Legislative briefs

Without debate, state lawmakers voted Wednesday to give landlords permission to have guests of tenants removed, with or without the tenant’s permission.

Sen. Gail Griffin, R-Hereford, said SB 1185 is needed because of a situation where a guest had effectively moved into an apartment and would not leave, even after being asked to do so by both the tenant and the landlord. This measure lets either party call police.

But Ellen Katz, an attorney with the William E. Morris Institute for Justice, said there already are ways to deal with that kind of situation. More concerning, she said, is that the wording of the legislation would allow a landlord to decide that a boyfriend or even a dinner guest was not welcome and have that person removed from the property.

Sen. Steve Farley, D-Tucson, said it would be one thing if the legislation permitted the landlord to evict a guest that the tenant did not want.

“The landlord can come in and evict somebody just because they don’t like the looks of them,” he said. And Sen. Martin Quezada, D-Phoenix, said landlords could use this to discriminate. But Griffin said leases are governed by not only contracts but anti-discrimination laws.

Weights and measures

The Senate voted Wednesday to abolish the Department of Weights and Measures — but not in the way sought by Gov. Doug Ducey.

That agency is responsible for everything from verifying the accuracy of scales and grocery store scanners to whether Arizonans who purchase gasoline are getting a full gallon.

Ducey had proposed splitting up its duties among three separate agencies. But that drew concerns from businesses that questioned both the need for the split as well as the effect it will have.

The final version of HB 2480 would simply transfer virtually all of the responsibilities to the existing Agriculture Department. The main exception will be regulation of taxis and ridesharing companies, which would go to the Department of Transportation.