A surprisingly controversial bill from 2023 cleared its first hurdle this week at the Arizona Legislature.
On Wednesday, HB 2042 (“The Tamale Bill”), sponsored by Representative Travis Grantham, passed the House Regulatory Affairs Committee with a 6-0 vote. According to the overview from the Arizona House, this bill would “expand the foods that meet the exemption for cottage food products if requirements are met, and establish program guidelines and requirements.”
The Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS) oversees the cottage food program. Its website states this program “allows individuals to make homemade products that are neither potentially hazardous nor Time or Temperature Control for Safety Foods, and offer them for commercial sale.” According to AZDHS, the law was amended twice – once in 2011 and another in 2018. The 2011 change “allow[ed] residents to produce non-potentially hazardous baked and confectionery products in their homes and offer them for commercial sale within the state.”
In a statement to AZ Free News, Grantham said, “I’m glad it passed committee unanimously and I hope the governor will sign it into law this time.”
Grantham’s reference to the governor’s future action harkens back to the 2023 legislative session, when Katie Hobbs vetoed the bill after overwhelmingly bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. In her April 18th veto letter to Speaker Ben Toma, Hobbs gave several reasons for her decision, including that the proposal “would significantly increase the risk of food-borne illness by expanding the ability of cottage food vendors to sell high-risk goods.” After the governor’s veto, the Arizona State Legislature attempted to override the action, but fell five votes short in the House of Representatives.
The President of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL), Nellie Pou, wrote a letter to Senate President Warren Petersen and Speaker Toma after Hobbs’ decision last year, supporting the “efforts to override the Governor’s veto.” Pou expressed disappointment in Hobbs’ veto, writing, “By signing this bill, the Governor had an opportunity to support the Hispanic community and personal freedom that should be accessible to everyone. Our community should not fear legal repercussions for selling their homemade foods.”
Democrat State Representative Alma Hernandez also made clear her disappointment over the spring 2023 veto. Hernandez said, “As a public health professional, I am VERY disappointed to see that a bipartisan bill allowing Arizonans to make an honest living by selling things like tamales, tortillas, and sweets legally was vetoed by Gov. Katie Hobbs. It makes no sense.”
As a public health professional, I am VERY disappointed to see that a bipartisan bill allowing Arizonans to make an honest living by selling things like tamales, tortillas, and sweets legally was vetoed by Gov. @katiehobbs. It makes no sense. People are NOT dying from street food…
— (((Rep.Alma Hernandez))) (@almaforarizona) April 19, 2023
After Senate Democrats released a statement to announce that they would not provide “the required votes needed to override” the governor’s veto of the bill, Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts took the legislators to task, saying, “Senate Democrats’ change of heart on the tamale bill isn’t about protecting the people from imagined illness. It is all about protecting a governor from embarrassment.”
Hobbs may now get a second chance at “redemption” if the bill were to clear both chambers for the second year in a row. The 2024 version does include some changes in hopes that the Governor’s Office will be more receptive this time around.
The tamale bill is up now in the House Regulatory Affairs Committee. It's virtually identical to the bipartisan bill that @GovernorHobbs vetoed last year. #FreeTheTamales
Representatives from the Institute for Justice – AZ Chapter, Barry Goldwater Institute for Public Policy Research, Arizona Free Enterprise Club, Arizona Craft Producers, North Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, and Americans for Prosperity – AZ, indicated their organizations’ support for The Tamale Bill as it commences another legislative journey. The Arizona Restaurant Association remains neutral on the proposal.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
A bill proposed by Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., would require abortion providers to show pregnant women their unborn baby on an ultrasound before proceeding with the abortion.
The Ultrasound Informed Consent Act provides pregnant women an opportunity to review ultrasound imaging before ending their baby’s life.
“The Biden Administration’s heinous pro-abortion policies continue to incentivize women to end the lives of innocent, unborn American children. My legislation provides pregnant women a safe and intimate opportunity to rethink their abortion,” Biggs said in a news release. “This subtle but important process change can potentially save millions of unborn lives.”
Under the proposed legislation, the abortion provider must provide an ultrasound, explain what it depicts, display the images to the woman, and provide a complete medical description of the unborn child’s dimensions, cardiac activity, external members, and organs.
The woman is allowed to turn her eyes away without penalty if she does not want to see the image. The bill does not apply to medical emergencies.
Studies show that about 80% of abortion-minded women choose life after viewing their ultrasound.
The bill came during the week of the 51st March for Life, when tens of thousands of people voiced their support for the right to life in Washington, D.C. The legislation has received support from the National Pro-Life Alliance.
“We congratulate Congressman Andy Biggs for taking the leadership on this vital legislation that would ensure that each woman has the right to know the truth about her unborn child,” said Martin Fox, president of the National Pro-Life Alliance. “Congressman Biggs’ Ultrasound Informed Consent Act guarantees that mothers know exactly what an abortion is ending: not just ’tissue’ or a ‘clump of cells’ but the life of her unborn baby.”
Bill co-sponsors include Republican representatives Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, Andy Harris of Maryland, Matthew Rosendale Sr. of Montana, Alex Mooney of West Virginia, Mary Miller of Illinois, Dan Crenshaw of Texas, and Eric Burlison of Missouri.
“Defending the right to life remains one of my top priorities in Congress,” Biggs said.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
Gov. Katie Hobbs’ proposed education funding plan is “dangerous and unsustainable” according to State Treasurer Kimberly Yee.
Hobbs’ plan, if passed by the state legislature, would renew Proposition 123 for another decade and increase the state land trust fund to nearly nine percent. In a statement on Tuesday, the treasurer accused the governor of irresponsible mismanagement of taxpayer funds amid record inflation.
“Governor Hobbs wants to raid the land trust to cover for her mismanagement of the state budget and overzealous spending plans in an ever-increasing inflationary environment,” said Yee.
Yee warned that Hobbs’ plan would violate the Enabling Act, the terms under which Arizona achieved statehood in 1910. She recommended a four to five percent distribution, declaring Hobbs’ vision “unfeasible” based on past performance.
“My office has not reported a 10-year return over 8.9 percent in nearly two years. Over the span of the last 10 years, only 32 months have had a 10-year return over 8.9 percent,” said Yee.
Governor Hobbs' proposal to increase Prop 123 distributions to 8.9% is dangerous and unsustainable.
— Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee (@AZTreasurerYee) January 16, 2024
That’s something the governor acknowledged in her announcement of her plan: the average 10-year annualized return amounts to just over seven percent.
Proposition 123, the Arizona Education Finance Amendment, was a voter-approved 2016 constitutional amendment to increase education funding by $3.5 billion over a decade using monies from the general fund and state land trust fund. Yee oversees the land trust fund.
Although Yee declared the funding plan wasn’t sustainable, Hobbs claimed that there were ample funds going unused.
“[We shouldn’t] let billions of dollars accrue in a bank account and do nothing to address our immediate needs,” said Hobbs.
Hobbs marketed her renewal plan as a means of increasing education funding without raising taxes.
“The choice is clear: we can give our children a quality education or let billions of dollars stand idle without addressing our immediate needs,” said Hobbs.
My Prop 123 renewal plan will increase compensation for educators & make schools safer for our kids – all without raising taxes.
The choice is clear: we can give our children a quality education or let billions of dollars stand idle without addressing our immediate needs.
Under the governor’s plan based on a decade-long average distribution, 2.5 percent will continue general school funding ($257 million), 4.4 percent will raise educator compensation ($347 million), 1.5 percent will increase support staff compensation ($118 million), and .5 percent will invest in school capital for safety and security ($39 million).
State Sen. Christine Marsh (D-LD04) is sponsoring the bill with the governor’s plan. Marsh also sits on the Senate Education Committee.
