….What’s Happening This Week?

Bio-ethics legislation will be the focus this Wednesday when Sen. Linda Gray and I will hear two groundbreaking bills in our respective Senate and House Committees banning human cloning in Arizona (HB 2652) and ensuring informed consent for human egg donation (HB 2651) .  

Protecting human life and arming women with adequate information is critical as bioscience industries march full steam ahead without clear ethical guidance. 

Tort Reform.  The agenda also includes an important Tort Reform requiring the courts to raise the standard for expert testimony (HB 2492).  The change will lower the rate of frivolous lawsuits by strengthening the integrity of true experts who testify in malpractice cases and keep non-expert witnesses out of the mix. [Read more]

Is Getting a Divorce Too Easy?

According to 2008 TIME/CNN polling data, the public agrees by a nearly a 2-1 margin that it should be “harder than it is now for married couples with young children to get a divorce,” (61% to 35%). 

Obtaining a divorce in Arizona is one of the most consequential decisions that a married couple can make, but Arizona law allows for a couple to obtain one only 60 days after filing.

HB 2650 addresses this issue by lengthening it from two to six months.  Why?  Delaying divorce may save marriages.  [Read more]

Borrowing Isn’t the Answer

As abhorrent as I think raising taxes is in this economy, the reasons for allowing voters to decide this issue include these:

1.  More borrowing is even more detrimental to the state long term than raising the sales tax (if voters agree to pass the increase).  AZ. Republic Columnist Robert Robb agrees.  To read his piece,  click here.  

2.  With voter-mandated budget constraints, nobody will be pleased with the choices we will have to make if we have to solve balance the budget through cuts alone.   We have already cut $1.5 billion out of this and last year’s budgets, largely without touching the biggest of the line items:  K-12 education formula spending and health care.  These are almost completely off-limits because of strings tied to stimulus funding.

3.  Propositions that have passed at the ballot prevent the Legislature from reducing or altering another 1/3rd of the general fund.  THIS IS A PROBLEM.  And much needed initiative reforms are not possible in time to help balance this year’s revenue shortfall. [Read more]