Arizona Legislature Passes Bills on Fentanyl, State Sovereignty, and More During Busy Day at Capitol

Neil Jones

The Arizona State Legislature had a busy Monday, with the House making decisions regarding nearly 100 bills covering various issues.

“Busy day at the #AZHouse! 95 bills on the House “shot clock”: the number of bills we’ll vote on today,” shared State Representative Matt Gress (R-Phoenix).

HB 2469 – Health Crisis

One piece of legislation came from State Representative Steve Montenegro (R-Goodyear) (pictured above) to address the fentanyl crisis. His bill states that the “fentanyl coming across Arizona’s border is a public health crisis” and thereby “directs the Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS) to do everything within its power to stem the crisis.”

Additionally, the bill declares that the federal government has failed to protect Arizona from unlawful activities at the southern border. Therefore, it would require “Arizona laws to be interpreted and construed to protect its sovereign authority against any unlawful invasion at its border with Mexico.”

While the bill passed the House, it was only on party lines.

“Disappointed to see every House Democrat vote NO on my bill HB2469 to directly tackle the #fentanyl crisis, but I’m hopeful Governor #Hobbs puts public safety ahead of partisan politics. AZ must exercise its sovereignty to protect the border,” Montenegro shared.

Accordingly, officials continue to confiscate fentanyl at the border. At Nogales, Port of Entry Director Michael Humphries shared Monday that over three days, his officers seized roughly 1,648,700 fentanyl pills across five separate incidents.

HB 2545 – Health Policy Sovereignty

The next bill passed by the house was HB 2545, sponsored by State Representative Cory McGarr (R-Tucson), which directly states who can create public health policies Arizona has to follow. Suppose an international governmental entity, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), makes an emergency order or recommendation regarding a public health crisis. In that case, neither Arizona nor any political subdivisions may use financial resources to comply with the recommendation. Instead, the governor must declare an emergency to address any health crisis.

Moreover, the bill would also limit the governor’s powers. For example, if the governor announces a state of emergency for a health issue, the emergency can only last seven days. If the emergency is to last longer than the week limit, it requires a two-thirds vote of approval from the Legislature.

Additionally, the governor cannot impose “lockdowns or mandate business closures” as part of a health-related emergency. However, this prohibition does not apply if a chemical weapon attack or a natural disaster causes toxic contamination; however, the lockdown can only apply to the impact area. The seven-day limit applies to these lockdowns, and if the governor does not file an extension, the legislature is to assume the proclamation is expired. The governor cannot declare another emergency relating to the same situation if the legislature previously denied extending the first.

“Thank you House Republicans for standing up to corrupt organizations like the WHO,” said McGarr.

Like HB 2469, McGarr’s bill only passed with Republican support.

SB 1234 – Prohibiting Photo Radar

Another of the major bills passed by the House came from State Senator Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff). SB 1234 would ban using photo radar enforcement equipment on Arizona’s streets. These devices are set up to track if drivers are speeding or running red lights. They are designed to take pictures of any hazardous drivers, who are then sent tickets that can cost hundreds of dollars in fines. These devices are already banned on freeways, but State Representative Joseph Chaplik (R-Scottsdale) said it is time for a statewide ban.

“This unconstitutional scam has gone on for far too long. Politicians are padding their own campaign funds with money from these fines and it needs to stop now,” Chaplik said.

This bill did receive bipartisan support, but not by much, as only one Democrat, Representative Lydia Hernandez (Phoenix), voted yes.

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs (D) will have the final say on these bills.

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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Steve Montenegro” by Arizona House Republicans. Background Photo “Fentanyl” by Port Director Michael W. Humphries.

 

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