by Matthew Holloway | Dec 15, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Senate Appropriations and Transportation Committee Chairman David Farnsworth (R-LD10) is calling attention to a rise in runaway and missing youth cases involving group homes and residential treatment campuses. He announced efforts to develop a pilot program aimed at improving prevention and response.
In a statement released last week, Farnsworth said he is working with local officials and law enforcement in the Town of Queen Creek to explore funding for two full-time, specialized police officers dedicated to addressing missing-from-care incidents. The proposed positions would focus on prevention efforts, rapid response when a youth is reported missing, and thorough investigations.
Farnsworth said he is engaging with group-home operators, municipal leaders, and law enforcement to develop a three-pillar framework centered on prevention, response, and investigation. While the plan is still in development, Farnsworth said the long-term objective is to craft legislation that could establish a statewide model for addressing runaway and missing youth cases.
“We must recognize the growing issue of missing and runaway youth in these settings; it is a pressing concern that requires our attention,” Farnsworth said.
“By collaborating with local leaders and public safety experts, we can develop thoughtful and effective solutions. This proactive approach is the first step toward enhancing child safety and ensuring a brighter future for our community. My goal is to create legislation that not only addresses these challenges in Queen Creek but also serves as a positive example for communities throughout Arizona, making the protection of our vulnerable population a top priority.”
Queen Creek has been identified as a focal point for the initiative due to a significant increase in missing youth incidents tied to residential treatment campuses and group-home settings located in the area. Those facilities serve some of Arizona’s most vulnerable children, prompting renewed concern among lawmakers and local leaders.
According to the Queen Creek Police Department’s Missing Persons page on Facebook, three missing persons posts have been created since September 1st, with two of them listed as found, and one, 14-year-old Abrianna Madrid, still listed as missing since November 13th.
Queen Creek Vice Mayor Leah Martineau expressed support for the effort, citing the risks faced by youth who leave group-care and residential treatment settings without authorization.
“Youth who leave residential treatment and group-care settings without authorization face very real dangers, and Queen Creek is committed to addressing that reality head-on,” Martineau said. “Our role as a community is to strengthen safeguards, respond quickly when a child is missing, and ensure each situation receives the focused attention it deserves.”
Martineau said the proposed pilot program positions Queen Creek to serve as a test case for solutions that could be adopted by other Arizona communities, if successful.
Details of the pilot program, including funding mechanisms and legislative language, have not yet been finalized. Farnsworth said additional discussions with stakeholders will continue as the proposal takes shape.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Dec 14, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09) is renewing his push to dismantle the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, doubling down on efforts he began earlier in the year by urging Congress to terminate the program outright rather than merely condemning employers who use it.
In a Dec. 11 op-ed published by the Daily Signal, Gosar argued that OPT has evolved into an unauthorized guest-worker system that disadvantages American graduates while rewarding corporations that favor foreign labor over U.S. workers.
In his op-ed, Gosar wrote that OPT was created “by bureaucratic fiat in 1992,” later “radically expanded” by the Obama administration, which he argued did so without congressional authorization. He argued that the program has since grown into what he described as a de facto guest-worker system. The congressman described OPT as “a massive, unauthorized foreign guest-worker pipeline to operate outside the law, undercut American students, and expose our nation to significant economic and national-security risks.”
The renewed call follows Gosar’s September criticism of major corporations and institutions for exploiting OPT to hire foreign workers at lower cost. In that earlier statement, Gosar accused businesses of favoring foreign workers over Americans by using the program to avoid payroll taxes and to undercut wages, a charge he now says requires legislative correction rather than corporate shame alone.
At the time he wrote in a post to X, “OPT incentivizes greedy businesses to fire Americans & replace them with inexpensive foreign labor by avoiding having to pay FICA and Medicare payroll taxes and other employee benefits. My bill, HR 2315, would terminate the OPT Program.”
OPT allows foreign students on F-1 visas to work in the United States for up to 12 months after graduation, with an additional 24-month extension available for STEM graduates. Unlike H-1B visas, OPT is not capped by Congress, and many F-1 OPT participants are generally exempt from FICA (Social Security and Medicare) taxes for a period under federal tax residency rules, creating a cost advantage for employers in many cases.
Gosar argues the structure incentivizes companies to bypass American workers while skirting congressional limits on employment-based visas. In his op-ed, he described OPT as a “shadow substitute for the H-1B visa program” that has expanded through executive action over multiple administrations.
He wrote, in part, “Why would we invite foreign students from strategic competitors to work inside America’s most sensitive research, technology, and defense sectors—often without meaningful oversight? Why would we maintain an unregulated guest-worker pipeline that Congress never approved? And why would we subsidize it with taxpayer dollars? The answer is simple: We shouldn’t.”
