John --

Good morning! Welcome to another edition of our stay at home update on what’s going at the state capitol. 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.

I am continuing 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 our District 18 community, along with the change in case numbers compared to last Monday:

85044: 41 (+6)

85045: 11 (+1)

85048: 51 (+12)

85202: 149 (-10)

85210: 48 (+7)

85224: 183 (+8)

85226: 26 (+4)

85282: 53 (+9)

85283: 71 (+14)

85284: 12 (+1)

No big jumps this week, although you will notice that cases went *down* in 85202, which is southwest Mesa. This is where Banner Desert hospital is located, and is likely the result of cases being reassigned to the zip code of where a patient lives, when it was previously coded as being at the hospital. Still, no surprise that the zip codes with the highest number of cases continue to be those with large trauma level hospitals located there (85202 and 85224).

Thankfully, more testing is occurring throughout the state. The “Testing Blitz” that has been taking place every Saturday is now being extended another two weeks. The closest location to our community is in south Tempe near Guadalupe Road and Rural Road. More information on testing sites and how to sign up can be found at: https://www.azdhs.gov/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/infectious-disease-epidemiology/index.php#novel-coronavirus-testing-blitz

CVS also announced last week that they will be offering free COVID-19 testing at ten of their drive-thru pharmacies throughout the state. There are two locations in our community: one at Chandler Road and Kyrene Road in Chandler, and another at 44^th St and Ray Road in Ahwatukee. More information on how to sign up can be found at: https://www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/covid-19-testing

This increased testing is critically important as we seek to reduce the number of cases throughout the state. As you probably heard, the governor announced last week that he would not be extending the state’s stay at home order, and it expired this past Friday. That means businesses can continue to re-open, with gyms and movie theaters being among the last to open their doors (my gym in Tempe is opening this Wednesday, for example).

I visited a couple of local businesses in Ahwatukee over the weekend, including a couple of restaurants and coffee shops. Business was definitely lighter than it would be on a normal weekend, but it’s clear that people are starting to get more comfortable leaving their homes and visiting businesses and public places. I continue to worry about our case numbers increasing, and thankfully most of the people that I saw out and about this weekend were practicing social distancing and keeping a fair bit of distance between them and others. We definitely want to encourage businesses to re-open so people can get back to work, and we also want to make sure that people are being safe and looking out for others at the same time.

As it relates to our legislative session, yes, we are still technically in session. Nothing new to report on the Senate side, but the House is a different story. The House is going back into session this week, and plans to conduct committee hearings and floor sessions throughout the week.

This is no doubt in small part being done because the Senate overwhelmingly decided to adjourn the legislative session, and, well, the House doesn’t want to be told what to do by the Senate. The House will be debating and voting on Senate bills, but there is no commitment from the Senate to do the same on House bills. So will the House pass dozens of bills and then demand that the Senate do the same?

The House speaker and the Senate president don’t seem to be getting along very well right now, and that has left our overall legislative session in some limbo. The Senate will be coming back at some point, likely a special session, to tackle issues like liability protections for small businesses and additional COVID-19 related relief. It’s also possible that the House passes a few of these bills this week, and the Senate returns to tackle just those bills and then votes again to adjourn.

So I am thinking about my House colleagues this week, many of whom feel uneasy about returning to in-person floor debates and committee hearings this week while COVID-19 cases continue to increase each and every day. I will continue to work from home throughout the week, answering phone calls and emails for constituents that have been asking for help with things like unemployment benefits and small business loans.

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: https://arizonatogether.org

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: https://www.azdhs.gov/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/infectious-disease-epidemiology/index.php

The Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES), which covers SNAP benefits, unemployment benefits, and other forms of economic assistance, has a resource page here: https://des.az.gov/services/coronavirus

If you or someone you know needs assistance from a local food bank, you can find a directory of resources here: https://www.azfoodbanks.org/index.php/foodbank/

Our Arizona 211 hotline is back up and running and is a great resource. https://211arizona.org/

Finally, this week is when our local high schools would normally hold their graduation ceremonies. It was eighteen (!) years ago this week that I graduated from Mountain Pointe High School in Ahwatukee, and I’m thinking back to that time this week as I think about our amazing high school seniors who will not get to experience the traditional graduation ceremony and grad night that I still have fond memories of to this day.

A special shout out to our seniors, who are graduating at a time when many things in life feel uncertain. Whether you are heading to college or community college in the fall, or going into the workforce, we are so proud of all our accomplishments and everything you will achieve going forward. You make our community stronger through your hard work, discipline, and commitment to community service.

So for the seniors graduating from Desert Vista, Mountain Pointe, Corona del Sol, Marcos de Niza, Dobson, Seton Catholic, Valley Christian, Horizon Honors, and BASIS Ahwatukee – congratulations!

That’s all for this week – please continue to reach out if there is anything I can be helpful with. We are all in this together, and my best to you and your families.

Sean


http://www.seanbowieforaz.com/

Paid for by Sean Bowie for State Senate. Authorized by Sean Bowie.