Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/851305
SUMMER 2017 | ADVOCATE 9 at the capitol The Ugly The Arizona legislature can be a very frustrating place, especially for educators. There were three bills that took the cake as the ugliest part of the legislative session. SB1431 (empowerment scholarships; expansion; phase-in) will begin the expansion of the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) program also known as vouchers. The ESA program diverts money to private schools and will cost public schools approximately $24 million dollars in revenue annually. AEA strongly opposed the universal voucher expansion as it would be a signifi cant fi nancial hit to the general fund and negatively fi nancially impact public schools. The Arizona Chamber of Commerce led a strong response to the Prop 206 minimum wage campaign during the legislative session. They framed their attack against Arizona's ballot initiative process and pushed a package of bills that would make running a ballot measure essentially impossible. Fortunately, as we noted earlier, we were able to stop most of the bills, however they were able to pass two critical bills that make the initiative process more expensive and compliance rules more diffi cult. HB2404 (initiatives; circulators; signature collection; contests) requires signature gatherers be paid per hour, rather than per signature. This bill will increase the cost of getting a proposal on the ballot as productivity will decline. HB2244 (initiatives; standards of review) requires initiatives to strictly comply with petition rules making it easier knock of signatures in legal challenges, resulting in proposals not making it onto the ballot. Universal Voucher Expansion SB1431 (empowerment scholarships; expansion; phase-in) • Universal expansion of the state's private school voucher program, known as the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) that would phase-in over the next four years. Full expansion in 2020. • Stipulates a cap of 5,500 students per year over the next six years are eligible for the voucher program. • Changes defi nition of kindergarten to seven years old. Expands eligibility for ESAs until high school graduation or twenty-two years old for special needs students. Arizona Ballot Initiative Process HB2404 (initiatives; circulators; signature collection; contests) • Requires signature gatherers be paid per hour, rather than per signature increasing the cost of getting a proposal on the ballot. HB2244 (concealed weapons permit; electronic reports S/E: initiatives; standard of review) • Requires a strict compliance standard for initiative measures. BOAT PARADE M A Y 2