Big Victory
Dear Friends,
Yesterday was a big victory for Arizona consumers, and you made it happen. Thank you!
The payday lenders’ bill, their second attempt this session to repeal the 2010 sunset, went down to defeat in the Senate Appropriations Committee on a bipartisan 5 to 3 vote.
The Committee voted it down despite the fact that the payday lenders swarmed the Capitol with employees, lobbyists and national industry executives. At the end of the day, the Committee voted it down because they heard from YOU.
Our gratitude goes out to the many organizations and individuals from all corners of the state who contributed in countless ways to defeat this bill against tremendous odds.
This victory is your victory.
But, while yesterday was a high-profile win for consumers, the fight is not over.
The payday lenders, with $150 million a year on the line, are not likely to take this repudiation by the Senate Appropriations Committee as the final word, just like they did not take the House Banking Committee’s opposition in January, or the voters’ opposition at the ballot box, as the final word.
Until this legislative session comes to a close, we must remain alert and vigilant.
While we keep our eye on the payday lenders, this is also an important moment to thank the senators that voted to uphold the will of the voters and protect Arizona consumers:
Republican Sens. David Braswell of Phoenix, Ron Gould of Lake Havasu City and Sylvia Allen of Snowflake, and Democratic Sens. Rebecca Rios of Apache Junction and Paula Aboud of Tucson, all voted against HB2370. Additionally, Democratic Sen. Amanda Aguirre of Yuma, who had to leave the marathon hearing before the vote took place at nearly 7:00 pm, also was committed to voting against the bill.
Please call these senators THIS WEEK to thank them for standing with the voters — and standing up for Arizona consumers!
- Sen. David Braswell, District 6 – North Phoenix, Anthem, New River
(602) 926-5284 dbraswell@azleg.gov
- Sen. Ron Gould, District 3 – Mohave County
(602) 926-4138 rgould@azleg.gov
- Sen. Rebecca Rios, District 23 – Pinal County
(602) 926-5685 rrios@azleg.gov
- Sen. Paula Aboud, District 28 - Central Tucson
(602) 926-5262 paboud@azleg.gov
- Sen. Sylvia Allen, District 5 – Apache, Graham, Gila and Navajo Counties
(602) 926-5219 sallen@azleg.gov
- Sen. Amanda Aguirre, District 24 – Yuma County
(602) 926-4139 aaguirre@azleg.gov
We are engaged in an epic struggle against a very powerful industry. And you can bet that when we reach the finish line here in Arizona, it will have a positive effect on consumers not just here, but nationwide.
My deepest gratitude to you,
Debbie McCune Davis
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Paid for by Arizonans for Responsible Lending
Major Funding by AARP Arizona
Center for Responsible Lending, N.C., SEIU, Washington, and SIMG, Tucson.
Additional Support from Arizona State Credit Union, UFCW Local 99 Arizona
The Arizona Credit Union League, The Center for Economic Integrity
and Mi Familia Vota