Dead bills: Once-promising measures get nowhere

Last week’s deadline to hear bills in chamber-of-origin committees was the single biggest hurdle for the 1,138 bills introduced in the Legislature this year.

Following the deadline, more than half of all bills introduced this year had not yet been approved by their assigned committees, and were left for dead on the legislative battlefield. Some were not even assigned to any committee.

Lawmakers had introduced a bill prohibiting convicted animal abusers from owning pets. Another measure would have outlawed medical experimentation on foster children and wards of the state. Legislators proposed a host of pro-marijuana measures, including two bills to regulate and tax marijuana. They sponsored a measure to dramatically alter the open meetings law, and another bill to exempt their own addresses from public records. Another bill would allow elections to be conducted purely via mail ballots.

All those bills and more died at the committee hearing deadline.

But as Capitol insiders say, no bill is truly dead until the Legislature adjourns sine die. Any bill can be resurrected as a strike-everything amendment between now and then.

BILL: HB2007
SPONSOR: Democratic Rep. Mark Cardenas of Phoenix
SUMMARY: The bill would have allowed a person who is at least 21 years of age to possess, consume, use, display, purchase or transport one ounce or less of marijuana, and grow as many as five marijuana plants. Smoking marijuana in public would still be illegal.
The bill would have also taxed the sale of marijuana at the rate of $50 per ounce, which the Joint Legislative Budget Committee estimated would bring in more than $48 million per year in additional revenues. Revenues generated by the tax would have gone to the Department of Education, the Department of Health Services and the state general fund.
STATUS: Died without receiving a committee assignment.

BILL: SB1050
SPONSOR: Republican Sen. John Kavanagh of Fountain Hills
SUMMARY: The bill would have prohibited a person who is convicted of specified animal cruelty related crimes from adopting, owning or otherwise having care or custody of any animal in the person’s household. Violations are a class 1 misdemeanor.
The bill would have also required a convicted animal abuser to transfer all animals in their care to another person who is not in the same household within 90 days of the conviction. After two years, the person could apply to the sentencing court to have their right to possess an animal restored, unless the person was convicted of a subsequent violation.
STATUS: Died awaiting a hearing in Senate Government Committee.

BILL: HB2511
SPONSOR: Democratic Rep. Reginald Bolding of Phoenix
SUMMARY: The bill would have required all police officers in the state to wear a video camera while performing official duties likely to result in a criminal investigation or arrest.
The bill would have also established a seven-member Peace Officer Body Camera Study Committee to research the effectiveness and training of using peace officer body cameras and report its findings and recommendations to the governor and the Legislature.
STATUS: Died without receiving a committee assignment.

BILL: HB2048
SPONSOR: Republican Rep. Kelly Townsend of Mesa
SUMMARY: The bill would require recall elections to include a primary election. If there is only one candidate remaining for office after the recall primary, the recall general election would not be held and the winner of the recall primary is declared elected.
Currently, recall elections are held in one special election. Multiple candidates from the same party can run, and any voter can cast a vote. The unique structure of recall elections led to the ouster of former Senate President Russell Pearce when he was opposed by a fellow Republican whom independents and Democrats much preferred to Pearce. And Pearce’s supporters have been attempting to change the law to prevent a similar situation ever since.
STATUS: Died awaiting hearing in House Elections Committee.

BILL: HB2049
SPONSOR: Rep. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa
SUMMARY: The bill would prohibit a court, the Department of Juvenile Corrections, a foster parent or a child welfare agency from ordering or allowing a juvenile ward of the state or foster child to be subjected to medical or genetic experimentation, or from administering any medication that is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Doctors would also be prohibited from conducting medical or genetic experimentation on or administering any medication that is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
STATUS: Died awaiting a hearing in House Elections Committee.

BILL: HB2133
SPONSOR: Republican Rep. T.J. Shope of Coolidge
SUMMARY: The bill would have allowed county boards of supervisors to authorize a county to conduct a mail ballot election for all elections administered by that county, including elections for federal and state offices and measures, and elections for county, municipal, school district and special districts.
Counties that conduct mail ballot elections would be required to report specified information about the election to the Legislature by Jan. 1 of each year following a mail ballot election.
STATUS: Died awaiting a hearing in House Elections and Government and Higher Education committees.