Article author:
Associated Press
Bob Christie And Jonathan J .Cooper
Phoenix (AP) — Police disband anti-abortion demonstrators from outside the Arizona State Capitol on Friday night. They fired tear gas and forced legislators to easily flock in the basement of the building as they were in a hurry to complete the 2022 session.
Thousands of protesters had previously gathered on the grounds of the Phoenix Parliament and were divided into groups that upheld and condemned the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade case.
Members of the Department of Public Safety's SWAT team fired tear gas from the second floor of the old Capitol and disbanded protesters at the mall between their current home and the Senate building. KPHO-TV reported that police officers fired when several protesters against abortion began knocking on the glass doors of the Senate building.
Authorities said no one was injured or arrested. The
case sent Senator into the basement for about 20 minutes, said Democratic Senator Martin Quezada. Later, a stinging tear gas drifted through the building, forcing the Senate to move the minutes to the hearing room instead of the Senate room.
Republicans enacted a 15-week abortion ban in March, pre-Roe v. Wade legislation banning all abortions remains in the books, state-wide providers early Friday I was forced to stop offering abortion.
Republican lawmakers had previously approved a major expansion of the voucher system for private schools in Arizona solely with Republican support. Another best measure was approved with widespread bipartisan support. It is a major plan to strengthen the water supply. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have approved a $ 1 billion plan to increase supply after adding another $ 200 million to save water.
Senate Republicans have promoted a voucher program that has already passed the House of Representatives. This allows all students in Arizona to spend public money on private schools. There are about 60,000 people whose parents have already paid for the guidance.
Votes vote after Republican leaders prevent Democrats from discussing or proposing changes to the voucher bill and touching on fierce procedural battles that have offended Democrats It was done.
This plan will make the program available to all 1.1 million public school students. Currently, approximately 255,000 public school students are eligible for the Empowerment Scholarship Account Program, but less than 12,000 are participating.
Approximately 59,000 private school students will be subject to a new program upheld by house majority leader Bentoma.
Tohma and other supporters say that money should not be a barrier to children's attendance at independent schools. Democrats are fiercely opposed to the bill, saying there are no tests or other mechanisms to confirm that children are actually learning.
When Republicans vote to suspend rules that normally allow such changes, their efforts to add accountability mechanisms, or at least to force voting on issues, are I was hindered.
The Democratic Party opposed the bill, saying it would suck up many of the new K-12 spenders over $ 500 million enacted earlier this week.
"By 2025, the state will cost an additional $ 125 million," said Senator Christine Marsh of the Phoenix Democratic Party. "This isn't just financially responsible for trying to run two separate systems at the same time."
Republican Senator T.J. Coolidge's shop , Said that the measures have not been sufficiently advanced. “In the ideal situation, wherever parents choose to send their students, I think we will fully fund them,” Shope said.
Congressmen were also considering a large new water bill requested by Governor Doug Ducey earlier this year to help the state pay for new water sources.
Ducey called on the Governor to make a major new investment in water in the state in January, with some of that money going to be used to build a desalination plant in Mexico. Suggested. Money may be used for that purpose, but it can also be used for conservation, groundwater development, or water imports from other states.
The House of Representatives blames correctional, rehabilitation, and re-immigration bureaus for bipartisan concerns that government agencies are overly secretive and unable to implement the reforms proposed by state auditors. He simply voted against measures that would allow him to continue operating for another eight years. If the bill is not passed, the agency's approval will expire at the end of the month.
Instead, lawmakers voted to impose new transparency requirements on the prison system.
"I'm not asking the department to do anything that isn't already legally required," said Glendale Republican Shawnna Bolick, who demanded additional requirements. Said. "I just want to make sure I'm accountable at the end of the day."
The House and Senate voted for dozens of other bills. Most of them are indisputable bills passed by the bipartisan majority.
But one of the final votes of the night was a Republican proposal that made it illegal to teach the so-called critical race theory, a hot-button topic for GOP politicians. Democrats call it assault on public school teachers and scare them from teaching about race in the United States, but they don't stop students.
"What are they trying to do first when they tell their kids not to read anything, not to learn something?" Kezada asked. "They're going to study it, they're going to get those books."
Republican Senator J.D. Menard said his bill was misunderstood and that he would be able to teach subjects such as slavery and race while preventing divisive concepts.
"I will challenge someone to explain again why it is OK to promote or endorse any of these things," Menard asked.