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Good morning! I was confused by the Fee Freedom section. It starts with "Arizona’s House gave preliminary approval to a bill that would allow university students to stop the required fees they pay from going to certain organizations..." Then it moves to "The House also passed a bill called the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act that would make it a federal crime to evade U.S. Customs and Border Protection...". I couldn't figure out how the AZ House could make something a Federal crime. When I clicked the links (probably my FAVORITE part of every newsletter!), I found out that it was the US House of Representatives who passed the Agent bill.

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I wanted to add that you might want to clarify that a little bit. Thanks for showing me something new every morning!!

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Ahh good eye. Should say U.S. House passed... Adding now thx!

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I am happy to have a several-month break from election anxiety as I worry incessantly about which magnet school my child will lottery into, plus the AZ lege considering yet another re-entry for payday loans.

But come March 1 (school assignment day) and Sine Die? Election anxiety all day everyday baby!

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The HB 2178 was, as Fischer accurately pointed out, created to stifle so-called anti semitic student groups. Consider how broad a category that is, though, in todays world. ANY group that even hints that there might be something wrong with killing almost 30,00 people ( 11,000 children) is now considered anti semitic, ranging from those looking to get a ceasefire resolution passed to the IJC. How do I know this?

The scheme, with the amendment that allows students to “opt out” of three groups they don’t want to pay for, sounds suspiciously like pharmacists not having to fill prescriptions for mephistrone if they don’t believe in abortions, or even made up stories like cake makers not having to provide or decorate cakes for gay couples if they don’t believe in gay marriages. It also could negatively affect student groups of marginalized students who need a space to meet one another and work on issues together. (Think African Americans, Indigenous, women, Transgender, etc.— really any group of people who are marginalized). In fact, if there is as much anti-semitism as is currently being claimed abounding on university campuses, jewish student groups themselves may find it hard to get funding from universities under such a scheme. Universities should exemplify diversity of thought and freedom for ideas to be exchanged. . Kolodins bill is short sighted and cruel — an attempt to abridge the free speech rights of people who would choose a different policy response to a crisis than the one he believes in. I hope your readers will follow this bill over to the senate side and register their opposition.

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