Legislative 101: Session Recap and Advocacy Tips

League of Arizona Cities and Towns

Session at a Glance

• Adjourned sine die on April 3, 2015 (81st day)• General Effective Date: July 3, 2015• 1,163 bills introduced• 344 bills sent to the Governor (approx. 30%)• 324 bills signed• 20 vetoes

Session Challenges

• New Governor, Leadership, and House members

• Statutory punishments– “Matter of statewide concern”

• Limited local government experience • Budget deficit

Session Challenges, cont.

• Local Government Preemption– Growing trend; several attempts to override local

control– Able to defeat large economic impact measures– Factual education the foundation of our success

Laws Passed

TPT/Budget Bills Passed

• SB 1446 TPT reform; contractors • SB 1471 revenue; budget reconciliation; 2015-2016

League Resolutions Passed

• H2214 majority vote calculation; municipal elections

Preemptions Passed

• SB 1072 local planning; residential housing; prohibition

• SB 1079 solid waste collection; multifamily housing

• SB 1342 responsibility of payment; utility services

• SB 1241 auxiliary containers; regulation;

Failed Bills

League Resolution Failed

• HB 2324 intergovernmental agreements; public agency indemnification

Failed Preemptions

• HB 2254 municipal tax exemption; residential lease

• HB 2570 municipalities; vegetation requirements; prohibition

• SB 1167 photo radar; prohibition

Failed Gun Bills

• HB 2320 firearms; permit holders; public places

• HB 1291 firearms; state preemption; penalties• SB 1330 prohibited activities; second

amendment violations

Failed TPT Bills

• SB1120 fine art; TPT; exemption• SB 1133 TPT; municipalities; customer refund

claims • HB 2419 prohibited transaction fees;

municipalities

Future Challenges

• Budget – school funding, HURF• Local decision making preemption• Regulatory reform/“small” government• Economic development• TPT Local Authority and State Transition• Elections

Influencing the Legislature

League Assistance - How Can you get Involved

• Bulletin

• Monday Call

• Intergov

• Request To Speak

Influencing the Legislature

Establish relationships

Become a resource

Keep in contact

Meeting do’s and don’ts

Committee testimony

Count votes

Establish Relationships

Personal visits At their office

At your office

Invite to community events Recognize that you will not agree 100%

of time

Tours Offer to be a resource

Become a Resource

Provide factual information

Timely and complete responses to

inquiries

Make connections to other resources

Keep in Contact

Maintain relationships

Periodically check in Send notes of recognition for the work

they are accomplishing

Don’t always be asking for something

Meeting Do’s and Don’ts

Respect the office Recognize that they may not vote your way

100% of the time

Know your issue and position

Cover one issue at a time

Be clear in what you are asking Follow up a positive vote with a letter of

thanks

Role of Committees Opportunity for legislators to hear public

comment

Bills can be assigned to numerous committees:-Sometimes it affects several different areas

(i.e., Cities & Transportation)-Sometimes it is done to stall a bill, and

prevent its passage

Each committee has an analyst that is knowledgeable in that subject area and is responsible for summarizing the bill

Role of Committee Chair Committee chair is responsible for

scheduling each bill for a hearing

Because the committee chair does not have to schedule the bill at all, the committee chair is a powerful role

Many bills are never heard in committee and are essentially “dead” for the rest of the session

Before the Committee Hearing A significant amount of work is done prior to the

committee hearing

Lobbyists will try to meet with legislators prior to the hearing to influence their opinion on legislation

If amendments are going to be added to the bill, there are specific deadlines for distribution of amendments

Committee staff must summarize each bill that is scheduled for a committee hearing

Committee Testimony

Have reasonable expectations

Respect the process

Be factual

Be concise

No personal attacks or questioning of

motives

Avoid being argumentative

Committee of the Whole (COW) COW is when the all members of the Senate or

House convene as a committee

Opportunity for debate – begins with bill sponsor briefly explaining bill and other members have the opportunity to comment/ask questions

Committee amendments and COW (floor) amendments are formally added to the bill

Count Votes

31 and 16

Know where you stand

Follow up

Reaffirm position

After bill passes House/Senate Bills have to be heard in both chambers –

after bill passes House or Senate, it must go to opposite chamber

There are certain dates by which all House bills must pass the House and all Senate bills must pass the Senate-If the bill does not meet these deadlines,

it is essentially “dead” (monitor for strikers)

Governor’s Actions After a bill reaches the Governor’s desk, the

Governor can do the following:1. Sign the bill2. Veto the bill and return it to the House or

Senate with a statement of why it was vetoed (Legislature can override with a two-thirds vote of each chamber)

3. Allow the bill to become law without signature – this means that no action is taken on the bill and after 5 days (10 if the Legislature has adjourned), it becomes law

Learning More

League of Arizona Cities and Towns www.azleague.org

State Legislature www.azleg.gov

Secretary of State www.azsos.gov

Arizona Capitol Timeswww.azcapitoltimes.com

Questions