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The Arizona State Legislature website is one of the best websites of its kind.  There are many points of information available, and this post will help you navigate it efficiently.  This basic tutorial will help a user to understand how the website’s menu bar is set up, and where to go to find the information you are seeking.  For a glossary of terms you might find on the website, click here.  To understand how the legislature is organized, click here.

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MAIN PAGE:

The  legislature’s website is http://www.azleg.gov. This link brings you to the main home page.  See the above photo for a screen shot of the home page.
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LIVE PROCEEDINGS:

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On the left side of the home page is an FAQ box.  The last item is Live Proceedings. Choosing this option opens a pop-up window to the live streaming of both the House and Senate hearing rooms.

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You may choose which room in the House or Senate to watch by clicking on the room number you want.  An agenda usually accompanies the video on the right side of the pop-up box.  If you are unsure of which room you want, click on each of them to find the committee you are seeking.
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You can also view archived video at this link.
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A.L.I.S.:

A.L.I.S. is an acronym for Arizona Legislative Information System.  The system allows a reader to quickly see what the legislative calendar looks like for the day checked.  You can find the hyperlink ALIS Today in the middle of the home page.

The A.L.I.S. Tracking web site is an extension of the AZ Legislature web site.  This is for users who track a large number of bills.  You can visit this site directly at http://alistrack.azleg.gov or download the PDF manual: AlisTracking

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HORIZONTAL MENU:

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BILLS:
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Scroll over Bills and a drop-down menu appears with the following threads:

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The Bill Info is the top choice on the list. This opens a page to a list of House or Senate bills, sorted by number.
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By selecting a bill, specific information can be found.
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The Bill Summary/Fact Sheets link brings the user to a list of the summaries of the bill written by legislative staff for the various committees.  In the case of longer bills, this can be a useful resource for a basic understanding of the legislation.
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The Bill Status link brings the user to a page listing the sponsors and co-sponsors of the bill, a list of actions related to the bill (when it was read in one or the other chamber, what committees it was assigned to, committee votes, floor votes, ultimate disposition of the bill, etc.)
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The Sponsors link show the user a list of the sponsors of the bill.  The first name listed is the original sponsor, any names listed with a “P” are primary sponsors, and those listed with a “C” are co-sponsors.
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The Bill Versions link shows the user the different versions of the bill – as introduced, and House Engrossed and Senate Engrossed (if a measure gets that far).

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The Adopted Amendments and Proposed Amendments links take the user to lists of adopted and proposed amendments.  These amendments are written based on the underlying bill so they don’t often make sense in their “stand-alone” versions.

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The House Agenda, Senate Agendas, House Calendars, and Senate Calendars links bring you to pages that show when the bill is scheduled for committee or floor action.
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The Bill Video Archive link shows a list of videos of the committee and floor considerations of the bill in question.  However, because bills reuse the same number every regular sessions, special session, and year to year; a bill number may be reused many times (i.e. HB 2001 was used multiple times in 2009 due to one regular session and multiple special sessions.) Therefore, it’s best to know when the bill you are interested in was up for consideration.

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COMMITTEES:

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Scroll over the Committees tab and a drop-down menu appears with the following threads:

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The Standing Committee is a list of links to each chamber’s permanent committees.

The Interim Committee is a list of links to the various temporary, ad hoc, and special committees.

The House Agendas, Senate Agendas, and JLBC Agendas are lists of links to the agendas of upcoming committee meetings. This is helpful in planning visits to the Capitol or viewing online sessions.

The Conference link is a list of conference committee meetings and agendas.  This one is rarely used.

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CALENDAR NEWS:

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Scroll over the Calendars/News tab and a drop-down menu appears with the following threads:

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The Press Releases link is an archive of press releases.
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The Capitol Events link provides a calendar of events at the legislature.

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.Legislative Districts are grouped by color for visual differentiation only.
*Resigned in 2010 to run for a Congressional Seat.

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Our Methodology:

The Arizona Education Network has compiled a summary of all legislators’ voting records pertaining to their support of public education at all levels (K-University) during the 2009 Regular and Special Sessions.  Sifting through all the bills that were passed by the Legislature and sent onto the Governor’s office, AEN found twenty-one (21) different pieces of legislation that dealt directly with public education budgets and the dollars allocated to it.   AEN totaled each legislator’s votes “FOR” and “AGAINST” public education.  AEN also tallied the number of times a legislator did NOT vote on the legislation pertaining to public education budgets. In our state, which is ranked last in education funding,  AEN defines a vote to protect dollars allocated to public education as a vote “FOR” public education.    Conversely, AEN defines a vote to take budget dollars away from public education as a vote “AGAINST” public education.

The summary is organized by district and then by house:  Senate first, followed by the House of Representatives.  The first set of numbers following a legislator’s name provides the percentage of times the legislator voted “FOR” and “AGAINST” public education, as well as the percentages of times that legislator did NOT vote on the legislation.  This percentage was derived using the total number of bills on which the legislator could have voted.

The second set of numbers for each legislator shows the percentage of times he or she voted “FOR” and “AGAINST” public education, adjusted for the number of public education votes missed.  In some cases, adjusting for the number of missed votes resulted in a significant change in a legislator’s numbers.

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Missed Votes:

Several special sessions of the Legislature were called during 2009, requiring legislators to report to the Capitol many times outside of the regular session.  This could be part of the reason your legislator missed votes.  If you are concerned with the number of public education votes your legislator(s) missed, AEN encourages you to contact your legislators to find out why.

For a short summary of each piece of legislation included in this analysis, please see the links below the table.

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Link to Individual Legislation Summaries, PDF Format
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2009 Regular Legislative Session:

First Regular Session SB1029 & HB2640

First Regular Session SB1035 & HB2636

First Regular Session SB1036 & HB2635

First Regular Session SB 1187 & HB2639

First Regular Session SB 1188

First Regular Session HB2028 & SB1189

First Regular Session HB2029 & SB1190

First Regular Session HB2643 & SB1470

First Regular Session HB2648 & SB1480

First Regular Session HB2649 & SB1477

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2009 First Special Legislative Session

First Special Session SB1001 & HB2001

First Special Session SB1006 & HB2006

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2009 Second Special Legislative Session

Second Special Session HB 2001 & SB1001*

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2009 Third Special Legislative Session

Third Special Session HB2001 & SB1013*

Third Special Session HB 2002 & SB1016

Third Special Session HB2006 & SB1020

Third Special Session HB 2011 & SB1027

Third Special Session HB2012

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2009 Fourth Special Legislative Session

Fourth Special Session SB1001

Fourth Special Session SB1002

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2009 Fifth Special Legislative Session

Fifth Special Session SB1001

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House Education Committee
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Rep. Rich Crandall (LD 19), Chairman
Rep. Doris Goodale (LD 3), Vice Chairman
Rep. Nancy Barto (LD7)
Rep. Steve Court (LD 18)
Rep. Laurin Hendrix (LD 22)
Rep. Eric Meyer (LD 11)
Rep. David Schapira (LD 17)
Rep. Rae Waters (LD 20)
Rep. Vic Williams (LD 26)
Rep. Nancy Young Wright (LD 26)

