Arizona Capitol Times asked freshmen for views of their first session, and aside from the budget, to identify the best and worst bills that were passed. Here are their insights about their first term in office. There are 38 lawmakers new to the process. 15 responded. The interviews were conducted via e-mail and by phone.

Senators

Glendale

Mr. Harper describes his first session as “very slow,” adding, “I expect there to be many more bills introduced next session. This first session, many freshmen in the House were playing it safe. I would like to see some committees restructured. If there is a questionable Republican on a committee that only has a one-vote margin, I would like to see the Senate president reassign that committee seat.”

He recalls no “earth-shaking bills that were signed into law,” but praises one by Sen. Jim Waring, R-Dist. 7, that stops the Motor Vehicle Division “from overcharging veterans for their specialized license plate,” which he calls “the feel-good bill of the session.”

Mr. Harper says his attempt to provide a state income tax exemption for Arizona’s active duty military personnel would have been the best bill of the session, if it had passed. The worst bills, he says, were among those held from further action by House Majority Leader Eddie Farnsworth and Rep. Karen Johnson, House Rules chairwoman.

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Sen. Jay Tibshraney

Chandler

“I’ve enjoyed my first session at the Legislature,” Mr. Tibshraney says. “It is a completely different environment than my days as mayor of Chandler, but in a good way. If you like challenges, the Legislature is a good place to be.”

He says it was neither a surprise nor disappointment to find that the legislative process is slower moving than he was used to as mayor. “That was something I needed to adjust to and I did,” Mr. Tibshraney says.

“I was pleased to have four of my bills go through the process and ultimately be signed into law by the governor. One of these dealt with our ongoing war against terrorism and another dealt with expediting and improving public construction projects by offering alternative design and construction options. These bills will have a positive impact on Arizonans.”

Mr. Tibshraney says it was a pleasure meeting and working with the elected officials, staff and “even the lobbyists,” and he looks forward to returning next year.

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Sen. Jim Waring

Phoenix

“It’s about what I had expected, with one exception,” Mr. Waring says. “The unreality of the place is a little bit discouraging to me.” He’s referring to legislators “who don’t want to recognize the lack of funds and the restraints we face in balancing a budget.” Even agency directors and paid lobbyists wouldn’t prioritize what could be cut and what shouldn’t be cut, he says.

“How can you make informed decisions?” Mr. Waring says. “How am I to decide as a freshman? It’s unfortunate for veteran legislators as well. Nobody can process all the information for us as freshmen, and it’s a source of great frustration. Even the leadership is in the same box. People want better products for free. People say you can’t cut taxes, can’t borrow, and can’t cut programs. That’s dumb. We have to work that out. We’re in a box and we have to prioritize, but the people won’t do it.”

He says the public won’t see a $6.2 billion budget as being “anorexic,” but taxpayers understand that you shouldn’t pay for groceries with credit card.

Mr. Waring laments the governor’s veto of an unemployment bill that had the support of conservatives and the social services. “That was one of the best bills,” he says, giving Sen. Carolyn Allen, R-Dist. 8, credit for her effort. “It wasn’t ideal, but nobody gets everything they want in life.”

One thing that surprised him was that it’s not always easy to tell the good bills from the bad ones.

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Representatives

Elfrida

“As a freshman legislator, I was surprised by the lack of moderation and lack of open and comprehensive discussion of the long-range consequences of legislation,” Mr. Alvarez says. “I was also surprised at the lack of an inclusive, open, collegial, productive process in the House. I would have expected that members would deal honorably and honestly, regardless of political affiliation. Too many bills were expressions of political partisanship, bills that created partisan barriers instead of building bridges for the common good. Too often legislation was used as vehicles to advance personal ideologies.”

Mr. Alvarez says he was disappointed that “so much effort was expended on frivolous issues — such as the seven House firearms bills that seemed to attack fundamental rights of safety and freedom from fear for all residents by raising one freedom at the expense of all other freedoms.”

“I was shocked that so many legislators of good will supported legislation that was racist or sexist in application, if not intention, such as the voter identification bill and the informed consent bill. Such legislation can only lead to division in our society at a time when we need construction and collaboration.”

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Rep. David Bradley

Tucson

Among Mr. Bradley’s pleasant surprises are: “The Republican caucus is more divided than I initially thought it to be [and] the speaker [Jake Flake] is a gracious fellow.”

His biggest disappointment was the frustration of being “part of a minority that is not involved in decision making on most issues.” It was also disappointing, he says, “to see power exercised when the only reason is the exercise of it and not using it for some greater good. While it is clear that to the victor goes the spoils, it would be nice to see a little civility in allowing people without power to have more of a voice in the budgeting process.”

The worst legislation, Mr. Bradley says, was a “voter registration bill requiring identification in an attempt to address a problem that does not exist.” He was glad a behavioral health-licensing bill passed, even though he recognizes it as a relatively minor issue. “It will go a long way in protecting the public in regard to mental health and substance abuse services in the future,” he says.

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Rep. Olivia Cajero Bedford

Tucson

Ms. Cajero Bedford considers a first session a success. And why not? “I had two bills pass with bipartisan help and signed by the governor,” she says. “Being a member of the minority party, that was a major accomplishment considering that very few of the Democrats’ bills were even heard in committee.

