CEBV Weekly: February 17, 2025

We’re approaching the last chance for a bill to advance before legislative deadlines pronounce it dead for the session — in other words, the last chance for lawmakers to get their ideas heard.1 This inevitably leads to a flurry of activity as politicians race to beat the deadline, leading to long agendas and even longer hearings.

It's critical that we speak up now. These ideas will almost certainly survive this deadline, but public input can make or break their chances to become law — or to earn a veto stamp.

It’s no secret that water goes hand in hand with our ability to exist in this desert environment we call home: this is why CEBV chose to make water one of our four main issues for 2025. This week, the most important water bill moving at the Legislature is one that focuses on converting farmland to housing, purporting to preserve our groundwater and address our housing crisis all in one swoop. The question, of course, is whether it does what it promises.

Proponents of this idea, including TJ Shope (R-16), advanced last year’s bill without the necessary data such as how much water was available and where it could be used. Once an official analysis from ADWR was available, it showed the bill’s benefits were overstated, and that in some cases it would actually harm aquifers, not help them. Developers and agricultural interests backed the bill, environmental groups and indigenous tribes opposed, and it ended up earning a veto stamp. But the idea is back: SB1611 once again proposes to let farmers sell land to homebuilders and keep groundwater pumping rights for up to 425,000 acres of irrigated farmland in place.

Lawmakers would do well to heed the warning of Kyl Center for Water Policy expert Sarah Porter, who warns, “It took thousands of years for the water to get there, and humans have figured out ways of withdrawing the water a lot faster than it replenishes… There are formulations that don’t, over the long term, protect the aquifer.” The Sierra Club calculates that the pumping rate in this bill is very high. Last year’s bill wrapped in lands that don’t actually use groundwater, which would have led to increased pumping and worsened our water crisis. This year’s bill appears to be more of the same. Based on last year’s analysis, the bill should be limited to the Phoenix AMA — but it isn’t.

SB1611 will be heard in the Senate Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday. Use RTS to OPPOSE.

The march toward a ridiculously long 2026 ballot continues! This week, our state lawmakers are advancing another rash of ballot referrals that range from unnecessary to harmful:

• SCR1006 (Gowan, R-19), to remove voter approval of state trust land exchanges, making it easier for big corporations to drain our groundwater or rivers
• SCR1020 (Finchem, R-1), to dump our current judicial retention process, and instead elect superior court judges in odd-numbered years when turnout is lower
• SCR1028 (Bolick, R-2), to require school district bond measures to get a 60% supermajority to pass
• SCR1030 (Mesnard, R-13), to require the state legislature to enact laws ensuring that at least 95% of votes cast in a general election are tallied within one day after Election Day — which has never before happened and which would prioritize speed over accuracy
• SCR1032 (Mesnard, R-13), to allow the state land trust to provide guaranteed financing for charter schools, some of which have made a tremendous profit
• HCR2015 (Fink, R-27), to let the legislature direct federal funding however they wish (i.e., to vouchers) if Trump dissolves the Department of Education and turns the money into block grants
• HCR2055 (Montenegro, R-29), to declare that drug cartels are terrorist organizations

Use Request to Speak to oppose the above bills, then contact your lawmakers (your representatives for House bills, your senator for Senate bills) to tell them what you think. More details and talking points are available in the Bills section below; just search the bill number.

Amid all this nonsense, there is one we’d actually like to see advance: HCR2053 (Nguyen, R-1) would end legislative immunity for lawmakers who break traffic laws. These people are politicians, not gods. If they are pulled over for speeding, they should be subject to the penalties, not (as one columnist says) “untethered from the speeding laws that apply to the rest of us regular schmucks.”

This week, you’ll see the word “striker” over and over in this Weekly. When you do your RTS, you’ll see short titles that probably won’t seem related to the idea you want to weigh in on, probably starting with the words “technical correction.”

Why so many strikers? Also called “strike-everything amendments,” these are the legislative version of blowing out eggs. These gut-and-replace amendments introduce new ideas (or revive old ones) which don't even have to be related to the original bill.

And what’s with the “technical corrections”? The bill introduction deadline has passed, so lawmakers are using them as vehicles for their new ideas. Any bill labeled “technical correction” was always intended as an empty shell, just waiting to be filled.

⏰ If you have 5 minutes: Use Request to Speak to OPPOSE SB1611, this year’s “ag to urban” bill. See the Water Future section or search the bill number for details and talking points to refer to when making your comments to lawmakers.

⏰⏰ If you have 15 minutes: Also use Request to Speak on the ballot referrals in committees this week. Refer to the information, links and talking points in this Weekly to craft your own comments to lawmakers.

⏰⏰⏰ If you have 45 minutes: Also use Request to Speak on the other bills in committees this week.

⏰⏰⏰⏰ If you have 60 minutes: Join us on Zoom for our next CEBV Happy Hour conversation and an informative state legislative rundown. This week, our special guest is Kimber Lanning from Local First Arizona, to discuss ways we can consider our civic engagement when spending our money. Happy Hour meets every Sunday at 4 PM through the end of legislative session. Sign up in advance here.

Democracy

SB1001, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would require voters to drop off their early ballots by the Friday before Election Day. This would void voters' ability to use drop boxes the weekend before the election or to drop ballots off on Election Day unless we stood in line and showed ID. Hundreds of thousands of voters would have to wait in long lines to cast our ballots, decreasing voter turnout and engagement; in November 2024, Maricopa County alone saw over 225,000 ballots dropped off across 240 voting locations. Gov. Hobbs vetoed an identical bill in 2023. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SB1098, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would require voters to show ID in order to drop off their early ballots. Anyone delivering ballots for a family or household member would have to provide ID and attest to their relationship with the voter. Violations would be a jaw-dropping class 5 felony, with penalties of up to 2.5 years in prison for a first offense. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SB1375, sponsored by Mark Finchem (R-1), would force county recorders to let anyone download voter registration rolls for free. Creating public, no-cost access of voter rolls enables spam and harassment, and allows bad actors to easily generate fake purge lists. This threatens the integrity of our elections. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SB1455, sponsored by David Farnsworth (R-10), would ban any elections official running for re-election from performing election-related duties — in effect prohibiting them from doing the job taxpayers elected them to do. This is driven by the same election disinformation that created buzz around then-AZ Secretary of State Hobbs for certifying the 2022 gubernatorial election, a scenario that will likely repeat with now-Secretary Fontes certifying the 2026 election. Ridiculously, the bill exempts precinct committee people. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SB1534, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would allow for more partisan ballot language, transferring the responsibility for preparing the summary of ballot initiatives and referenda from the Secretary of State to the Legislative Council and removing the requirement for the Attorney General to approve the summaries. This is yet another effort to curtail the citizens' initiative and referendum process granted by our state constitution. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SB1541, sponsored by Frank Carroll (R-28), would set up a 10-year expiration date for voting by mail. The bill requires county recorders to notify voters that they must confirm in order to remain on the early voting list, and to remove voters who fail to respond within 30 days. Patently undemocratic. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SB1560, sponsored by Vince Leach (R-17), would require referendum signature campaigns to adhere to strict compliance requirements, making it vastly more difficult for them to succeed. The sponsor has a long history of attacks on direct democracy. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SCR1016, sponsored by Lauren Kuby (D-8) would ask voters to rename the Arizona Corporation Commission as the Arizona Public Utility and Corporation Commission. (The name is in the Constitution, and so can’t be changed without voter approval.) The commission is probably best known for its role in determining what Arizonans will pay in utility rates and is charged with holding power companies like APS, TEP and Southwest Gas accountable. The sponsor says she hopes that adding the phrase “public utility” to the name of the commission will lead to an increase in voters’ awareness of its significance to their daily lives. Scheduled for Senate Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee, Tuesday. SUPPORT.

SCR1020, sponsored by Mark Finchem (R-1), asks voters to amend the Arizona Constitution to get rid of our current judicial retention and appointment process, and to instead require superior court judges to be elected in odd-numbered years when turnout is lower. Our retention process is critical; it keeps judges accountable. The extreme right has been scheming to eliminate Arizona’s judicial elections since voters unseated 3 judges in 2022. Last year’s legislative ballot referral to eliminate judicial retention failed by nearly 4-to-1 margins. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SCR1030, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would ask voters to amend the Arizona Constitution to require the state legislature to enact laws ensuring that at least 95% of votes cast in a general election are tallied within one day after Election Day. This has never happened and would require massive changes to our elections, likely prioritizing speed over accuracy and disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of voters. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

