Briefs
School notification bill could mean bullying for sex offender’s children, critics say
One proponent of a bill in the Arizona legislature that would require sex offenders to notify their child’s school of their sex offender status says that a parent’s right to know trump’s that child’s right not to be ostracized or bullied. The proposal, which was passed in the Senate 16-13, would require a registered sex […]
House passes bill aimed at speeding up search for missing foster kids
State legislators are taking action after teen girls Sitlalli Avelar and Kamryn Meyers, who reportedly ran away from a group home, were found dead in a Mesa water basin in late January. The state House of Representatives passed House Bill 2651, with a vote of 31-28 along party lines on March 1. The bill would […]
This International Women’s Day, U.S. anti-abortion laws violate human rights, groups say
Ahead of International Women’s Day, hundreds of U.S. and global human rights groups, doctors, and attorneys have asked the United Nations to intervene on behalf of the millions of women in the U.S. who have been left without access to legal abortion and vital forms of reproductive health care in the wake of last summer’s […]
GOP proposal that would make a fentanyl deaths first-degree murder moves forward
Fentanyl dealers linked to an overdose death could face the death penalty under a Republican proposal that critics say will also sweep up drug addicts and send them to death row. The legislation would expand the state’s first-degree murder statutes to include deaths by fentanyl if the drug is able to be traced back to […]
Mayes is suing Cochise County to stop it from giving the recorder full authority over elections
Attorney General Kris Mayes has filed a lawsuit against Cochise County, the members of its board of supervisors and its county recorder over a plan approved last month that gives the recorder full authority over all election matters. Mayes’ office and the Cochise county attorney had both warned the board that the move was legally […]
New proposal seeks to extend transition services for inmates
Arizona prisoners hoping to access a transition program that has sharply reduced recidivism would have longer to do so under a new proposal working its way through the state legislature. Currently, state law offers a transition program for eligible inmates, but only for 90 days. A GOP-backed proposal, House Bill 2615 would allow for a […]
$116M available for locally led conservation projects proposed by tribes, states
In an effort to fund locally led landscape-scale conservation and restoration projects, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced grant funding opportunities available through the 2023 America the Beautiful Challenge. “Through the America the Beautiful Challenge, we are catalyzing investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to pursue locally led, collaborative and inclusive approaches to […]
Arizona Republicans want to remove consequences for failing to strike a budget deal
Arizona Republicans want to change the state’s constitution to end the possibility of a government shutdown, a move that critics say would take away any consequences from GOP lawmakers for failing to work with a Democratic governor. The proposal would allow the previous year’s budget to automatically go into effect for the next 12 months […]
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples field hearing comes to AZ in May
As part of the U.S. departments of the Interior and Justice’s work to combat the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP), the Not Invisible Act Commission will be hosting its first round of field hearing sessions this spring. The hearings allow commission members to hear directly from Indigenous communities impacted by the MMIP […]
App aimed at helping schools deal with student mental health, threats
Arizona state legislators want to give school districts more options in dealing with student mental health issues, and threats to student safety. Introduced by Rep. Travis Grantham, a Republican from Gilbert, House Bill 2635 would allow school governing boards to purchase threat assessment apps to help them deal with these issues. Members of the Arizona […]
House Republicans pass bill that could codify fetal personhood
Arizona has moved one step closer to what critics say is a sneaky attempt to add fetal personhood into state law in a way that would avoid a federal court ruling that blocked a straightforward personhood law passed two years ago. Republican Rep. Matt Gress, of Phoenix, has introduced five pregnancy-related bills this year that […]
AZ Republican senators pass anti-trans school bathroom bill
Just three states bar transgender students from using bathrooms that best fit their gender identity — and Republican lawmakers want to make Arizona the fourth. The proposal would force schools to provide separate accommodations for students who are “unwilling or unable” to use a bathroom or locker room that matches their biological sex. Refusing to […]