Arizona Republicans are looking to make it possible for schools to use volunteer chaplains to provide support and services to students.
The bill, if passed, would give public schools and charters the option to bring in chaplains, specifically affiliated with local religious groups.
Proponents of the bill claim living in a non-religious society has been damaging.
"Are there some good psychologists? I'm sure there are. But I think Jesus is a lot better than any psychologist," said Republican Rep. David Marshall said.
Republican Rep. Matt Gress say this bill benefits students at a time when school employees say they're overworked and underfunded.
House Democratic Leader Oscar De Los Santos says chaplains are not a proper replacement.
“Many of my dear friends are chaplains in other settings, however they are not trained to take the jobs of social workers, psychologists and counselors in our public schools," De Los Santos said.
Opponents also say there are constitutional concerns and that the bill would put schools at risk for lawsuits.
ACLU Arizona says the state has the worst student-to-counselor ratio in the country.
The bill has already passed the Senate.
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Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap said the county attorney and election staff working for the Board of Supervisors are stopping his office from taking control of equipment that rightfully belongs to the Recorder’s Office — but county budget documents tell a different story. -
The actions of the Trump administration have led a lot of people to make a lot of comparisons to other presidencies, or periods of history. -
State lawmakers are facing a few deadlines as they come back to the Capitol this week. June 30 is the end of the fiscal year, so they need to have a new budget in place by then. Before that, though, on June 24, is the deadline for Arizona voters to submit arguments for and against ballot measures. -
The bill, which would prohibit homeowner associations from banning certain dogs based on breed, size or weight, stalled when it was assigned to the Senate Government Committee, even though it has majority Republican support. -
A federal judge has scheduled oral arguments for June 26 on a Maricopa County request to end federal oversight of the Sheriff’s Office.
