After a crushing defeat of his bill HB2031 on Feb. 26th Alexander Kolodin tried again last Monday to pass an unpopular bill. HB2043 would have “fortified” protections for those accused of harassment. The bill would have changed the law on harassment to require an explicit intent to harass. It would also excuse attacks on non-elected government employees (think election workers). The bill first failed on a large bipartisan basis but was brought back with an amendment, removing some of the more objectionable parts and then passed.
His previous failed attempt to repeal many of Arizona’s Boards and Commissions recently bombed by a vote of 17 yea to 42 nay!
How they voted last week.
SB1441 makes school district governing board elections partisan beginning
January 1, 2026. Kavanagh was a YES Bill now goes to the House to undergo the process again.
SB1028 would require a special test to allow Arizona students to graduate from public high schools. John Kavanagh was the sponsor of the bill and voted YES. With one republican absent and one not voting, the bill failed.
SB1020 limits the authority of a university, college or community college
governing board to prohibit a person from lawfully possessing a concealed weapon under a
valid permit or transporting a firearm in the person's motor vehicle on campus. Kavanagh and Kolodin voted YES. The bill now waits to be heard in the rules committee then on to a floor vote.
SB1014 removes firearm suppressors and muffling devices from the list of prohibited items in Arizona. Kolodin was a YES. Next stop for the bill before a vote is taken will be the Rules Committee.
Rep. Chaplik just continues to take up space at the capitol.
There are a whole lot of horrible bills being heard in Committee this coming week. Please check out the spotlight section of the Iyer substack to get info on awful legislation likely to pass. Remember Bills that can be vetoed by the governor begin with SB or HB. Resolutions that will bypass the governor and go to the ballot begin with 3 letters.
Lots of finger pointing going on with developmental disability funding. A $122 million funding shortfall for Arizonans with disabilities could hit as soon as April. The program which started during the pandemic was set to be continued with assorted funding sources. The governor and the republican caucus have been at odds with how to make it happen as the need for services has increased and families are starting to panic. To date republicans have continued to blame the governor making the issue political without attempting to solve the problem.
On Friday there was a glimmer of hope that a stopgap solution could be found.
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