Cathi Herrod's Pay to Play agenda is alive and well; SB1237 on track to be raised from the dead

Reaching into her pocket, Herrod has apparently pulled a rabbit out of her hat, or at least pulled the strings she has firmly attached to Doris Goodale to rescue one of her taxpayer money for private schools bills from the dead.

Next week's agenda (March 10) for Goodale's House Education committee has been posted. SB1237, a Cathi Herrod and Steve Yarbrough's STO related bill, as I wrote about two days ago, is on it, for a vote on reconsideration.

If you like the idea of diverting public school funding to unaccountable private schools, you'll love this one.

Think John Huppenthal (or a surrogate) robocalling public school families, apparently primarily focused on Maricopa County, to entice them into obtaining state (taxpayer) funding to attend private schools. Then think Steve Yarbrough funneling oodles and gobs of that money straight into his own bank account.

Are you going to let Herrod get away with this heist?

Contact Herrod's puppet, House Education chair Doris Goodale at (602) 926-5408 and dgoodale@azleg.gov.

Phone numbers and email addresses for the rest of the members of the committee (names are on the committee agenda) can be found on the House members listing web page.

Note that this is not the only STO eligibility expansion bill making its way through the legislature right now. SB1236 could go to Senate floor debate any day now. The identical House version, HB2291 has been scheduled (but then held, or "retained on the calendar")for floor debate in that chamber twice in the last week. That means they are expecting opposition to the bill and are likely maneuvering behind the scenes to figure out how to get past potential obstacles. That could include preparing amendments for consideration.

If SB1236 and HB2291 remain identical and each pass in the originating chamber, then they do not have to be heard in the other chamber and can be substituted in a fast track tactic for a third read vote.

All of which adds up to the need for hypervigilance since we know this legislature is prone to abusive practices.