2023 AZ Legislative Scorecard
The following scorecard lists several key votes in the Arizona State Legislature in 2023 and ranks state representatives and senators based on their fidelity to (U.S.) constitutional and limited-government principles.
This is our second state-level Scorecard; the selected votes may not be reflective of legislators' overall records. Their cumulative scores will change as we add more votes. Please check regularly for updates.
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HB2826 continues the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System—the state’s Medicaid program—through January 1, 2029.
The Senate passed HB2826 on May 15, 2023, by a vote of 22 to 6. We have assigned pluses to the nays because neither health care nor social welfare is the legitimate object of government. Medicaid, like other so-called ‘entitlement programs,’ not only relies on the discriminatory and unjust use of other citizens’ taxpayer funds in violation of the Bill of Rights and 14th Amendment, but continues to cause more debt, poverty, and government dependency in the United States.
SB1729 increases the “Basic State Aid” for K-12 education in FY 2024 to support various government-sponsored programs, such as the “federal Free-and-Reduced Lunch Program” and “county jail education programs.”
The Senate passed SB1729 on May 10, 2023, by a vote of 25 to 5. We have assigned pluses to the nays because education ought not to be under the control of the state. A child's education is the responsibility of—and a fundamental right of choice retained by—his or her parents. Forcing the citizens of Arizona to furnish taxpayer money to expand a compulsory, failing, and government-run K-12 school system violates their individual liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.
HB2552 would prohibit the use of Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) in Arizona elections.
The Senate passed HB2552 on April 5, 2023, by vote of 16 to 14. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because all attempts to enact ranked-choice voting should be opposed. This complicated, multiple-round, and unconstitutional method weakens election integrity by allowing a candidate to potentially win without genuine support from a plurality of voters. The scheme’s ballot casting requirements undermine each citizen’s right to vote and could deny them from being able to select the one and only candidate of their choice.
SB1367 would prevent the National Guard of Arizona from being deployed for active duty combat unless the Congress has passed an official declaration of war or taken another official constitutional action.
The Senate passed SB1367 on March 21, 2023, by a vote of 16 to 13. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution expressly asserts that “Congress,” not the President, “shall have power…to provide for the common defence.” Only Congress, as explained and limited by succeeding Clauses 11, 12, and 15, is granted the specified powers to “declare war,” “raise and support Armies,” and “provide for calling forth the Militia.”
SB1114 would have banned the use of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in Arizona.
The Senate passed SB1114 on February 28, 2023, by a vote of 16 to 14. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) would be an unconstitutional and intolerable expansion of tyranny under the Federal Reserve—presenting a significant danger to Americans’ civil liberties. According to Article 1, Section 10, of the U.S. Constitution, “No State shall…make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts.” States can and must act now to avow their adherence to constitutionally sound money.
SB1600 would require any health professional present when an infant is born alive, including during an abortion, to take all medically appropriate actions to preserve the life and health of the infant born alive.
The Senate passed SB1600 on February 22, 2023, by a vote of 16 to 13, prior to it being vetoed by the Governor. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because this bill would treat an infant born alive as a “legal person with rights under Arizona laws.” Arizona should act to ban the practice of abortion entirely and secure the right to life for all persons. The right to life is the most fundamental, God-given, and unalienable right asserted in the Declaration of Independence and protected by the Fifth and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
