Wonder Woman skips her sister in endorsements for LD4 race

Posted on by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

Actress Lynda Carter not only won’t endorse her sister, Pamela Carter, in Legislative District 4’s House race – on Saturday she endorsed Democrats Kelli Butler and Karen Gresham. “Kelli and Karen are both strong, experienced candidates, born and raised in Arizona. They are working mothers fighting for the rights that matter most to Arizonans, especially every child’s right to a quality education,” Lynda Carter, who played Wonder Woman from 1975 to 1979, wrote in a post on X. The endorsement comes a day after Mother Jones published an article quoting Lynda Carter on not being able to endorse her sister, although Lynda Carter provided the same statement to Mother Jones on Friday. On Monday, Lynda Carter also endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president. The Mother Jones article details Pamela Carter’s educational background as earning a master’s degree from the Phoenix-based Primus University of Theology with a mission statement of “life begins at conception.” Pamela Carter and Gress are running for the district’s House seats. GOP consultant Chuck Coughlin said Carter’s stance on abortion may cost her a seat in the district. “There’s people that are just frustrated with politics,” said Coughlin, who also noted he lives in LD4. “It doesn’t tend to have a strong activist base of partisanship that you tend to see out in Gilbert or even south Phoenix precincts.” Both Republican and Democratic slates ran uncontested during the primary, and Gress got the most votes among any candidate with 24,366 votes. Butler got the second-most with nearly 21,000 votes, while Carter got about 19,400 votes and Gresham got 18,900. Pre-primary election campaign finance reports indicate Gress has led the candidates in campaign fundraising with over $400,000 raised before early July. Butler and Gresham have nearly matched that with a combined $381,000 during the same time period. Pamela Carter raised about $85,000.

Wadsack invokes ‘lawfare’ before her arraignment for criminal speeding

Posted on by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

Wadsack’s arraignment in the criminal speeding case where she was clocked going 71 mph in a 30 mph zone is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Tucson City Court, and she took to social media to ask for the support of the public.  In her post, she described the case as “lawfare” and connected her own legal situation to those faced by other Arizona Republican lawmakers. “Lawfare is occurring at all levels of our Government in Arizona. Currently, the Attorney General is prosecuting Republicans for exercising their God-given 1st Amendment rights,” she wrote in a post on X. “Now, the City of Tucson is prosecuting me in direct violation of the Arizona Constitution and the City of Tucson’s own policies.” Her post, which included the address of the court in which she will be arraigned, alluded to the legal strategy she and her attorney, Chandler-based Brad Miller, might take in the case. “We look forward to our day in Court and look forward to the discovery process where we plan to put the Mayor, Police Chief, and Lieutenant Petty under oath, which will show that this entire process was political,” she wrote. Rogers quoted Wadsack’s post to show support and wrote that “Justice must prevail.” In a post on X, House Democrats wrote that “‘Lawfare’= when MAGA Republicans get held accountable for anything.”

Editor’s Note: This story has been revised to reflect the name of Wadsack’s attorney.

Mayes, Fontes ask appeals court for stay or speedy ruling on blocked EPM voter harassment provision

Posted on by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

Mayes and Fontes appealed an injunction on a provision of the EPM detailing behaviors that could fall into the realm of voter harassment and intimidation and asked the Arizona Court of Appeals to either stay the lower court order, or alternatively, expedite the briefing schedule. In August, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jennifer Ryan-Touhill, a Brewer appointee, found a provision delineating prohibited conduct around voting locations constitutes “speech restrictions in violation of our Arizona Constitution, misstates or modifies our statutes, and fails to identify any distinction between guidance and legal mandates.” In an opening brief on appeal, Mayes and Fontes argued the plaintiffs’ fears are unfounded given no member of the public has ever been subject to or threatened by prosecution, nor would be. “More than that, Defendants agree with Plaintiffs that the challenged EPM provision would exceed the Secretary’s statutory authority if it meant what Plaintiffs say it does—further confirming that Plaintiffs have nothing to fear and that any constitutional question is wholly abstract and unnecessary to resolve,” Luci Davis, assistant AG wrote. “So, why are we here? In short, we shouldn’t be.” Davis maintains the section solely provides guidance and instruction to election officials, it does not regulate or criminalize speech. After failing to secure a stall on the order at the superior court, Mayes and Fontes turned to the Arizona Court of Appeals and asked for a stay, or an expedited briefing schedule, claiming a likelihood of harm and confusion close to the election. Davis wrote, “What, exactly, Plaintiffs and the superior court intend is not at all clear. And that’s really the critical issue—election workers need clarity about what they can and cannot do, but the superior court’s preliminary injunction provides none.” If the appellate court declines to grant a stay, the AG and Fontes asked for a briefing schedule that would allow for a final decision before the start of early voting on October 9. A response from the plaintiffs on the motion to stay or expedite is due Sept. 18.