HB2631, sponsored by Alexander Kolodin (R-3), would take oversight of the Election Procedures Manual away from the Attorney General (currently a Democrat) and give it to the House and Senate Elections committee chairs (currently Republicans). The legislature and state Republican Party have been demanding control of the manual in court, to mixed results. This power grab would give them exactly what they want, and voters would suffer for it. Scheduled for House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

HB2796, sponsored by Alexander Kolodin (R-3), would create the new legal category of “politically engaged individuals,” and require the Attorney General and all county attorneys to review criminal charges against them for approval before filing any charges. This incredibly broad category would include elected officials, candidates, advocacy groups and their affiliates, and precinct committee people — whether current or former. Prosecutors would have to prove they were unaware of the defendant’s political engagement at the time they filed the charges. Just ridiculous. Scheduled for House Judiciary Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

If HB2796 passes, the CEBV team will get extra protection from criminal charges for life. But we don’t want it to. Toss us a few bucks for our legal defense fund:

HCR2053, sponsored by Quang Nguyen (R-1), would ask voters to end legislative immunity for lawmakers who break traffic laws. The bill comes on the heels of efforts by multiple state lawmakers (including the sponsor’s seat mate) to claim immunity when stopped for speeding. Lawmakers are not gods; if they are pulled over for speeding, they should be subject to the same penalties as the rest of us. Scheduled for House Judiciary Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT.

HCR2055, sponsored by Steve Montenegro (R-29), would ask voters to declare that drug cartels are terrorist organizations, a do-nothing bill that would clutter up our ballot for no good reason. The sponsor also introduced the same bill (which failed to pass) last year. Scheduled for House Judiciary Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

Education

SB1097, sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-15), would require public district schools to be closed on every regular primary and general election day, and to provide their gymnasiums for use as polling places upon request. Whether schools offer their space for elections should be left up to local control. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SB1226, sponsored by Shawnna Bolick (R-2), is a copy of a vetoed bill from last year that would require district and charter school boards to restrict student access to the internet and to limit students’ use of phones during the school day to only for educational purposes or during an emergency, including during meals, passing periods and recess. This is a national trend that is already being handled on the local level. Schools should be allowed to set their own policies and not struggle under top-down legislative mandates. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SB1298, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would expand Arizona's existing religious property tax exemption to also exempt religious schools. Scheduled for Senate Finance Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1693, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would mandate that students at private schools or who use ESA vouchers must be allowed to try out for interscholastic activities at public schools. Athletics should be something parents consider when choosing a school for their student. When parents opt out of local schools, they opt out of extracurriculars. ESA vouchers already siphon dollars away from local public schools; it is unreasonable to require them to cover non-attendees’ costs for extracurriculars. This bill places an unreasonable burden on public schools, who would be required to include voucher students even though they've chosen to go to school elsewhere. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SB1694, sponsored by David Farnsworth (R-10), would ban Arizona universities from receiving state funds in any fiscal year in which they offer "courses on diversity, equity, and inclusion." These frameworks seek to promote fair treatment of all people, particularly groups that have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimination. This bill not only pretends our differences don’t exist, but would hamstring the ability of our state universities to provide a competitive education compared to other states that have no such asinine requirement. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SCR1028, sponsored by Shawnna Bolick (R-2), would ask voters to amend the Arizona Constitution to require school district bond measures receive at least 60% voter approval instead of a simple majority. In effect, this measure could stop school districts from ever passing desperately needed bonds again. “It puts the minority of the community in charge, because if a minority of the people vote against it, it doesn’t pass,” said school funding expert Chuck Essigs, who also pointed out that voters don't elect the Legislature this way. The bill is part of a concerted effort by some politicians to reduce citizens’ power to enact policy at the ballot. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SCR1032, sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would ask voters to allow the Arizona State School Fund (the state land trust from which Prop 123 monies flow) to provide guaranteed financing for district and charter schools, including bonds, overrides and capital financing. We question why taxpayers should guarantee loans for for-profit charter schools; some have made a tremendous profit. This change could put the land trust's current ability to fund schools at risk; it also would clutter the ballot. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

HB2058, sponsored by Lisa Fink (R-27), is subject to a striker that would extend Arizona’s “personal belief” vaccination exemption to students at Arizona’s publicly funded universities and community colleges. Students could exempt themselves from vaccine requirements simply by submitting a signed statement to the school. Arizona already has one of the highest vaccine exemption rates in the nation. Will Humble of the Arizona Public Health Association says it’s one of the worst rates in the country and that “it means that Arizona school kids are no longer protected.” Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

