Tucson, Arizona Thursday, 13 February 2003
Legislative briefing
CAPITOL MEDIA SERVICES
PHOENIX - On a 7-2 vote, the House Committee on Utilities and Municipalities approved legislation to block cities from regulating the sale or transfer of firearms and ammunition.
HB 2318 is aimed largely at a decision by Tucson city officials to require that those who want to sell guns at shows at city-owned facilities must conduct the same kind of background checks on buyers as a licensed firearms dealer. Rep. Randy Graf, R-Green Valley, said local communities should not be allowed to overrule state law and constitutional provisions dealing with the right to bear arms.
Foes of the measure, which now goes to the full House, said these issues should be left to locally elected officials.
Dog-bite immunity
State lawmakers moved Wednesday to give some immunity to dog owners when their pets bite someone.
SB 1143 says if a dog is in an enclosed area, the area is posted that a dog is there, and the person is not legally on the property, then there is no right to sue. Sen. Linda Binder, R-Lake Havasu City, is pushing the bill after being sued by a man who was bitten by her dog after coming into her yard.
The 7-2 vote that sends the bill to the Senate came over the objection of the Arizona Trial Lawyers Association.
Attorney Kevin Fine said the way the legislation is written, it would even bar lawsuits when someone is invited onto the dog owner's property such as when a landlord asks someone to come over but a tenant's dog does the biting.
Sex offenders
State officials unveiled a new computer program Wednesday designed to help police solve sex crimes.
The Internet-based system contains the addresses of the estimated 14,000 registered sex offenders in Arizona, people who have been convicted of sex crimes and now are required to keep police informed where they live.
The system allows police to put in an address where an assault has occurred to determine which sex offenders live nearby and to link to specifics about their crimes, including their victims and methods of operation.
Gov. Janet Napolitano said the system will save valuable time for police because someone who commits a sex crime "is particularly susceptible to be a repeat offender."
Character education
The House Education Committee voted 6-4 Wednesday to require schools to offer character education programs.
Current law makes it optional for schools to offer these programs, which are designed to teach truthfulness, responsibility, compassion, diligence, sincerity, trustworthiness, respect, attentiveness, obedience, orderliness, forgiveness and virtue. State School Superintendent Tom Horne said that should be a mandate.
"Character has plunged like a rock down a well in the last 30 years," he said. "We have to do something that brings that back up."
The bill now goes to the House floor.