Lawmakers’ memories seem to be failing them

That was then ... Some Republican Arizona lawmakers seem to have come down with a nasty case of amnesia. During a recent public committee hearing, several of them enthusiastically criticized efforts last year to pass the Proposition 123 education funding plan, saying the push essentially conned voters into believing all the money would fund raises for teachers.

Now, they want the district and charter schools to fess up about how they really spent the dough.

Never mind that some of these lawmakers publicly supported Gov. Doug

Ducey’s plan to settle the long-standing lawsuit over school funding. Or that they (presumably) read the legislation explaining the plan did not include any strings for how schools must spend the money — and voted for the proposal.

Oh, and that some were active participants in the campaign they’re now criticizing.

But let’s forget all that and focus on this year.

Sen. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria, in a late-session political maneuver introduced a strike-everything amendment to an unrelated Senate Bill 1178 that would require schools to tell the state how much of the Prop. 123 money they are spending on teacher salaries.

“My voters, my constituents and I would like to know how the money is being spent ... what percentage is being spent on teacher raises,” Lesko said during the proposal’s public hearing.

The bill passed the committee, and now needs final votes in the House and the Senate. »

A very thorough investigation ... It apparently takes a long time to unwind a “goat rope.” That’s what Attorney General Mark Brnovich called last year’s flub when Secretary of State Michele Reagan’s office failed to distribute the publicity pamphlet for the May 17 election on propositions 123 and 124 to as many as a half-million Arizona voters. The office didn’t disclose the problem until a news outlet reported it, weeks after the error occurred.

The AG appointed a special investigator to look into the matter. That was in May 2016 — 10 months ago.

Reagan said she is scheduled for an interview on the matter in the coming week, after at least three requests via her attorney for information about what was going on. Brnovich appointed former federal prosecutor Michael

Morrissey to look into l’affaire pamphlet.

Morrissey has not responded to recent calls, although he has indicated he will publicly release his report when it is done.

With the status of the AG’s probe up in the air, Reagan said she’s hesitant to release her promised postmortem on the 2016 elections. It started as a look back on lessons from last year’s presidential-preference election, but grew into an examination of all four of the elections. »

With caucus members like these ... To say his Republican colleagues didn’t like Sen. Bob Worsley’s transportation bill is an understatement.

After the Mesa Republican cobbled together enough votes to pass Senate Bill 1146 (with all 13 Democrats on board, as well as three Republicans), Sen. Steve Montenegro, R-Litchfield Park, unleashed a blizzard of motions to try and block it.

The bill, designed to stop the Legislature’s annual raid on the state’s highway fund, relies on higher fees set by the Arizona Department of Transportation director. But Republicans view the fees as a tax increase in disguise.

Most puzzling to a layman was a motion to have the record show the bill failed to pass ... except it did pass. Alternative facts, Sen. Montenegro? Turns out, no. Montenegro used a motion that’s among the array of options Senate attorneys prepare for lawmakers. Senate Rules Attorney Magdalena Jorquez said it’s seldom used, but it’s a “mechanism” that can be used to change the official report on the session where lawmakers debate bills.

Montenegro’s motion (one of four) failed. » Quote/tweet of the week

“We have not been down at the Legislature advocating for your demise, which is a bit of a turnabout from the last few years.” — Secretary of State Michele Reagan, explaining to the Clean Elections Commission how she is trying to improve relations with the independent body.

Compiled by Republic reporters Mary Jo Pitzl and Alia Beard Rau. Get the latest at politics.azcentral.com.