Gosar explained that the program incentivizes corporations to favor foreign workers by exempting OPT participants from payroll taxes, a structure he argues disadvantages American graduates entering the workforce.
To address the issue, he is calling on Congress to pass his March 2025 legislation, the Fairness for High-Skilled Americans Act (HR2315), which would permanently end the OPT program and prohibit future executive-branch work-authorization programs without explicit congressional approval.
The congressman framed the issue as both an economic and constitutional concern, arguing that immigration and labor policy should be set by lawmakers rather than federal agencies. He also cited national-security risks tied to insufficient oversight of foreign nationals working in sensitive industries under OPT.
In a post to X on Dec. 12, Texas Congressman Chip Roy’s office announced his support for Gosar’s efforts, writing, “Rep. Roy is proud to join @RepGosar in ending the fraud-ridden Optional Practical Training (OPT) program that displaces American tech workers and undermines our national security. Let’s get it done.”
Supporters of OPT, including universities and business groups, argue that the program helps fill workforce shortages and makes U.S. schools more competitive in attracting international students. Critics counter that the program’s scale, which has grown to hundreds of thousands of participants annually, distorts labor markets and suppresses wages for entry-level American workers. Department of Homeland Security Data shows that 194,554 OPT students had employment authorization documentation and employer information filed in 2024.
Gosar’s latest push signals a renewed legislative challenge, placing OPT squarely in the ongoing national debate over immigration, workforce policy, and executive authority.
Whether Congress will act on the proposal remains uncertain. Still, Gosar’s redoubled effort suggests the issue is unlikely to fade as lawmakers consider broader immigration and labor reforms in the coming year.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Dec 12, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Rep. Eli Crane is highlighting a significant win for rural communities after the U.S. House overwhelmingly passed the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025 on Dec. 9. The bill restores lapsed payments and guarantees new funding through 2026 for counties across Crane’s largely rural Second Congressional District; many of which rely heavily on federal forest-land payments to support schools, roads, and public safety services.
The House approved the legislation by a bipartisan vote of 399–5, marking the first standalone reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program in recent years. The bill, passed by the Senate in June, now heads to President Trump’s desk for signature. It would restore missed 2024 payments while authorizing full funding for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, following a lapse that forced many rural counties nationwide to absorb steep budget shortfalls.
Created by Congress in 2000, the SRS program was designed to stabilize funding for counties with large shares of federally managed forest land as traditional timber receipts declined. Under the Act of May 23, 1908, 25 percent of national forest revenues were directed to states for public schools and roads in affected counties. As logging revenues fell over time, Congress established SRS to ensure more predictable funding for education and infrastructure in rural communities.
The U.S. Forest Service manages approximately 196 million acres of national forest land nationwide. SRS payments are distributed under three funding categories: Title I for county roads and schools, Title II for collaborative projects on federal lands, and Title III for additional county projects. Participating counties may elect between SRS payments or traditional 1908 Act payments and determine how funds are allocated among the three titles.
Crane, a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, supported the reauthorization, which directly benefits rural counties across Arizona’s Second Congressional District, including Apache, Coconino, Gila, Navajo, and Yavapai counties, along with portions of Graham, Mohave, Maricopa, and Pinal counties.
“I’m proud to join my colleagues in reauthorizing the Secure Rural Schools program to provide vital support for schools in rural Arizona,” Crane said in a statement. “This extension secures much-needed stability and funding. This is a positive outcome, and I will always fight for those I represent.”
Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), who introduced the legislation and serves as chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, led the effort in the House alongside Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise. LaMalfa emphasized that SRS payments are often the difference between maintaining basic services and making deep cuts in rural communities.
“For rural counties, Secure Rural Schools funding is essential,” LaMalfa said. “These payments help keep schools open, keep roads maintained, and help ensure sheriff, fire, and emergency services remain in place when federal timber revenues fall short. When the program lapsed, rural schools and counties were cut short of the funding they rely on to provide basic services. This bill restores that funding and keeps future payments on schedule.”
The reauthorization follows a 2023 lapse that forced many counties to revert to traditional 1908 Act revenue-sharing, resulting in funding reductions of up to 80 percent in some areas. Counties reported teacher layoffs, school program cuts, and deferred road maintenance as a result. The restored 2024 payments under the amended 1908 Act were distributed in April 2025 with a 5.7 percent sequestration reduction.
