Thank God it is Saturday afternoon!
I cannot describe how great it is to be vegging with my (World's Greatest) husband in front of the television, Tivo'd Friday Night Lights playing in the background, while I catch up on all of my blog reading & internet surfing.
This morning Frank & I attended the Lake Havasu Republican Forum. State Senator Ron Gould was there, petition in hand, talking about his proposed tax initiative (which I co-sponsored). Mohave County Public Defender Dana Hlavac spoke to a crowded room, explaining daily challenges he faces with case overloads and tight budget times, expounding on the dismal situation hinted at in the local media. Thank goodness the Mohave Board of Supervisors found additional funds to supplement the budget of the Public Defender's office. At the end of the forum, we took a poll on who we supported for the Presidential Primary; McCain won, then Romney followed by Huckabee.
Friday afternoon, on the way home to Lake Havasu from Phoenix I stopped in Parker to meet with Lori Wedemeyer, Parker Town Manager and several council members who graciously took time out of their day. It was a long-overdo face to face to discuss upcoming and alarming state budget cuts that have the potential to cripple cities and counties as the Legislature mulls raiding designated funds such as SLIF (State Lake Improvement Funds), HURF (Highway User Revenue Funds), and State Shared Revenue. I pledged to do all that I can to maintain the integrity of these funds though the battle will be bloody. The meeting ended with an invitation from the Parker officials to join in all of the activities slated to celebrate Parker's 100 Year Anniversary. There is a parade so you know we will be there...Frank loves driving and all of the free candy!
Before arriving at the homestead we stopped off at the Aquatic Center to cast our vote in the Presidential Preference Primary. As much as I am thankful for the opportunity to vote early, I will miss going to the polls on Tuesday, the day of the election. The privilege of voting, the tradition of of voting on election day, the freedom to vote...all make me rejoice...my heart sing. What an awesome place in which we live!
Tonight is a spaghetti fundraising dinner for one of the local schools so we are off to help the school by expanding our waistline. We are always ready to do our part when it comes to food! I am looking forward to seeing some familar faces, friends we dearly miss most January through June when session keeps us in Phoenix.
P.S.
Hello to my wonderful Gram in snowy Illinois, who reads this blog despite all of the dry political posts...hello, hello, I love and miss you!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Walker takes ELL program concerns to McLain, Groe
Last week I met with Page Unified School District superintendent Jim Walker, in addition to Superintendent Maurice Flores and Assistant Superintendent Betsy Parker from the Kingman Unified School District to listen to their concerns regarding the English Language Learner program and the costs to implement the program in their schools.
Last year the Legislature passed a bill (the Governor did not sign the bill but did allow it to go into law) that created an ELL task force, giving them instruction to create 4 ELL teaching models allowing school districts to choose the model to best fit each district in order to preserve local control. The bill also allowed the districts to design their own model and submit it for approval if preferred. Apparently the task force has designed only one model to date and this is not working. Wonder of all wonders. I appreciate the superintendents making the trip to Phoenix, coming forward and bringing this problem to my attention.
This next week I will be meeting with the House Majority Education Analyst, in addition to members of the Education Committee and representatives from the Department of Education in order to gather additional information on this issue and attempt to find out why the ELL task force did not comply with the instruction from the state legislature.
Last year the Legislature passed a bill (the Governor did not sign the bill but did allow it to go into law) that created an ELL task force, giving them instruction to create 4 ELL teaching models allowing school districts to choose the model to best fit each district in order to preserve local control. The bill also allowed the districts to design their own model and submit it for approval if preferred. Apparently the task force has designed only one model to date and this is not working. Wonder of all wonders. I appreciate the superintendents making the trip to Phoenix, coming forward and bringing this problem to my attention.
This next week I will be meeting with the House Majority Education Analyst, in addition to members of the Education Committee and representatives from the Department of Education in order to gather additional information on this issue and attempt to find out why the ELL task force did not comply with the instruction from the state legislature.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
HB2132 ~ Water Legislation ~ Committee Voting Next Week
Mohave County Water Authority proposed water legislation is schedule to be heard in the Water and Agriculture Committee next Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 9:30 am. Please go to http://www.blogger.com/www.azleg.gov to log on in support of this important piece of Colorado River water legislation sponsored by Representative Nancy McLain and myself.
THE UNFORTUNATE TRUTH
Robert Robb hits the nail on the head with his article in the Repugnant about the ugly truth of the budget process at the state capitol. Members of the House Appropriations Committee are being told that the FY08 budget cut negotiations are pretty much a done deal and we should now turn our focus to FY09. Representative Russell Pearce, Chairman of House Appropriations is fighting to bring the budget process back into the Appropriations, as he has every year but, in my opinion, faces an uphill battle. Pearce is not known to back down and with Approps members behind him perhaps leadership in both the House and Sentate will get the message.