High court cuts part of ruling on open primary measure

Posted on by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

The Arizona Supreme Court vacated a portion of a ruling poised to walk back votes cast on the Make Elections Fair ballot measure given a successful signature challenge and volleyed any potential injunction to the trial court. The Arizona Supreme Court previously ordered the trial court to allow alleged duplicate signatures to enter the record in a legal challenge to a ballot measure creating open primaries, despite running past the ballot printing deadline. In the decision, the court held that if the court ultimately “disqualifies the Initiative, the court should issue an injunction precluding any votes for the measure from being counted.” In a motion for reconsideration, the Make Elections Fair PAC argued the order was “at odds with eight decades of the Court’s precedents, the Court’s rules, and the Court’s orders in two prior appeals in this dispute, as well as Arizona Constitution, law, and public policy.” Fontes later joined in  to say the remedy, allowing for a signature challenge to proceed past the ballot printing deadline and the potential for nullified votes, ran afoul of state law and constitutional considerations. “No provision in the Arizona Constitution permits a measure to go to the ballot, and allow millions of voters to vote on it, only for those votes to be invalidated,” SoS attorney Kara Karlson wrote. In an order Monday, the court vacated its prior statement allowing for an “injunction precluding any votes for the measure from being counted.” Though Chief Justice Ann Timmer noted the order comes “without prejudice to Petitioners requesting such an injunction or similar remedy in the trial court, in the event the trial court determines that the Initiative does not have sufficient signatures to qualify for the November ballot. Likewise, this order does not preclude Real Party in Interest from arguing in the trial court that Arizona courts lack the authority to grant such a remedy under Arizona law.” She continued, “These issues, if raised, should be decided in the first instance by the trial court and would benefit from full briefing and argument.” An evidentiary hearing at the trial court over the signature challenge is set for 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Congressman calls for CD6 debate on date different from the Hamas attack anniversary

Posted on by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

Ciscomani is calling for a Spanish-language debate to be held in the CD6 race in Tucson and asking that a currently scheduled Citizens Clean Elections debate be rescheduled from Oct. 7 “in respect of the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.” A spokesperson for the Citizens Clean Elections Commission said the commission is considering rescheduling the debate between Ciscomani and his Democratic challenger, Kirsten Engel. It’s unclear who would host the Spanish-language debate or how it would be organized. Ciscomani and Engel already faced off at an Aug. 29 Arizona PBS debate, but the incumbent has repeatedly called for another debate in the district. In a statement released Monday, Ciscomani said 26% of CD6 residents are Hispanic, creating the need for a debate to be held in Spanish. Ciscomani also took jabs at Engel, repeating claims he’s previously made that she does not live in the district and rarely visits. The two candidates are no strangers to debate drama, after Ciscomani refused to debate Engel in their first matchup for the congressional seat in 2020. Engel’s campaign manager did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

LD17 candidate Leach aims to return to the legislature on far right platform

Posted on by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

Former lawmaker Vince Leach, a Republican, hopes to claim the highly contested LD17 Senate seat, where he plans to introduce and pass conservative policies with a budget-oriented approach, if elected. After losing to Wadsack in the 2022 LD17 Senate GOP primary election, Leach narrowly defeated her in their 2024 rematch for the seat. Now, Leach aims to defeat the highly-funded Democrat candidate, John McLean, who would be a newcomer at the Capitol. If returned to the legislature, Leach said the first bills he would introduce would be ones aimed at “finding tax credits that have been passed by the Legislature but are not being used.” Leach was a leader in the appropriations committees during his prior terms as a lawmaker, and said he would focus on that area again if he is elected. The Empowerment Scholarship Account program “is exactly what Arizona needs,” Leach said, when asked about how much the program has grown since he was at the Legislature. “It’s a good program that needs to be continued,” Leach said. “If somebody wanted to take a look at what we spent and put some guidelines on that, I would be open to that.” He said he supports the GOP-backed HCR2060, now Prop. 314, especially the higher penalties it would create for fentanyl-related deaths. “We have to continue to send a message to Washington, D.C. that Arizonans are fed up with cartels really controlling our border with fentanyl,” Leach said. “When you see Narcan being given away like candy, there’s a problem.” When it comes to housing affordability, Leach said the solution would be to go “back to the basics” by claiming the federal land in Arizona and making room to build more homes. “Cities and towns are concerned, and they want to control those areas, well, areas outside of those cities would welcome expansion,” Leach said. He said an example of conservative policy he supports would be to pass bills that keep “girls playing girls sports and boys playing boys sports.”

