Why Sen. Michele Reagan Voted FOR Medicaid Expansion

[Arizona Freedom Alliance]

As we all know, Sen. Reagan is planning to run for Secretary of State in 2014.  Since Rep. John Kavanagh is termed out of the House, he will be running for the Senate from LD23 and he's very well liked and has consistently (OK, a few blips along the way) voted for his constituents.

On Saturday, Sen. Reagan was on a panel at the annual LD23 breakfast and took questions.  Asked: why did you vote YES on the budget with Medicaid Expansion in it?

Answer (I kid you not!): "I voted yes to be sure it passed and went to the House.  The House is much more conservative than the Senate and I expect them to strip the medicaid expansion out of that bill before sending it back to the Senate.  There was no chance of getting that out in the Senate.  I just wanted to be sure it would pass the Senate to go get fixed in the House.  Really.  That's why I voted yes"

To be perfectly clear, her vote was not needed to pass that bill.  Everyone knew that for weeks, even Sen. Reagan.  Unless....  Reagan knew what others failed to discuss: that the bill really needed a 2/3 margin to actually pass.  The Senate sent it to the House on a 50%+1 vote format, not the 2/3 vote the Arizona Constitution calls for when adding or raising new fees and/or taxes!  Medicaid Expansion calls for a bed tax on hospitals.  That part of the language should not have been in the Bill in the first place but the progressives knew it was late in the game to get a new striker bill going for M.E. so they tried to slide it through under the radar.  Senate President Andy Biggs did not put that in the budget originally!

Speculation: the audience at the breakfast was not buying that convoluted explanation.  Question:  Was the Senator hoping one more vote would turn and provide the 2/3 margin needed?  The vote was 19-11. Twenty YES votes would have cleared that 2/3s benchmark.  The Senator has been in the Legislature for a long time.  She knows the rules and she's very smart and quick.

Draw your own conclusions on this one.

[Carol Miklica]

Folks, just write her name down on your list of those NOT TO VOTE FOR turncoats. The list is growing isn't it? Or at  least should be, if we are speading the word. How else are so many uninfomed voters going to get the message? We need to stay active or else we will be doomed by the ignorant.