John --
Good morning! Welcome to another edition of our stay at home updates. I hope you and your families are feeling well and staying safe.
I recorded our weekly video update this morning – you can watch the video on my Facebook page here <[link removed]>.
We continue to closely monitor COVID-19 case numbers from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Below are the updated numbers, as of this morning, for the zip codes in Legislative District 18, along with the change in case numbers compared to last Monday:
85044: 35 (+11)
85045: 6-10 (+0)
85048: 39 (+7)
85202: 159 (+21)
85210: 41 (+12)
85224: 175 (+21)
85226: 22 (+0)
85282: 42 (+2)
85283: 57 (+17)
85284: 11 (+1)
So definitely smaller increases than last week, particularly in the zip codes with large hospitals (85202 and 85224). A bit of an uptick in 85283, which is located in south Tempe. More testing kits have been going out, and more tests are being taken each weekend as a part of the “Testing Blitz” that DHS is running. So a ray of good news, although we are keeping a close eye on cases each week as we continue.
The “Testing Blitz” will continue this Saturday, and there are several East Valley locations, including one in south Tempe. You can learn more, and register to sign up for testing, here: [link removed]
In other news, the Senate re-convened last Friday, for the first time in about six weeks. The Senate president made the decision to adjourn our current legislative session, since many of the facets of a normal session, like committee hearings, public testimony, people in the gallery, etc., were no longer safe.
We can always go into a special session, with a narrow focus on a specific issue, like COVID-19 relief measures, liability protections for businesses, or the state budget. Since we recessed back in March, the legislature has been in this weird place where yes, we were technically in session, but we were frozen in place with varying ideas for what we should do. Should we adjourn? Just hold floor sessions? Start committee hearings back up again? How would these options technically work, when a normal session requires dozens of staffers present, along with reporters and the public? How could we hold public committee hearings without allowing the public to testify?
It goes without saying that this predicament is unprecedented, at least in modern times. A bipartisan consensus emerged that the best option was to adjourn the legislative session, for the health and safety of our members, our staff, and the general public. The governor has agreed to call a special session focused on specific COVID-19 related relief measures in the coming weeks, when we could come back and narrowly focus on a few bills that would help our constituents and the state.
But of course, it wasn’t that simple. A few of my colleagues were opposed to this idea, for a couple of reasons. Some wanted to stay in session to serve as a “check” on a governor they disagreed with from time to time on policy, and disagreed with some of his decisions over the last couple of weeks. Others wanted to stay in session to “get back to work,” which is misleading, because many if not most of us are actively working from home and helping constituents on a daily basis.
No, the real reason many of my colleagues wanted to stay in session, which few of them admitted publicly on Friday, was that they had bills that were going through the legislative process, and they didn’t want those bills to die. When we adjourn a session, any bill that doesn’t pass both chambers and get signed by the governor dies. You have to start over again the next legislative session.
It is absolutely possible for us to “be at work” in a special session. I’m working from home and making phone calls and sending emails every day, including weekends. So when you hear that the legislature “is leaving its post,” or “abandoning its duty,” it’s simply not true. We’re working, and we’re ready to work even harder during a special session to help our constituents.
So we, as a Senate, returned last Friday. It was definitely a surreal experience. On a typical day we hold a floor session, there are hundreds of people at the state capitol, from members to staff to reporters to lobbyists to members of the general public. There were 28 Senators present, with two of our colleagues missing. One tested positive for coronavirus a few weeks ago, and another was taking care of a family member who was sick.
Most of our staff was still working from home. There were more reporters present than usual, and all of them were wearing masks. All of the members of our staff, on both sides of the aisle, were wearing masks as well. We convened shortly after 11am with one item on the agenda – a motion to adjourn the legislative session, and send notice to the House.
What some thought would only take a few minutes ended up lasting over three hours. Many of my colleagues spoke about why they felt we should adjourn or not adjourn. I sat there and listened, going back and forth about whether or not I wanted to speak. To that point, I had yet to speak during a vote explanation all session (I’m one of the quiet ones), opting to hold my remarks until I feel they are truly needed and add substance to the overall conversation.
I ultimately decided not to speak, and let some of my colleagues express themselves ahead of me. I voted yes on the motion to adjourn, and did so because the current environment makes it extremely difficult for us to go forward as business as usual. The motion passed by a vote of 24-6, with majorities of both caucuses supporting it. There are ways to address the many problems and concerns we have going forward in a special session, which I look forward to participating in.
I’m also thinking about my colleagues, our staff, the media, and anyone else who would wish to take part in the legislative process. I was thinking about my colleague who couldn’t join us in person because he had tested positive for the virus, along with several members of his family. Protecting the public health and public safety of our constituents and the residents of this state has to come first, and I believe we can do so while also at the same time passing legislation to support our business community in a special session to take place later this month.
So the Senate has voted to adjourn. What about the House? There is always more drama in the House. After initially announcing that they would do the same and meet this past Friday, the House speaker suddenly announced that they would not. Apparently, a majority of members in the Republican caucus did not support the motion to adjourn, because, again, they want to vote on their own bills and advance them so they don’t die.
What happens now? Well, the Senate has voted, by a wide margin, to adjourn the session and has notified the House. The ball is now in the House’s court. It’s impossible to predict what the House will ever do, but we should know here in the next couple of days whether they will concur with our motion or stick to their guns and stay in session.
So we may be going back to the capitol later this week. Stay tuned to my social media weeks throughout the week where I will update everyone when I know more.
In other news, the governor announced last week guidelines for how our economy will gradually re-open. Salons and barber shops were allowed to re-open this past Friday, and restaurants can start re-opening dine-in service today. Below are some infographics explaining the changes:
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
A reminder that the state’s one stop shop for relief measures, including information about unemployment benefits, housing assistance, Medicaid, and more, can be found at: [link removed] <[link removed]>
The Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS) website has a site that is being updated daily with information on the number of cases, including by ZIP code: [link removed]
The Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES), which covers SNAP benefits, unemployment benefits, and other forms of economic assistance, has a resource page here: [link removed]
If you or someone you know needs assistance from a local food bank, you can find a directory of resources here: [link removed]
Our Arizona 211 hotline is back up and running and is a great resource. [link removed]
Finally, another reminder that if you have any questions about what’s going on at the capitol currently, or need some assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. My door is always open.
Stay safe, stay well, and please stay home if you can as we continue to monitor this virus. We are all in this together. Talk to you soon.
Sean
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