Vaping is still a major policy concern; state experts discuss ways to mitigate it

Posted on by Matthew Sasser

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services held a virtual town hall Thursday to discuss evolving methods of preventing student vaping and tobacco use.

Raising the age for buying tobacco products to 21 would allow the state to track retailers that sell tobacco products, said Teresa Beardsley of Albemarle Regional Health Services. North Carolina is one of seven states that allow people under 21 to buy tobacco products. 

In 2019, Congress passed federal legislation that increased the age of sale for tobacco products to 21. 

“It’s very important that North Carolina passes a strong Tobacco 21 law that includes a tobacco retailer permitting system [to mitigate underage tobacco use],” Beardsley said. 

A recent initiative from statewide tobacco coordinators works with county and municipal governments to create zoning ordinances to decrease the density of tobacco shops near schools, churches and community centers. Beardsley said three counties and 19 municipalities have adopted ordinances in North Carolina as of last month.

According to data shared at the town hall, more than 12% of high school students use tobacco and more than 9% vape. One in four students vape daily. 

Chanda Battle, director of student support services for Edgecombe County Public Schools, said her district is shifting how it handles students who violate school tobacco rules. 

“We are now not suspending students with first, second or third offenses of possessing a vape at school,” Battle said. “Our response previously was to confiscate the device and suspend the student.”

Now the district handles a vaping infraction as an addiction issue. School staff notify parents and have conversations with the student about ways to handle vaping. Battle said this change stemmed from schools having to suspend the same students over and over again. 

After a second offense, students will be referred to substance abuse counseling or school support resources such as Catch My Breath and QuitlineNC A third offense will result in a disciplinary consequence, such as in-school suspension, that doesn’t completely remove the student from the learning environment. 

Many school districts have received funding for vaping prevention. 

Nnenne Asi, youth and young adult tobacco cessation coordinator for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, recommended as an alternative to suspension that school districts build capacity toward hiring counselors to directly support students or start clubs aimed at vaping prevention. Asi said one common recommendation schools should avoid is purchasing vape detectors, as they “encourage discrimination” and don’t align with a restorative justice model.

For questions or comments, or to pass along story ideas, please write to Matthew Sasser at [email protected] or contact the NC Insider at [email protected] or @StateAffairsNC 

Top Holcomb aide Hammond takes lobbying job

Posted on by Tom Davies

Gov. Eric Holcomb’s deputy chief of staff, John Hammond IV, has resigned to work for the Taft law firm’s lobbying division.

Hammond joined Taft as a partner in its Public Affairs Strategies Group on Monday after having been a top aide to Holcomb since he took office as governor in January 2017.

Another Holcomb administration departure announced Monday was the upcoming resignation of Kim Opsahl as deputy secretary of the Family and Social Services Administration to become chief operating officer at the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services.

Hammond joins other top state Republicans at Taft

Hammond told State Affairs he will be based in Indianapolis while also working for Taft’s clients on issues with the federal government and in other states.

The departures come amid ongoing turnover among top Holcomb administration officials before his time in office ends Jan. 12.

Hammond said he worked out a “mutually agreeable” time with Holcomb to leave the governor’s office, where Hammond worked under Chief of Staff Earl Goode.

“These are term-limited positions, in a way, but we were able to get a lot of projects, at least in my shop, set for the governor,” Hammond said. “So I felt confident that I was leaving it in good stead.”

The governor’s office said Holcomb appreciated Hammond’s “dedication and service” to the state.

“John was an adviser who provided advice on many matters, especially legislative issues, and we are grateful for his nearly 8 years of service,” the governor’s office said in a statement emailed to State Affairs. “It’s common for staff in [the] governor’s office to begin to find new roles at this point in the second term. No new staff will be hired until the next administration does so.”

Hammond will work with many familiar faces at Taft, including his father, John Hammond III, who is a partner at the firm and stepped down this summer after 12 years as Indiana’s Republican national committeeman. Kyle Hupfer, who was state Republican Party chair until last year and Holcomb’s 2020 campaign chairman, is co-chair of Taft’s lobbying division.

Hammond faces a one-year cooling-off period during which he won’t be allowed to lobby executive branch agencies.

“I can work with policymakers in the General Assembly,” he said. “I was pretty active with the governor on the National Governors Association and the Republican Governors Association. I traveled with him to all those events, so I got the privilege of getting to know a lot of those staff and also the governors’ office staff around the country. So that was kind of a network that I’m going to still try to stay involved with.”

Hammond’s role with the governor’s office included handling negotiations with the Legislature and coordinating with executive branch agencies and the Indiana Economic Development Corp.

He previously worked as an aide to U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar and U.S. Reps. Steve Buyer and Marlin Stutzman, including several years as Stutzman’s chief of staff.

