John --

Hello and welcome to our fifteenth weekly update on all things legislative session! Time flies when you are having fun, right?

We marked the 100th day of session last week, which serves as an unofficial starting point to everyone asking, “so, when’s the budget going to get done?” The next unofficial mark will be the 120th day of session (in about two weeks), when our daily per diem drops significantly. In most years, that serves as a motivation for my colleagues to hurry up and finish since they are receiving less dollars per day to be at the capitol.

So, when’s the budget going to get done? More on that below.

First, you may have read about some of the confusion and chaos that went on this past Thursday in the Senate. We were voting once again on SB 1485, a bill that would purge hundreds of thousands of Arizona voters from our state’s Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL). In fact, the PEVL as currently constituted would no longer exist, since it would no longer be permanent. It would be renamed the Active Early Voting List (AEVL), with voters potentially being removed if they do not vote in a four year time span.

We were expecting a party line vote, and the bill passing 16-14. It would then go to the governor, who would sign it. 

I had a speech prepared speaking out against the bill, as did many of my colleagues. We went to the floor at 10am, and we were expecting a long floor session, particularly after we voted on SB 1457, a controversial abortion bill that several of my colleagues spoke about during their own floor speeches.

But as the vote board opened for SB 1485, one of my colleagues in the majority voted against it without saying a word. She left the floor, so for a few quick moments nobody knew what was going on, if she was serious, or what her reason was for opposing the bill.

With one Republican voting no, that meant the bill did not have the 16 required votes to pass, since the Senate is currently comprised of 16 Republican members and 14 Democratic members (all Democrats were opposed to the bill). 

It soon became clear that the no vote was serious, and it was not changing, at least for that day. It boiled down to some drama with the bill’s sponsor, and a desire to see the audit being conducted at Veterans Memorial Coliseum finish before voting for any “election integrity” bills. The bill failed, but can be reconsidered for another vote before we adjourn the legislative session.

The audit is expected to take another couple of weeks, with the report of said audit potentially taking another couple of weeks after that. So if you thought session was going to be over quickly…

Moving to this week, we are expecting yet again another light schedule of floor debates and votes, as the budget continues to get negotiated and hammered out behind closed doors.

So, when’s the budget going to get done? 

Well, it depends on who you talk to. Some in the know have told me it could happen in a couple of days! That is not going to happen.

Within the next two weeks? I doubt that as well. 

The 2019 legislative session serves as a good comparison, I think, to what we are looking at now. In 2019, we also had a large budget surplus (a combination of both one-time and ongoing dollars), and a lot of disagreement over what to do with those dollars.

We adjourned that year on Memorial Day, or the very end of May. We even came in on a Saturday that year, and stayed all day! We finally ended up voting on the budget that Monday night.

2019 also serves as a good comparison as it relates to my own thoughts on the budget. I came close to voting for the final product, because it included some items that I genuinely liked (and fought for to be included).

This year is a little different because of all the federal dollars heading our way, even though there are some restrictions on how those dollars can be spent. But the conversation right now is the same as it always is, which is how to use those dollars. A combination of investments, tax cuts, and paying down debt? How much should each take up in the overall budget?

I’ve spent hours so far this session talking to my colleagues about the budget, and I’ve always been consistent in what I’m looking for and willing to support.

I understand that tax cuts in some form will be in the overall budget. I’ve supported other tax cuts and tax credits in years past, and am willing to consider them again this year.

A budget I’m willing to support would include the following: reasonable tax reform, paired with investments in the New Economy Initiative for our state universities, an expansion of our grant funding for additional school counselors and social workers, investments in affordable housing programs, and helping to pay down state debt. 

If we can do all of those things to my satisfaction, that’s a budget I can get behind and support, even as a potential 16th vote. 

The devil is in the details of course! 

Fun fact: I have voted yes on at least parts of the state budget in three of my four legislative sessions. 

The only year I didn’t? 2019. The main reason? The tax cut that was included was too large, and the decision was made to reduce revenues when I would have liked to see more of a priority on investments in areas like higher education and affordable housing. Sound familiar?

Talk of a “flat tax” for our state income tax, to the tune of $1.5 billion a year, does not have the votes currently in either chamber. I would not support a flat tax either. Reasonable tax reform should include my Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) bill, SB 1040, that passed the Senate with strong bipartisan support earlier this year. That would cost about $75 million a year.

I’m open to negotiate the rest, and will continue to drive the point home that a strong economy for Arizona going forward should be a mix of paying down state debt while we can, make critical investments in higher education and workforce development, and sensible tax reform that doesn’t drain too much money to help fund all the programs we administer at the state level.

I expect us to be in session quite a bit longer, so stay tuned to future weekly updates for more news from me! As always, you can follow me on social media for more regular updates throughout the week!

Thank you,

Sean

http://www.seanbowieforaz.com/

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