/Capitol Media Services photo by Howard Fischer
By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via PinalCentral
House Republicans thwarted a bid by Democrats Tuesday to shut down regular legislative business and focus only on issues related to COVID-19.
The party-line vote to keep the session open came as the GOP majority said it’s time to stop worrying about the virus and get back to the regular business of the Legislature. And they followed through with votes on everything from regulation of travel insurance to when state health inspectors can drop in at medical marijuana dispensaries.
“Nobody is saying we’re all going to be safe going out,” said Rep. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix. “We know this is a very contagious disease.”
In fact, she said, many if not most people will be exposed and many will get it.
“But we shouldn’t live in fear and have to get back to normal life,” Barto said.
Pinal County Rep. John Fillmore, R-Apache Junction, had his own take on how there has been a vast overreaction to the pandemic.
“The experts were wrong in the United States and the state of Arizona,” he said.
“They surrounded my president and they surrounded the governor and they gave them bad information,” Fillmore continued. “Paranoia was fueled by the media.”
All that, he said, is part of “a blatant move to replace the freedoms that have been given to us.”
