. Legislators are then -- and only then -- allowed to select their party's 2 IRC members from the pool. This ‘wall’ between our Legislators and the IRC members is what makes the IRC independent.

The IRC process has not raised an outcry among Arizona voters! So what is the motivation for this bill? Legislators want their influence back! 
The IRC is not perfect (what is?) The League of Women Voters would have been eager (and still is…) to sit down with a variety of Legislators from both parties, and with other interested organizations – both partisan and nonpartisan – to discuss ways in which the IRC might be improved, while yet maintaining the ‘wall’ of independence. 

In a few instances we have succeeded in meeting with Legislators to discuss our concerns. But the bipartisanship efforts of the Senate and outreach to stakeholders have been noticeably lacking.

The League of Women Voters is asking the Legislature to put a hold on any attempts to revise the IRC to allow time for discussion, public input, research into the impact of proposed changes and into how, if changes are to be made, 'independence’ can truly be maintained. The IRC is seen as a model for others. Arizona voters should continue to be allowed to select their legislators and members of Congress and not allow our legislators -- of either party -- to stack the deck with those voters they know will keep their party in power.

SB1392: UPDATE
This bill has been retained on the Senate COW calendar because of "issues" some legislators have with it. No vote today, at least. 

(SB1392 is a permanent tax cut for digital goods and services that will leave our state budget with another $120 million loss, to grow exponentially over time, according to projections from the Arizona League of Cities and Towns. The cut will also slash $14 million from Prop 301 revenues.
Upcoming dates and deadlines:

3/23 - Last day to hear Senate Bills in House Committee and House Bills in Senate Committee
4/7 - Last day for conference committees in Senate
4/13 - Last day of conference committee in House
4/17 - 100th day 

4/21 - Sine Die

If a bill gets to Governor Ducey's desk, his contact is:
engage@az.gov, 602.542.4331
You can find a contact form at:
http://azgovernor.gov/engage/form/contact-governor-ducey

ACTION ALERT

League lobbyists are testifying February 15th on the bill below at 9 am, if you are early enough to get your opinion in.
You can help League advocate by contacting Committee members
from your computer or your phone -- call, email directly, or use RTS.
Show your thumbs-up or thumbs-down reaction to a bill in committee by using"Request to Speak" (RTS) online: at azleg.gov.
Need to open an RTS account? Send your request to info@lwvaz.org.
Do you need petitions for the Outlaw Dirty Money initiative campaign?
Contact: Cindy@OutlawDirtyMoney.com

THURSDAY, February 15
Senate Judiciary Committee, 9 am
(click here for contact information)
Douglas Coleman, Chair; Clark, Clodfelter, John, Martinez, Salman, Thorpe, Ugenti-Rita

SB1249 -- Burgess. Campaign finance violations; appeals (NEW)
League OPPOSES.
Effect: This bill is an attempt to remove the power of the Clean Elections Commission to investigate/take actions against campaign finance violations. Instead it identifies the SOS or the County/city/town officers in charge of elections as the one in charge who can then refer the matter to the AG or the city, town, county attorney.  Gives the person who is accused 20 days to take corrective action or appeal it to the Superior court vs. through the current administrative appeals process; requires that the SOS or county/city/town attorney must prove the alleged violation by a preponderance of the evident.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THESE BILLS?

SCR1034 -- Yarbrough. Independent redistricting commission; membership 

League strongly OPPOSED.
Effect: This bill has many parts, the worst of which will be named here. Constitutionally alters the membership and appointment process of the Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC). Increases the number of Commissioners from 5 to 8. (League favors an odd number but would be OK with 9.) Eliminates the independent Appellate Commission's role in selecting a pool of qualified candidates for selection into the IRC. Gives the LEGISLATURE the power to make all appointments, including those who would not, ostensibly, be connected to any party. It eliminates the requirement that state legislative districts be equal in population to the extent practicable. Allows the Legislature, without regard to whether the IRC has adopted final district boundaries, to refer an alternate redistricting plan to the vote of the people which constitutes final district boundaries if adopted. 

Passed Senate Government Committee.
SB1374 -- Brophy-McGee. State law; local government violations. SUPPORTED
Effect: Current law allows a member of the Legislature to request an Attorney General (AG) investigation into a county, city or town ordinance that allegedly violates state law. This bill would require the legislator to live in the local government's district (accountability); require the AG to notify a locality of the complaint. It would increase the amount of time the AG has to research the complaint, and then the time that a locality has to resolve it, to 60 days from 30; and create an avenue for a municipality to appeal the AG’s decision to the Arizona Supreme Court (fair, practical and democratic, values that League Principles support). 
No Action.

ANOTHER BLOW TO ARIZONA SCHOOLS:
SB1392 WILL RESULT IN $120 MILLION LOSS FROM BUDGET,
$14 MILLION FROM PROP 301

Ask your state senator to vote NO on SB 1392.

On Monday, March 5, 2018, the Arizona Senate is planning to consider SB1392, a permanent tax cut for digital goods and services. This cut will leave our already anemic state budget with another $120 million loss that will grow exponentially over time, according to projections from the Arizona League of Cities and Towns. The cut will also slash $14 million from Prop 301 revenues, a direct cut to teacher pay.

At a time when schools are struggling to find and keep teachers, the AZ Schools Now coalition believes we should be doing everything possible to increase revenues available for our schools, not depleting the account that schools rely on for teacher pay.

By cutting current and future revenues, it is virtually impossible for Governor Ducey to keep his promise of restoring funding for district and charter school additional assistance. Decreasing revenues means fewer dollars available for schools. It's that simple.

Arizona voters have been clear: fund our public schools. If legislators pass this bill, voters will know their lawmakers are not serious about investing in schools and will hold them accountable in November.

AZ Schools Now and the League of Women Voters of Arizona asks state senators to vote NO on SB 1392.

You cannot use Request-to-Speak on this bill.
Call your legislators, instead!
Legislative Member rosters