PHOENIX — The House has passed 10 measures that will ask voters to enact laws or change the state constitution since the Legislature began their 2024 session in January while the Senate has passed six. All were passed with only support from majority Republicans, and all still require votes in the other chamber to make the 2024 ballot.
The Legislature referred four measures to the ballot last year that are already set to be voted upon in November. The following is a list of approved ballot referrals from last year and those that have passed one chamber so far this year.
On the November ballot
Passed the Legislature in 2023 and already on the November ballot.
HCR2039 — Governor’s emergency powers: Constitutionally terminates any emergency powers granted to the Governor during a state of emergency 30 days after the proclamation unless extended by the Legislature, with some exceptions. Requires the governor to call a special legislative session on the emergency if 1/3 of lawmakers sign a petition.
HCR2033 — Ranked Choice Voting: Prohibits any election law in Arizona that is contrary to the direct primary election law as outlined in the Arizona Constitution, a move that would outlaw ranked-choice voting.
SCR1006 — Line of duty deaths: Requires Arizona to pay $250,000 to the surviving spouse or dependent of a first responder killed in the line of duty through 2033 and establishes a $20 penalty fee on every criminal conviction to pay for the new benefit.
SCR1015 — Citizen initiatives: Changes the state constitution to require proponents of citizen initiatives to collect signatures from all 30 legislative districts. Currently the law requires signatures from 10% of voters to propose new laws and 15% for all constitutional amendments, with no geographical requirements.
Measures awaiting more votes
These measures have passed either the House or Senate this year and still need a vote from the other chamber to appear on the ballot.
SENATE:
SCR1007 — Government contracts: Bans local governments or the state from signing a contract worth more than $100,000 unless the contractor certifies that it does not and will not discriminate against gunmakers or a firearm trade association like the National Rifle Association.
SCR 1010 — Cryptocurrency: Amends the state constitution to exempt virtual currency from property tax. No such tax is currently in place or proposed.
SCR 1020 — State budget: Amends the constitution to allow the current state budget to be continued for the coming budget year with inflation adjustments for schools and other items like healthcare if the Legislature fails to pass a new budget on time, unless there is a deficit. Passing a budget is the Legislature’s one constitutional duty.
SCR 1012 — Regulation costs: Requires the Legislature to approve or reject any regulation adopted by a state agency and approved by the governor’s rule-making review agency that may lead to costs to businesses of more than $500,000 over five years.
SCR 1011 — Voter qualifications: Puts into the Arizona Constitution statutory qualification for who can vote. Also a different form of banning ranked choice voting by barring barring a person from voting for more candidates for an office.
SCR 1023 — Local elections: Amends the constitution to require that cities, towns and school districts hold their elections on the same day in November of even-numbered years that federal and state general elections are held. Overrides local control.
HOUSE:
HCR 2018 — Mileage taxes: Bans the state or any local government from imposing vehicle taxes or fees based on the number of miles driven or imposing any limit on the number of miles driven.
HCR 2060 — E-Verify: Requires the state and all local governments to check a person’s immigration status using the federal E-Verify system before awarding them any state for federal benefit such as food stamps or Medicaid. Requires government and private employers to use the system before hiring a new employee and mandates that the attorney general investigate failures to follow the law.
HCR 2023 — Homeless: Defines homelessness as a type of public nuisance. Requires local governments to refund property taxes if a property owner can show they’ve had expenses or their property values decreased because the government did not enforce laws or had a practice or policy of not mitigating problems associated with the homeless population.
HCR 2032 — Vote centers: Bans counties from using election vote centers where any resident can cast a ballot and instead mandates that they revert to using only precinct-based voting locations that have 1,000 or fewer voters registered per location. Also bans counties from setting up any emergency voting locations.
HCR 2038 — Drug cartels: Declares that drug cartels are terrorist organizations and calls for state and local governments to do everything they can to eradicate them.
HCR 2040 — Climate change racial preferences: Bans state and local governments from promoting or enforcing policies that are designed to limit human contributions to climate change. Includes ban on policies like encouraging riding a bike or walking rather than driving, reducing airline travel, reducing meat consumption or doing anything to reduce or track greenhouse gas emissions. Bars adoption of a climate action plan. Also includes a ban on using race or factors other than merit as a part of hiring preferences.
HCR 2049 — Citizen initiatives: Allows opponents of a proposed initiative to sue to block it from even getting on the ballot on the grounds that it violates the state or federal constitution
HCR 2052 — State agency rules: Allows the Legislature to reject any regulation adopted by a state agency and approved by the governor’s rule-making review agency. (Different version has passed the Senate).
HCR 2056 — Hiring and affirmative action: Adds to the state’s existing ban on affirmative action by barring the government from requiring any job applicant to endorse any race-based employment requirement and prohibits the state from treating any applicant or employee differently based on race or ethnicity.
HCR 2058 — Legislative districts by citizen population: Amends the state constitution to require the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission to conduct its own census every 10 years and to determine how many people are U.S. citizens. The commission must then draw new legislative district lines using only the number of citizens, making districts of equal citizen population. Congressional district lines will continuing use existing constitutional rules which say districts must hold an equal number of people regardless of immigration status.
Final votes pending
Still pending final votes in originating chamber:
HCR 2042 — Sex traffickers: Provides for automatic sentence of natural life in prison for an adult who is convicted of sex trafficking a minor child.
HCR 2050 — Energy sources: Prohibits a local government from restricting the sale or use of a device based on the energy source that powers it or is consumed. Aimed at efforts to ban the sale of gas stoves.
