HCR2040 public monies; prohibited expenditure is a proposed ballot referral that would go on the 2024 general election ballot. It prohibits spending public dollars on a long list of items, many of which are unrelated, but of particular concern are the prohibitions for any level of state government, including cities, towns, counties, and universities, from spending public dollars or associating with any organization that is working to reduce global temperatures or plan to address climate change.
The provisions of the referral appear to be a culture war manifesto against a collection of unrelated issues and items. The provisions of this bill would be better placed in a statement from those who espouse them. Putting these in a referral is inappropriate and irresponsible.
There is also a prohibition on any expenditures or efforts to promote, advocate, or plan for reducing or replacing vehicle travel with walking, biking, or public transit. This has implications for our air quality as well as for mobility of nondrivers. Cleaning up our air improves and saves lives. Actions to hinder that have real impacts on Arizonans.
Prohibiting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions or even tracking and collecting information on those emissions and prohibiting expenditures to limit the increase of the average global temperature or produce or adopt a climate action plan is also irresponsible and could harm our communities.
We are already seeing disruptions in precipitation, increased average temperatures, and bigger and more intense wildfires.
Arizona is one of the fastest warming states in the country and both Phoenix and Tucson are among the fastest warming cities in the country. These rapidly rising temperatures exacerbate our prolonged extreme drought, expanded wildfire season and larger fires, and increasingly unpredictable and more severe weather patterns. These impacts threaten our personal, community, and economic health.
Climate change is having serious public health impacts via extreme heat and poor air quality, both of which are expected to increase in the region. According to the Fifth National Climate Assessment, “These changes are expected to increase heat and air-pollution exposure, illness, and premature death.”
There is also a provision that allows anyone who is an eligible voter to sue over these provisions. Tell your Senator to vote no on putting this ill-conceived and poorly drafted measure on the ballot. If it passed, it would harm our air, our water, our health, and our communities, and would also have negative economic impacts.