No Budget In Sight...

No budget in sight...no rumor of a budget at all...no whispers, NO NOTHING!

On a more positive note, the House did vote on and pass the Partial Birth Abortion Ban and the bill is now headed to the Governor.

We are working tomorrow...the first time in about two months that we will be meeting on a Thursday. I expect to hear details of the monstrous "job stimulus" package that bears the name of the Speaker, Andy Tobin and Michelle Reagan. I am relieved to say that this proposal is not being received enthusiastically by my colleagues so perhaps there is another reason for hope.

I am exhausted, a bit emotionally drained and completely embarassed about all of the garbage that makes up these late days of session. I will post more tomorrow but for now, I am turning off the computer and turning in to bed.

G'night.

House to Vote on Partial Birth Abortion Ban

UPDATE: No vote on the partial birth abortion ban today as we do not have the votes to pass the bill. Konopnicki and Brown are not on the floor and are needed for the bill's passage.

Today we head to the floor at 10:00 to vote on three bills including the Partial Birth Abortion ban that passed out of the Senate yesterday. I expect the bill to pass (it passed once in the House already and was changed only slightly in the Senate) and get transmitted to the Governor. Click on the title of this post to the details of the bill.

HB 2269 ~Prevents Nurses from Performing Abortions

NOTE: Click the above link and you will be taken to the summary of the bill. Now, notice the title of the bill refers to Behavioral Health Copying Fees but the language of the bill has been amended to reflect the subject discussed below. This is an example of a "striker" or a bill that has been amended with a "strike-everything" amendment. The old language of the bill is stricken and the new language added.


From Cathi Herrod, President of the Center for Arizona Policy:

Two weeks ago, I told you about a nurse practitioner who has been performing surgical abortions for Planned Parenthood. For months, the Board of Nursing has been reviewing the situation but failing to take any action.

This week, the Board of Nursing again looked at the matter, and many Board members expressed doubt that a surgical abortion is within a nurse’s scope of practice. Amazingly, the Board refused to intervene, allowing this nurse to continue to perform first and second trimester surgical abortions! State law does not authorize non-doctors to perform abortions, but, according to Planned Parenthood, this has been their regular practice for the past eight years. Because the Board of Nursing continues to delay and Planned Parenthood continues to defy the obvious implications of current law, Rep. Bob Stump proposed a bill (HB 2269) specifically prohibiting nurses from performing surgical abortions. The reaction from abortion advocates has been bordering on panic, as they struggle to find doctors willing to take the lives of preborn babies. This is a huge safety issue. If something goes wrong, women need a doctor, not a nurse. Abortion advocates claim to care about women’s health but oppose a reasonable bill like this one that will protect women from having a risky surgical procedure performed by a non-doctor.

HB 2269 passed through the House Rules Committee and the party caucuses and will be debated during COW on the House floor next week.

HB 2769 and SB 1099 ~ Ban on Partial-Birth Abortion

Both the Senate and House gave tentative approval to a state ban on partial-birth abortion last week. You can read more about the bill’s progress in the Arizona Daily Star. A final vote in both houses could happen as early as next week.

UPDATE: HB 2769 passed out of the House today (along party lines) and heads to the Senate to begin the process there.