Since its creation, the program has delivered roughly $7 billion to more than 700 counties and 4,400 school districts nationwide. With the House vote now complete, rural Arizona counties are preparing to factor restored SRS funding into upcoming budget planning as they await final action from the White House.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Dec 11, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The Arizona Republican Party is calling a recent court ruling a major victory for election integrity, but how much the decision will actually change voter roll maintenance remains an open question.
In a statement released this week, Arizona GOP Chair Gina Swoboda announced that the Arizona Court of Appeals, in Petersen, et al. v. Fontes, upheld an Arizona law that requires counties to begin the cancellation process when a voter swears on a jury questionnaire that they no longer live in the county. Swoboda described the ruling as a necessary correction that will help ensure clean voter rolls ahead of future elections.
“This ruling is a major victory for our state and for every Arizona voter,” Swoboda said in the update, framing the ruling as part of a broader effort to restore public confidence in the state’s elections.
“Cleaner rolls protect voters. That’s the bottom line. No more dodging the law, no more loopholes, and no more games with Arizona’s voter rolls. Republicans in Arizona are fighting to ensure our elections are secure and stopping extreme leftist policies that would have thrown our elections into chaos. This is a huge step forward, but our work continues. We’ll keep working to restore trust, enforce the law, and deliver an election system every Arizonan can count on.”
In the AZGOP statement, the party referred to the ruling as “a significant defeat for Secretary of State Adrian Fontes,” noting that the state’s second-highest-ranking Democrat was “forced to abandon his extreme rule that would have allowed counties to toss out every vote cast if a canvass was submitted late,” describing the policy as “reckless,” and saying it “jeopardized lawful ballots and undermined public confidence.”
Republicans are celebrating the decision as a significant victory for structural reform; however, the ruling itself paints a more nuanced legal picture.
On the jury-questionnaire issue, the court held that federal law does not preempt Arizona’s statute, A.R.S. § 16-165(A)(9)(b), which directs county recorders to cancel a voter’s registration if the voter fails to respond to a mailed notice after telling a jury commissioner they no longer reside in the county. The opinion explains that the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) allows removal when a voter “confirms in writing” that they have changed residence and does not require that confirmation go directly to the county recorder. Instead, the court found that a signed juror questionnaire can qualify as that written confirmation:
“Because the Seventh Circuit precedent does not conflict with A.R.S. § 16-165.A.9, the NVRA does not preempt that Arizona statute. … Here, the county recorder sends the notice only when a person signs (under penalty of perjury) a written juror questionnaire saying the person no longer resides in the county. A.R.S. § 16-165.A.9(b). That notice satisfies the NVRA.”
Under the statute, the juror form does not lead to automatic cancellation. Instead, it triggers a process: the recorder must send a notice by forwardable mail warning that, if the voter does not respond within 35 days, “the county recorder shall cancel the person’s registration.” The 2023 Elections Procedures Manual had directed counties to move such voters to an inactive list instead of canceling their registrations, but the court concluded that approach conflicted with the statute and therefore exceeded the Secretary of State’s authority.
Swoboda and other GOP leaders also highlighted language in the 2023 manual that would have instructed the Secretary of State to proceed with a statewide canvass without counting any county whose official canvass arrived late. The appeals court, however, declined to rule on that provision, finding the challenge moot because Fontes had already replaced it in the draft of the 2025 manual with language committing to use “all available legal remedies” to compel a county board of supervisors to complete its canvass and “protect voters’ right to have their votes counted.”
While the ruling clearly reinforces that the Secretary of State’s election manual authority is bounded by statute, the judges also sided with Fontes on a key question involving the active early voting list. Upholding the superior court, the panel agreed that a separate statute governing removal notices for the active early voting list, A.R.S. § 16-544(H)(4), is not retroactive and applies starting with the 2024 election cycle:
“The 2023 Manual thus has the removal notice statute process start with the 2024 election cycle. The 2024 election cycle started on January 1, 2023. The superior court agreed with the Secretary. We thus affirm.”
Arizona counties regularly maintain their voter rolls using multiple data sources, including death records, address changes, and federal databases. Several prominent Republicans have argued that those procedures remain insufficient. The jury-form issue addressed in this case represents a narrow slice of that broader process. The practical number of registrations affected by the ruling is not yet known.
Arizona GOP leaders, including Swoboda, Arizona House Speaker Steve Montenegro, Senate President Warren Petersen, and former Speaker Ben Toma, have pursued multiple legal challenges over election procedures and voter-roll maintenance in recent years. Some of those efforts have succeeded in forcing procedural changes, while others have been dismissed on standing or jurisdictional grounds.
That track record makes this latest ruling politically significant even if its technical impact proves limited. For election integrity activists, it represents steady, gradual progress toward tightening controls. Critics, meanwhile, characterize them as partisan attempts to re-litigate election processes long after votes have been cast.