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Senate Education Accountability & Reform Committee
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Sen. John Huppenthal (LD 20), Chairman
Sen. Linda Gray (LD 10), Vice-Chairman
Sen. Paula Aboud (LD 28)
Sen. Sylvia Allen (LD 5)
Sen. Leah Landrum Taylor (LD 16)
Sen. Linda Lopez (LD 29)
Sen. JonathanPaton (LD 30)
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House Appropriations Committee
The House Appropriations committee hears state budget related bills. Essentially, they decide how to appropriate the money.
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Rep. John Kavanagh (LD 8), Chairman
Rep. Andy Biggs (LD 22), Vice-Chairman
Rep. Olivia Cajero Bedford (LD 27)
Rep. Cloves Campbell, Jr. (LD 16)
Rep. Steve Court (LD 18)
Rep. Russell Jones (LD 24)
Rep. Nancy McLain (LD 3)
Rep. Rick Murphy (LD 9)
Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (LD 15)
Rep. Vic Williams (LD 26)

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Senate Appropriations Committee
The Senate Appropriations Committee hears state budget related bills as worked through and passed out of the House.
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Sen. Russell Pearce (LD 18)
Sen. Al Melvin (LD 26), Vice-Chairman
Sen. Paula Aboud (LD 28)
Sen. Amanda Aguirre (LD 24)
Sen. Sylvia Allen (LD 5)
Sen. Ron Gould (LD 3)
Sen. Jack Harper (LD 4)
Sen. Steve Pierce (LD 1)
Sen. Rebecca Rios (LD 23)

Why did some Arizona legislators sign a “No Tax Pledge” that puts them in direct conflict with the Arizona Constitution they are sworn to uphold? Why did Arizona legislators sign a pledge to a special interest Washington Lobbyist named Grover Norquist?.

The question begs to be asked: How can one sign a “No Tax” pledge, which may violate at least multiple provisions and mandates of the Arizona Constitution, that all legislators swore to uphold?
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It seems to be a clear conflict-of-interest to swear to two contradictory mandates.  What a conundrum for the legislators that signed an oath to a Washington lobbyist …Which oath should be upheld? 

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It is the opinion of AEN that the Arizona Constitution, the very document that allows for elected officials to represent the constituents in Arizona, has supremacy and all other oaths and pledges must be secondary.
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 In regard to taxation, the AZ Constitution is quite clear in Article 9, Section 1:  Surrender of power of taxation; uniformity of taxes
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Section 1. The power of taxation shall never be surrendered, suspended or contracted away.

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In fact, every legislator is required, by Arizona Revised Statute (ARS) 38-231 (under Article 4–Oath of Office) to take the following oath:

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State of Arizona, County of ______________ I, _____________________(type or print name)

do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the

Constitution and laws of the State of Arizona, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same

and defend them against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that I will faithfully and impartially

discharge the duties of the office of ___________________ (name of office) _____________________

according to the best of my ability, so help me God (or so I do affirm).
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______________________________________
(signature of officer or employee)
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____________________________________________________________________________________

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However,  a number of Arizona legislators have signed a “No Tax” pledge to a Washington special interest group – Americans for Tax Reform.  (Click “No Tax” Pledge List for a complete list.)

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The Arizona Constitution & Public Education
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Arizona’s public school standing in the educational world has been slipping over the last decade, to the point where it has now reached a crisis point in funding, ideology and prioritizing.  It needs to be stated and reiterated that public education was vital to our Arizona founders, who recognized the integral relationship between a strong public education system and the viability of Arizona as a state.  For a brief history of the weight our forefathers placed on public education, visit: Public Education and our AZ Constitution.
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Arizona founders crafted our constitution in a way to ensure its priority, as well as the means for funding it:
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Article 11, Section 10. Source of revenue for maintenance of state educational institutions
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Section 10. The revenue for the maintenance of the respective state educational institutions shall be derived from the investment of the proceeds of the sale, and from the rental of such lands as have been set aside by the enabling act approved June 20, 1910, or other legislative enactment of the United States, for the use and benefit of the respective state educational institutions. In addition to such income the legislature shall make such appropriations, to be met by taxation, as shall insure the proper maintenance of all state educational institutions, and shall make such special appropriations as shall provide for their development and improvement.
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In addition, our forefathers added provisions into the constitution that require Arizona legislators to uphold the constitution.
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Article 2, Section 32. Constitutional provisions mandatory
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Section 32. The provisions of this Constitution are mandatory, unless by express words they are declared to be otherwise.
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Arizona is dead last in the United States of America in education funding, with the situation only becoming more bleak.  The AZ constitution requires, through taxation as a last resort, the Development and Improvement of public schools.  Public education is being woefully underfunded and it’s an incontrovertible fact that the Arizona founders wanted and mandated more for the economic development for the state of Arizona

Who signed a pledge to a special interest Washington lobbyist?

The folowing legislators signed the following ATR “No Taxes” State Pledge:

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In the Arizona Senate:

Bob Burns (LD-9)
Pamela Gorman (LD-6) [Note: Sen. Gorman resigned January of 2010 to run for the CD 3 seat]
Ron Gould (LD-3)
Linda Gray (LD-10)
Jack Harper (LD-4)
John Huppenthal (LD-20)
Barbara Leff (LD-11)
Jay Tibshraeny (LD-21)
Thayer Verschoor (LD-22)
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In the Arizona House of Representative:
Kirk Adams (LD-19)
Frank Antenori (LD-30)
Ray Barnes (LD-7)
Nancy K. Barto (LD-7)
Andy Biggs (LD-22)
Tom Boone (LD-4)
Judy Burges (LD-4)
Sam Crump (LD-6) [Note: Rep. Crump resigned February of 2010 to run for CD 3]
Adam Driggs (LD-11)
David Gowan (LD-30)
John Kavanagh (LD-8)
Bill Konopnicki (LD-5)
Debbie Lesko (LD-9)
Rick Murphy (LD-9)
Warde V. Nichols (LD-21)
Carl Seel (LD-6)
David Stevens (LD-25)
Andrew M. Tobin (LD-1)
Jerry Weiers (LD-12)
Jim Weiers (LD-10)
Steve Yarbrough (LD-21)

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Taxpayer Protection Pledge
I, ________________________, pledge to the taxpayers of the _______

District of the state of ____________________ and all the people of this state that
I will oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes.
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Other Media:

Tax foe in DC casts long shadow over legislature, Arizona Daily Star, August 23, 2009

Anti-Tax Pledge hangs over GOP, Arizona Republic, February 14, 2009

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GLOSSARY OF LEGISLATIVE TERMS

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A _____________
Absolute Majority: More than ½ of the membership of the entire body, e.g., at least 16 members of the 30-member Senate or at least 31 members of the 60-member House of Representatives. See Majority Vote, Simple Majority, Supermajority.

Act: A bill that has been enacted into law. Each act is published as a separate chapter in the session laws.

Adjournment: The termination of the day’s proceedings of either a committee or the full house. (1) Regular adjournment sets the date for the next meeting. (2) Adjournment sine die, literally adjournment “without a day,” marks the end of the legislative session and terminates all unfinished business because it does not set a time for reconvening.

Administrative Procedure Act: The statutes that govern the adoption of administrative rules and administrative adjudicatory proceedings by executive branch agencies. See A.R.S. Title 41, chapter 6 (§§ 41-1001 et seq.).

Administrative Rule: An agency directive, standard, regulation or statement of general applicability that implements, interprets or prescribes law or policy or describes the procedure or practice requirements of an agency. Agencies may adopt rules under legislative authority delegated by the Legislature.
Adoption: Formal approval or acceptance of motions, amendments or other legislative measures. Advise and Consent: The process, under the American system of checks and balances, by which the Senate reviews and approves or rejects gubernatorial appointments to certain executive offices. See Confirmation.

Agency Bill: A measure proposed by an executive branch agency, typically intended to enhance or improve the administration of the agency’s responsibilities. Agenda: The official work plan for a committee meeting including a list of specific items of business to be considered.

ALIS: Acronym for Arizona Legislative Information System, the Legislature’s computer system.
Amend: To alter formally. (1) A bill may propose to amend a statute by changing, deleting or adding statutory text. (2) A measure may be amended by striking or inserting text, or both. Amendment: (1) Any formal modification, deletion or addition that alters the form or substance of statutory text, a legislative measure or a motion. (2) A legislative document or motion that proposes the modification of a legislative measure. American Legislative Exchange Council;

ALEC: A nonpartisan individual membership organization of state legislators that favors federalism and a market-based approach to public policy.

Apportionment: The division of the state of Arizona into 30 legislative and eight congressional districts with distinct geographic boundaries. Each legislative district contains approximately 1/30 and each congressional district contains approximately 1/8 of the state’s population. See Reapportionment.

Appropriation: A formal legislative allocation of money to a state agency, budget unit or program and the authorization to spend the money for designated lawful purposes.

Appropriation Limit: The prohibition of appropriating state revenues in an amount exceeding a percentage of total personal income in Arizona. The limit was originally 7% of total personal income, but minor adjustments have been authorized over the years. See Article IX, § 17, Constitution of Arizona.

Approval by the Governor: The Governor’s signature on a bill or joint resolution passed by the Legislature.

Arizona Revised Statutes; A.R.S.: The codified laws of the State of Arizona. The statutes are published and annotated by private companies but use the arrangement and numbering system assigned by the Legislature.

Attorney General Opinion: A written analysis of a question of law prepared by the attorney general for the governor, the head of an executive agency, any legislator or a school district. Author: See Sponsor.

AZNet: The teleconference system that allows legislators and the public to electronically attend some legislative committees and other proceedings from remote locations around the state.

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B ______________

Bicameral: A Legislature composed of two chambers or two legislative bodies. Arizona’s bicameral Legislature is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. All states have bicameral legislatures except Nebraska, which has only one chamber (unicameral).
Biennial: Occurring every two years. (Note: “biannual” means occurring every six months.)

Biennium: A two-year period.

Bill: A proposed law that has been introduced in either house of the Legislature. A bill creates new law or amends or repeals existing law. Senate bills are numbered consecutively and designated “S.B. 1xxx.” House bills are numbered consecutively and designated “H.B. 2xxx.”

Bill Drafting: The writing of bills, memorials and resolutions according to rules, styles and forms described in the bill drafting manual.

Bill Drafting Manual: The manual published by Legislative Council that explains the official, uniform system and rules for preparation of all legislative measures.

Bill Folder: The Legislative Council file folder that contains the legislator’s documentation for drafting a bill, resolution or memorial. Each request is assigned a bill folder number that is the official designation of the proposed measure before it is introduced and given a bill number. The contents of a bill folder are confidential.

Bill Number: The number given to each bill by the Senate secretary or chief clerk of the House when it is introduced. Senate Bills are numbered “S.B. 1xxx” and House bills are numbered “H.B. 2xxx.”

Bill Status: The progress of a bill (or other measure) at any given time in the legislative process. The current status can be determined by referring to the computer system (ALIS) that also provides an update on all other legislative action.

Bill Summary: The fact sheet prepared by Senate and House staff for bills, resolutions and memorials as they are considered by standing committees. Bipartisan: Interparty cooperation on a matter that is essentially political. See Nonpartisan, Partisan.

Blend: When the Legislature amends the same statute more than once in the same legislative session, the Executive Director of Legislative Council is authorized to compile and blend compatible amendments of the statute to avoid publishing more than one version of the statute.

Boilerplate: Standard bill drafting language common to various subjects and designed to maintain the legal consistency and uniformity of the language of the Arizona Revised Statutes.

Bond: (1) A certificate of indebtedness issued by the government in return for money it has borrowed. A promise to pay a specified sum of money at a fixed time in the future and carrying a specified rate of interest. Bonds may be general obligation bonds or revenue bonds. (2) A financial commitment to the state by a state officer or employee to ensure that the person will be honest and faithful in performing official duties (formally called a “surety” bond).
Box: Legislative slang for the amount of state revenues remaining for special purpose spending after general appropriations.

Budget: A formal plan of government expenditure for a fiscal year or biennium including the means of financing the expenditures.

Budget Unit: A state department, commission or other agency of state government that spends or disburses state revenue or incurs obligations against the state.

By Request: A phrase used when a sponsor introduces legislation as a favor or at the request of a constituent or another private party or organization but does not necessarily endorse the measure. The words “By Request” appear after a sponsor’s name on the front of the legislation.

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C ______________

Calendar: The list or docket of legislation awaiting action.

Calendar Day: Any day listed on the Gregorian calendar. See Legislative Day.

Call: The formal proclamation issued by the Governor to call the Legislature into a special session, including a list of issues to be addressed in the session.

Call of the House [Senate]: A formal proceeding to suspend floor action until a quorum can be assembled on the floor. It includes locking the doors of the chamber and an order for the sergeant at arms to locate and compel the attendance of unexcused members. (See Quorum Call.)

Capital Budget: A plan of expenditures for land acquisition and construction, repair, engineering and design of facilities and major equipment.

Capital Outlay Bill: An appropriation bill that authorizes expenditures of state money for the capital budget needs of the state.

Caucus: n., (1) A group of people who share common interests; legislators of the same political party. (2) A meeting of legislators of the same political party to consider legislation, policies and actions. v., To hold or meet in a caucus.

Chair; Chairman; Chairperson: The person who presides over a committee.

Chamber: See Floor.

Chapter: An act. The Secretary of State assigns each act a chapter number in the session laws of a legislative session.

Chief Clerk: The chief administrative officer of the House of Representatives who is responsible for keeping records of the proceedings of the House, preparing and distributing calendars and other official agenda of the House and transmitting legislation and official correspondence from the House to the Senate and the Governor.
Christmas Tree Bill: Legislative slang for a bill, generally considered late in the session, that accumulates numerous amendments, like Christmas tree ornaments, that are attached to attract votes.

Claims Bill: The Named Claimant’s Relief Act; an appropriations bill to pay various individuals and entities for confirmed losses caused by state government.

Coalition: An alliance of factions for some specific purpose.

Code: (1) A compilation of laws on a particular subject (e.g., the criminal code). (2) The published Arizona Revised Statutes. (3) The compilation of administrative rules, known as the “administrative code.”

Code Revision: The process of preparing newly enacted laws for publication in the Arizona Revised Statutes. Legislative Council is responsible for proofreading the new laws, correcting minor technical problems (e.g., misspelled words) and blending multiple amendments of the same statute. See A.R.S. §§ 41-1304.01, 41- 1304.02, 41-1304.03.

Committee: A body of legislators appointed to handle certain business and report back to the parent body. See Standing Committee, Conference Committee, Interim Committee, Statutory Committee, Joint Committee, Committee of the Whole.

Committee Amendment: An amendment recommended to the full house by a majority of a standing committee to which the measure was referred for consideration. Committee amendments must be adopted by the full house to become a part of the measure.

Committee of the Whole (COW): The full membership of the Senate or the House of Representatives sitting as a committee to debate legislation and adopt amendments to legislation.

Committee Staff: The staff who assist a committee chair and members, typically consisting of a secretary and one or more research analysts.

