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Democratic lawmakers and a progressive advocacy organization are calling on Republicans to support their bills aimed at housing affordability and health care affordability, vowing to spend $300,000 on a campaign to convince voters to support the measures.
“The last election was a clear mandate from voters to lower the cost of living,” Ben Scheel, executive director for the progressive organization Opportunity Arizona, said at a Wednesday morning press conference. “It is time for Arizona homes to belong to Arizona families, not Wall Street.”
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Scheel and Democratic legislators outlined what they called the “affordability agenda,” a set of House and Senate bills that take aim at prescription costs, housing costs and health care affordability.
Many of the bills that make up the “affordability agenda” have been assigned to committees but not considered. And time is running out: Next week is the deadline for lawmakers to have their bills heard in committee, the first step if they will make it through the legislative process.
“We have more than 14 bills heard so far that cut taxes for the rich and corporations, but none of these bills will help hard working Arizonans keep a roof over their heads, stay healthy and access affordable health care,” Scheel said.
He also lamented the fact that the GOP was more concerned with bills aimed at culture war issues, several of which are core parts of the Republican legislative platform this year.
Scheel said that Opportunity Arizona intends to spend $300,000 reaching out to registered voters of all parities to encourage them to call the chairs of the committees to request the bills be heard, adding that they plan to “hold them accountable” if they do not hear the bills.
The bills that comprise the “affordability agenda” are House Bills 2782, 2757, 2360, 2848, 2847 and Senate Bills 1397, 1402, 1403 and 1209.
Democratic Sen. Eva Burch’s SB1402 and SB1403 take aim at lowering the costs of prescription medications.
“Too many of us are rationing medications or delaying treatments because they can’t afford the care they need,” Burch told reporters.
The two bills would disallow anyone from being charged the maximum fair price for Medicare-eligible prescriptions and put limits on the price increases that can be made on certain prescription medications.
Democratic Rep. Stephanie Simacek also has proposed legislation aimed at addressing issues within the health care industry. Her proposal, HB2782, would create a Healthcare Claims Consumer Assistance Program that would help Arizona residents with appealing denied claims and more.
“I wish I had had this program when I was going through this with my own daughter,” Simacek said, sharing the story of how her insurer denied essential care her daughter needed. She also cited recent news of insurers using AI to speed up the denial process.
House Minority Leader Oscar De Los Santos touted his bills that are part of the “affordability agenda” that take aim at the on-going affordable housing crisis.
In recent years, corporate investors have been buying up homes in Arizona and across the nation, often turning them into rental properties.
His HB2360 would prevent a corporation from purchasing a single-family home unless it has been on the market for at least 60 days, while HB2848 would limit the number of homes a corporation can purchase to 100 a year.
The latter measure would also make any group that purchases more than 10 homes be part of a public database to bring greater transparency to the groups making these purchases and would empower the attorney general to fine those who don’t comply, putting that money into the Housing Trust Fund.
None of the measures have been heard in committees they’re assigned to and some have not been assigned at all, making all the bills essentially dead unless Republicans decide otherwise. The Republican party expanded its majorities at the Capitol last cycle in an election in which Democrats had sought to flip the legislature blue.
“We asked nicely before and that is why we are making a stronger firm ask,” Scheel said, adding that they also intend to focus on lawmakers who have not publicly supported the measures who sit on the committees responsible for hearing them that are in “competitive districts.”
“Nothing is dead until sine die,” Scheel added, using the term for the end of the legislative session.