“I loved every hectic stressful hour of the session. There were, as I knew there would be, times when the decision on how to vote would be a tough agonizing decision — my personal view versus my constituents versus benefits for the statewide population.”

One of the bills she was sorry to see amended and diluted was H2308 relating to eminent domain. “This was a bill for the citizens — a bill for past and future injustices,” Ms. Cajero Bedford says. “I was very happy to learn that the Rovy farm
was spared because of the publicity of this bill. This bill was a wonderful example of the good that can come from public service.”

She credits Rep. Linda Gray, R-Dist. 10, and Sen. Toni Hellon, R-Dist. 26, for coming up with a study committee to consider having more vocational education in high schools. “My vocational education bill died in committee and H2001 was born to study the fiscal impact and implementation of programs throughout the state’s high schools,” Mr. Cajero Bedford says. “I introduced a voc ed bill to provide a solution to the high, high school drop-out rate that we in Arizona have. For the 75 per cent of high school graduates who are not going on to college, they must be able to enter the workforce the day after graduation with some basic training for a career.”

She notes that the Democratic caucus did not have the votes to stop S1089, which dealt with contraceptive coverage in health insurance. “It was a belated victory when the bill was vetoed by Governor Napolitano,” Ms. Cajero Bedford says.

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Rep. Ken Clark

Phoenix

“I was pleasantly surprised by how many great people were up here at the House with me,” says Mr. Clark. “Most of my colleagues, Democrat and Republican, have incredible backgrounds and personal stories. They come to the job with very impressive histories.”

He was, however, disappointed by “how little the Democrats and the public were let into the budget process. No good budget can come from closed-door meetings where a significant portion of the body is left out of the process. Similarly, the public has a right to hear what is going on, and make comments. What we got was a down-to-the-wire, shaky decision that tried to ignore that we have a governor who must weigh in on the process.”

He expresses hope that the House and Senate take the time to reconsider their public policy processes and to take into account “the differing opinions and options for governance through collaboration.”

“The best bills were the ones that did not make the news, but came out of the body unanimously,” Mr. Clark says. “Those were the bills that were worked out early, and which took all sides into account.

“The worst bills, by far, were those bills that sought to restrict the access of voters to the polls and to our democratic process. Some tried to make it more difficult for voters to launch public initiatives. Some sought to restrict access to the polls, citing, with little evidence, hordes of illegal immigrants paradoxically surfacing and putting their tenuous residency status at risk in order to vote.”

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Rep. Clancy Jayne

Phoenix

“Being a freshman has been fun, enjoyable, and quite a learning experience for this 53-year-old father of six,“ says Mr. Jayne. He also learned that “the legislative process is much more involved than you would think, and getting a bill passed is more about the politics of inside baseball than it is the bill.” As a member of the House Transportation Committee, Mr. Jayne says it was a “privilege to advance the construction of the rubberized asphalt on the Loop 101.” He says a five-year freeway construction schedule to be announced soon will be the most important improvement for the north Valley for the next decade.

“I have learned that many lawmakers make policy through a narrow soda straw ideology,” he says. “But with planning and foresight we can pass bills and policy that take the long term into consideration. The university research bill will play a major role in allowing Arizona to step up and attract new employers to replace many of the lost high tech jobs over the last two years.”

He expresses hope that the budget process will become more open in the years ahead, and he says all of his House colleagues “are great people and all have talent that serves our state well.”

“Having had some exposure to the process prior to being here I still did not understand what I had gotten myself into. But thanks to a excellent staff, retiring members and lobbyists we have gotten though our first year without any major missteps.”

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Rep. Phil Lopes

Tucson

“The congeniality among members, lack of rancor, and easy disagreement were pleasant surprises,” Mr. Lopes says.

On the other hand, he says, “I was disappointed by the lack of thoughtfulness, moderation and openness in discussions regarding the implications of bills. There was no interest in details or the unintended consequences of proposals, and there was far too much reliance on staff and lobbyists.”

Mr. Lopes also says, “Too much time was spent on frivolous issues — a softball game, soccer scores and firearms bills. I was shocked at the support of anti-immigrant and anti-female bills like voter identification and informed consent respectively. Such legislation only leads to divisiveness.”

He says he should have listened more closely during orientation to understand the best times to influence discussions and the outcome of bills. Committee of the Whole is the best time to question sponsors and to emphasize the strengths and weakness of bills, he says.

“The next best time is in committee, but not while explaining your vote,” Mr. Lopes says. “I would like to see members more engaged. Most of the time there is little discussion within either committee or COW. It seems like members come with their minds already made up. Many bills are voted on in committee without a single question being asked.”

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Rep. Ben Miranda

Phoenix

“What didn’t impress me, or what impressed me in a negative way was the amount of time that’s wasted in the whole process, and how accepting people [legislators] are of the fact that so much time is wasted,” Mr. Miranda says. The number of resolutions and items that were placed on the ballot disappointed him, complaining about the costs associated with such actions.

