By State Representative Shawnna LM Bolick
Dear Friend:
I currently serve as the Vice Chair of Ways and Means, a Member of Elections and a Member of the Federal Relations committees.
The first order of business was ensuring Arizona met the federal government’s January 31st deadline for the intrastate Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) and tax conformity. The governor signed DCP and vetoed conformity.
We have been very busy these past few weeks! I can assure you I hit the ground running and I am learning the legislative process. Here’s a compilation of several bills I have been working on with corresponding newspaper articles:
I filed an Empowerment Scholarship Expansion bill called the Lifeline for Student Crime Victims Act. This legislation would provide students who have been victimized on their school’s campus a “lifeline” to transfer to a private school. The idea for this particular bill derived as a result of my daughter being a victim of a crime on her school’s campus, and I want to make sure it doesn’t happen to other kids.Here are just a few stories written on this particular bill:
- https://enewsaz.com/news/arizona-news/item/8439-representative-shawnna-bolick-introduces-the-lifeline-for-student-crime-victims-act.html
- https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2019/01/22/voucher-expansion-again-why-cant-our-leaders-take-no-answer/2651278002/
- https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona-education/2019/01/23/new-republican-bill-would-expand-vouchers-arizona-school-victims/2651010002/
- My response to the local newspaper and columnist regarding my school choice bill: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2019/02/01/crime-victims-deserve-school-vouchers-empowerment-scholarship-account/2736406002/
I promised to stand up for the taxpayer and that
includes finding ways keeping more money in your pocket. One of my
constituents asked me to consider introducing a bill to ban taxes on
groceries meant for human consumption. Many cities across Arizona tax groceries
and I don’t think that is right.
Here’s a link to an article published in the local paper after the Ways
and Means committee meeting this past week: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/legislature/2019/02/21/bill-would-prohibit-phoenix-taxing-groceries-gets-green-light/2911212002/
Finally, the Attorney
General’s office asked me to sponsor a bill targeting timeshare relief. Here’s
a link to an article published in the local paper after the committee meeting
earlier this week: https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2019/02/19/timeshare-bill-passes-out-of-house-committee/
We just completed day 40 of
this legislative session last Thursday — probably not quite halfway done and
divisions being drawn to make for a lively remaining legislative session.
Thank you for your continued support!
Best,
Shawnna