Hey Pearce: SB1097 is Child Abuse.

This is absolutely criminal, what Russ Pearce has been doing to this state. THIS is child abuse. We need a massive direct action/counter-demonstration at the Capitol to stop this corrupt business from proceeding one of these days. How can people NOT stop everything they're doing and look at these men for the frauds they are? They might as well be running around in pink boxers, given what they're trying to sell us.

The women who vote party lines have no excuse for going along. We expect them to be smarter and tougher than the men, actually. Brutal takes neither brains nor perseverance - just willingness to use violence or the threat of it.

The legislation that's come out of the Capitol in Phoenix this past year is nothing less than racist, classist, and brutal - no one is hurting from these budget cuts but those whose voices are diminished by your politics to begin with...those are the voices of The People. You politicians are making out just fine, as far as we can tell - at our expense.

Go tax yourselves, AZ LEGS. Pearce is going to take you right off a cliff if you don't listen to the people you keep hurting. You can't lock us all up at once. Not yet, anyway.

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BORDER ACTION NETWORK:

URGENT STATE LEGISLATIVE ALERT!

It's another Russell Pearce effort that will drive the future of Arizona into the ground but this time targeting school children. If this bill sounds familiar, a House version was heard last week.

Tomorrow, Monday, March 29th, the Senate Committee of the Whole will vote on SB1097 -- a bill that threatens to cut state funding from schools unless they report on children's immigration status.

Click Here to Take Action

SB1097 Schools; Data; Noncitizen Students
Sponsor: Senator Russell Pearce (R- 18)

This bill seeks to undermine a 1982 Supreme Court decision, Plyer v. Doe that clearly stated that the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the rights of all children, regardless of their immigration status in the U.S., to K-12 education. HB2382 threatens to revoke state funding to schools if they do not report on the immigration status of the children at their schools. While the bill falls short of actually denying children access to education, the impact of the intimidation and threat to parents would result in children not being enrolled.

To view the bill's full text: http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1097p.htm


SB1097 ESCUELAS, INFORMACION, ESTUDIANTES NO CIODADANOS


Patrocinadores principales: el senador Russell Pearce (R-18)

HB2382 exigiría el Departamento de Estado de Educación, los distritos escolares y las escuelas para recoger y compilar datos sobre el estatus de inmigración de los estudiantes. Se le podría requerir al departamento de Educación que produjera un informe que analiza los costos de proporcionar educación a los niños indocumentados. Cualquiera persona que proporcione un informe fraudulento sería culpable de un delito menor de Clase 1. Este proyecto de ley tiene por objeto intimidar a las familias inmigrantes para evitar que matriculen a sus hijos en la educación pública, un derecho que está garantizado para todos los residentes en los Estados Unidos, independientemente de su situación jurídica.

Please take 30 seconds to tell YOUR SENATOR to keep schools focused on education, not on legislators' hate-filled agendas targeting children!

Arizona Legislature Special Session tomorrow.

Just in from the AZ Capitol Times blog. What better day than the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers for a new special session to begin? That means they'll all be at the Capitol that day...
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Brewer makes official call for 5th special session

By Jim Small - jim.small@azcapitoltimes.com


Published: December 15, 2009 at 5:33 pm

to address the continuing budget crisis will begin Thursday morning, but the votes to approve a package of bills that include a temporary sales tax increase don’t appear to be in line.

Legislative Republicans and Democrats haven’t agreed on much this year, but both are puzzled by Gov. Jan Brewer’s proclamation earlier today that the two parties have set aside their differences and hashed out a deal that would allow a sales-tax increase she favors to be sent to the ballot in March.

“(The) House does not have the votes at this time (and) nothing has changed since yesterday when we told (Brewer) the same thing. We continue to talk to members,” House Speaker Kirk Adams told Arizona Capitol Times.

“I don’t know why she is saying that. We’ve been very upfront and clear about it. As of now, we do not have the votes.”

Earlier today, media outlets reported Brewer was saying she had been assured by Adams and Senate President Bob Burns that they have secured the necessary Democratic votes to send the temporary one-cent sales tax hike to the ballot.

But that came as news to Democratic leaders.

“She hasn’t asked for a single (vote). We haven’t gotten a call,” said House Assistant Minority Leader Kyrsten Sinema. “She hasn’t talked to anybody.”

