Arizona pro-life, pro-family legislators forge ahead even as Governor Hobbs mocks them in the local paper with her veto stamp. Before we share a list of CAP-supported bills that aim to serve pregnant women and their unborn babies, protect children from sexualized drag shows, and ensure healthcare professionals provide care for babies born alive, a word about those bad bills.

Last week, we shared with you a list of CAP-opposed bills, available here. Then, on Monday, lawmakers filed another slew of bad bills. The worst of the worse:

Newly Added CAP-Opposed Bills

SOGI bills Threaten Freedom

HB 2739 adds ‘sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the list of protected classes in state law. These SOGI laws are designed to shield people from discrimination but end up being used as a sword against those who do not share the government’s viewpoint and hold to a historical belief of human sexuality. The claimed “religious protections” in the bill are weak and undermine protections in the First Amendment. Sponsored by Rep. Shah.

HB 2703 also adds “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the list of protected classes in state law, but this bill lacks even the weak exemptions of HB 2739. Sponsored by Rep. Cano.

Read CAP’s fact sheet on these bills here.

HB 2629 is the House version of SB 1576 repealing the universal Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) passed last year that make all Arizona families eligible for financial assistance to choose the best educational option for their children. Sponsored by Rep. Cano. SB 1576 is sponsored by Sen. Terán.

HB 2648 defines bullying as conduct that adversely affects a student and makes him or her feel they are at risk of physical harm due to a list of characteristics, including sexual orientation and gender identity. This bill sets a dangerous precedent and violates the constitutional right of free speech. Sponsored by Rep. Gutierrez.

HB 2660 establishes a grant program to provide abortions for low-income Arizonans as part of the state’s family planning assistance. Sponsored by Rep Sun.

HB 2661 targets charter schools with onerous requirements, including posting every dollar spent in the classroom. Sponsored by Rep. Pawlik.

HB 2662 is the House version of SB 1708, which 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 curriculum by forcing schools to teach to the tests. Sponsored by Rep. Pawlik. The Senate version is sponsored by Sen. Marsh.

HB 2688 is the House version of SB 1266, which 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 Rep. Terech. The Senate version is sponsored by Sen. Marsh.

HB 2720 requires free “emergency contraception” coverage, which is the morning-after pill and can be an abortifacient. Sponsored by Rep. Ortiz.

HB 2742 allows physicians and nurse practitioners to issue standing prescriptions of the morning-after pill, which can be an abortifacient. Sponsored by Rep. Shah.

HB 2764 is the House version of SB 1706, which creates a cumbersome quarterly reporting process for ESAs. Sponsored by Rep. Pawlik. The Senate version is sponsored by Sen. Marsh.

HB 2782 is the House version of SB 1707, which requires Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) costs to be a line item in the budget. Governor Hobbs has line-item veto power. Sponsored by Rep. Schwiebert. The Senate version is sponsored by Sen. Marsh.

HB 2794 removes the ability of donors to the scholarship tax credit program to recommend recipients to a school tuition organization (STO). Sponsored by Rep. Mathis.

CAP-Supported Bills

Protecting All Babies Born Alive

SB 1600 updates Arizona law requiring health professionals to provide care for babies born alive during an abortion attempt to include babies born alive with potentially fatal conditions that are sometimes left to die before their time. This process is known as “slow code.” The bill also adds a penalty for violation. Sponsored by Sen. Shamp. Read CAP’s fact sheet here. This bill is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday, February 14 at 2:00 p.m. Click here and then on “live” next to Senate Health and Human Services to watch the hearing on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m.

Serving Pregnant Women

HB 2417 qualifies a pregnant woman to use the HOV lane. Sponsored by Rep. Gress.

HB 2427 holds a person found guilty of domestic violence responsible for the unborn baby in the victim’s womb. Sponsored by Rep. Gress.

HB 2500 ensures a woman who conceived during a sexual assault receives compensation for health care expenses and economic support. Sponsored by Rep. Gress.

HB 2502 requires child support to be paid from the time of a positive pregnancy test instead of the delivery date.  Sponsored by Rep. Gress.

