Bills and Graffiti Update

Senate President Bob Burns (R – Peoria) is standing by his commitment not to hear any bills until the 2010 budget is finished and passed. So far 469 bills have been dropped in the Senate, yet zero are assigned to a committee. We could see some very long committee agendas if the Senate tries to squeeze all of its work on non-budget bills into a few short weeks after the budget is done.

This week, the newest member of the legislature, Representative Anna Tovar (D – Tolleson) introduced HB 2551: Criminal Damage; Classification, a bill that increases the penalty for graffiti crimes from a class 2 misdemeanor to a class 1 misdemeanor. The bill is assigned to the House Judiciary committee and is supported by the City of Phoenix.

HB 2138 Graffiti Implements; Unlawful Possession; Minors, introduced by Rep. Chad Campbell (D - Phoenix), would make it unlawful for a person under age 18 to possess a graffiti implement while on public or private property without the express consent of the property owner. This law would not apply to minors who are under direct supervision of a legally responsible adult or possess the implement in the course of lawful employment. This week, the bill was heard by the House Judiciary Committee and passed with an amendment offered by Committee Chair Adam Driggs (R - Phoenix). The adopted amendment makes the violator subject to a class 3 misdemeanor instead of a petty offense and eliminates "broad-tipped indelible markers" from the list of graffiti implements.

Source: P.L.A.N.