AZ action alerts: security grants to nonprofits, school safety

Take Action on Important Bills being Heard in Committee This Week!
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You can see the full list of bills that AzCDL is tracking this session on our Bill Tracking Page.

Some members have told us that they have had trouble locating bills they would like to comment on within the RTS system. Remember that it is not necessary to include the "SB" or "HB" when performing an agenda search. It often works best to enter just the four-digit bill number.

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The length of comments allowed by RTS is very limited but we have provided some "talking points" below to help you formulate your ideas.

SB 1713
SB 1713 is scheduled to be heard in the House Appropriations committee this week. The bill would establish the Arizona State Nonprofit Security Grant Program to provide funding for safety and security projects to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist attack or at risk of hate crimes or attacks because of the nonprofit's ideology, beliefs or mission. The Arizona Department of Homeland Security will administer the grant program and begin issuing grants on January 1, 2024. It would establish requirements for grant applicants and appropriate $5 million from the general fund in FY2023-24 to the newly established Arizona State Nonprofit Security Grant Program Fund.

Talking points for SB 1713:

• Arizona, like many other states, has witnessed an increase in hate crimes targeting vulnerable communities in recent years.
• Nonprofit organizations that serve these communities are particularly at risk of being targeted by individuals and groups that harbor hatred and intolerance.
• According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Arizona experienced 209 hate crimes in 2019, a 16% increase from the previous year.
• These crimes targeted individuals based on their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and other factors.
• Nonprofit organizations are frequently located in high-traffic areas, have limited resources, and cannot afford to hire security personnel or purchase equipment.
• SB 1713 outlines permissible activities including planning, equipment, training, and security personnel, security assessments, the development of security plans, and emergency preparedness planning.

SB 1713 is scheduled to be heard on Monday morning, April 3, at 10:00 AM by the House Appropriations committee. Please use RTS to add your comments for the bill in order to keep it moving forward.

Of course, you can also attend the committee hearing in person. If you would like to address the committee while there, use RTS to indicate that you would like to speak.

Please log into the RTS system today to enter your "For" vote and encourage your legislators to pass these bills out of committee.

HB 2705
HB 2705 will be heard by the Senate Appropriations committee on Tuesday, April 4, at 1:00 PM in Senate Hearing Room 109. The committee members need to hear from you to move the bill forward!

HB 2705 will establish the School Active Threat Response Pilot Program within the Arizona Department of Education. The SATR program will provide school safety training and support to school districts and charter schools. The bill appropriates $10 million from the general fund in FY2023-24 to fund the program.

Training for teachers and administrators will include:

• Recognition of early warning signs of an imminent threat
• Emergency response to active threats, including medical treatment of injuries and combat casualty care
• Firearm safety training.

Talking points for HB 2705:

• Nothing is more important than protecting children from violence. Gun Free Zones provide NO protection from criminals intent on harm.
• All too often, school personnel are unprepared and ill-equipped to deal with large-scale emergencies on campus.
• In a perfect world, programs like this would not be necessary, but we live in the real world and must be prepared when catastrophe strikes.
• The School Active Threat Response Pilot Program gives administrators and faculty access to proven programs such as FASTER Saves Lives, which has been protecting students from violent attacks for over 10 years.
• Programs like FASTER are NOT just about arming teachers, they teach threat assessment skills, tactical self-defense, and emergency medical response, which have been proven to save lives.
• Medical professionals stress the importance of immediate life-saving measures in the event of a violent attack. FASTER and similar programs give faculty and administrators the skills and knowledge to respond far more quickly than emergency responders can.
  

HB 2705 is scheduled to be heard on Tuesday afternoon, April 4, at 1:00 PM by the Senate Appropriations committee. Please use RTS to add your comments for the bill in order to ensure that it continues to move forward.

Of course, you can also attend the committee hearing in person. If you would like to address the committee while there, use RTS to indicate that you would like to speak.

Please log into the RTS system today to enter your "For" vote and encourage your legislators to pass these bills out of committee.

Click Here to Visit the RTS Site


If you DO NOT have an RTS account, AzCDL can help you set one up. Although you can use RTS from any Internet-capable computer, tablet or smartphone, new accounts must be created on the RTS terminals located in Phoenix at the state Capitol or in Tucson at the satellite office.

If you need to set up an RTS account or if your account needs to be reactivated, click the button below.

Please do not attempt to create an account on your own computer or device as the account will not be active. If you have already done so, we can activate the account for you, but we will need to know the e-mail address and RTS account password you used to create it. Once the account is activated, you can then change your password to another one of your choosing.

Click Here to Request an RTS Account


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