On the positive side, he says, “I found an overwhelming majority of legislators to be genuinely of good heart and spirit even though we disagree, but there are a few knuckleheads out there.”

Mr. Miranda says he would like to see bills receive a vote when it is clear that a majority of the members want to take a vote. “I would like to see the rules of procedure changed so we can take a vote instead of sidestepping issues,” he says.

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Rep. Warde V. Nichols

Chandler

“It has been awesome to get involved at this level,” Mr. Nichols says. “I love the processes and the dynamics of the system. There is so much to learn, and I have been up to the challenge.”

He recalls that one of his bills, H2407 got through both houses and went to the governor. [H2407 extends the statute of limitations for civil causes of action arising from criminal conduct for one year after a conviction, and exempts insurance policies and employers or former employers from the extended statute of limitations.] “To follow the bill, and work on it as it went through the system was really incredible,” Mr. Nichols says. “I had quite a few hurdles to overcome, but was able to get a consensus with all parties involved.”

He compares getting an education in school to the learning process at the Legislature. “When I was in school I thought the flow of information was like taking a drink out of a garden hose,” Mr. Nichols says.
“I could drink, pull it away and let it absorb into me. As an elected representative, I think I have been hooked up to a fire hydrant on full flow. The information flowing through this body is quite overwhelming at times, but all you can do is get in front of it and absorb as much as you can.”

He commends the House Republican leadership for helping new legislators “through the rough roads and always giving us the information needed without pressure to follow their vote.”

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Rep. Doug Quelland

Phoenix

Mr. Quelland’s initial impression of the Legislature: “It’s politics. Nothing more, nothing less.”

He was pleasantly surprised to find “a lot of extremely hard working legislators and staff members,” but he also observed “a few lazy legislators.”

Mr. Quelland says he would like to see the budget process overhauled and expanded. The best bill, he says, was HCR 2022, which states that all initiative and referendum measures that require the mandatory expenditure of state revenues must provide for an increased source of revenue that would cover the cost of the proposal. The worst bill? Mr. Quelland says, “Pick one.”

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Rep. Michele Reagan

Scottsdale

Ms. Reagan calls a bill sponsored by Rep. Deb Gullett, R-Dist. 11, as the best in this past session. She says the measure, which imposed a 2 per cent premium tax for ACCCHS, was, “A real win-win. The consumer doesn’t have to pay any extra for care and the state draws in more federal money.

“The worst bill,” she says, “was actually a good bill, but it got ugly because it was blown out of proportion. It was the billboard bill. I voted yes on this bill because it was a no-brainer. It applied to two billboards along I-17 so they would be able to put a flashing time/date/temperature message. The word ‘animated’ caused a frenzy. Tucson Democrats believed it would contribute to slum and blight in their city, but Tucson city ordinances wouldn’t have been affected at all!

“Which leads me to the worst amendment offered in committee — only allowing the ‘flashing message’ to change once every hour!”

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Rep. Colette Rosati

Phoenix

“Obviously, the session has lasted much longer than was anticipated,” Ms. Rosati says. “My greatest disappointment was probably the manner in which a couple of renegade Republican senators bailed on the budget at the very last minute. This ambush cost us several hundred million dollars and several additional weeks of time. The taxpayers of Arizona were not served well by their actions.”

On the positive side, she says the Republican caucus held together very well in the House even during the very trying times that followed. “Each member had the opportunity to vote his or her conscience without being intimidated or shunned by peers,” she says. “The professionalism of everyone made the job much easier.”

As the final week of the session began, Ms. Rosati said she didn’t think legislators had seen the worst bills yet: “In our rush to get out of here we will certainly see some big spending bills that people will try to get passed. Frankly, we’ve already spent too much and any more is a really bad idea.”

She says she hopes no bills will be heard next year until the fiscal 2005 budget is settled within the first 60 days, roughly March 15, 2004.

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Rep. Bob Stump

Peoria

“Mario Cuomo once said that you campaign in poetry but govern in prose,” Mr. Stump says. “Because our sights were set on solving the budget crisis, I think that aphorism rang true for the vast majority of us as the grimness of the task sank in. I had expected greater time for deliberation on bills, but one learns to hone one’s ability to think and act on the fly.

He recalls a veteran legislator saying the veterans aren’t geniuses because they seem to know so much. “It’s simply that they’ve heard so many of these bills before,” Mr. Stump says. “That said, I have been impressed with the level of knowledge and commitment of most of my colleagues.”

Referring to public complaints of legislative gridlock, Mr. Stump says, “Being here makes one realize that it’s actually the beauty of the process. Speaking as one who believes government should be more evocative than prescriptive, and considering that government sometimes does foolish things, we’d rather not have it doing foolish things more quickly!

“This has been more intense than graduate school at Harvard.”

Like Mr. Quelland, Mr. Stump believes the best bill was HCR 2022, which would require that all initiatives and referenda that mandate expenditures specify a funding source other than the general fund. “It’s a great start down the road of greater fiscal responsibility,” he says.

The worst bill, which died in committee, was H2454, the so-called aid in dying bill, Mr. Stump says. “It will never pass,” he says, “but should it pass, I believe it would be disastrous for Arizona.” —