Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone will discuss his concerns about the use of deadly force in law enforcement and possible solutions during a March 10 news conference.
At Monday’s meeting of the Arizona House Health and Human Services Committee, members heard testimony in favor of a bill that would add spina bifida to the list of developmental disabilities. Concerns emerged regarding unclarified details of the bill and its potentially hefty price tag.
House Bill 2540’s sponsor, Rep. Jennifer Longdon, says spina bifida leads to harmful developmental delays. Including spina bifida on the list of developmental disabilities would make individuals with spina bifida eligible for crucial medical support, she said. Currently, children with spina bifida stop receiving support from the Department of Developmental Disabilities after age six.
Last year, members of the Arizona House of Representative and some disability and aging advocates developed recommendations to tackle the issues of abuse and neglect. Work paused because of the coronavirus. But it’s a new legislative session, and now some measures are moving once again. We had passed several of them out of our chamber, to move over to the Senate for consideration when COVID shut us down, Longdon said.
And she’s optimistic those bills will once again make it out of the House. Another bill would allocate $3.3 million to hire 44 long-term care surveyors. There is also a bill that would create a pilot watchdog program for group homes.
As nation braces for armed protests, Arizona showcases how First and Second amendments intersect or collide John D Anna, Arizona Republic
Last week, as insurrectionists stormed the seat of democracy, a smaller crowd – nowhere near as violent but just as angry – gathered at the Arizona Capitol to protest the results of the 2020 presidential election. Many were armed.
In September, more than 300 counter-protesters, many carrying AR-15s and side arms, showed up at a Black Lives Matter rally in Prescott, saying they intended to protect their community from rioting and looting.
And earlier last summer, four men armed with assault-style weapons showed up in downtown Mesa under the guise of protecting local businesses during street protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd.