Action Alert: 2/17/25

Posted on by Linsay

February 17, 2025

We’re coming down to the wire, folks: This is the last chance for most bills to advance, so speak up now. Use the Request to Speak system and contact Committee members (thank you CEBV) to express your opinion on these bills that impact church:state separation:

  • Oppose HB2058 (House Education, Tuesday 1:30p): Extends Arizona’s already lenient “personal belief” vaccine exemption to students attending public community colleges and universities.
  • Oppose HB20259: (House Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee 2:00p): Bars all Arizona city, county and state employees and agencies from enforcing the Endangered Species, Clean Water and Clean Air Acts.
  • Oppose HB2700 (House Education, Tuesday 2:00p): Adds “a specific focus on the Gulf of America,” a made-up subject, into high school social studies standards.
  • Oppose HB2725 (House Education, Tuesday 2:00p): Requires teachers to notify parents if a student refuses to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, which contains religious language.
  • Oppose HB2867 (House Education, Tuesday 2:00p): Bans public schools from teaching, promoting, funding or training “antisemitic conduct,” a concept that’s poorly defined, impinges on religious freedom, and opens the door to banning open discussion. Bill would also allow parents or students to sue for damages if they hear a point of view they don’t like.
  • Oppose HB2547 (House Government, Wednesday 8:00a): Bars state funding to any healthcare provider that promotes or performs abortion, even to save the mother’s life.
  • Oppose HB2191 (House Government, Wednesday 8:00a): Changes zoning restrictions to allow churches to build housing on their properties, leading to the creation of religious micro-schools. Only requires 40% of housing to be low-income; why not more, aren’t churches supposed to be helping the less fortunate? (This bill is likely a gift to a particular mega-church that’s encroaching on a low-density neighborhood.)
  • Oppose HCR2049 (House Government, Wednesday 8:00a): State sovereignty law that opens the door to a loss of civil rights protections such as marriage equality), healthcare, labor rights, education funding, environmental safeguards and more.
  • Oppose with comment HB2681 (House Judiciary, Wednesday 8:30a): Adds superfluous requirements to medical providers before and after prescribing abortion medication, including that it must be prescribed at an in-person visit. Note:  there’s a strike everything amendment which removes anti-abortion legislation , so RTS NO on the original bill but comment to SUPPORT the proposed strike everything amendment.
  • Oppose SB1586 (Senate Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency, Wednesday 8:30a): Requires medical professionals to pay the costs for those who received gender-affirming care as a minor, and later want to “gender detransition” and “reclaim their God-given gender.” Retroactive for 25 years after the care was received.
  • Oppose SB1584 (Senate Regulatory Affairs and  Government Reform, Wednesday 8:30a): Forces public schools hiring policies to be based solely on “merit” and encourages individuals to sue for claims of reverse racism. Would lead to discrimination based on religion, sexual orientation, etc.
  • Oppose SB1694 (Senate Education, Wednesday 1:30p):  Makes higher education institutions ineligible for state funding if they teach information on gender identity, systemic racism, whiteness or other forms of discrimination.
  • Oppose SCR1032 (Senate Education, Wednesday 1:30p): Funnels guaranteed financing to charter schools (which can discriminate on a religious basis) from the state land trust.
  • Oppose SB1694 (Senate Education, Wednesday, 1:30p): Bans public universities from receiving state funding if they offer DEI courses.
  • Oppose HCR2015 (House Appropriations, Wednesday 2p): Allows the legislature to direct federal funding to charter schools (which can discriminate based on a religious basis) if the Department of Education is dissolved.
  • Oppose HCR2045 (Public Safety and Law Enforcement, Thursday 1p): Positions law enforcement as first line of defense against foreign and domestic enemies, which legitimizes the Christian nationalist “Constitutional Sheriff” movement.