“Renewing and expanding this vital funding source for our schools is crucial to ensuring Arizona’s students receive the high quality education they deserve,” said Marsh.
Today, @GovernorHobbs announced her #Prop123 renewal plan, which will expand on the current Prop 123 funding to continue building a quality public education for the more than 90% of Arizona children who attend public schools.
A Prescott mother blames Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for her daughter’s death.
In testimony to Congress on Thursday, Josephine Dunn explained that her daughter, Ashley, overdosed from fentanyl trafficked through the border in May 2021. Dunn testified on the day that would have been her daughter’s 29th birthday. Mayorkas declined to appear for that hearing.
“In my humble opinion, Mr. Mayorkas’ border policy is partially responsible for my daughter’s death. His wide-open border policy allows massive quantities of poisonous fentanyl into our country. Arizona is the fentanyl superhighway into the United States,” said Dunn. “We need to close the fentanyl superhighway; we need to close the border.”
The border crisis initiated under President Joe Biden ushered in a tidal wave of fentanyl trafficking. The surge in overdoses and deaths from the potent drug has resulted in its classification as an epidemic.
The fatal overdose of Dunn’s daughter prompted several attempts to pass an eponymous law in the state legislature, the Ashley Dunn Act, to charge drug dealers with homicide if their product contributed to the death of a user. State Rep. Quang Nguyen (R-LD01) carried the law both times.
Lawmakers have shot down the bill during both the 2022 and 2023 sessions. Some have contended that the law would be unconstitutional since it allows homicide charges for individuals whose actions weren’t a direct cause for the victim’s death. Former users also have argued that such a bill would strip accountability from the users themselves. Proponents argued that it would result in fewer drug deaths and deter distributors from selling lethal drugs.
In response to Dunn’s testimony, Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) noted that the current Biden administration tasks Border Patrol with taking in and taking care of illegal immigrants more so than preventing illegal migration.
“The Biden Admin has tied the hands of our Border Patrol and sabotaged our national security,” said Crane. “The money the Biden Admin is requesting for ‘border security’ would be used to process more aliens into our communities NOT for protecting Americans.”
The Biden Admin has tied the hands of our Border Patrol and sabotaged our national security.
The money the Biden Admin is requesting for "border security" would be used to process more aliens into our communities NOT for protecting Americans. pic.twitter.com/c4VQcLQvU4
According to Maricopa County, fentanyl constitutes 60 percent of all drug-related deaths and has become the deadliest drug in the state.
In 2023, the Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS) documented over 1,600 confirmed opioid deaths in the state and over 4,000 non-fatal opioid overdoses. So far, the data indicates that there were less deaths than there were in 2022 and 2021, which had over 1,900 and over 2,000 opioid deaths respectively, but more overdoses: there were just over 3,400 opioid overdoses in 2022 and just over 3,700 overdoses in 2021.
Naloxone, the overdose reversal drug, was administered nearly 6,000 times this past year compared to over 8,000 times in 2022 and over 7,100 times in 2021.
However, AZDHS noted that the data may not be complete for the months of September through December of last year.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
The Maricopa County Republican Committee is calling on Arizona state congress members to run a bill that mandates calling voter registration cards by a more accurate name.
“Will one or both of your members please run a bill that mandates all 15 Arizona County Recorders replace erroneous so-called “Voter *ID* Card” terminology, misrepresenting what are, in fact, Voter *Registration* Cards?,” a Sunday Tweet reads.
The Tweet was in response to approximately 260,000 Maricopa County voters recently receiving new voter registration cards, which Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer called ID Cards.
“The new ID cards will look exactly like the regular cards but will include a note that indicates the boundary changes,” Richer said.
Voter IDs are a “long & strongly established principle” in Arizona, according to the Maricopa County Republican Party.
“A Voter Registration Card never serves as an authorized form of Voter ID, in & of itself,” the party tweeted. “It may potentially serve as a partial supplement, in combination w/ other docs—but never equivalent—to Voter ID.”
