Arizona Senate to hold School Safety Plan hearing

An Arizona Senate committee is set to hold the long-delayed first hearing on Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s wide-ranging school safety proposal.

The legislation introduced by Republican Sen. Steve Smith was set for a Monday Commerce and Public Safety Committee hearing but was delayed until Thursday for changes.

The proposal Ducey rolled out in mid-March had major opposition from some majority Republicans because it allows guns to be removed from people considered dangerous. More changes are likely to address that issue.

Ducey’s plan also includes more school resource officers and school mental health spending.

Democrats want universal background checks on gun purchases and aren’t backing the plan. That leaves the governor seeking support from Republican guns-rights backers and the proposal has been substantially watered-down.

— The legislation is Senate Bill 1519