Family and Social Services Administration leadership turnover

Opsahl announced she will leave the Family and Social Services Administration effective Oct. 11. She has been the agency’s chief of staff and deputy secretary since 2022 under Secretary Daniel Rusyniak.

A new deputy secretary is not being named at this time, the agency said.

Opsahl joined FSSA in 2018 as associate director of the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services and became the division’s director in 2021.

Jay Chaudhary previously announced he will step down Oct. 11 as director of FSSA’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction. Becky Buhner, the division’s deputy director and chief of staff, will become interim director.

Update: This story has been updated with comment from the governor’s office.

Tom Davies is a Statehouse reporter for State Affairs Pro Indiana. Reach him at [email protected] or on X at @TomDaviesIND.

Committee OKs Chris Kennedy as Wildlife and Parks secretary

Posted on by Brett Stover

Acting Secretary Chris Kennedy’s appointment to lead the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks will move to the Senate.

The chamber’s Confirmation Oversight Committee approved the nominee Monday, one week after the committee postponed its vote to ask Kennedy more questions.

However, none of those questions was asked at the hearing, which lasted just a few minutes with only two of the committee’s six members in the building. Others joined via video call, including Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, who moved to approve Kennedy’s confirmation.

Between the Sept. 9 meeting and Monday, Sen. Larry Alley, R-Winfield, sent Kennedy six questions raised by lawmakers and other interested parties.

Kennedy, who previously worked in Missouri’s conservation department as assistant to the director for inclusion and diversity, faced another question about his views on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). In response, he said it “is not a factor in our hiring or promotion practices.”

Kennedy was also asked about transgender women using women’s restrooms at Kansas parks. He said his goal is to provide “wholesome, safe and appropriate” park amenities. 

Park rangers will investigate any safety issues, Kennedy said, adding that the agency is also working to replace older communal facilities with single-stall restrooms.

Other responses from Kennedy:

  • On deer hunting and crop damage: Deer are a “valuable public resource” and herd management rules are developed through a complex analysis with many factors. “Should this process result in a determination that certain areas of the state are experiencing an overabundance of deer, I will consider all the tools at KDWP’s disposal to rectify this problem, including but not limited to issuing additional tags or otherwise expanding hunting opportunities.”
  • On eminent domain authority: “It is not the agency’s practice to utilize eminent domain to obtain property.” He said he has “no intention of utilizing eminent domain during my tenure.”
  • On morale issues: “Staff are our most important resource.” He said he wants to be “as responsive to staff concerns as possible.”

The committee didn’t discuss Kennedy’s answers before approving his nomination. He will continue serving as acting secretary until the full Senate can vote next year.

Gov. Laura Kelly appointed Kennedy in March to replace retired former Secretary Brad Loveless. Born in Missouri, Kennedy worked for that state’s conservation agency for nearly three decades before being tapped to lead the Kansas department.

Brett Stover is a Statehouse reporter at State Affairs Pro Kansas/Hawver’s Capitol Report. Reach him at [email protected] or on X @BrettStoverKS.

Indiana’s CSA program hits max capacity for the school year

Posted on by Jarred Meeks

The Indiana Career Scholarship Account Program has reached full capacity for the academic year, State Treasurer Daniel Elliott said in a news release.

The state-funded scholarships were created by the Indiana General Assembly to help students in grades 10-12 pay for career preparation opportunities, such as internships and apprenticeships.

“With more students accessing career-specific education and training, we aim to close the skills gap and strengthen our local industries,” Elliott said in the news release. “Whether it’s healthcare, manufacturing, IT, or skilled trades, these students will soon be contributing their talents to keep Indiana’s economy growing strong.”

In 2023, House Enrolled Act 1002 established the scholarship accounts. Last year’s budget bill allocated $5 million in the 2024 fiscal year and $10 million in the 2025 fiscal year for the accounts. State lawmakers earmarked $5,000 per year for each student who participates in the program. (The budget bill tasked the state treasurer with depositing the money into the students’ accounts each fiscal year.)

Maximum funding for the scholarship accounts this school year has been allocated, according to state officials.

This year’s House Enrolled Act 1001 expanded the time frame for parents and emancipated students to apply for the program to 30 days. Because of the initial seven-day application period, fewer students applied to the program in 2023 than were expected, Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, said in January.

The new law also allows up to $1,000 of the scholarship amount to be used for obtaining a driver’s license if certain conditions are met, such as demonstrating “proof of hardship.”

In the upcoming budget session, state lawmakers will determine possible continued funding for the program.

“We know there’s more demand out there, and we’re already looking ahead to expanding opportunities in the future,” Elliott said in the release. “We’re committed to continuing this program.”

Contact Jarred Meeks on X @jarredsmeeks or email him at [email protected].

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