Two Republican Arizona lawmakers accused their GOP colleagues of trying to kill legislation that would penalize people who lie about being veterans.
The bill was introduced by Rep. Walt Blackman (R-Snowflake), who is a veteran.
Although HB 2030 passed out of the House of Representatives unanimously, Blackman said it was held up in the Senate by two of his colleagues.
“Silence in this is compliance in this, those members who have not spoken up, and said that this is wrong, you have veterans in your communities,” Blackman said.
Veterans, including double Purple Heart recipient Jim Muhr, expressed outrage toward Sen. Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff) for working against the bill, even though she is also a veteran.
“For Lt. Colonel Wendy Rogers to hold this bill up is a shame, it’s a sin, and it’s a detriment to every single man and woman who’s ever served in a combat situation,” Muhr said at a press conference on Wednesday.
In the 2024 primary election, Blackman competed against a fellow Republican who embellished his service record. The man, Steve Slaton, ran alongside Rogers.
Blackman said Slaton’s relationship to Rogers and Sen. Mark Finchem (R-Prescott) is the reason his bill is getting pushback.
“I believe that Sen. Rogers and Sen. Finchem have some sort of benefit in protecting this individual. I don't know why,” Blackman said.
The full official name of Blackman’s bill is the Master Sergeant Orlando Dona Valor Act.
Retired Master Sgt. Jack Dona is the son of the bill’s namesake. He said he’s heard from lawmakers that Finchem threatened to kill other bills if his colleagues let the "stolen valor" bill move forward.
Neither Finchem nor Rogers responded to a request for comment.
Blackman’s bill was assigned to the Senate Judiciary committee by Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert). But that committee is chaired by Rogers, and the bill never got a hearing.
The deadline by which House bills must be heard in Senate committees is March 28, so bills which haven’t been heard by then are for all intents and purposes “dead.”
To ensure the Blackman’s legislation could still move forward, Sen. Shawnna Bolick (R-Phoenix) amended an unrelated bill she sponsored to include his bill language.
The “strike-everything” amendment has passed out of both the House and Senate committees, so the bill is still alive and bypassed Rogers’ committee.
“We should not be putting personalities over good policy. … This is a bipartisan coalition,” Bolick told reporters on Wednesday.
Bolick and Blackman acknowledged that they might face challenges in their upcoming elections from candidates backed by Rogers, Finchem and their allies, but both said getting this bill forward is worth it.
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