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AZ Republicans hope to expand religious exemption protections
Businesses in Arizona would be fined if they deny their employees religious exemptions for the flu vaccine and any vaccine with emergency authorization under a GOP proposal on its way to the governor’s desk. State law already allows employees to refuse the COVID-19 vaccine based on religious beliefs. But Senate Bill 1250, sponsored by a […]
Teachers union calls on lawmakers to invest $2.2 billion in Arizona schools
Arizona is ranked one of the worst states for school spending, and teachers are urging lawmakers to rectify that through increased funding, unveiling a $2.2 billion “Educators’ Budget” on Wednesday. Compiled by the state’s largest teacher’s union, the Arizona Education Association, it includes more money for teacher salaries, health care plans, special education, school repairs […]
Lawmakers seek to add autism, PTSD to list of medical-marijuana eligible conditions
Arizonans with autism and post-traumatic stress disorder could add marijuana to their medical toolkit under a proposal that expands who can access the drug. Currently, people with severe medical conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease or seizures can apply for a medical marijuana card. While adult recreational use is legal in the Grand Canyon state […]
Senate Republicans agree to ban books with gender fluidity, pronouns
Last year, a record wave of book bans swept across the country when the GOP moved its culture war into school libraries, and Arizona Republicans this year are pushing to expand on that by outlawing books that “promote” gender fluidity or pronouns. To do so, they want to give parents the power to request the […]
Far-right Republicans denounce push for ranked-choice voting in Arizona
With Arizona set to see a ballot initiative in 2024 to implement ranked-choice voting across the state, Republicans at the legislature sounded the alarm on Wednesday, saying the voting style is wrong for the Grand Canyon State. “Ranked-choice voting is a proven scam to further destroy integrity in our elections,” warned Rep. Austin Smith during […]
Teachers rally against complaint hotline, call for its end
Dozens of teachers took to the street on Wednesday afternoon to demand that the state superintendent’s newly established parental complaint hotline be dismantled. Two banners were held up at the front of the crowd as it marched down 16th Avenue toward the Department of Education’s building, one expressing support for educators and the other asking […]
GOP state leaders win permission to defend abortion law in court
Republican legislative leaders have been given the go-ahead by a federal judge to defend a 2021 abortion law in court after the attorney general said she wouldn’t. In early February, Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma filed a request to intervene in an ongoing challenge against the law, arguing that newly elected […]
Kris Mayes and 22 other attorneys general defend DACA
More than 30,000 Arizonans are DACA recipients, and Attorney General Kris Mayes joined nearly two dozen other states last week in defending the program on their behalf. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, commonly referred to as DACA, is a federal policy that shields eligible recipients from deportation and affords them a work permit. The policy […]
GOP lawmakers fight schools at the Capitol and local board meetings
It’s 6:30 p.m. on a school night, and a normally quiet residential street in Glendale is crowded with protestors, loudspeakers and angry shouts. On the afternoon of March 9, residents from across the Valley descended on Washington Elementary School District’s office to express their support or outrage with the board’s refusal to renew a contract […]
Teachers could go to prison for recommending ‘sexually explicit’ books under GOP proposal
Republican lawmakers want to put Arizona teachers behind bars if they so much as recommend a book to students that is considered too “sexually explicit.” On Thursday, Senate Republicans advanced a measure punishing teachers who “refer students to or use sexually explicit” materials with a class 5 felony, which carries with it a prison sentence […]
Flagstaff issues resolution to support abortion access, asks lawmakers to repeal anti-abortion laws
Flagstaff is now the third Arizona city to pass a resolution in support of abortion access, in protest of statewide restrictions. The city council voted March 7 to approve a resolution denouncing the Arizona Legislature’s anti-abortion laws and opposing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned the constitutional […]
Anti-drag bills win unanimous approval from Senate GOP
Teachers who play movies like Mulan or Mrs. Doubtfire in class would jeopardize their school’s funding, under a proposal Senate Republicans on Thursday sold as protecting children from the dangers of drag shows. “I don’t think government money should be spent to confuse and disturb children,” said Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, who sponsored the […]