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Legislative Updates 2008Sierra Club 2008 Legislative Update #4 “Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.” ~Maori Proverb February 1, 2008 Hello Conservation Friends! It is hard to believe it is already February and this coming Wednesday is Environmental Day. Please join us! We have a great line up of speakers including Governor Napolitano, Corporation Commissioner Kris Mayes, Representative Lucy Mason, and Representative Kyrsten Sinema, among others. Don’t forget to r.s.v.p. if you have not already and do make those appointments with legislators. Thanks to everyone who called last week on the Heritage Fund, so far we seem to be avoiding a raid. That being said, it looks like Parks could be hit pretty hard. Senator Burns has a bill to hurt them even more. Please contact members of the House Environment Committee and ask them to support HB2141 home sales; water supply disclosure (Ableser: Ch Campbell). It requires the disclosure of the water situation with all advertising and sale of property. They must indicate whether or not it is assured, adequate, unknown, etc. This is a much needed consumer protection measure. Members include Representatives Ableser eableser@azleg.gov , Anderson manderson@azleg.gov , Barnes (Chair) rbarnes@azleg.gov , Crump scrump@azleg.gov , Martha Garcia mgarcia@azleg.gov , McGuire bmcguire@azleg.gov , Reagan mreagan@azleg.gov , Robson brobson@azleg.gov , Tobin atobin@azleg.gov , and Ulmer tulmer@azleg.gov . You can find complete contact information by going to this site http://www.azleg.gov/MemberRoster.asp. If you're outside the Phoenix area, you can call legislators’ offices toll free at 1-800-352-8404. In the Phoenix area call (602) 926-3559 (Senate) or (602) 926-4221 (House). Just ask them to connect you to the various legislators’ offices. Coming up this week: Monday, February 4 Senate Finance Committee/House Ways and Means at 8:30 a.m. in House Hearing Room 1 Joint presentation on Arizona’s property tax system, impact of property tax proposals, etc. House Committee on Homeland Security and Property Rights at 1:30 p.m. in House Hearing Room 1 HB2440 condominiums; planned communities; political petitions (Nichols) prohibits these associations from regulating or prohibiting the circulation of political petitions, including candidate nomination petitions or petitions in support of or opposition to an initiative, referendum or recall. SUPPORT. HB2459 university trust land management; exchanges (Robson: McComish, Nelson, et al) gives the board of regents the power to direct the management, sale, lease and other disposition of lands granted to this state for university purposes pursuant to the enabling act and the constitution. These changes would be conditional on changes to the constitution and enabling act . END_STATUTE HCR2027 trust lands; universities; beneficiary exchanges (Robson: McComish, Nelson, et al) changes the constitution, subject to an enabling act change, to allow conveyance of lands to the universities without auction and also allows the legislature to exchange lands between trust land beneficiaries. It does not limit it to state trust land. I am not sure why they are doing this, so my big question is why? END_STATUTE Senate Government Committee at 1:30 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 3 SCR1009 public agency lobbyists (L.Gray, Blendu, Gould, et al.) refers to the ballot a measure to prohibit agencies and cities, towns, and counties from lobbying. They could just adopt a law if they wanted to. It is unnecessary to refer this and muck up the ballot. Senate Judiciary Committee at 1:30 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 1 SB1053 elections; counting center video; observation (C. Gray, Blendu) expands the persons who are required to observe proceedings at the counting center to include a representative of a candidate for nonpartisan office and a representative of a political committee in support of or in opposition to a ballot measure. This seems fine. Tuesday, February 5 House Committee on Government at 1:30 p.m. in House Hearing Room 4 HB2410 open meetings; public opinions (Kavanagh: Harper) allow selected officials to express an opinion or discuss an issue with the public at a venue other than a meeting provided the discussion is not directed at another member of the body and there is no effort to collectively deliberate to take action. I am a little concerned about this blowing a hole in the open meeting law, but want to look at it further. While we do not want to tie their hands, we do want to ensure that they are doing the public’s business in public. Of course, the legislature is not subject to the open meeting law, so this does not apply to them. WATCH HB2524 agricultural improvement districts; amendments (Crandall) allows Salt River Project to conduct its elections entirely by mail, allows someone who is the holder of an irrevocable trust to vote in the SRP elections (currently only the property owner can vote), requires nominating petitions to be filed 60 days prior to the election (it is currently 20), and makes other changes. WATCH House Committee on Counties, Municipalities & Military Affairs at 1:30 p.m. in House Hearing Room 5 HB2333 county powers; outdoor fires (Mason) allows a county to regulate outdoor fires during times of emergency when the conditions are especially dry. SUPPORT HB2406 county auctions; easement exemptions (Nelson: Robson) allows counties to grant easements to utilities without auction and with unanimous approval by the board. WATCH Senate Committee on Appropriations at 1:30 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 109 SB1300 federal funds; technical correction (Burns) strike everything on FY2008 Budget Adjustments Wednesday, February 6 Environmental Day at the Capitol in the Executive Tower Lobby, 8am-11am Come join us! House Committee on Environment at 1:30 p.m. in House Hearing Room 5 HB2066 sign walkers; municipal regulation (Robson: McComish, J. Weiers) limits cities and towns ability to regulate sign walkers. OPPOSE HB2141 home sales; water supply disclosure (Ableser: Ch Campbell) requires the disclosure of the water situation with all advertising and sale of property. This is a much needed consumer protection measure. SUPPORT HB2425 underground storage tanks; energy act (Barnes, M. Garcia, Ableser, et al) provides additional regulation and disclosure relative to underground storage tanks in order to address leakage. SUPPORT Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Rural Affairs at 1:30 p.m. in SHR 109 SB1238 adjudication monitoring committee; repeal (Flake) eliminates this legislative oversight committee. It will have a strike everything amendment. Eliminating any legislative committee seems like a good step in the right direction. SB1326 exempt wells; internal reference corrections (Flake, Aguirre, Arzberger, et al) is merely a technical correction. Senate Committee on Finance at 1:30 p.m. in SHR 1 SB1260 municipal elections; tax incentives; increases (Cheuvront, Gorman, L. Gray, et al) requires tax measures, including sales tax increases, to be considered in a general election in the fall. WATCH. House Committee on Appropriations at 1:30 p.m. in House Hearing Room 1 HB2445 appeals; technical correction (Pearce) strike everything on FY2008 Budget Adjustments Thursday, February 7 House committee on Water and Agriculture at 9:30 a.m. in House Hearing Room HB2132 county water authority; Colorado river (McLain, Burges, Groe, et al) gives authority for delivery of additional Colorado River water for municipal use. This is to address issues in Mohave County, I believe. WATCH For more information on bills we are tracking, go to http://arizona.sierraclub.org/political_action/tracker/. To email legislators go to http://www.azleg.gov/MemberRoster.asp. If you are not sure who your legislators are, please go to http://www.vote-smart.org (You will need your 9-digit zipcode.) or call the House or Senate information desks. If you're outside the Phoenix area, you can call your legislators’ offices toll free at 1-800-352-8404. In the Phoenix area call (602) 926-3559 (Senate) or (602) 926-4221 (House). Correspondence goes to 1700 W. Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2890. For more information on legislation go to http://www.azleg.gov.
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