Swoboda’s update also criticized past election-related deadlines and procedures that Republicans argue undermined public trust, particularly citing disputes over ballot processing timelines and late canvassing.
Supporters of the ruling argue it restores a basic principle: if a voter swears they’ve left a county, that sworn statement can be used, under existing law, to start the notice-and-cancellation process so the registration does not remain active indefinitely, akin to voters trying to leave “the Hotel California,” as Swoboda quipped in a video posted to X. Opponents counter that aggressive roll maintenance must be handled carefully to avoid mistakenly removing eligible voters.
For now, the ruling directs how counties must treat sworn jury-form declarations moving forward, reaffirming the statutory process: notice, a waiting period, and eventual cancellation if there is no response. Whether that translates into large-scale voter-roll changes or simply a modest administrative correction will depend on how often such declarations occur and how county recorders opt to implement the ruling.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Dec 10, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs is pressing House Republican leadership to move quickly on a sweeping market-based overhaul of federal health-care policy, as enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies approach their scheduled expiration at the end of 2025.
In a letter co-signed by House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) and Reps. Eric Burlison (R-MO), Clay Higgins (R-LA), and Eli Crane (R-AZ-02), Biggs wrote, “Republicans have solutions, and it’s time to implement them.”
The proposal outlined by Biggs is designed as a free-market alternative to Obamacare and reflects key elements of President Donald Trump’s healthcare agenda. Supporters argue the framework would shift federal policy away from government subsidies and toward consumer-driven healthcare.
“The time for half measures is over,” Biggs wrote to Speaker Johnson. “The American people deserve healthcare reform built on freedom, affordability, flexibility, and choice—not more subsidies, red tape, or handouts for insurance companies.”
Under the proposal, conservatives would allow the expanded ACA premium tax credits to expire, arguing the subsidies have inflated healthcare costs, expanded federal dependency, and funneled taxpayer dollars through insurance companies rather than directly to patients. As Breitbart News noted, the framework draws on nine Republican proposals, including those of Reps. Greg Steube (R-FL), Tim Walberg (R-MI), Kevin Hern (R-OK), Bob Onder (R-MO), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Gary Palmer (R-AL), and Chip Roy (R-TX), as well as Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), and Rep. Andy Biggs’s own Health Savings Accounts for All Act.
The framework emphasizes expanded Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), allowing individuals to use tax-advantaged dollars for insurance premiums, prescriptions, and other medical expenses. It also promotes interstate insurance competition and expanded access through Association Health Plans; reforms aimed at lowering costs through market competition.
Biggs and his fellow conservatives argue that Obamacare’s structure relies too heavily on mandates, subsidies, and centralized control, which they say have driven up premiums while limiting consumer choice, particularly for self-employed individuals and those in the gig economy.
The plan also includes provisions to codify restrictions on taxpayer funding for abortion and reinforce conscience protections for healthcare providers, aligning with longstanding conservative policy priorities.
For Arizona, the debate carries direct implications for large numbers of independent contractors, small-business owners, and self-employed workers who often face high ACA marketplace premiums and limited plan options. Expanded HSAs and portable insurance plans could offer greater flexibility for those groups.
“This is a clear blueprint,” Biggs added in his letter to Speaker Johnson, “Americans should be able to take cost-sharing reduction payments and underlying Obamacare subsidies straight into their pockets, giving them control instead of funneling money through insurers.”
At the same time, thousands of Arizonans currently rely on ACA subsidies to offset insurance costs. If Congress allows those enhanced credits to expire without a complete replacement, some households could see premiums rise sharply in the short term.
The framework is not a single bill, but a coordinated package of existing legislative proposals intended to serve as the backbone of a broader GOP healthcare overhaul. With subsidies set to sunset in 2025, and 2026 midterm elections looming, Republican lawmakers face growing pressure to either replace the current system or risk widespread premium increases ahead of the 2026 election cycle.
Fellow Arizona Congressman Eli Crane, who co-signed the letter, amplified the effort on X, writing, “Let’s get it done.”
Biggs concluded his call-to-action writing, “The House must act with clarity and conviction. These reforms should be brought to the floor without delay. If we plant our flag now, we can rebuild a healthcare system that reflects true conservative principles and puts power back where it belongs, in the hands of patients, not bureaucrats or insurance companies.”
Biggs’ push effectively forces the debate into the open. It will compel Congressional Republicans to publicly choose between pursuing a complete market-based reset of federal healthcare policy or seeking a more limited adjustment to the existing ACA structure.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
