The Arizona House Republican Majority Caucus is proud to report progress on key legislative issues at the State Capitol this week.
Crime & Safety — Taking crime seriously is the first step in protecting Arizonans. The House Committee of the Whole passed SCR 1001 stating the legislature’s intention to provide better resources to law enforcement and implement strategies that reduce violent crime.
Health — HB 2456 (Representative Beverly Pingerelli) funding the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (ASDB) for four years passed the House. SB 1333 protects public health by requiring the Department of Health Services to create and maintain a searchable online database with pertinent information about health professionals who have had their license revoked in the past five years. This bill passed the House.
Protecting Children — To crack down on the sexual exploitation of children, the Senate Committee of the Whole passed HB 2169; classifying the possession, purchase, importation, or distribution of sex dolls made to resemble a child or infant as a class 4 felony. Children who are taken from their families by the Arizona Department of Child Safety and placed in the care of a foster parent the child knows or is related to deserve the same protections and rights as those placed in foster care. SB 1186 applies the rights of foster children and parents to kinship foster children and parents. SB 1001 ensures children aren’t called by a different name or pronoun without their parent’s knowledge. SB 1503 protects children on the internet by requiring commercial entities to verify that only persons 18 or older can access websites containing harmful material. All three of these bills passed the House Committee of the Whole. SB 1252, establishing the Independent Maltreatment Fatality and Near Fatality Oversight Committee to conduct reviews when a child dies or nearly dies due to maltreatment, passed the House.
Women — To protect the women and children in their care, HB 2312 (Representative Rachel Jones) gives women’s shelters legal cover from gender discrimination laws if they choose not to allow biological male employees to be in the presence of a woman or the woman’s minor children. The bill passed the Senate Committee of the Whole.
Education — Parents with concerns about how their child is being treated in school or how their parental rights are being violated need an avenue for recourse. SB 1410, passed by the House Committee of the Whole, instructs school governing boards to establish a parent complaint mechanism for each school to investigate alleged violations of parent or student rights. The House Committee of the Whole also passed SB 1400, ensuring students enrolled in noncredit workforce training are counted in community college district’s (CCD’s) state aid and expenditure limitation, and SB 1205, ensuring that a foster child’s educational needs are evaluated so they have the opportunity to be placed in a school that’s right for them. SB 1208, improving and expanding the school dropout recovery program to include alternative and charter schools, passed the House.
Water — HB 2444 (Representative Gail Griffin) establishes the Natural Resource Conservation District (NRCD) Fund and the NRCD Fund Commission (Commission) to support projects that conserve Arizona’s natural resources. This bill passed the Senate Committee of the Whole.
Rural — Veterinary services are often difficult to access in rural parts of the state. SB 1053 allows veterinarians to treat pets virtually and prescribe drugs subject to certain terms and conditions. To protect the health and safety of rural residents, HB 2669 (Representative Tim Dunn) prohibits sewage or septage from being applied to any land application unless it complies with health and safety rules, including pathogen reduction requirements. Both bills passed the Senate Committee of the Whole.
Follow the accomplishments of the Republican House Majority on Twitter @AZHouseGOP.
