Republican lawmakers are moving to make it harder for Arizona voters to enact laws.
An Arizona House bill preserves the right of voters to propose their own laws, but instead of allowing approval on a simple majority, it would require a 60% majority.
But this doesn’t sit well with Rep. Athena Salman (D-Tempe) and her Democrat colleagues.
"HCR 2016 is clearly a power grab by the legislature because of the discontent of how the voters are voting," Salman said.
Salman is referring to initiatives like the recent education tax that passed by voters by a simple majority.
A similar Senate bill asks for a 66.6% majority, but specifically only when a new tax or tax increase is involved.
These bills appear to be largely unprecedented nationally, but proponents point out that Arizona’s constitutional Voter Protection Act is also unique. That act precludes lawmakers from repealing or making changes in anything that voters have enacted unless it "furthers the purpose'' of the original measure. Rep. Bret Roberts (R-Maricopa) says the net effect is that anything approved at the ballot is effectively cemented into law.
"These propositions are next to impossible — you might as well say impossible — to actually go back and fix,'' Roberts said. And that, he said justifies a higher-than-normal margin to approve something in the first place.
Roberts acknowledged, though, that there is an option for lawmakers: send the measure back to voters.
Both bills would require voter approval in 2022.
