Latest news with #HB2030
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arizona veterans outraged amid controversy over blocked stolen valor bill
The Brief There's an ongoing controversy involving a bill targeting acts of stolen valor at the Arizona State Legislature. HB 2030 aims to increase penalties for Arizonans who claim military honors they never earned, or those who alter official military documents. The bill was blocked by State Sen. Wendy Rogers. "It was the equivalent of a slap in the face," said one veteran. PHOENIX - Politicians and veterans in Arizona are speaking out amid a controversy involving a stolen valor bill that was blocked by State Senator Wendy Rogers. The backstory Per our first report on the bill, HB 2030 (also known as the "Stolen Valor Act") aims to increase penalties for Arizonans who claim military honors they never earned, or those who alter official military documents. On Jan. 15, Republican State Representative Walt Blackman (R-Dist. 7) introduced the bill, with strong support from veterans. On Feb. 11, the bill passed unanimously in the house, and was eventually sent to the State Senate's Judiciary and Elections Committee. The committee is chaired by State Sen. Rogers (R-Dist. 7), and the bill was held up for a month in the committee before it received a hearing. During the hearing, State Sen. Rogers put the bill on hold. What State Sen. Rogers Said State Sen. Roger released a statement on the matter, which reads: "After the bill was transmitted to the Senate for consideration, I asked Senate staff to reach out to Rep. Blackman's staff requesting we amend the bill to mirror federal law, so there would be no conflicts or confusion in tackling these crimes. I was informed he was not willing to compromise. I again directed Senate staff to let his staff know that I was including the bill on Wednesday's Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee agenda in case he had a change of heart. Neither Rep. Blackman nor his staff communicated that he was willing to work on an amendment. Instead, he continues a smear campaign, omitting the fact that a repeated good faith effort was made to work with him on this legislation. Sadly, it appears Rep. Blackman let a personal vendetta get in the way of honestly fighting for combat veterans." Dig deeper The bill's sponsor said Rogers, who is an Air Force veteran herself, blocked the bill for personal reasons: State Rep. Blackman's political rival, Steve Slaton, who ran against him and lost in the primary election, was endorsed by State Sen. Rogers despite allegations of stolen valor. Meanwhile, some Arizona veterans, like retired Army Master Sergeant Jack Dona, say they are outraged. What Dona Said "It was the equivalent of a slap in the face," said Dona. Dona, along with his father Orlando, spent decades serving the country. "It's just bad politics," Dona said. "It's the stuff that people are tired of, they're disgusted with." Dona said State Sen. Rogers hired him in 2024 to vet Slaton's record. "I determined that it was likely a case of stolen valor," Dona said. Slaton claimed to be Cobra helicopter pilot in Vietnam, but records show he was a mechanic. "[Slaton] lost his primary," said Dona. "I thought that was the end of it." At the hearing, Dona said more than 70 veterans showed up to support the bill, but never got to testify. "What are we saying as a society, as a people, if we cannot protect the very people who put on a uniform and write a check to the people of the United States that I promise that I will give, even up to my life, to protect the constitution and your freedom?" Dona said. What Could Come Next State Sen. Shawna Bolick (R-Dist. 2) has since invoked Arizona's striker amendment to switch her bill with HB 2030. Meanwhile, State Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Dist. 14) said he is optimistic that Rogers and Blackman will reach a deal. "As far as procedure and process, this bill will end up going in a pretty normal timeframe and speed, as far as making it to the governor's desk," said State Senate President Petersen. State Rep. Blackman said Rogers had plenty of time to discuss any amendments with him, and believes she is either not good at her legislative job or is simply lying. Blackman also said Rogers' claims that HB 2030 doesn't mirror the federal Stolen Valor law is inaccurate, and said he doesn't believe she read the bill if she is not aware of the constitutional clearance it has gone through. Blackman went on to say the bill expands on the federal law in ways that he feels will help Arizona veterans. Blackman said he believes some legislators are slow-rolling the bill, and Dona is urging fellow veterans to not let that happen. "You should get on the horn, and you should burn up the phone lines," said Dona. "E-mail them, be vocal, because that's the only thing that they understand. The only thing that they understand is we, the people, speaking out peacefully."