Common Law: The law derived from usages and customs of antiquity and recognized and enforced by courts, as distinguished from the law created by the enactment of legislatures. See Statute.

Companion Bills: Bills that supplement each other but, for legal, technical, tactical or political reasons, cannot be combined.

Concurrence: The action by which one house accepts the amendments made to a measure by the other house.

Concurrent Memorial: See Memorial.

Concurrent Resolution: See Resolution.

Conditional Enactment: A provision in a bill indicating that is to become effective only if a separate condition occurs, such as an enabling constitutional amendment.

Conferees: The legislative members who meet as a conference committee.

Conference Committee: A committee with members appointed from each house to resolve differences in a measure as passed by each house and prepare a version of the measure acceptable to both houses. See Free Conference Committee, Simple Conference Committee.

Conference Report: The recommendation of a conference committee to resolve the differences in a measure passed by each house.

Confirmation: The process by which the Senate advises and consents to executive appointments made by the Governor. See A.R.S. § 38-211. See Advise and Consent.

Conflict of Interest: A situation in which a public official may receive personal benefit or harm from taking or withholding public action. A conflict of interest may prevent a legislator from voting on a particular issue.

Consensus: A broad agreement that, while not necessarily all-encompassing, embraces enough elements to obtain support from a majority.

Consent Calendar; Unanimous Consent Calendar: A list of measures that have been reported without amendment by all standing committees to which they have been assigned. It is used to allow rapid floor consideration of noncontroversial measures. Measures on the consent calendar are not assigned to Committee of the Whole but instead proceed directly to third reading. Any member may protest a measure on a consent calendar during a designated notice period, in which event the measure is removed and routed to Committee of the Whole.

Constituent: A citizen who resides in the district of a legislator.

Constitution: The written document agreed upon by the people of the United States (the United States Constitution) or Arizona (the State Constitution) as the fundamental and absolute rule for action and decision for the government.

Constitutional Amendment: A change to the Constitution of Arizona or to the United States Constitution. Amendments to the Constitution of Arizona may be proposed by the Legislature or by an initiative petition, and in either case must be adopted by a vote of the people. Amendments to the Constitution of the United States must be ratified by the Legislatures of the several states.

Cosponsor: A sponsor of a measure other than the prime sponsor. Cosponsors’ names appear on the face of the printed measure with the prime sponsor’s name.

Council of State Governments; CSG: A membership organization of all state executive officers and legislatures in the United States and its possessions for the purpose of research and information on state policy and administrative issues.

COW: Legislative slang for Committee of the Whole.
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D ______________

Dead: Legislative slang for a measure that has been defeated or otherwise removed from consideration for the remainder of the session.

Debate: Formal discussion and argument of a matter before a house or committee of the Legislature.

Deficit; Budget Deficit: A shortfall between the amount appropriated and the amount of revenues for a fiscal year.

Dilatory: Deliberate use of parliamentary procedure to delay.

Discharge petition: A procedure to extract a measure from further consideration of all committees and place it on the active calendar of the Committee of the Whole. See Removal Petition.

District: (1) An “electoral district” is a geographical area designated for representation by one Senator and two Representatives. See Apportionment, Reapportionment. (2) A “special taxing district” is a unit of local government, such as a school district, usually having an elected governing board and the power to impose taxes.

Division: To repeat a voice vote, this time by standing or by raising hands. If the outcome of a voice vote is uncertain, any member may request a division to verify the vote. A division does not record the vote of individual legislators but only the number of votes for and against the motion. In some Parliamentary countries and provinces a vote on division is taken by the members physically “dividing” themselves to be counted in separate “aye” and “no” lobbies adjacent to the chamber.

Do Pass: An affirmative recommendation made by a committee in forwarding a measure to the floor or for further consideration. If the committee proposes an amendment to the measure, the recommendation is that it “do pass as amended.”

Draft: n., A written version of a legislative measure that has not yet been formally offered for consideration by the Legislature. v., To prepare a measure for consideration by the Legislature, including discussing, writing, revising, editing, word processing and printing activities.

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E ______________

Effective Date: The date on which an act takes effect, normally the 91st day after the Legislature adjourns sine die (see General Effective Date) unless otherwise stated in the act (see Emergency, Proposition 108).

Emergency: A finding that an act must take effect before the 91st day after the Legislature adjourns sine die in order to preserve the public peace, health or safety. If an emergency measure is enacted by a majority vote of each house, it becomes law on the date it is signed by the Governor or, if the Governor vetoes the measure, on the date the veto is overridden by a ¾ majority vote of each house.

Enabling Act: The Act of Congress that authorized the process for Arizona to become a state.

Enabling Legislation: A bill authorizing a governmental entity, officer or employee to do something.

Enacting Clause: The clause “Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona” that is required by the State Constitution to head all bills to formally express the legislative sanction and authority.

Enactment: n., A legislative measure that has become law. v., The process of creating, changing or repealing a law.

Engross: The preparation of an exact and official copy of a measure as passed by a house of the Legislature, including all adopted amendments, before transmitting the measure to the other house.

Engrossed Bill: An official copy of a bill as passed by either house of the Legislature containing all amendments adopted by that house. Bills that are engrossed by the House of Representatives are printed on green paper. Bills that are engrossed by the Senate are printed on goldenrod paper. Resolutions and memorials that are engrossed are referred to as engrossed resolutions and engrossed memorials.

Enrolled Bill: The official copy of a bill as finally passed in identical form by both houses of the Legislature and transmitted to the Governor. It is the final engrossed bill. Resolutions and memorials that are enrolled are similarly referred to as enrolled resolutions and enrolled memorials.

Ex Officio: Membership on a board or committee by virtue of holding another particular office or position.

Executive Order: A written order of the governor affecting the operation or organization of an executive branch agency. An executive order has the force of law unless superceded by an act of the Legislature or a subsequent executive order.

Executive Session: A meeting of a committee that is closed to the public and the press for purposes of considering any of a limited number of sensitive topics authorized by law. See A.R.S. § 38-431.03.

Explanation of vote: An oral statement of a legislator’s reasons for an “aye” or “nay” vote on third reading or final passage of a measure

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F ______________

Fact Sheet: A written summary of a bill prepared by research analysts in the House and Senate.

Feed Bill: Legislative slang for the general appropriations bill.

Filibuster: Artificially prolonging debate on an issue for the purpose of delaying or preventing legislative action.

Final Passage: The roll call vote taken on a measure on the floor of each house after all amendments and committee reports have been adopted and incorporated into the measure. This is the last vote on the measure before it is sent to the Governor.

First Reading: The initial formal recitation on the chamber floor of a bill, resolution or memorial by number and sections by the reader in either house. It is the first of three readings required by the Constitution of Arizona. In the House a measure is assigned to one or more committees at first reading.

Fiscal Note: A statement of revenue implications of proposed legislation, prepared at the request of a legislator by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.

Fiscal Year: Any 12-month accounting period without regard to its relationship to a calendar year. The Arizona state fiscal year is July 1 through June 30. Floor: (1) The interior chamber of either house of the legislature where the full membership convenes. (2) The right to address the members assembled when a house is in session.

Floor Action: Consideration and debate by the full House or Senate.

Floor Amendment: An amendment, other than a committee amendment, offered by a legislator during floor debate during Committee of the Whole.

Free Conference Committee: A conference committee that may propose in its report on a measure any new amendments that are germane to the measure. See Conference Committee, Simple Conference Committee.