HOOVER DAM BYPASS WEBSITE
I receieve many inquiries regarding the scheduled completion of the long-awaited Hoover Dam bypass and have found the Hoover Dam Bypass Website a useful source of a information from the construction schedule to answers to frequently asked questions. The site is updated often and I encourage you to visit, if only to view the photos documenting the construction progress.
CHILD WELFARE SYMPOSIUM
Thursday, February 28, 2008
11:30am to 2pm
Phoenix Airport Marriott,
1101 N 44th St in Phoenix (just north of 'the 202').
Tickets are just $25 and includes materials and a plated lunch.
Click here to register on-line <http://action.voiceshub.org/ct/NdeNJ-K1_zaA/> OR download a registration form <http://action.voiceshub.org/ct/M7eNJ-K1_zaS/> .
Approximately 32,000 children are enrolled in the state's behavorial health system and a majority of youth involved with the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections are diagnosed with severe emotional and mental health problems. The issue of behavorial health is a significant issue impacting Arizona's vulnerable children.
Please join us to learn more about Effective Strategies for Improving Children's Behavioral Health with Knute Rotto, CEO of Choices, Inc., a nationally recognized expert in the area of behavioral health.
11:30am to 2pm
Phoenix Airport Marriott,
1101 N 44th St in Phoenix (just north of 'the 202').
Tickets are just $25 and includes materials and a plated lunch.
Click here to register on-line <http://action.voiceshub.org/ct/NdeNJ-K1_zaA/> OR download a registration form <http://action.voiceshub.org/ct/M7eNJ-K1_zaS/> .
Approximately 32,000 children are enrolled in the state's behavorial health system and a majority of youth involved with the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections are diagnosed with severe emotional and mental health problems. The issue of behavorial health is a significant issue impacting Arizona's vulnerable children.
Please join us to learn more about Effective Strategies for Improving Children's Behavioral Health with Knute Rotto, CEO of Choices, Inc., a nationally recognized expert in the area of behavioral health.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
The Photo Radar Fiasco
589 photo radar tickets dismissed due to a malfunctioning sensor! This announcement comes as the Governor reveals that she plans to use additional photo radar cameras as a yearly 90 million dollar revenue generator.
What say you?
What say you?
Bill to Add "Teeth" to the Employer Sanctions Law
DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE BILL – EMPLOYMENT OF UNAUTHORIZED ALIENS
SUMMARY OF MAJOR PROVISIONS:
1. Criminal penalties added for document fraud in employment verification. Penalizes the giving, accepting or trafficking in fraudulent documents for employment verification (“I-9”) purposes to obtain or continue employment.
2. Treatment of “independent contractors” made consistent with federal law. Clarifies the treatment of independent contractors so it is the independent contractor (and not the person using the contract labor) who is liable unless the person using the contract labor knows the independent contractor employees are unauthorized aliens.
3. Definition of “employee” clarified. Clarifies the definition of “employee” to conform more closely to federal law by deleting the ambiguous phrase “employment relationship” and replacing it with “a person who provides services or labor for an employer in this state for wages or other remuneration.”
4. Mandatory investigation limited to written complaints only, but annoymous complaints are acceptable. Limits the requirement for mandatory investigations to those filed on a written complaint form prescribed by the Attorney General. The uniform complaint form cannot require notarization or the complainant’s social security number. Verbal complaints (including anonymous complaints) may, be investigated. The county sheriff or local law enforcement has authority to investigate complaints and assist the County Attorney's in each county. Also they have the 250 officers and resources of GIITEM to assist them if they request.
5. Anti-discrimination clause added. Prohibits the Attorney General or county attorney from investigating complaints based solely on race, color or national origin. (actually already clear in law)
6. Licensing sanctions more location-specific. Clarifies that the licensing sanction provisions apply to licenses held by the employer “specific to the business location where the unauthorized alien performed work.” In addition, the first and second violation provisions are clarified to ensure they are even more location-specific.
7. Drafting error corrected. Corrects the mistaken federal statutory reference in the I-9 affirmative defense section from 8 U.S.C. § 1324b to 8 U.S.C. § 1324a(b).
8. Affirmative defense for innocent mistakes in the I-9 process added for employers. Clarifies that an employer does not lose his affirmative defense if the employer has an “isolated, sporadic or accidental technical or procedural failure” to comply with the federal I-9 employment verification procedures, if made in a good faith attempt to comply with those requirements, that is to take care of honest mistakes as if forgetting to check a box.
9. Treble civil penalties added for employers who pay employees cash “under the table” illegally. Adds treble civil penalties for employers of two or more employees who pay hourly wages or salary by cash without complying with applicable income tax, employer recordkeeping, workers’ compensation and unemployment tax laws.
10. Government agencies prohibited from issuing or renewing licenses to applicants who are unauthorized aliens. Requires State, county and local agencies to verify that an applicant is lawfully present in the United States prior to issuing or renewing a license.
