I hope that you and your family are staying well. I wanted to give you an update on my work this past week in Washington, D.C., and share updated guidance on vaccine distribution in Arizona. 

I also want to remind you of the resources our office has for Arizonans to utilize when filing their taxes. You can find information about claiming your missing Economic Impact Payment, IRS free file resources, and more by visiting our website here. 

Protecting Our Elections

Last Wednesday, the House voted on H.R. 1, legislation that would change the future of our American election systems by allowing taxpayer dollars to fund political campaigns, and limit state's authority to conduct elections. I wanted to make you aware of these changes that would be implemented by this legislation if it became law, and a few of the reasons for why I voted against it. 

Congress must work together to create bipartisan legislation in the interest of all Americans, not just elected officials, to further strengthen confidence in our election system, and ensure we are protecting our rights to secure, free, and fair elections. I will continue working to protect our democracy, and state's rights to conduct elections. 

Vaccine Updates

The Arizona Department of Health Services has moved to an age-based eligibility system, to put Arizonans who are most at-risk at the top of vaccine priority. Current guidance permits individuals 55+ to receive their COVID-19 vaccine at the State's two vaccination sites. 

If you are still looking for an appointment, the Department is encouraging those interested to call the COVID-19 center as individuals have cancelled appointments. These cancelled appointments will roll over to the call center for availability. To call and check for any appointment availability, the COVID-19 Hotline phone number is 1-844-542-8201.

We will continue to provide resources through email, and updates on my social media channels for vaccine availability. To check if you are eligible for a vaccine appointment click here. You can also visit the AZDHS website to monitor future appointment availability.

Encouraging Schools to Re-Open

This week, I joined my colleagues in a letter urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to withdraw its recently-issued school reopening guidance, which places 89 percent of schoolchildren in the most restrictive “red zone” category, and to issue a solution that will allow more children to safely return to the classroom as soon as possible. It has been almost a year since school closures began, and now we must continue working to help students return to in-person learning as many of our communities re-open. To read the letter sent to the CDC, click here. 

I also wanted to share a short video I filmed discussing the economic impact virtual learning is having on our nation's youth.  To watch the video, click the photo above. 

Congressional Art Competition!

The 2021 Congressional Art Competition is officially open for students in Arizona's 6th District. Each year, my office looks forward to working with our local high school art teachers and students submitting artwork during this annual competition. For any students interested in participating, you can find the rules and regulations on submitting artwork through the handbook here. The deadline to submit is April 26th, 2021.

Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter. If my office can be of any additional assistance, please feel free to reach out to us.

Sincerely,

David Schweikert