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Gallery: (1) The balcony area in the chambers of the Senate and House from which the public may observe legislative proceedings on the floor. (2) The area on the floors of the House and Senate designated for the presence of accredited members of the press corps, generally known as the “press gallery.”

General Appropriations Bill: The bill that makes appropriations for the estimated foreseeable expenses of state government for the fiscal years in a biennium. See Feed Bill, ORB, Supplemental Appropriation.

General Effective Date: The 91st day after the Legislature adjourns sine die. See Article IV, part 1, § 1(3), Constitution of Arizona. General Election: An election to choose officers of the federal, state or local governments. The general election for federal, state and county officers is held on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November in successive even-numbered years.

General Fund: The fund in which most state revenues are deposited and that is available for any legally authorized purpose and used to fund appropriations for the ordinary operations of state government.

General Law: A law of general, or potentially general, application throughout the state. See Local Law.

General Obligation Bond: A certificate of government indebtedness that is backed by the “full faith and credit” of the issuing government. See Revenue Bond.

Germane: Pertaining to the subject matter of the measure. A bill may address only one subject, and all changes made by the bill to the law and all changes made by amendments to the bill must be relevant and appropriate to that subject. See Article IV, part 2, §§ 13, 20, Constitution of Arizona.

Gerrymander: Designing a legislative or congressional district for the purpose of obtaining partisan or factional advantages. See Apportionment, Reapportionment.

Going Home Bill: Legislative slang for a bill that is imperative to pass before the Legislature, or the bill’s sponsor, can “go home” (adjourn sine die).

Grandfather Clause: Legislative slang for saving clause.

Gut: Legislative slang for amending a measure to remove its key provisions or to weaken it drastically.

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Hearing: A formal public session of a committee at which business is conducted or testimony is received.

Hopper: The box or other depository in which bills, resolutions and memorials are filed for introduction.

House: Generally, either body or chamber of the Legislature. Capitalized, it refers specifically to the House of Representatives.

House of Origin: The chamber in which a measure is introduced and that first considers the measure.

House of Representatives: The house of the Arizona Legislature consisting of 60 members who are elected from the 30 legislative districts.

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Impeachment: The formal process of bringing charges of high crimes, misdemeanors or malfeasance against a public official of the state by the House of Representatives. After the House has impeached, the official is tried by the Senate and removed from office if convicted.

Initiative: The right of private citizens to propose and enact laws. The proposition is placed on an election ballot through a petition signed by a specified number of voters. See Article IV, part 1, § 1(2), Constitution of Arizona.

Interim: The period of time between two regular sessions of the Legislature.

Interim Committee: A committee, usually temporary, established to study an issue, make findings and prepare a report during the period between legislative sessions. See Select Committee.

Intern: One of a group of university students selected each year to work as researchers and assistants in several offices and committees of the Legislature.

Internal Reference: A cross-reference or citation within a section of law to another section of law.

Interstate Compact: Legislation that is agreed to in identical form by two or more states for the purpose of interstate cooperation.

Introduction: The presentation of a bill, resolution or memorial to the Secretary of the Senate or the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives (see Hopper); formally accomplished when the measure is first read on the floor of the Senate or House.

Introductory Set; Intro Set: The official package containing copies of a bill, resolution or memorial that has been prepared for introduction and a form that legislators can sign as sponsors of the measure.

Item Veto: See Line-Item Veto.

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Joint Committee: A committee composed of members of both houses of the Legislature, sometimes including nonlegislative members as well, usually for the purpose of studying and making recommendations regarding a single issue before the Legislature. Note: Committees may occasionally meet jointly, i.e., two standing committees may meet together to consider matters of mutual interest. These meetings do not constitute a joint committee.

Joint Resolution: See Resolution.

Joint Session: A combined meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives, usually for ceremonial or informational purposes.

Journal: The official chronological record that is maintained by each house and that reports essential items of daily business but not a verbatim record. The journals of each house are published after each regular session.

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Lame Duck: An elected official who continues to hold political office during the interim between the election and inauguration of the person’s successor.

Law: A binding rule of a community that is enforced by controlling authorities. Statute law is enacted by the Legislature. Common law is set by precedent in court and by interpretation of the Constitution and statute law.

Leadership: The elected officers of each house and each caucus. Legislation: The measures enacted or under consideration by the Legislature. These include codified and uncodified statutory law and memorials and resolutions.

Legislative Day: A day on which the houses of the Legislature each convene to conduct official business.

Legislative Immunity: A limited constitutional privilege for legislators from civil process and arrest during and immediately preceding the legislative session.

Legislative Intent: A goal of the Legislature in enacting legislation. Intent may be stated in enacted legislation or may be ascribed from the provisions of the law and circumstances contemporaneous with its enactment. Intent does not have the force of law but may be used to interpret statutory provisions.

Legislative Rules: The guidelines by which the Senate, the House of Representatives or a committee governs its activities.

Legislature: The lawmaking body of the State of Arizona, composed of 60 Representatives and 30 Senators from 30 districts elected to two-year terms. Each Legislature has a duration of two years, encompassing two regular sessions and any special sessions during that period. Each Legislature is numbered consecutively.

Line-Item Veto: The power of the Governor to veto specified items from an appropriation while signing the remainder of the bill into law.

Line Numbers: The numbers that appear in the margins of each bill, resolution, memorial and amendment. They are used as reference points in discussing the text of the document and in drafting amendments to the document. Lobby: n., (1) A room at the rear of each chamber set aside for the use of the members and their guests. (2) A group that is organized for the purpose of influencing the opinions and decisions of legislators with respect to some specific area of interest. v., Communicating with public officials on behalf of a person or interest group for the purpose of influencing legislative or administrative action.

Lobbyist: A person who is employed or who contracts, with or without compensation, to communicate with public officials on behalf of another person or an interest group for the purpose of influencing legislative or administrative action. See A.R.S. § 41-1231.

Local Law; Special Law: A law of local or limited application, affecting only one or more particular areas or classes, such as one or more counties. The Constitution of Arizona prohibits local and special laws on several specific topics and when general law can be made to apply. See Article IX, part 2, § 19, Constitution of Arizona. See General Law.

Loophole: An unintended use or application of a law, usually to afford an unintended benefit at the expense of the public.

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Majority; Majority Party: The political party (or coalition) to which a majority of the members of a house of the Legislature belongs. A party may be the majority party in one house and the minority party in the other house.

Majority Leader: The person selected by the members of the majority political party (or coalition) in a house to be their spokesperson.

Majority Vote: A vote of more than ½ of the body. See Absolute Majority, Simple Majority, Supermajority.

Majority Whip: See Whip.

Mandate; State Mandate: Anything required by the Legislature by state law, typically a requirement that local government establish, expand or modify its activities in such a way that increases local expenses.

Mason’s Manual: The publication Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure, which is a procedural and parliamentary manual that supplements the Constitution, statutes and House and Senate Rules.

Measure: A piece of legislation (i.e., a bill, resolution or memorial or an amendment to a bill, resolution or memorial) that is before the Legislature for consideration.

Memorial: A legislative measure containing a request or proposal that a named recipient (such as Congress or the President of the United States) acknowledge stated facts (contained in clauses introduced by the word “whereas”) and take action in a manner consistent with the request. A memorial is not used to commemorate the dead. A memorial may be “simple” (considered by only one house) or “concurrent” (considered by both houses).

Message From the Senate or House: Official communication from the opposite house and read into the official record.

Minority; Minority Party: A political party to which fewer than one-half of the members of a house of the Legislature belong.

Minority Leader: The person selected by the members of a minority political party in a house to be their spokesperson.

