House Bills Put On Hold, Mesnard Loses Control

Residents, who travelled to Phoenix on Thursday to watch the Arizona Legislature pass their favored bills out of House, were disappointed when activity on the floor came to an abrupt halt. This session’s first meeting of the Committee of the Whole ended in confusion and disgust.

This was Speaker Mesnard’s floor vote. Mesnard has been a loud critic of past speakers, yet he is the fist in recent memory to have floor activity grind to a halt.

Mesnard barely won the speaker’s spot, due to his reputation for emotion-based decision making and vindictiveness. However is his micromanaging, and lack of management skills that has already alienated many of his former supporters in the House.

In an effort to preserve whatever goodwill remains, Mesnard sent an email apologizing to members for Thursday’s meltdown. The apology read in part: “I apologize for the confusion on the floor session today. To accommodate some members, we decided to recess and return only to do first reads.”

The following bills were rescheduled: