Homeless in Arizona

This is why we have to spell out the highest tax rate allowed in the Safer Arizona 2018 bill.

We talked about capping our sales tax at the current Arizona sales tax rate which is about 8%.

If pot is selling at the current rate of around $300 an ounce, this tax is an outrageous 16%, which is DOUBLE the tax we talked about.

If marijuana is selling at $200 an ounce the tax is 25%, which is TRIPLE what we talked about.

If marijuana is selling for $100 an ounce the tax is a 50% tax, which is over 6 times the tax we talked about.

If marijuana is selling for $50 an ounce the tax is a 100% tax, which is over 12 times the tax we talked about.

Source

10 intriguing Arizona bills ... so far

Alia Beard Rau , The Republic | azcentral.com Published 2:41 p.m. MT Jan. 10, 2017 | Updated 5:35 p.m. MT Jan. 10, 2017

The 2017 Arizona legislative session begins this week, but lawmakers have already introduced dozens of bills on a myriad of topics.

Hundreds more will be introduced in the coming weeks, but here are 10 of the most intriguing proposals so far.

Legalizing pot

Arizona voters in November elected not to legalize marijuana for recreational use. But the Legislature has the power to do it if a majority of lawmakers agree. While there's no chance it will pas this year, Democratic Rep. Mark Cardenas is giving it a try. House Bill 2002 would change punishment for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana to a civil penalty with a fine of up to $100. It is currently a felony. House Bill 2003 would make it legal to buy, sell and grow marijuana and would tax the sale at $50 an ounce.

Property tax break for the elderly

House Bill 2006 and House Bill 2028 would reclassify a home owned by individuals age 65 and older that qualifies for the state's existing senior valuation protection program as Class 6 property instead of the current Class 3. The assessment ratio for Class 6 property is 5 percent of a property's limit value, compared with 10 percent for Class 3. The House passed an identical bill last year, but Senate Republican leadership refused to hear the bill, killing it. Legislative staff last year estimated the change would cost the general fund an additional $900,000. It estimated 22,800 homes could participate in the program, saving those homeowners about $400 each a year.

Shooting snakes and rats

House Bill 2022 would make it legal to shoot a gun within city limits — if the gun is loaded with rat-shot or snake-shot, that is. It defines them as "1.32 millimeters or less in diameter and loaded in a rimfire cartridge with a caliber that does not exceed .22." Such shot is typically used to shoot rodents or snakes at close range.

Protecting Salt River horses

House Bill 2023 would make it a felony to harass, shoot or kill a horse that is part of the Salt River herd without permission from the Arizona Department of Agriculture or the county sheriff. It's currently a misdemeanor. Last year, the Legislature created the misdemeanor crime after the U.S. Forest Service announced it would round up the horses and sell them to protect the river and forest environment near Mesa. After the resulting protests and calls from Arizona's congressional delegation, federal land managers backed down.

Criminalizing U-47700

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration put a synthetic drug called U-47700 on its list of Schedule 1 drugs late last year, reporting there had been at least 46 deaths associated with the drug. Florida and Ohio passed emergency measures criminalizing the drug. Now Arizona lawmakers want to follow suit, declaring the drug an illegal narcotic. According to the DEA, the synthetic opioid is being sold on its own and combined with heroin or other drugs. It comes in various forms, including pill form and a nasal spray.

Imploding the Board of Education

House Concurrent Resolution 2001 and Senate Concurrent Resolution 1001 would ask voters in 2018 to change the membership of the Board of Education to consist of the superintendent of public instruction and each county school superintendent. Currently, the board consists of 11 members: the superintendent, a university president, four lay members, a community college district president, a charter school owner or administrator, a high school district superintendent, a teacher and one county school superintendent. Other than the superintendent, the governor appoints the members.

Senate Bill 1021 would set restrictions on city-issued identification cards, requiring them to meet more stringent state criteria for official cards such as driver's licenses — criteria undocumented immigrants and people without a permanent address often cannot meet. Similar legislation introduced last year failed. Phoenix was the first Arizona city last year to approve such cards. If this new bill becomes law, it would apply to Phoenix cards starting a year after they are issued.

Rescuing pets and kids

Senate Bill 1002 would protect individuals from civil lawsuits if they break into a locked and unattended vehicle to rescue a child or pet. Ten states currently have similar so-called Good Samaritan laws for rescuing children. Nineteen states have laws specifically making it illegal to leave a child unattended in a vehicle — Arizona is not among them despite having some of the highest numbers of heat-related vehicle deaths.

Stealing flags

Senate Bill 1009 would make it a Class 6 felony to steal an American flag that another person has displayed. It would put American flags in a class previously reserved for guns and animals taken for the purpose of animal fighting. Theft of other items can be elevated to a felony depending on their monetary value. The bill sponsor, Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, said a resident approached him, frustrated that his flag had been stolen and the thief was only charged with a misdemeanor.

Limiting public records

Senate Bill 1019 would allow government officials to deny any public-record request they choose by arguing it is "unduly burdensome" or "harassing." The bill is back for a second year in a row. Last year, the Senate passed the bill but a majority of both Republicans and Democrats in the House opposed it. Sen. John Kavanagh last year said the bill was not meant to limit media or public access to information, but to curb abuse. He suggested anyone who thought they were unfairly denied a public record could sue to get it.