Minority Report: A committee report officially stating the position of members who are in the minority on an issue in question (not necessarily in the minority political party).

Minutes: A written record summarizing the proceedings of a committee.

Motion: A request by a legislator for one of a wide variety of parliamentary actions that formally directs debate on the floor. It is the way, for example, that a legislator introduces a measure for debate on the floor.
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National Conference of State Legislatures; NCSL: A membership organization of all state legislatures in the United States and its possessions for the purpose of research and information on public policy and administrative issues.

New Language: The text of a bill that is proposed to be added to existing state law. New language in bills is displayed in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.

Ninth Floor: Legislative slang referring to the Governor or the Governor’s office, which is located on the ninth floor of the West Wing of the State Capitol.

Nonpartisan: Interparty cooperation on matters without consideration of party politics or not ascribing to any of the political parties. See Bipartisan, Partisan.

“Now” Title: A revised reference title of a measure after a strike everything amendment has been adopted to reflect the new provisions of the measure and distinguish the current version of the measure from its original version.

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Omnibus Bill: A bill addressing many items or topics under a single subject.

Open Meeting: A meeting or session of a public body at which the public may attend. All meetings and sessions of public bodies are required by law to be open except for a limited number of specific cases. See Executive Session. See A.R.S. Title 38, chapter 3, article 3.1.

Operating Budget: A plan of expenditures other than capital expenditures. Frequently referred to as “maintenance and operation” or “M & O.” See Capital Budget.

ORB: Legislative slang for an “omnibus reconciliation bill.” An ORB is a bill that is intended to reduce the cost of state government by providing for increased efficiencies in administration or program management rather than direct reductions in appropriations to the agency or program.

Order of Business: The scheduled events and proceedings followed by the Senate and House of Representatives each legislative day, as prescribed by the Senate and House Rules.

Out of Order: An expression indicating an event, motion or measure that violates the rules of parliamentary procedure or the rules of the body of the Legislature.

Override: To enact a bill after it has been vetoed by the Governor. The Legislature must muster a supermajority vote to override a veto.

Oversight: A continuing or periodic review by the Legislature of the way other branches of government administer the law.
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Page: A person who works on the chamber floors, in committees and elsewhere on the legislative premises to distribute materials, carry messages and generally facilitate the legislative work flow.

Parliamentarian: A legislator, designated by the President or Speaker, who is skilled in parliamentary rules, practice or debate.

Parliamentary Procedure: The rules governing order and debate in the Legislature, having generally evolved from the traditional practice of the British Parliament.

Partisan: Taking the part of or strongly supporting the position or policy of one political party over another. See Bipartisan, Nonpartisan.

Partisan Staff: Legislative employees who serve under majority or minority leadership to provide research and administrative support to members of their party.

Passage: Adoption of a measure by the House of Representatives or the Senate or a “do pass” recommendation of a measure by a committee.

Per Diem: A daily allowance of money for legislators.

Performance Audit: An oversight review of an agency or program by the Auditor General or another designated entity to evaluate the results, efficiencies, achievements and other performance indicators of the agency or program.

Personal Privilege: Senate and House rules that allow a legislator to explain a personal matter but not discuss or debate an issue during the explanation. It is used, for example, when a legislator wants to introduce a guest or acknowledge someone.

Personal Services: A classification of budget expenditure that includes salary, overtime and benefits for personnel.

Piggyback: (1) To attach a legislative proposal to a another piece of popular legislation in an effort to get it passed by a house. (2) To incorporate provisions of federal law as a basis on which state law and procedure are constructed.

Point of Order: An objection raised by a legislator that the rules of procedure are being violated.

Point of Personal Privilege: A statement by a member on the floor of the chamber relating to the member personally or to a member’s rights, reputation or conduct, rather than to the public business of the body. The typical point of personal privilege consists of announcements, personal statements or introductions of visitors.

Policy Analyst: See Research Analyst.

Pork Barrel: Legislative slang for appropriations based on political patronage such as funding for local projects.

Post Audit: A review of expenditures after the fact to ensure compliance with applicable laws and rules.

Postpone Indefinitely: A procedural action to prevent further action on a legislative measure, without requiring a direct or recorded vote on the merits of the measure.

Prefiling: A procedure allowing a legislator to offer a measure for introduction before the legislative session begins.

Present: A vote of abstention, neither for or against a motion.

President: The presiding officer of the Senate, elected by its members.

Press Corps: The members of the news media who cover events at the State Capitol.

Prime Sponsor: The lead legislator of a group of legislative sponsors of a measure. The prime sponsor’s name appears first on the face of the printed measure. See Cosponsor.

Primary Election: A preliminary election in which the registered voters of a political party nominate that party’s candidates for office.

Privilege of the Floor: Permission granted to a nonmember of the body to be in that portion of the legislative chamber during session that is reserved for members and staff personnel.

Pro Tempore; Pro Tem: For the time being; temporary. Usually referring to a person who serves as a presiding officer in the absence of the elected presiding officer.

Proposition: A proposed enactment of law that is placed on the ballot for approval or rejection by the voters as a result of the initiative or referendum process of direct legislation.

Proposition 105; Prop 105: The constitutional prohibition (named after the 1998 general election ballot proposition that enacted it) on legislative amendments of measures and funding that were approved by the voters, except in certain limited circumstances.

Proposition 108; Prop 108: The constitutional requirement (named after the 1992 general election ballot proposition that enacted it) that bills that provide for a net increase in state revenues through a new or increased tax or fee or through reduced exemptions or deductions must be approved by a vote of at least 2/3 of the members of each house of the Legislature or, if vetoed by the Governor, the subsequent vote of at least ¾ of the members of each house. If so enacted, the bill takes effect immediately rather than on the general effective date.

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Question; Previous Question: A parliamentary motion to conclude debate and vote on the issue.

Quorum: The minimum number of members of a house or committee required by law or rule to be present before that body can conduct official business.

Quorum Call: A proceeding to determine whether a quorum is present on the floor and suspend floor action until sufficient members return. See Call of the House [Senate].

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Rainy Day Fund: The common name of the state budget stabilization fund. A fund of money set aside to alleviate state financial emergencies.

Reapportionment; Redistricting: Realigning legislative and congressional districts after the United States decennial census for the purpose of equalizing the population among the districts.

Recall: n., The right of citizens to remove an elected official by an election before the official’s term expires. v., To request the return of a measure from the other house or from the Governor by resolution.

Recess: A temporary suspension of legislative business. Unlike adjournment, a recess does not end a legislative day and does not interfere with unfinished business.

Reconsideration: A parliamentary process by which a motion or question that has been acted on may be brought back before the body again. The motion for reconsideration is subject to the requirements and details prescribed by the rules of the House and the Senate, respectively.

Reference Title: A short title of each bill, resolution and memorial that is placed in the upper right-hand corner of the first page. It gives a brief idea of the nature of the measure and aids in indexing, but it is not a part of the substantive law of the measure. See “Now” Title, Title.

Referendum: (1) The right of citizens to prevent enacted legislation from taking effect until the voters either approve or reject the legislation at an election. The referendum is placed on an election ballot through a petition signed by a specified number of voters. See Article IV, part 1, § 1(3), Constitution of Arizona. (2) The choice by the Legislature to submit a proposed law to the voters for approval rather than enacting a bill outright.

