Every year, we see a host of destructive bills that we work to ensure never gain traction. Now that the Legislature and executive branch are split ideologically, tensions are high, and efforts are emboldened.

The list of bills some lawmakers hope to get to Governor Hobbs’ desk paints a stark picture of where they want to take Arizona. With a very slim majority of pro-family lawmakers in both chambers, Governor Hobbs will likely not have an opportunity to put her signature on these bills, but there are no guarantees. We are dangerously close to seeing these laws in Arizona’s future.

It’s worth noting all these bills are sponsored by Democrats. Elections matters. Positions on issues matter. Voting your values matters.

CAP – Opposed 2023 Bills

SB 1128 requires a death certificate to reflect the deceased person’s gender identity instead of their biological sex. This would require the person completing the death certificate to participate with no conscience exemption provided. Sponsored by Sen. Gabaldon.

SB 1266 requires faculty at private schools to be fingerprinted if even just one student uses an Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) at the school. Schools already do this but putting it into Arizona statute is a small step toward state control of private schools, which is why CAP opposes this bill. Sponsored by Sen. Marsh.

SB 1491 requires only licensed or certified healthcare providers to perform ultrasounds at pregnancy resource centers. The bill boldly exempts abortion clinics. Sponsored by Sen. Mendez.

SB 1492 allows abortionists to perform abortions on minors without parental consent after providing the minor with counseling. Sponsored by Sen. Mendez.

SB 1493 provides an exception to Arizona’s parental consent law, allowing abortionists to perform abortions on minors without parental consent. Sponsored by Sen. Mendez.

SB 1543 & HB 2068 repeals the Save Women’s Sports Act passed by lawmakers last year that ensures a level playing field for girls and women by requiring only females play on female sports teams. Sponsored by Sen Alston and Rep. Gutierrez.

SB 1576 repeals the universal Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) passed last year that makes all Arizona families eligible for financial assistance to choose the best educational option for their children. Sponsored by Sen. Teran.

SB 1646 establishes physician-assisted suicide in Arizona. CAP has always opposed the deliberate taking of a person’s life because it does not honor the sanctity of human life and has created a slippery slope in states and countries that have legalized it. This is far different from ceasing life support measures. Sponsored by Sen. Burch.

SB 1706 creates a cumbersome quarterly reporting process for ESAs. Sponsored by Sen. Marsh.

SB 1707 requires ESA costs to be a line item in the budget. Governor Hobbs has line-item veto power. Sponsored by Sen. Marsh.

SB 1708 requires private schools that have students with ESAs to require standardized tests. CAP has always opposed such requirements as it clearly leads to government-dictated curricula by forcing schools to teach to the tests. Sponsored by Sen. Marsh.

HCR 2014 would enshrine same-sex marriage into the state constitution. Sponsored by Rep. De Los Santos.

HCR 2021 ratifies the Equal Rights Amendment, which pro-abortion activists have admitted is useful in their effort to enshrine abortion into the U.S. Constitution and roll back safety regulations and other limitations on abortion. Keep in mind, the ERA deadline passed more than 40 years ago. Sponsored by Rep. Shah. Read CAP’s fact sheet here.

 HB 2125 & SB 1567 repeals the pre-Roe law limiting abortion to cases where the life of the mother is at risk. Sponsored by Rep. Salman & Sen. Teran.

HB 2126 removes religious protections from insurance coverage and requires coverage of contraception, including devices that destroy a fertilized egg. Sponsored by Rep. Salman.

HB 2138 makes Arizona taxpayers responsible for a woman and her baby if Arizona law keeps her from getting an abortion. Compensation includes living expenses, legal and medical expenses, automatic eligibility for entitlements, health, dental, and vision insurance for the child until he or she is 18 years old, and fully funded college tuition. Sponsored by Rep. Salman.

HB 2154 puts additional limits on School Tuition Organizations (STOs) providing grants to students through the tax credit program. Sponsored by Rep. Seaman.

HB 2189 prohibits school materials that reflect poorly on sexual orientation or gender identity, among other things. Sponsored by Rep Longdon.

HB 2262 requires the state registrar to issue a driver’s license indicating the driver’s gender identity. requires the state registrar to issue a birth certificate with the sex of the person’s claimed gender identity instead of biological sex. Sponsored by Rep. Cano.

HB 2295 institutes a means test for recipients of educational scholarships and tuition grants from School Tuition Organizations (STOs). Sponsored by Rep. Cano.

HB 2351 prohibits parents from getting, and professional counselors from providing counseling to a minor child for unwanted same-sex attraction or gender identity concerns. But it does allow parents to seek counseling for a child that will assist him or her in “transitioning” or embracing their same-sex attraction. Sponsored by Rep. Patricia Contreras.

HB 2370 allows minors to get treatment for sexually transmitted diseases without parental consent. Sponsored by Rep. Sun.

HB 2454 requires clergy to disclose confessions made under religiously obligated practices to authorities if the clergy suspects abuse may have been committed. Sponsored by Rep. Travers.

Next week, I will lay out CAP-supported bills we are working with lawmakers on to move Arizona ahead and protect life, families, and religious freedoms.

ICYMI

• • Read here about the Biden administration’s scheme to impose abortion on demand up to birth. Also, see the latest poll showing most Americans want significant restrictions on abortion.
  • Read here about a Pinal County public library that wouldn’t let a local citizen read religious-related books to children. Read here the attorney’s letter demanding the library correct this violation of the man’s constitutional rights.
  • Read here how fatally flawed the study is that claims “gender-affirming care” helps kids.
  • Read here about physician-assisted suicide and why it is not the answer to human suffering.
  • Read here how activists are manipulating state constitutions to their advantage, and how it is hurting children.
  • Read here how justice prevailed for a victim of the Biden administration’s attack on pro-life advocates.

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