Arizona legislature buildings to close on Dec. 7 for one week due to rise of COVID-19

PHOENIX - PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Legislature is closing for a week because of COVID-19 exposures shortly after Rudy Giuliani met with several Republican lawmakers in his quest to overturn President Donald Trump’s election loss.

The Legislature is not in session but two informational hearings had been scheduled.

“Out of an abundance of caution for recent cases and concerns relating to COVID-19, the House building will be closed for one week,” Michael Hunter, chief of staff for the House’s GOP majority, wrote in an email. No one is allowed to work or meet in the building, he said, adding lawmakers and staff should hold their meetings remotely.

Giuliani’s meetings were among the potential coronavirus exposures that prompted the closure, said Andrew Wilder, a spokesman for House Republicans.

The Senate took similar action, said Mike Philipsen, a spokesman for the majority Republicans.

The Senate Finance Committee canceled a meeting to go over the financial impacts of two ballot measures voters approved this year, one to legalize and tax recreational marijuana and the other to raise taxes on people with high incomes to boos education funding.

Also canceled was a joint meeting of House and Senate committees to review the Office of Sonora, an arm of the governor’s office that facilitates Arizona’s relationship with its neighboring state in Mexico.

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