HB 2530 requires licensed healthcare professionals who learn a pregnant patient is using dangerous drugs to refer her for treatment. The report may not lead to an investigation of abuse or neglect so not to discourage women from getting prenatal care or other healthcare. Sponsored by Rep. Jones.

Read CAP’s fact sheet on these bills here.

Protecting Parental Rights

SB 1001 prohibits employees or contractors of public schools, including charter schools, from calling students by pronouns other than that which coincide with their biological sex without written consent from the parent. It also honors school employees’ and contractors’ conscience rights by not requiring them to use opposite pronouns in violation of their moral or religious convictions. Sponsored by Sen. Kavanagh. Read CAP’s fact sheet here.

Protecting Children from Sexualization

SB 1026 ensures no taxpayer money is used to pay for drag shows that target minors. This, in response to the increasingly sexualized drag shows targeting children. Sponsored by Sen. Kavanagh.

SB 1028 prohibits adult cabaret performances on public property or where a minor could view them. It defines cabaret performances to include exotic dancers, strippers, drag performances, male and female impersonators, etc. Sponsored by Sen. Kern.

SB 1030 takes it a step further and regulates drag shows like the state regulates other adult businesses. Sponsored by Sen. Kern.

Read CAP’s fact sheet on these bills here.

SB 1564 allows students who attend a private school with fewer than 100 students to play on a public school sports team. Sponsored by Sen. Kaiser. Read CAP’s fact sheet here.

SB 1305 and HB 2458 prohibit public schools from teaching Critical Race Theory type curriculum. Sponsored by Sen. Mesnard and Rep. Pingerelli.

SB 1323 makes it a felony for school employees or contractors to provide students with sexually explicit materials without a parent’s consent. Sponsored by Sen. Hoffman.

Amending Initiative Process

SCR 1015 amends the state constitution to require 10% of votes from each legislative district in the state, instead of 10% of the whole state, to get a measure on the ballot. It calls for 15% of the same to propose a constitutional amendment.  Sponsored by Sen. Mesnard. Read the fact sheet here.

Other Bills of Interest

SB 1005 ensures government cannot sue parents for attorney’s fees, expenses, or damages when parents take legal action against a government entity for violating their parental right to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of their children. Sponsored by Sen. Kavanagh.

SB 1021 ensures the Arizona Attorney General defends all laws passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor against all legal challenges unless 2/3rds of both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees allow an exception. This comes in response to Attorney General Kris Mayes and others promising to pick and choose which laws they will enforce – namely, abortion regulations. Sponsored by Sen. Kavanagh.

SB 1040 Requires schools to separate restrooms, locker rooms, and showers by biological sex. It includes a cause of action. Requires schools to provide reasonable accommodations to those who identify as the opposite sex. Sponsored by Sen. Kavanagh.

SB 1503 requires those publishing or distributing sexually explicit material to obtain proof from the user that he or she is at least 18 years old. Sponsored by Sen. Rogers.

SB 1696 prohibits state government and its contractors from exposing minors to sexually explicit materials and forbids government property to be used to facilitate or film such acts. Sponsored by Sen. Hoffman.

SB 1146 ends the practice of investing state money in companies that advocate for or facilitate abortions for minors, or for the inclusion of sexually explicit material in K-12 programs. Sponsored by Sen. Hoffman.

HB 2014 incrementally increases the cap on tax credit donations to school tuition organizations over the next few years, ending with a $20 million cap for each fiscal year after 2024. Currently, the cap is five million dollars a year. It also expands educational resources that are eligible for tax credit use. Sponsored by Rep. David Livingston.

HB 2317 requires written parental consent for school counselors to discuss specified topics with the parent’s child. Sponsored by Rep. Jones.

HB 2533 requires school districts and charter schools to post educational courses, learning materials, and lesson plans online for parents to view. Sponsored by Rep Gillette.

ICYMI

• Read here how Satan worshipers are opening an abortion clinic in New Mexico and naming it after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s mother.
• Read here about the blatantly satanic Grammys show that has people asking how this can be on prime time while efforts continue to keep Christian worship inside the four walls of church.
• Read here about a new study showing pregnancy resource centers offer better services at lower costs than abortion clinics.

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