She added that neither Brewer nor GOP leaders have agreed to negotiate terms for a bipartisan agreement.
The special session will be the fifth of the year, and the fourth to deal with budget problems. The Arizona Constitution limits what lawmakers can do in a special session to only those thing the governor identifies in the call.

The call issued today includes: adjustments to the current year’s budget; a ballot referral to let voters decide the fate of a temporary sales tax increase; and a ballot referral to temporarily suspend a constitutional provision that prevents lawmakers from cutting voter-approved spending.

Prisoners Have Families, Too.

The best part about this action this morning was all the prisoners who got to see what we'd left on the sidewalk yesterday, and who saw me arguing with the cops after writing this today (thanks to the guy from the state who declined to press charges, by the way).

This poor guy had the job of cleaning up after us once already this morning, and now had to do it again. As he approached my masterpiece he said quietly, without looking up: "I hope you appreciate the irony of what I'm about to do." Then he smiled.

I didn't want to get him into trouble by talking to him, so we kept it short and sweet. When I apologized for the mess I told him there are more people than me working on this, and he thanked us all for our support and solidarity. He was pretty touched. It helps prisoners a lot to know there are people in the community who care what happens to them, even though we may be strangers. It validates that regardless of their guilt or crime we at least recognize their humanity, and will defend certain basic rights.

So, when you're doing stuff and taking pictures, imagine being a prisoner getting a postcard with a photo of your action on it. It may make them laugh, smile, or maybe even cry, but it should tell them that they and their families are not alone in this.

I'll have more on this morning when I get my 35mm roll developed, but that's the main thing I wanted to share for now. Oh, yeah - and a shout out to Timothy with the Grounds Department.

AZ Legislature Stalled Until Monday

This means they'll be making back-door deals all weekend, so don't let up - call your legislators' offices if you haven't already. This can't wait for me to wave a sign at them Monday morning. Now is a good time to make some noise.

Here's the link to the house, and the senate. No excuses. Find your lawmakers. Put them to work on early prisoner releases and decreasing overcrowding: everything else we'll deal with after this budget package is done. It seems appropriate to suggest that money saved by these actions could minimize cuts to other things, like schools. Ask them to check into whether or not the compassionate release requests have been met; last I heard they've been stalled awhile for political reasons, which means we need to generate inquiries.

More later.

Below is Doug Kilgore's AEA Legislative update.

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The Senate Republican Caucus consists of 18 Senators. The 30 member Senate requires 16 votes to pass a bill.

With Senator Barbara Leff out of the country and Senator Ron Gould publicly opposed to the budget deal, Senate President Bob Burns had to count on every other Republican Senator to attend today's final vote on the budget and vote yes. It didn't happen.

Senator Thayer Verschoor (R - Gilbert) did not show up and could not be found. SB 1001 failed on a vote of 12 No, 14 Yes, and 4 Not Voting.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Gray changed his yes vote to no for the purpose of reconsideration on Monday, May 23.

The budget deal brokered by Governor Brewer, Senate President Bob Burns, and House Speaker Kirk Adams has stalled.

Without confirmation that the Senate would pass the budget, House Speaker Adams decided to adjourn the House until Monday at 1:30 p.m. after learning the Senate failed to pass SB 1001 and had adjourned until Monday at 10:00 a.m.

The Senate did not even vote on SB 1002 which included specifics on the $144 million in cuts to K-12 education and $155 million in cuts to the Department of Economic Security.

Two of the four budget bills did pass the Senate by wide margins with bipartisan support. These bills helped resolve an issue related to home mortgages and state agency budgets and fees.

Democrats refused to support the defeated bills because of the deep cuts to public schools and DES without any consideration of additional revenue.

It is unclear if there will be enough support on Monday to pass the budget.

In the interim there are sure to be attempts to offer deals to Democrats and pressure Senator Verschoor to support this devastating budget deal.

Observers of the budget process have seen this scenario before, and it does not serve the interests our state's citizens. With a budget deficit of over $2 billion dollars this year and nearly double that for the next year, it is time for a change of strategy.

It is time for a bipartisan budget process the focuses on a comprehensive solution that includes a mix of new revenue streams, targeted and limited cuts, and borrowing.

The AEA, along with the broad coalition of parents, social service advocates, and others are ready to work with Republican and Democratic legislators willing to work together on a solution that moves Arizona forward.