By Daniel Stefanski |
A bill to prevent human-initiated roadblocks in Arizona was vetoed by the state’s Democrat governor.
Last week, Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed SB 1073, which would have “expand[ed] the criminal classification of obstructing a highway or other public thoroughfare to make it unlawful for a person, having no legal privilege to do so and after receiving a verbal warning to desist, to intentionally interfere with passage on: 1) any roadway in or leading to an airport; or 2) a highway, bridge or tunnel currently holding 25 or more vehicles or people” – according to the purpose statement from the Arizona Senate.
In her veto letter to Senate President Warren Petersen, Hobbs wrote, “Recognizing the sanctity of constitutionally protected rights, it is critical that we approach these matters with precision to avoid infringing on Arizonans’ freedoms.”
Before the governor’s action, Senator John Kavanagh, the sponsor of the bill, had issued a statement after the Arizona Legislature gave his proposal a bipartisan stamp of approval. He said, “The current political climate, locally and around the world, has provoked a rise in unruly protests, and it’s important to put safeguards in place to prevent these protests from causing harm to our citizens. A few months ago, a group of protestors blocked the westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge heading into San Francisco for four hours. Trapping drivers in their vehicles for this long can have potentially deadly consequences. There were multiple vehicles carrying organs that were supposed to be going to a place for a transplant. Somebody could have encountered a medical emergency during that time with no way of getting to a hospital. And although not a life and death situation, there were no restrooms for hundreds of drivers and passengers.”
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from the Arizona Police Association endorsed the legislation; while representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, Arizona National Organization for Women, State Conference NAACP, and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona indicated their opposition to the bill.
SB 1073 passed the State Senate with a 16-13 vote (with one member not voting). The bill received a 36-19 bipartisan result in the State House (with four members not voting and one seat vacant).
When the bill was being considered in the Arizona House Judiciary Committee, Democrat State Representative Analise Ortiz said, “Passing bills like this will give prosecutors more power to come after people because of their political speech. This is terrifying.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