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arizona stolen valor bill blocked by Wendy Rogers; supporters cry foul
The Brief A bill known as the 'Stolen Valor Act' was blocked by State Sen. Wendy Rogers. Supporters of the bill are criticizing the decision, while noting a link between State Sen. Rogers and a person who was accused of stolen valor. State Sen. Rogers' office said a request was made to amend the bill, so that it can mirror federal law. PHOENIX - There's a controversy in the Arizona State Legislature, after Republican State Senator Wendy Rogers blocked a bill that would make it a crime to impersonate a veteran. Big picture view The bill in question is known as HB 2030, or the "Stolen Valor Act." If approved and signed into law, HB 2030 would increase penalties for Arizonans who claim military honors they never earned, or those who alter official military documents. On Jan. 15, Republican State Representative Walt Blackman introduced the bill, with strong support from veterans. On Feb. 11, the bill passed unanimously in the house. The backstory After the bill's passage in the State House, it was sent to the State Senate's Judiciary and Elections Committee, which State Sen. Rogers chairs. That was where the bill was held up for a month before getting a hearing on Mar. 26. Experts were supposed to testify on behalf of the bill, but during the hearing, State Sen. Rogers put it on hold, saying she asked State Rep. Blackman to amend the bill so that it would be in agreement with federal law. "Actually, none of it is true," said State Rep. Blackman. "She has not reached out to my office. We did a check." Democratic State Senator Analise Ortiz tried taking action at the end of the hearing. "Madam chair, I recommend [that] House Bill 2030 receive a due pass recommendation, and I request a roll call vote," said State Sen. Ortiz. "It is still on the agenda." "It is held, so it is not on the agenda," State Sen. Rogers replied. The meeting was later adjourned. "We had 70+ veterans here. We had some that came from out of state just for this, some Vietnam veterans," State Sen. Blackman said. "When she did that to those veterans and looked at them and basically gave them the middle finger to protect someone who was proven to have stolen his valor, that's disappointing." Dig deeper The bill's sponsor said Rogers, who is an Air Force veteran herself, blocked the bill for personal reasons: State Rep. Blackman's political rival, who ran against him and lost in the primary election, was endorsed by State Sen. Rogers despite allegations of stolen valor. The rival, as mentioned above, is Steve Slaton. Slaton campaigned with State Sen. Rogers and gained her endorsement, but the Navajo County Republican Party discovered that Slaton provided an altered form claiming combat veteran status in Vietnam, and showing qualifications and awards that he never earned. "This chairwoman, Ms. Rogers, has the sole discretion to decide which bills get hearings and which bills die, and she used that discretion, in my opinion, to protect her friend," said State Sen. Ortiz. The other side State Sen. Rogers declined an on-camera interview, but did release a statement that reads: "After the bill was transmitted to the Senate for consideration, I asked Senate staff to reach out to Rep. Blackman's staff requesting we amend the bill to mirror federal law, so there would be no conflicts or confusion in tackling these crimes. I was informed he was not willing to compromise. I again directed Senate staff to let his staff know that I was including the bill on Wednesday's Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee agenda in case he had a change of heart. Neither Rep. Blackman nor his staff communicated that he was willing to work on an amendment. Instead, he continues a smear campaign, omitting the fact that a repeated good faith effort was made to work with him on this legislation. Sadly, it appears Rep. Blackman let a personal vendetta get in the way of honestly fighting for combat veterans." "Even a freshman lawmaker knows that you don't need a member's approval to put an amendment on the bill," said State Rep. Blackman. "You don't. You just do it. It's either hostile or it's friendly." What's next Fellow Republican State Senator Shawna Bolick did invoke Arizona's striker law, which allowed her sponsored bill, SB 1424, to be replaced with HB 2030. SB 1424, in its original form, had passed committee and was ready for a floor vote. The newly replaced bill has passed out of the Committee of the Whole in the State House, and once it is passed by the house, it will return to the hands of Senate leadership to keep it alive. We have reached State Senate President Warren Petersen, who assigned State Sen. Rogers as chair of the committee in which HB 2030 was held, for comment on the matter. he said he does not intend to bring the striker bill to the Senate floor.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Politics derails bill criminalizing ‘stolen valor' claims in Arizona
