The Arizona Senate plans to return to session on Friday to formally adjourn for the year. But it won’t happen without a fight, and it remains unclear if the House has agreed to the plan.
Republican Senate President Karen Fann announced the decision to adjourn Thursday. That would effectively kill legislation that had not been passed when lawmakers recessed because of the cornoavirus on March 23 after enacting a bare-bones budget for the coming fiscal year.
Pushback from some Republican lawmakers who want to reconvene and continue work appeared almost immediately.
GOP Rep. Kelly Townsend, who has been pushing hard for lawmakers to continue the session as normal, tweeted the dictionary definition of “nonfeasance,” or failure to act. Sen. David Livingston told The Associated Press that he will push to keep the session going, although he doubts he has enough Senate votes.
“There’s a fight going on between the House and the Senate on what bills to do or not to do,” Livingston said. “And since there’s not an agreement, it appears to me that leadership is just throwing their hands up and (adjourning). So I’m frustrated –- there’s a whole bunch of us that are frustrated. But not enough to prevent it.”
That’s because minority Democrats are certain to back adjourning, and it would only take a handful of Republicans in support to get the needed majority vote.
Fann said she has the votes in the Senate to adjourn, and said she’s been told the House dues as well, although it will take an actual vote to be certain.
“I think everybody has come to the conclusion that we really cannot get much accomplished under regular session, because we’re still under COVID lockdown,” Fann said. “Even through we’re finally being able to lift restrictions on business and residents, it will still be more than a month before we can start having committee hearings where we have 100 people sitting in a room. There’s a matter of safety here.”
Fann said there is plenty of work still to be done to address the effects of the coronavirus on the state. But those issues could be addressed in a special session and could include bills targeting economic recovery, healthcare issues and the business community’s liability concerns.
Livingston and other lawmakers are also concerned that adjourning would cede power to Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, who would then control what lawmakers could consider if he called them back for a special session.
“I love this governor, but he’s wrong on this. I love President Fann, but she’s wrong on this,” he said. “There’s no reason we should give that power to the governor.”
The Legislature could call itself back into session and act on whatever they want. But that move requires a two-thirds vote that is unlikely without Democratic backing.
Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