Referral: Sending or referring a bill or another matter to a committee or committees for consideration and report. Regular Session: The annual session of the Legislature convening on the second Monday in January and continuing through adjournment sine die. Each elected Legislature has two regular sessions: the regular session following the general election (convening in odd-numbered years) is designated the “First Regular Session,” and the regular session convening in even-numbered years is designated the “Second Regular Session.”

Removal Petition: A procedure to extract a measure from the rules committee and place it on the active calendar of the committee of the whole. See Discharge Petition.

Repeal: To rescind or revoke a law by legislative action.

Report: The presentation by a committee on a measure or another matter that was referred to the committee for action.

Research Analyst: The professional research staff person who is employed by the Legislature, is assigned to a standing committee and provides research support and analysis to the committee.

Resolution: A legislative measure containing a declaration or expression of opinion, will, intent or “resolve” in matters within the Legislature’s legal purview or to conduct the business of the Legislature. A resolution is also used to commemorate the death of prominent public figures. A resolution may be “simple” (considered by only one house), “concurrent” (considered by both houses) or “joint” (considered by both houses and signed by the Governor).

Revenue Bond: A certificate of government indebtedness on which the principal and interest are to be paid solely from money generated by the project they finance or from some dedicated “stream” of government revenue. See General Obligation Bond.

Rise and Report: A motion to adjourn Committee of the Whole.

Roll Call: The method of recording attendance at a floor session. Roll calls on the floors of each house are normally conducted electronically.

Roll Call Vote: The method of formally counting and recording the votes of individual legislators on a motion. Roll call votes on the floors of each house are normally conducted electronically. Rules: See Administrative Rules, Legislative Rules.

Rules Attorney: A staff attorney employed to advise the House or Senate Rules Committee and other members of the body regarding constitutional and procedural issues of introduced bills, resolutions and memorials as well as questions regarding House or Senate Rules and procedures.

Rules Committee: A standing committee in each house assigned specifically to consider each bill, resolution and memorial for constitutional and format issues before the measure is considered on the floor by the whole house.

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Saving Clause: A provision in a bill to exempt a preexisting situation from the requirements of a new law. Sometimes called a “grandfather” clause.

Second: To endorse a motion made by another member. The rules of a chamber may dispense with the requirement of a second.

Second Reading: The second of the three formal readings of a measure introduced in each house required by the Constitution of Arizona.

Secretary of the Senate: The chief administrative officer of the Senate who is responsible for keeping records of the proceedings of the Senate, preparing and distributing calendars and other official agenda of the Senate and transmitting legislation and official correspondence from the Senate to the House of Representatives, the Secretary of State and the Governor.

Select Committee: A temporary committee established by either house, or both houses jointly, to study a specific subject area. See Interim Committee. Senate: The house of the Arizona Legislature consisting of 30 senators who are elected from the 30 legislative districts.

Seniority: Length of service in the House of Representatives, the Senate or the Legislature collectively. It has little official significance but is an informal means of recognizing prior legislative experience by affording personal prerogatives and other deferences.

Sergeant at Arms: A nonlegislator selected in each house to maintain order in the chamber under the direction of the President or Speaker.

Session: A meeting of the Legislature or the period between convening and adjournment sine die during which the Legislature conducts meetings to enact laws. See Regular Session, Special Session.

Session Laws: (1) All enactments of a legislative session. (2) Uncodified laws of an explanatory or temporary nature. Severability: The legal principle that if a court finds a provision of an act or law to be invalid, the invalid provision will be severed out so that it does not affect the other provisions of the act that can continue to be given effect without the invalid provision. Severability clauses occasionally appear in bills to remind courts of this principle.

Short Title: See Reference Title. Simple Conference Committee: A conference committee that may address in its report only the points of disagreement between the Senate and House and cannot include any new matter in the report. See Conference Committee, Free Conference Committee.

Simple Majority: More than ½ of the members of the body who are present for a vote. See Absolute Majority, Majority Vote, Supermajority.

Simple Memorial: See Memorial. Simple Resolution: See Resolution.

Sine Die: See Adjournment.

Sit COW: Legislative slang for “sitting as in Committee of the Whole.”

Sitting as in Committee of the Whole: A proceeding by which a house may conduct business as if it were in Committee of the Whole. Typically used to adopt minor technical corrections to bills that have already passed out of Committee of the Whole.

Sound of the Gavel: A term designating the end of an indefinite recess in proceedings. A meeting that is in recess until “the sound of the gavel” will reconvene when the chairperson determines that all intervening business has been accomplished and the meeting is ready to be gaveled back into session.

Speaker: The presiding officer of the House of Representatives, elected by its members.

Special Law: See Local Law, General Law.

Special Session: A meeting of the Legislature called by the Governor. A special session may be called on the Governor’s initiative, in which case the Legislature may consider only subjects and issues that the Governor specifies. The Governor must also call a special session on receiving a petition of at least 2/3 of the members of each house of the Legislature, in which case the subjects that the Legislature can consider are not limited. There is no limit on the duration of a special session.

Spending Limit: See Appropriation Limit. Sponsor: The legislator, legislators or standing committee that authors or agrees to introduce a measure. The sponsor’s name is printed on the front page of the measure.

Stakeholder: A person or special interest group that has a specific interest in the enactment or defeat of legislation that goes beyond general public policy reasons.

Standing Committee: A permanent committee that is established by the rules of each house of the Legislature to which legislative measures are assigned for consideration.

State of the State: An annual address given by the Governor to a joint session of the legislature, patterned after the President’s state of the union message to Congress. The purpose is to provide the Governor’s report on the affairs of state government and to recommend policies and measures the Governor feels necessary.

Statute: A law enacted by the Legislature and codified in the Arizona Revised Statutes. See Common Law.

Statutory Committee: A permanent committee of the Legislature that is established by a statute.

Stricken Language: The text in a bill that is proposed to be deleted from existing state law. Stricken language in bills is displayed with strikethrough.

Strike Everything Amendment: An amendment to a bill that begins “Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert:”. A strike everything amendment proposes a new version of the bill, sometimes changing the nature of the bill completely, by replacing the provisions previously introduced or adopted.

Striker: See Strike Everything Amendment.

Subcommittee: A subordinate committee composed of members of the full committee appointed by the chair of the full committee. A subcommittee considers a narrower range of topics than the full committee, usually only one bill, and makes recommendations to the full committee.

Substitution of Bills: A shortcut to enactment in which two identical bills are considered by both houses. Then in Committee of the Whole of one of the houses, the bill that has passed the other house is substituted for the identical bill under consideration on the floor and, assuming it passes, thereby avoids having to go through the committees and caucuses of the second house that had already considered the original identical bill.

Sunrise: The statutory legislative process of evaluating the desirability of new or increased regulation of a health-related profession. See A.R.S. Title 32, chapter 31.

Sunset: The automatic termination of an agency or program on a specific date, requiring reevaluation and reauthorization by the Legislature for the agency or program to continue.

Supermajority: A roll call vote of the Legislature that requires more than a simple majority for passage, typically 2/3 or ¾ of the members.

Supplemental Appropriation: An act appropriating monies in addition to those already appropriated for the fiscal year by the general appropriations bill to cover deficiencies or unexpected needs.

System is Closed: The announcement by the presiding officer to indicate that the automatic roll call voting machine has been locked and that members may no longer vote using that system.

System is Open: The announcement by the presiding officer to indicate that members may begin recording their votes on the automatic roll call voting machine by activating the appropriate switch on their desks.

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Technical Amendment; Technical Correction: An amendment of law that has no substantive effect but is intended only to correct some technical flaw, such as poor grammar, an incorrect cross-reference or an obsolete provision or to combine multiple versions of a statute.

