By Jim Small | Arizona Mirror
To combat the spread of coronavirus in Arizona, legislative Democrats have asked Gov. Doug Ducey to fund drive-through testing facilities, paid sick leave for Arizona employees and “aggressive cleaning” of public transit vehicles.
In an email to Ducey’s top aides that Arizona Mirror reviewed, Democrats in the Arizona House of Representatives outlined a wish list that spans from funding to help affected workers to expanding community outreach and education efforts to preventing price gouging.
The request also includes a special legislative session, as the Mirror reported previously.
Ducey’s office has rejected the call for a special session, at least for now. Instead, the governor has declared a state of emergency and issued an executive order allowing the state to cover the cost of coronavirus tests in Arizona.
The virus, which causes the illness COVID-19, was declared a worldwide pandemic on Wednesday by the World Health Organization.
“As we all agreed, the Cononavirus (CoVID19) epidemic is not a Republican or Democratic issue, it’s an issue that impacts every Arizonan – we hope we can work in partnership to ensure the best response,” Cynthia Aragón, Chief of Staff for the House Democratic Caucus, wrote Wednesday in the email to Ducey’s top staff.
The funding, policy changes and actions requested by Democrats are below.
