Several notable bills failed to pass during final push of session

This year’s legislative session already has been called one of the most significant in state history, but as usual, many measures that grabbed headlines during the past 109 days failed to make the final cut.

Some measures were rejected after the first floor vote. Others, such the repeal of Clean Elections and the “jobs bill,” were approved in one chamber only to be denied in the other.

Others were revived in the last minute, only to die again. And this time, they’re really dead — for the next couple of months at least or, as they say, until the next special session.

Some of the bills failed on the last day of the session because a handful of lawmakers were absent on the floor, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Gray, who was excused; Sen. Carolyn Allen, who was present in the morning but eventually left; and Sen. Barbara Leff, who was scheduled to leave for California.

Leff was present for most of the day, but left in the afternoon to catch a flight. She returned to the Legislature in the evening after her flight was delayed.

This year the Legislature introduced 1,233 bills and another 169 memorials and resolutions. In the end, 352 of the bills passed, as did 33 of the memorials and resolutions. So far, the governor has signed 209 bills into law, and she’s vetoed five.

Here are a few attention-grabbing measures that failed to pass this year:

*S1094, authored by Glendale Republican Sen. Linda Gray, failed in the Senate by a vote of 15-12. The bill would have allowed the courts to extend, in certain cases, the waiting period for people seeking a divorce. The bill would have given a spouse up to four months to try to reconcile the marriage; right now the law allows 60 days.

*HCR2041, which was sponsored by Sierra Vista Republican Rep. David Stevens, failed in the Senate by a vote of 14-11. The ballot measure would have asked voters to reauthorize voter-approved spending every 8 years. This was one of several proposals aimed at giving lawmakers more flexibility to balance the state budget.

*S1288, sponsored by Litchfield Park Republican Sen. John Nelson, aimed to prohibit “balloon” mortgage loan payments that are twice as large as the previous monthly payments, with specific exemptions. As passed by the Senate, the measure also would have prohibited loans with repayment schedules that cause the principal balance to increase. The bill was never put to a vote in the House. It was among a slew of measures aimed at curbing the state’s foreclosure problem and at helping homeowners caught in the housing slump.

*S1239, which was sponsored by Paradise Valley Republican Sen. Barbara Leff, failed in the House, 25-23. The bill would have prohibited municipalities from imposing or increasing the transaction privilege tax on businesses that rent or lease residential property, unless the increase is approved by voters of the municipality.

*1165, which sponsored by Glendale Republican Sen. Linda Gray, failed by a vote of 14-12 on reconsideration. The bill would have required the Arizona Health Cost Containment System to issue a RFP for a contract with a private firm to essentially help determine fraudulent claims.

*H2736, which was authored by House Majority Leader John McComish, would have levied a surcharge on all spring training games tickets to help finance a new stadium for the Cubs in Mesa. Passed by the House, the measure never made it to the Senate floor.

*S1409, introduced by Litchfield Park Republican John Nelson, would have created a new tax credit program for motion productions and thereby essentially extend the life of the existing program, which is set to expire at the end of this year. The measure, which was heavily amended in the Senate, garnered enough support to pass in the 30-person chamber. But the bill never received a vote on the House floor.

*SCR1009, which was amended to outright ask voters to repeal the Clean Elections statutes, also never made it to the House floor.

*This year, school-choice advocates pushed to amend the state Constitution to allow students in failing public schools to use vouchers at private schools. But HCR2057, which was sponsored by Rep. Rick Murphy of Glendale, never reached the floor for debate. Critics said the proposal would open the door for public money to flow to private and religious schools. John Wright, president of the Arizona Education Association, said, “It would tear down the fairly sacred separation of church and state that most citizens think is really important.”

*And most notably, House Speaker Kirk Adams’ H2250, the so-called jobs bill, also failed to make the cut in the Senate. Indeed, the bill’s passage had been iffy ever since it was passed by the House early in the session. Senators had opposed various portions of the bill, and their differences seemed irreconcilable. Adams still tried to get the bill moving, sending an emissary to the Governor’s Office for a potential last-minute compromise. But Burns would have none of it, arguing that he and Adam already agreed that the speaker would let his measure die and that the Legislature would adjourn sine die on April 29.