Chris Bliss celebrates passage of HB2682 with Senator Karen Johnson (left) and Rep Kyrsten Sinema (right).

Arizona Capitol Display To Move Forward

After four years of trying to get bipartisan support for a new site directly on the State Capitol grounds in Phoenix, the Board of MyBillofRights.org has voted to move forward with a proposal for the Wesley Bolin Plaza location that was approved by the legislature in 2006. We expect to submit a design no later than October 1, 2010 and ramp up fundraising shortly after.

Arizona was our first State Capitol resolution (HB 2682), passed by the legislature and signed by Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano in June 2006 as part of a compromise budget resolution, after some unexpected last minute drama involving the outgoing Senate president. Initially sponsored by Representative Kyrsten Sinema (D) and Senator Karen Johnson (R) (MyBillofRights.org by-laws require bipartisan sponsorship for all our legislative efforts) HB 2682 eventually had all 90 state legislators sign on as co-sponsors.

Though disappointed by the years of delay while trying to negotiate a better location for the monument, MyBillofRights.org is pleased to note that our monument resolution has already produced a significant collateral benefit for the state’s school children. Largely as a consequence of the publicity generated by HB 2682, a bill to require American flags in all Arizona classrooms (HB 2583) was amended to also require copies of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights to be displayed on every classroom wall, which has been the case since September of 2007.

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