Kelly Townsend

Kelly Townsend (born September 27, 1968)[2] is an American politician who since 2013 has served as a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives representing District 16. From 2017 to 2018 Townsend was elected to serve as The Majority Whip of Arizona House of Representatives.

Kelly Townsend
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives
from the 16th[1] district
In office
January 14, 2013 – January 11, 2021
Serving with John Fillmore
Preceded byredistricted
Succeeded byJacqueline Parker
Personal details
Born (1968-09-27) September 27, 1968
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Widowed
ResidenceMesa, Arizona
Alma materSouthern Oregon University(BS)
Arizona State University(BS,MA)
ProfessionCorporate Management
Birth Doula & Doula Trainer
WebsiteCampaign website

Education

Townsend earned her BS degree in Human Communications and her master's degree in Infant-Family Practice from Arizona State University. She also received a BS degree in Psychology/Small Business from Southern Oregon University.

Chairmanships and Leadership positions

Vice Chair of the Child and Family Services committee 2013-2014

Co-Chair of the House Veteran's Caucus- 2014 - 2015

Chair of the Federalism committee 2015-2016

House Majority Whip 2017-2018

President of the Balanced Budget Amendment Planning Convention in Phoenix, Arizona. September 12-15, 2017

Chair of the Elections committee 2019-2020

Bills Passed Into Law

2013

  • HB2476 - Regulation of "Scream Rooms" at public schools: Her first bill signed into law was to require schools to obtain permission from parents before they could place a child in a closet-sized isolation room for disciplinary purposes.[3]

2014

  • HB2103 - Allowing active military ages 19–20 to conceal carry: HB2103 allows an individual of at least 19 years of age to obtain a concealed weapon permit if the person is currently in military service or has been honorably discharged.[4]
  • HB2514 - Exempted special combat related compensation from being considered for alimony: HB2514 prohibits the courts from considering combat related special compensation in determining the separation of property and spousal maintenance in a divorce proceeding.[5]
  • HB2368 - Allowing law enforcement to have access to DCS files for investigation. HB2638 requires the Arizona Department Economic Security (ADES) or a person who receives Child Protective Services (CPS) information to provide that information to the fitting agency in order to help investigate and prosecute any violation involving domestic violence or violent sexual assault.
  • HB2639 - Increased penalty for employers who knowingly employ someone using a fake ID, as well as increased the penalty for those who cause economic damages for ID theft of $1000, down from $3000.[6]

2015

  • HB2047 - A child may not be removed from the custody of the parent without the approval of the DCS Supervisor, except in cases of exigency.[7]
  • HB2571 - Allowing fellow legislators to discuss the confidential details of a DCS case, if the other legislator signs the confidentiality agreement.[8]

2016

  • HB2059 - Gives the Governor access to DCS files for review and investigation.[9]
  • HB2061 - Mandates the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) to adopt rules requiring all non-profit medical marijuana dispensaries to display signs warning women about the dangers of smoking or ingesting marijuana during pregnancy or to infants while breastfeeding.[10]
  • HB2339 - Stipulates the governing board (board) of an educational institution is prohibited from creating or enforcing any regulations regarding the lawful possession of a deadly weapon on a public right-of-way.[11]
  • HB2340 - Protection of the Salt River Wild Horse Herd.[12]
  • HB2341 - Expands the food and drink rule exemption to include potlucks not conducted at a workplace.
  • HB2427 - Requires that there be a Statewide uniform criteria to remove a child from the home.[13]

2017 (In House Leadership, minimum bills ran)

  • HB2423 - Requires DCS to place in a conspicuous place on their website a link to parental rights.[14]
  • HCR2010 - Application to Congress for a call for an Article V convention to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
  • SB1003 - (Townsend Amendment) Requires a warrant to remove a child from parental custody except when exigency exists, prohibits the use of covert stress analysis machines without the consent of the person being interviewed, allows parents to record DCS interviews, etc.[15]

2018 (In House Leadership, minimum bills ran)

  • HB2422 - Allows a personal delivery device (delivery robot) to operate on Arizona sidewalks and sets safety regulations. Sunset clause included, and legislation will expire Aug 31, 2020 unless renewed by the Legislature.

Elections
  • In 2010, Townsend initially sought a Legislative seat in District 22 six-way August 24, 2010 Republican Primary, placing fourth with 5,446 votes;[16] other front runners included Eddie Farnsworth and Steve Urie who went on to win the district's seats in the November 2, 2010 General election.
  • In 2012, she was Redistricted to District 16, and along with other politicians, Townsend was one of four candidates for the August 28, 2012 Republican Primary, placing first with 9,298 votes,[17] she also won the second seat in the five-way November 6, 2012 General election with 40,720 votes against Democratic nominee Matthew Cerra, Arizona Green Party candidate Bill Maher, and Democratic write-in candidate Cara Prior.[18]
  • In 2014, she won the primary election with 38.55% of the vote, nearly 11 points ahead of her seatmate, Douglas Coleman, who came in with 27.74% of the primary vote. In the general election, she won 39.18%, placing her in first place, and earning her a second term in the House of Representatives.[19][20]
  • In 2016, she came in first place in the primary with 34.62% of the vote, and in the general election, she came in first place with 33.45% of the vote.[21][22]

Controversy

In 2018, she stirred some controversy during a highly publicized teacher protest for more education funding by responding to a constituent that the money in the budget that was set for other items to include a suicide hotline, training for police officers, money for Alzheimer's research, etc. would no longer be available. She also offered to help any teacher, parent, or student harmed by the illegal strike to find legal representation in a class action lawsuit and suggested that it was up to the lawyers to determine who the defendants would be.[23] Representative Townsend was an ardent opponent to the political and ideological nature of the movement, yet maintained that she did support the teachers throughout the movement, despite the heckling online and at the Capitol, where her car was allegedly keyed while the RedForEd group mingled among the Legislative parking lot en masse.[24]

In 2019, she declared that mandatory vaccination was "Communist".[25] This was done quoting Benjamin Franklin in a personal Facebook post or announcement, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."[26] The American Conservative Union gave her a lifetime score of 89% in 2017.

References
  1. "Kelly Townsend". Phoenix, Arizona: Arizona State Legislature. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  2. "Kelly Townsend's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  3. "Brewer signs bill regulating school 'scream rooms'".
  4. "Description of chaptered bill".
  5. "HB 2514 Bill explanation".
  6. "Chaptered version of HB2639".
  7. "Chaptered version of HB2047".
  8. "Chaptered version of HB2571".
  9. "Chaptered Version of HB2059".
  10. "Chaptered version of HB2061 Summary".
  11. "Chaptered Version of HB2339".
  12. "Chaptered Version of HB2340".
  13. "Chaptered version of HB2427".
  14. "Chaptered Version of HB2423".
  15. "Townsend Amendment to SB1003".
  16. "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2010 Primary Election August 24, 2010" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 13. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  17. "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2012 Primary Election August 28, 2012" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  18. "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2012 General Election November 6, 2012" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  19. "Maricopa County Final Report" (PDF).
  20. "General Election Final Report" (PDF).
  21. "Primary election results" (PDF).
  22. "General Election Results" (PDF).
  23. "Arizona lawmaker suggests lawsuit over teacher walkout, lashes out at constituent". azcentral. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
  24. "Arizona lawmaker suggests lawsuit over teacher walkout, lashes out at constituent". azcentral. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
  25. Arizona Lawmaker Kelly Townsend Compares Vaccines to Communism, by Elizabeth Whitman, in the Phoenix New Times; published February 28, 2019; retrieved March 1, 2019
  26. , by Kelly Townsend, on Facebook; published February 28, 2019 at 4:11am; retrieved March 1, 2019
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