According to Maricopa County Republicans, the Arizona Elections Procedures Manual refers to voter registration cards as such, rather than as a “Voter ID” or “Voter ID Card.” The terms should not be used interchangeably, according to the Republicans.
Arizona voters are required to show a valid government-issued ID, as well as a voter registration card.
“However long ago ‘Voter ID Card’ got started (‘It’s been around so long & it’s only a word!’) & however strong Maricopa County Government’s institutional leverage may be, We The People hold the ultimate leverage: upholding a most basic & essential principle of Election Integrity,” the Maricopa County Republicans said.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
Animal abusers have a greater chance of getting away with their crimes under current Arizona law, according to Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.
The county attorney and animal welfare advocates are working to change that. In a press conference on Tuesday related to the nationally-highlighted case of serial animal abuser April McLaughlin, Mitchell urged state lawmakers to pass proposed legislation like SB1047 to make it easier to bring charges against animal abusers.
“Anytime that we can further narrow the definition of words like ‘water’ and ‘food’ and ‘shelter,’ and make it more explainable, it’s going to help us be more successful in prosecution,” said Mitchell. “So it’s not just ‘water,’ it’s ‘water that’s fit for consumption,’ as an example, so we’re removing the ambiguity.”
— Maricopa County Attorney's Office (@marcoattorney) January 16, 2024
McLaughlin — also known by other aliases like “Sydney Taylor McKinley,” “April Addison,” and “Tay McKinley,” in addition to an alleged additional dozen other aliases — faces around 80 misdemeanors and eight felony charges related to animal abuse committed under her nonprofit rescue, Special Needs Animal Welfare League (SNAWL). Most of the misdemeanor charges are pending in the Chandler municipal court, with the remainder in the Maricopa County Superior Court.
An investigation last September, prompted by a viral social media campaign, discovered 55 severely neglected special-needs dogs living in deplorable living conditions and five puppies deceased in a freezer. Of the 55 rescued, at least five have been euthanized.
The campaign that inspired the investigation into McLaughlin and some of her victims is evidenced through hashtags like #chandler55 and the account dedicated to exposing McLaughlin, “clydethesuperhusky_truth.” The latter account dates back to 2019.
However, animal welfare advocates have claimed that McLaughlin has hoarded special-needs dogs for years in the state under her various aliases — and that they attempted to get law enforcement involved, to no avail. Those advocates also say that McLaughlin would diagnose some healthy dogs with disabilities.
Under the alias “April Addison,” McLaughlin started a different special needs dog rescue nonprofit called “Special Pawz” several years ago. With exposure of the alleged abuse under that nonprofit, McLaughlin shuttered the organization before relaunching as SNAWL.
McLaughlin achieved social media fame, for a time, earning her video features and interviews with popular national programs and organizations like Inside Edition and The Dodo.
McLaughlin attempted to recover ownership rights to 13 of those dogs; her petition was denied in Chandler, which she appealed. Earlier this month, the superior court denied that appeal.
McLaughlin pleaded not guilty to the charges on Wednesday in the superior court.
County Attorney @Rachel1Mitchell joined the @AZHumane this morning in support of SB 1047, a critical piece of legislation aimed at protecting pets and strengthening the state's animal cruelty laws. pic.twitter.com/nHMITajq2y
— Maricopa County Attorney's Office (@marcoattorney) January 16, 2024
Present at the press conference were members of the Arizona Humane Society (AHS), who partnered with State Sen. T.J. Shope (R-LD) to craft SB1047.
AHS also assisted in submitting evidence worthy of pressing animal abuse charges against McLaughlin, after charges were initially dropped against her due to an initial need for more evidence. AHS had previously conducted wellness checks on McLaughlin’s residence.
AHS reported that it responded to 15,000 calls for service and opened 10,000 animal abuse investigations last year — a 21 percent increase from 2022.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