11. Other technical and minor changes made, including changing the title of the “Basic Pilot Program” to “E-Verify” to reflect the recent federal name change.
SUMMARY OF MAJOR PROVISIONS:
1. Criminal penalties added for document fraud in employment verification. Penalizes the giving, accepting or trafficking in fraudulent documents for employment verification (“I-9”) purposes to obtain or continue employment.
2. Treatment of “independent contractors” made consistent with federal law. Clarifies the treatment of independent contractors so it is the independent contractor (and not the person using the contract labor) who is liable unless the person using the contract labor knows the independent contractor employees are unauthorized aliens.
3. Definition of “employee” clarified. Clarifies the definition of “employee” to conform more closely to federal law by deleting the ambiguous phrase “employment relationship” and replacing it with “a person who provides services or labor for an employer in this state for wages or other remuneration.”
4. Mandatory investigation limited to written complaints only, but annoymous complaints are acceptable. Limits the requirement for mandatory investigations to those filed on a written complaint form prescribed by the Attorney General. The uniform complaint form cannot require notarization or the complainant’s social security number. Verbal complaints (including anonymous complaints) may, be investigated. The county sheriff or local law enforcement has authority to investigate complaints and assist the County Attorney's in each county. Also they have the 250 officers and resources of GIITEM to assist them if they request.
5. Anti-discrimination clause added. Prohibits the Attorney General or county attorney from investigating complaints based solely on race, color or national origin. (actually already clear in law)
6. Licensing sanctions more location-specific. Clarifies that the licensing sanction provisions apply to licenses held by the employer “specific to the business location where the unauthorized alien performed work.” In addition, the first and second violation provisions are clarified to ensure they are even more location-specific.
7. Drafting error corrected. Corrects the mistaken federal statutory reference in the I-9 affirmative defense section from 8 U.S.C. § 1324b to 8 U.S.C. § 1324a(b).
8. Affirmative defense for innocent mistakes in the I-9 process added for employers. Clarifies that an employer does not lose his affirmative defense if the employer has an “isolated, sporadic or accidental technical or procedural failure” to comply with the federal I-9 employment verification procedures, if made in a good faith attempt to comply with those requirements, that is to take care of honest mistakes as if forgetting to check a box.
9. Treble civil penalties added for employers who pay employees cash “under the table” illegally. Adds treble civil penalties for employers of two or more employees who pay hourly wages or salary by cash without complying with applicable income tax, employer recordkeeping, workers’ compensation and unemployment tax laws.
10. Government agencies prohibited from issuing or renewing licenses to applicants who are unauthorized aliens. Requires State, county and local agencies to verify that an applicant is lawfully present in the United States prior to issuing or renewing a license.
11. Other technical and minor changes made, including changing the title of the “Basic Pilot Program” to “E-Verify” to reflect the recent federal name change.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
District II Lincoln Day Dinner Update
Mohave County Republican Committee
District II Lincoln Day Dinner
Saturday, February 9th
Laughlin Ranch
Bullhead City, Arzona
6:00 ~ Cocktails
6:30 ~ Dinner
Tickets $35.00 per person
Keynote Speaker:
Arizona State Representative Kirk Adams
For information on Rep. Kirk Adams click on the link below.
Monday, January 28, 2008
How to Track a Bill
Howard Fischer has a decent article in the East Valley Tribune on how to track a bill through the legislative process using the legislative website at http://www.azleg.gov/
Constituent Mail
I love hearing from my constituents and make it a practice to read and answer emails that are sent to my legislative email address from the folks in District III. (Form emails, up to 400 at a time clogging my inbox, go unanswered.) Most emails contain requests for assistance and I am glad to help if I can and if I cannot, I try to provide the name and number of someone who can. Many emails contain comments and perspective on a particular bill that assist me in shaping an opinion on that proposed legislation. And then there are some like this....
The United States is a socialist country and uses national socialism through a 2 way lobotomy (low band width programmer) bug in planted secretly after birth in the forehead sinus cavity to provide for profiled pacification and the direct control needed to run all of the activity used to drive the agendas of the political parties plus the control is used to psychologically condition the citizens so it’s effects cannot be undone while their educations are crippled to deny them the ability to defend themselves or retaliate outside of the pre-set stages of the government used to control damage so that a new approach can be used.
The United States is a socialist country and uses national socialism through a 2 way lobotomy (low band width programmer) bug in planted secretly after birth in the forehead sinus cavity to provide for profiled pacification and the direct control needed to run all of the activity used to drive the agendas of the political parties plus the control is used to psychologically condition the citizens so it’s effects cannot be undone while their educations are crippled to deny them the ability to defend themselves or retaliate outside of the pre-set stages of the government used to control damage so that a new approach can be used.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