Rep. Walt Blackman, R-Snowflake, speaks at a March 19, 2025, press conference about his legislation to criminalize some stolen valor claims. Photo by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy | Arizona Mirror Arizona lawmakers want to impose criminal penalties against people who falsely claim military service or honors to receive benefits, but the proposal is facing major hurdles from some Republicans because of a political dispute in last year's elections. The Arizona House of Representatives already unanimously passed House Bill 2030, which would make impersonating a veteran to obtain employment, government contracts or benefits a class 4 felony. The bill is the brainchild of Rep. Walt Blackman, a Republican from Snowflake and U.S. Army veteran. Last year, Blackman was locked in a primary election contest against Steve Slaton, the owner of the Trumped Store in Show Low, a popular campaign spot for the MAGA faithful. Slaton falsely claimed to be a Vietnam veteran, and even altered his DD214, a document given to veterans upon their retirement that includes a record of their service and awards, to show service in Vietnam. In reality, Slaton was stationed in Korea between January and December 1974 as a helicopter repairman and he was never deployed in Vietnam. But Slaton was endorsed by Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, as well as Sen. Mark Finchem, R-Prescott. Blackman was critical of Slaton and Rogers during the campaign; Slaton lost in the primary election. Rogers, a retired Air Force pilot, chairs the Senate Judiciary and Elections Committee, the panel that was assigned to hear Blackman's HB2030. She has refused to schedule the bill for a hearing, and with the deadline for committees to consider bills coming March 21, the measure is effectively dead. Rogers, Finchem and Senate President Warren Petersen did not respond to requests for comment for this story. Now, Blackman and supporters of the measure are pursuing other options and seeking to apply pressure to get the bill heard, whether that be in another committee or by using a strike-everything amendment on another bill to resurrect the proposal. Sen. Shawnna Bolick, R-Phoenix, allowed Blackman to put a strike-everything amendment onto her bill, Senate Bill 1424, which has already been voted out of the Senate. That amendment was approved by the House Government Committee on March 19. The strike-everything amendment copies the text of HB2030 that is stalled in Rogers' committee. If the bill passes the full House, it would return to the Senate for a final vote. Whether that happens would be up to Petersen. 'We need to stop playing politics and start doing what's right by our veterans,' Rep. Stacey Travers, D-Phoenix, said at a March 19 press conference with Blackman and veterans about Rogers' refusal to consider the bill. Travers, an Army veteran herself, praised Blackman's bill and said that it has bipartisan support, pointing to its unanimous passage in the House. 'That wasn't a mistake, that was on purpose,' Rep. Quantá Crews, D-Avondale, said of the unanimous vote. Blackman urged Petersen to have the bill either reassigned out of Rogers' committee, urge Rogers to hear the bill or have the strike-everything version receive a vote by the full Senate. 'It is a shame, it is a sin,' said Jim Muhr, who served in the Army in Vietnam, adding that he did not understand why Rogers was blocking the legislation. He said he wants Petersen to move it to another committee. 'I'm not in her head,' Blackman said when asked why Rogers may be holding the legislation. 'I would say there are some personal reasons.' Blackman, without naming Slaton, said that he believes Rogers and Finchem may be trying to protect a 'gentleman in Show Low' but he is unsure why. Rogers and Blackman have a history of butting heads, and Blackman was one of the few Republican lawmakers to condemn comments Rogers made in the wake of a mass shooting targeting Black shoppers in a Buffalo, New York, grocery store in 2022. Blackman is Black, while Rogers, who is white, has strong ties to white nationalists, including speaking at a white nationalist conference and calling attendees 'patriots.' In 2005, a similar bill was passed by Congress, though parts of it were found to be unconstitutional because it violated the First Amendment. Blackman said he aimed to avoid that by focusing solely on those who impersonate veterans for benefits that they would otherwise not be entitled to receive and adding that to existing state scam and fraud laws. 'I am asking Senator Rogers and Senator Finchem to either get on board or get out of the way,' Blackman said, eliciting cheers and shouts of 'amen' from the veterans surrounding him. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