Teleconference: A meeting or hearing taking place at two or more locations linked by telecommunication facilities and equipment. Teleconference may be by audio transmission or by both audio and video transmission.

Term Limits: A Senator or Representative may not serve more than four consecutive terms in that office as provided by Article IV, part 2, § 21, Constitution of Arizona.

Third Reading: The third formal reading of a measure on the floor of the House or Senate, taken after all committee work on the measure is completed and all adopted amendments have been engrossed. On third reading the entire chamber votes on the measure by roll call. Amendments and debate are not allowed on third reading, although members are allowed to persuasively explain their votes. If passed on third reading, the measure is transmitted to the other house for further action.

Title: (1) The formal listing of the contents and description of the subject of a bill, resolution or memorial. The title is a constitutional requirement of every measure and has significant legal effect. See Reference Title. (2) The primary subunit of Arizona Revised Statutes.

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Unanimous Consent Calendar: See Consent Calendar.

Uniform Act: Legislation that is recommended by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws for enactment by all states, in substantially identical language, for the purpose of uniformity of application and administration. Upstyle: See New Language.

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Vehicle; Vehicle Bill: Legislative slang for a bill, memorial or resolution that is introduced in a form that is acknowledged, informally, to be incomplete. Vehicle bills are frequently used when legislative deadlines compel the introduction of legislation before the sponsor has fully developed all of the measure’s details or when interested parties are continuing to negotiate and discuss the concepts and details of the legislation at the time it must be introduced. The vehicle then becomes a “placeholder” into which the final provisions will be amended.

Veto: An official act of the Governor disapproving a bill passed by the Legislature and nullifying the bill unless the Legislature subsequently overrides the veto.

Vice-chair; Vice Chairman; Vice-chairperson: A committee member chosen by the Speaker or President to preside over the committee in the chairman’s absence.

Voice Vote: An oral vote on a motion decided by the apparent number of voices calling “aye” compared to those calling “no” or “nay.” There is no record kept of the members voting or of the number of “ayes” and “nos”. See Division, Roll Call Vote.

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Whip: An assistant to the majority or minority leader. Duties may include marshaling party members in support of party strategy, managing floor action for a political caucus and presiding over meetings of the caucus. The term derives from the British fox hunting term “whipper-in” that describes the person responsible for keeping the foxhounds from leaving the pack.

Without Objection: A phrase used by the presiding officer to indicate that a noncontroversial matter is being disposed of without a roll call vote of the members, assuming that there is no opposition to the action.
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Yield: In debate, the relinquishing of the floor to another member to speak or ask a question.

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The Arizona Legislature is a “bicameral system.”  A bicameral system is comprised of a “lower house,” the House of Representatives, and an “upper house,” the Senate.  There are 30 Legislative Districts in Arizona, and combined there are 90  legislators (30 Senators and 60 House Members)who meet in Phoenix, at the Capital Complex, to represent the entire state constituency.

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The Arizona Senate:

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There are only 30 members of the Senate;  1 senator is elected from each of the 30 legislative districts.  Each senator is elected to serve a 2 year term, and is limited to four terms or 8 consecutive years.

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Since Arizona is only 1 of 4 states without a lieutenant governor*, the Arizona Senate elects its own President.  The president oversees the senate, appoints members to all of the Senate’s Committees and to Joint Committees.  The President can also create other committees or subcommittees.  Since Republicans have a majority in the 2009-2010 Senate, they are the controlling caucus.

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The Arizona Senate also has the ability to confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments, commissions or boards.

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* Since there is no Lt. Governor; in the case of resignation or death of a sitting governor, the elected Arizona Secretary of State succeeds to the Governorship.

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The following are the current leadership of the Arizona Senate:

Senate President,   Robert “Bob” Burns,  (R) Peoria , LD-9

Senate Majority Leader,  Chuck Gray, (R)  Mesa , LD-19

Senate Minority Leader,  Jorge Luis Garcia, (D)  Tucson, LD-27

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House of Representatives:

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There are 60 members of the House of Representatives; 2 representatives are elected from each of the 30 legislative districts.  Each representative is elected to serve a 2 year term, and is limited to four terms or 8 consecutive years.

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The Speaker of the House is elected by the majority party caucus. Since Republicans have a majority in the 2009-2010 Senate, they are the controlling caucus.  The speaker is also the chief leadership position, and controls legislation and committee assignments.

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The following are the current leadership of the Arizona House

House Speaker,  Kirk Adams, (R)  Mesa, LD-19

House Majority Leader,  John McComish,  (R)  Ahwatukee,  LD- 20

House Minority Leader,  David Lujan, (D)  Tucson, LD-15

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For a full listing of the members of the Arizona Legislature, click here.
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Budget Reconciliation Bill

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With a traditional structure of a state budget, there are usually seven BRB’s that go along with the General Appropriations Bill.  In addition, a Capital Outlay Bill is also included in the General Appropriations Bill.   A General Appropriations Bill is also called a Feed Bill.
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Generally, each BRB is identified by its title as to what area of the seven state governments the BRB addresses:
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1) General Government BRB

2) General Revenue BRB

3) Health & Welfare BRB

4) Education BRB

5) Public Safety BRB

6) Transportation BRB

7) Environment BRB.

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About a decade ago, the Arizona government started to get more complex. The state constitution requires bills to have only one subject, and the Governor has the authority to line-item veto the General Appropriations Bill.  Thus, the Legislature started adding BRBs to the appropriations process to clarify exactly what the lawmakers intended by the individual appropriations that were in the General Appropriations Bill.
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For example, if they wanted a specific amount in the general appropriations bill to be used for teacher’s salaries, they would add it to the Education BRB and specify it there. In the past, legislators would simply put the individual appropriations in the General Appropriations Bill as a footnote.  As governors have the legal ability to line-item veto footnotes, lawmakers looked to other ways to avoid specific rejections. A BRB can only be vetoed in whole, or accepted as is. The Governor can’t use the line-item veto on a BRB.
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BRBs have gained popularity as lawmakers have realized that as long as they declared a particular item was related to the appropriations process, they could put a lot of pieces into it. For instance, in the political world of quid pro quo, a legislator’s pet bill that had died in the regular process could be put into a BRB as the price for that member’s vote on the budget.  As it now stands, “What’s in the BRB?” is almost more important than what’s in the General Appropriations Bill.
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What is the point of changing all the legislation in a bill?  The following excerpt from the Arizona Republic sheds light on this phenomenon:

Sometimes called the “Hail Mary Pass” of the political process, here’s how Strike-All amendments work:

1.)  A bill fails in a House or Senate Committee or Floor Vote or is arbitrarily held by a committee chairman.

2.)  The stalled bill’s sponsor takes another unrelated bill assigned elsewhere that is still moving and, with permission of its sponsor, guts it and replaces the wording with the contents of the stalled bill.

3.)  “Stikers” can be a useful method to introduce new ideas, or to put stalled bills that might otherwise enjoy majority support to a vote.  But, they can also be used to by-pass the committee hearings where the public might testify.

Without doubt, “Stike All” amendments lead to public confusion about pending legislation.

Click here for the complete article from the Arizona Republic:  “‘Strike All’ Measures Gaining Favor in Arizona,” by Robbie Sherwood, 4/23/06.

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A manual explanating of the ins-and-outs of the state legislature including bill drafting, committee actions and the budget process, among many other topics.

For Complete Arizona Legislative Manual: legislative manual 2003

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