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Volume 40, Issue 9.
February 4, 2003

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Clean elections, environment debated by Advocacy Network
By Angie Landhuis
Mesa Legend

Sandy Bahr, Sierra Club

PHOTO BY RACHEAL BROWN/MESA LEGEND

Sandy Bahr from Sierra Club, speaks at A.A.N forum on environmental legistation for 2003.

On Jan. 29, the Arizona Advocacy Network presented a forum which overviewed the 2003 Arizona Legislative Agenda.

The event was sponsored by the Arizona League of Conservation Voters. Speakers included Executive Director of the Clean Elections Institute, Sharlene Bozack; Ben Kearl, Grassroots Organizer for the Planned Parenthood Public Affairs Department; newly elected House Rep. Ken Clark (D); and Sandy Bahr, Conservation Outreach Director for the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club.

According to Bozack, “Clean Elections is being attacked on different levels,” including the primary funding mechanism for Clean Elections.

The Clean Elections act was passed in 1998 and creates a public financing system for candidates fo state offices and includes restrictions on campaign contributions. The Institute for Justice has filed a petition requesting the Supreme Court to review the Arizona Supreme Court Decision in an Oct. 2002 case May vs. Bayless where a 5-0 vote upheld the primary funding source as constitutional. Other attacks to be made on the Clean Elections Act this year will include a committee to be formed by Congressman Jeff Flake with the purpose of either passing a constitutional amendment prohibiting the use of public funds for campaigns or to revoke the Clean Elections Act.

A House Concurrent Resolution repealing the Citizens Clean Elections Act will also be introduced this session as well as a resolution to amend sections of the Clean Elections Act on equal funding of candidates and clean elections tax reductions.

Senate Bill 1087, supported by Planned Parenthood, will be heard in the Senate Health Committee Jan. 30. According to Kearl, the bill on emergency contraceptives “will require that physicians give the proper information and even

the emergency contraception kit itself to women who are victims of sexual assault or rape.” Planned Parenthood will be hosting a Lobby Day Feb. 25 at the Arizona Capitol, for information visit www.ppcna.org.

Rep. Ken Clark addressed one of his biggest concerns, a rule change passed through the House Jan. 27 which calls for a super majority vote of three-fifths of the House members in order to move a bill from the Rules Committee and bring it to a vote of the full House which previously required a simple majority rule.

“Which means that Johnson can hold anything she wants…it puts all that power in one chair,” explained Clark. Since all bills have to pass through the Rules Committee, the bill could block any actions not supported by the Republican majority.

According to Sandy Bahr some environmental bills facing the legislature this year will include a bill requiring state buildings to increase energy efficiency by 10 percent by 2008.

“There will be a medical waste regulation bill that will seek to require some type of treatment for medical waste before it can go into a landfill,” according to Bahr.

Other bills favored by the Sierra Club are the cumulative risk bill which limits the number of hazardous waste and highly polluting facilities, and the reinstatement of the private right of action bill.

The Sierra Club will host an Environmental Legislation Day, Feb. 4, featuring special guests Gov. Napolitano amongst others. Water management, public health, renewable energy, energy efficiency and an overview of the Arizona Conservation Agenda will be discussed.