This Week in Education Legislation: Where do we stand 100 days into the session?
Happy Friday! The legislative moratorium established by Governor Hobbs last week remained in effect this week, although a recent statement by the Governor indicates that it now may be over after the passage of SB2945. Furthermore, we celebrated the 100th day of session this week on Tuesday, April 22nd, giving us a chance to reflect on the session thus far. As always, ASBA strives to keep you up to date on the latest movement in education policy—so please read on to get intel on the important happenings around the capitol this week!
Pre-moratorium, the Governor acts on final legislation
Just one day after Governor Hobbs announced the legislative moratorium last week, she signed and vetoed a mountain of legislation in line with her promise to act on all bills passed before the moratorium. Included in this burst of activity were a handful of education bills, which are summarized below for your convenience.
In the 103 days since the session began, 1,679 bills have been introduced. Of those, 145 have passed the Legislature, with 92 already signed into law and 52 vetoed with rationale by Governor Hobbs. Additionally, 127 memorial resolutions have been posted, with 17 making it through both chambers. Out of the 1,679 total bills this session, there were 227 education or education-adjacent bills introduced, and only a handful of education bills made it out of both chambers. Bills that were vetoed in the lead up to this week were discussed in last week’s Substack, and include the following:
Strike Everything: HB2058 school immunizations; exemption; adult students (now: immunizations; proof; exemptions; higher education) (Fink)
HB2062 sex-based terms; laws; rules; regulations (Fink)
HB2063 parental notification; school immunization exemptions (Fink)
HB2169 School districts; board meetings; expenditures (Gress)
HB2375 children with disabilities; evaluation; deadline (Carter, P.)
HB2640 school districts; leases; termination; nonrenewal (Gress)
HB2670 health education; fetal development instruction (Keshel)
HB2814 noncustodial federal monies; appropriation (Fink)
SB1441 school districts; partisan elections (Werner)
SB1584 public employees; merit; hiring practices (Shamp)
Bills that were signed into law include:
HB2164 public schools; ultraprocessed foods (Biasiucci)
HB2484 School policies; internet; wireless devices (Pingerelli)
HB2514 notices; directory information; disclosure; consent (Olson)
SB1106 public entity liability; sexual offenses (Miranda)
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Governor Hobbs signals the end of the legislative moratorium
Governor Hobbs ended her legislative moratorium this past Thursday after signing HB2945, a bipartisan compromise aimed at securing and stabilizing services for nearly 60,000 Arizonans with developmental disabilities. The agreement ensures full funding for the Division of Developmental Disabilities through the end of the fiscal year, using the Prescription Drug Rebate Fund, and includes key accountability provisions and a 40-hour cap for the Parents as Paid Caregivers program. In announcing the end of the moratorium, Governor Hobbs emphasized that this deal brings relief to families who have faced months of uncertainty and prevents deep cuts that had previously been proposed. With this major funding hurdle now addressed, the Governor is once again open to receiving and acting on newly transmitted legislation. Please feel free to read the Governor’s statement on HB2945, linked for you here: Governor Katie Hobbs Legislative Action Update | Office of the Arizona Governor
The Legislature passes final bills before the moratorium
Although the moratorium may now be over, the future of education legislation remains cloudy. What we do know for sure is that the legislature passed two more education bills prior to the moratorium, but these two bills have thus far not been acted upon. They are: SB1256 Diversity, equity, inclusion training; prohibition (Hoffman), and SB1659 state board; allegations of misconduct (Bolick).
If signed into law, SB1256 would prohibit the state and all its agencies, boards, commissions, and departments from implementing or requiring diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in their hiring, training, or promotion practices. The bill would also bar any requirement for employees to participate in DEI programs or for such participation to be a condition of state contracts. To enforce these provisions, the bill directs the appropriate department to oversee and monitor hiring practices to ensure compliance. Under the bill, a DEI program is defined as any program mandating activities aimed at justifying different treatment of individuals based on characteristics such as sex, color, gender, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
If signed into law, SB1659 would allow the highest-ranking official of a school or school district to request information from the State Board of Education about allegations of misconduct involving a current or former employee. This applies specifically when a certificated or noncertificated individual resigns or otherwise leaves their position before the State Board has had the chance to investigate or take disciplinary action. Upon verifying the requesting official’s identity, the State Board would be required to share any available information related to the allegations, unless doing so would interfere with an ongoing investigation. In such cases, the Board could deny the request or wait until the investigation is complete before disclosing the information. The bill would also make technical corrections to existing law.