Catching Up

• Budget talks are still ongoing. Our group of Republican legislators meeting daily at JLBC is growing. Progress on finding responsible solutions to the $1.8 Billion dollar budget shortfall is slow going but at least progress is being made. I am unable to share the details at this point and frankly, it would be premature as nothing is set in stone, despite any apparent concensus by group members.

• The Governor vetoed HB 2395, a bill would have imposed tougher mandates and penalties against drunk boaters and drivers, but also halved to six months the requirement that first-time DUI offenders use ignition interlocks for a year. This bill contained important provisions such as: 1) a fix to a conflict in state law regarding jail time for people convicted of extreme DUI so that they must serve 30-day sentences, 2) required that first-time offenders convicted of operating a boat while intoxicated must generally serve 10 consecutive days in jail, 3) expanded circumstances in which a drunken driver's license is suspended for 90 days after a fatal accident.

Personally, I was very conflicted on this bill...MADD opposed this legislation because of the reduction of time required for the interlock device but like my colleagues, I agree of the importance of the remaining provisions. This one bill was a combination of three original bills; unfortunately the three bills were combined. Because the conflict in the statute will remain due to the Governor's veto, we will take up this issue again next session. Perhaps next year we will get this right.

• Tomorrow the House will vote on SB1450, the bill that basically gives taxing authority to a private corporation. On a voice vote today, the House agreed to let the developers create a special taxing district. In essence, SB1450 would give the board of this district one of the key powers of a city: impose sales taxes to finance construction of the park in Eloy...a horrible idea I oppose. Read about this further in my next post.