Action Alert: Urge Senate President Warren Petersen (LD 14) to Advance YIGBY
Despite its swift, bipartisan support in the House, HB 2815— Yes In God’s Backyard (YIGBY) has not moved in the Senate. This bill would allow houses of worship to construct low and middle income housing on their property regardless of zoning status; this would empower our churches to continue ministering to our neighbors and would help alleviate the state’s housing crisis. Read more on YIGBY here.
The bill flew through the House after faith communities organized behind it, and it was transmitted to the Senate on February 29th. However, it has not begun the process of debate.
In order for a bill to be active in the Senate, it must be read once on the floor; this is called the First Floor Read. It then needs to be read a second time, on a different day. During the second read it is assigned to relevant committees. After passing its committees, it is read for a third time and then voted on by the full assembly.
The Senate President is responsible for deciding what bills are read and for their committee assignments. Currently, YIGBY has not even received its first read, and to prevent the bill from dying here, it must be brought to the floor and read.
We have already reached out multiple times to our Senators, as highlighted in our past action alerts. Since we still have not seen movement on this bill, we are inviting you to join us in reaching out to Senate President Warren Petersen (LD14) directly and expressing the importance of this bill. If Sen. Petersen is made aware of this bill’s wide support and importance to the faith community, he will hopefully elevate it as a priority.
Find a copy-and-paste email template below. As always, you are encouraged to personalize your message; share storied of how housing has impacted your congregation and community! If you are a constituent of LD 14, please share that in your email! (you can check your legislative district here).
Email Template
Email address: WPETERSEN@azleg.gov
Subject Line: HB 2815 First Read
Dear Sen. Petersen,
I am writing to you today to encourage you to assign HB2815, nicknamed ‘Yes In God’s Backyard’ a First Read date, and later, to the relevant committees. This bipartisan bill would allow houses of worship to construct low and middle income housing on our properties to help meet the need for housing units in our state.
I am a faithful Lutheran, and many Lutheran congregations around Arizona are deeply involved with our unhoused neighbors. We are called to minister to the poor, feed the hungry, and uplift the vulnerable, including and especially those who do not have a safe place to live.
Research and experts of all kinds, including the Governor’s Interagency and Community Council on Homelessness and Housing, tell us that the number one driver of homelessness in Arizona is the lack of affordable housing units. By most estimates, our state is over 200,000 units short of where we ought to be to keep up with demand. We also know that restrictive zoning laws make it much more difficult to construct affordable housing in densely populated areas.
YIGBY is a wonderful opportunity to help meet this crisis. Not only are our churches and houses of worship able to help house our neighbors, we actively want to. Many Lutheran congregations in Arizona already provide different types of housing to community members, and many more are interested in doing so but are inhibited by bureaucracy and outdated laws. YIGBY is a uniquely impactful option to help meet the demand for housing in our state.
I am disappointed to see that it has not moved since its transmission to the Senate. As a Christian, this policy, and others like it, are of the upmost importance to me. I hope you will consider HB2815 a priority moving forward and bring it to the Floor.
I am a resident of Legislative District ___, and I appreciate the good, hard work you do in running our legislative proceedings. Thank you for the work you do, not only for District 14, but for all of Arizona.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