HB2191, sponsored by David Livingston (R-28), is a copy of a failed bill from 2024 that would adjust zoning restrictions to allow churches to build housing on their property. This is part of ALEC’s 2025 policy push to enable the wide-scale building of religious microschools across the US. Scheduled for House Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

HB2700, sponsored by Teresa Martinez (R-16), would insert "a specific focus on the Gulf of America" into the state high school social studies standards for graduation. Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

HB2725, sponsored by Chris Lopez (R-16), would force public schools to notify parents if their child does not recite the Pledge of Allegiance during the time set aside for it each day. This punitive and cruel bill would stigmatize kids and would be incredibly difficult to enforce as a teacher. One teacher commented, "Do they really expect me to monitor all 35 students every day to see if they're saying it?" Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

HB2814, sponsored by Lisa Fink (R-27), would let the legislature direct federal funding however they wish if Trump dissolves the Department of Education and turns the money into block grants to states for them to spend as they please, with no strings attached. This could allow Arizona to redirect federal funds meant for high-need kids to private school vouchers for the wealthy, with no strings attached. See HCR2015. Scheduled for House Appropriations Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

HB2867, sponsored by Michael Way (R-15), would ban public schools from teaching, promoting, funding or training students in antisemitic conduct. Students and parents would be allowed to sue for damages. The bill requires the Arizona Department of Education to investigate all complaints and impose disciplinary actions up to revocation of teaching certifications. The bill does not define "antisemitism," but does say it creates "a hostile educational environment" — this is often coded language for avoiding any discussion that deals with thought-provoking or difficult subjects. Incredibly, the bill also bans "requiring a student to advocate for or against a specific topic or point of view to receive credit," which is core to many social studies and English standards and is necessary to properly develop critical thinking skills. Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

HB2880, sponsored by Alma Hernandez (D-20), would ban “unauthorized encampments” on university and community college campuses. Universities have long been a place for student protests; nowadays is no exception. School administrators can choose to impose time, place and manner restrictions on protests, but lawmakers shouldn’t target encampments just because they dislike pro-Palestinian views. Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

HCR2003, sponsored by Matt Gress (R-4), would waive Arizona’s archaic school spending cap for next school year (2025-26), averting teacher layoffs, program cuts and school closures. Without a waiver, the public district schools which serve 70% of the state’s schoolchildren would be legally unable to spend $1.4 billion in funds the Legislature has already allocated to them, and would have to cut spending by nearly 20% across the board. The bill requires a two-thirds supermajority vote. Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. SUPPORT.

HCR2015, sponsored by Lisa Fink (R-27), would ask voters to amend the Arizona Constitution to let the legislature direct federal funding however they wish if Trump dissolves the Department of Education and turns the money into block grants to states for them to spend as they please, with no strings attached. This could allow the state to freely redistribute Title I and IDEA funds to private school vouchers. As a ballot referral, this would circumvent the governor's veto. See HB2814. Scheduled for House Appropriations Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

LGBTQ+

SB1584, sponsored by Janae Shamp (R-29), bans public schools from implementing hiring policies based on factors other than "merit" as part of the MAGA attack on diversity, equity and inclusion. The bill allows individuals to sue, which would lead to endless frivolous claims of “reverse racism.” Scheduled for Senate Regulatory Affairs & Government Reform, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SB1586, sponsored by Janae Shamp (R-29), would force health care professionals to pay the medical costs for minors who want a “gender detransition” to “reclaim their God-given gender” within 25 years of a procedure. The bill also enables civil lawsuits against providers for damages, including medical costs, pain and suffering, and loss of income. Similar to a vetoed bill from last year which Shamp based on her belief that “political ideology” is driving gender-affirming care. The bill, which does not define the term “gender transition,” is designed to harass providers with fear-mongering about future “liability” and to throw up unnecessary obstacles for transgender people getting the same types of care that cisgender people do. Scheduled for Senate Regulatory Affairs & Government Reform, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

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Water

We’ve done our best to cover this topic in plain language, but there’s no getting around some of the technical terms. For background, we recommend The Water Agenda, a new weekly newsletter from the folks at the Arizona Agenda. Here’s the most recent issue. We also recommend Beau Hodai’s excellent 3-part series in the Cochise Regional News about how Rep. Gail Griffin has for years stonewalled effective water management in Arizona.

SB1150 and SCR1006, sponsored by David Gowan (R-19), would remove voter approval of state trust land exchanges. Voter approval is a check against backroom deals that might, for example, drain our groundwater or rivers. Scheduled for Senate Natural Resources Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

SB1236, sponsored by Warren Petersen (R-14), is subject to a striker that allows for the storage of storm water to be used for replenishment credits. This gives people credit for water that generally would be recharged anyway; it would likely result in a net increase in pumping. Scheduled for Senate Natural Resources Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

SB1278, sponsored by Mark Finchem (R-1), is subject to a striker to create a brand-new Department and Commission on Natural Resources, which would be allowed oversight of any permit issued by any other agency related to resource extraction. This could gut quite a few existing water protections. Scheduled for Senate Federalism Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.

SB1304, sponsored by TJ Shope (R-16), weakens assured water supply requirements by allowing the Arizona Department of Water Resources to designate portions of cities or towns within active management areas as having an assured water supply if the director thinks the area is simply making sufficient progress toward that goal. Scheduled for Senate Natural Resources Committee, Tuesday (HELD 2/11). OPPOSE.

SB1393, sponsored by TJ Shope (R-16), is subject to a striker that would allow some water providers to get out of having to replenish groundwater. This would drive unsustainable development and accelerate Arizona’s water demise. Scheduled for Senate Natural Resources Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

SB1518, sponsored by Tim Dunn (R-25), would allow irrigated grandfather rights in a subsequent active management area like Douglas or Willcox to be sold or transferred, leading to more groundwater pumping. Like many other rural basins, Douglas relies solely on groundwater. It pumps out 3 times as much water as it returns to the basin, and its prospects for finding additional water resources are slim. Increasing pumping in this area is a recipe for disaster. Scheduled for Senate Natural Resources Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

SB1520, sponsored by Tim Dunn (R-25), is subject to a striker that would establish weak Basin Management areas in Gila Bend, Willcox and Hualapai Valley. The bill caps the reduction in groundwater pumping at 1% annually, far below what is needed to stabilize these aquifers; Willcox, for example, has 3.5 times more water going out than coming in. Scheduled for Senate Natural Resources Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

SB1593, sponsored by Wendy Rogers (R-7), would allow anyone to sue to invalidate any city or county measures that include an emergency clause. This is likely residual MAGA whining over cities’ pandemic responses; it would add bureaucratic red tape and delay emergency response for wildfires, floods and more. Scheduled for Senate Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.

SB1611, sponsored by TJ Shope (R-16), is the “ag-to-urban” bill that lets farmers sell land to developers and keep groundwater pumping rights in place for over 425,000 acres of irrigated farmland. In theory, converting agricultural lands to homes could provide overall water savings within AMAs like Phoenix, where groundwater cannot meet demand over the next 100 years. But the Sierra Club calculates that the pumping rate in this bill is very high. Last year’s bill affected lands not actually using groundwater, which would have led to increased pumping and worsened our water crisis (Hobbs vetoed it). This appears to be more of the same; based on last year’s analysis, the idea should be limited to the Phoenix AMA, but it isn’t. Scheduled for Senate Natural Resources Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

HB2059, sponsored by Lisa Fink (R-27), would ban Arizona, its cities and counties, and all its employees from enforcing the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act. Scheduled for House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

HB2574, sponsored by Gail Griffin (R-19), allows counties to approve small subdivisions of 6-10 lots each 2+ acres in size, thus circumventing existing assured water supply requirements. This undoubtedly benefits the developers of so-called “wildcat” subdivisions, who split large parcels of land into smaller chunks and sell hundreds of those chunks off one by one, skirting the requirement to ensure a long-term water supply. Scheduled for House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.

Need help? We’ll offer our RTS 101 training this Monday night. That link and so many others are available on our Linktree:

2025 Session Timeline

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFriday, 2/21 Last day for a bill to get out of committees in its originating house
Monday, 2/24 Crossover Week begins (most committee hearings are suspended)
Friday, 3/28 Last day for a bill to get out of committees in its crossover house
(and the last day to use RTS until a budget drops)
Tuesday, 4/22 100th Day of Session (the stated end goal; can be changed)
Monday, 6/30 Last day to pass a constitutionally mandated state budget

Flag this handy list of contact info, committee chairs and assignments, freshly updated for 2025.

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