HB 2040
In the last update I briefly mentioned this bill, which proposes changes to the state’s liquor board.

Yesterday, I spoke to Rep. Prezelski about it. He said he worked with Supervisor Steve Leal on the proposed legislation. He also said this issue grew out of the Club Turbulence debate.

The bill would allow a county board of supervisors to chime in on liquor license issues.

If a city or county opposes a business’s liquor license, then the bill would require a 2/3 super-majority of the state liquor board to overturn that recommendation.

Most businesses wouldn’t notice a change, Prezelski said.
The current chair of the liquor board is Cyndy Valdez, who also is general counsel for Golden Eagle Distributors Inc., a beer distributor headquartered in Tucson.

HB 2576
I’ve also mentioned this bill before and I’m working on an article about it. This one would require Arizona employers to give workers a 30-minute lunch break in an 8-hour day, plus a 10-minute break every four hours. The Industrial Commission, which enforces other labor laws, would be the lunch-break police.

Yesterday I interviewed Sen. Charlene Pesquiera, a co-sponsor of the bill. She said she supports the bill because she’s had a number of complaints from constituents who work in private nursing homes, sometimes working nine hours or longer with only a 5-minute stand-up eating break. And we need a law to correct that, she said.