by Staff Reporter | Dec 7, 2024 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
Arizona grew the number of Education Savings Plan (or “AZ529”) accounts to nearly 47,600 over the last four years.
Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee reported that assets of those accounts increased nearly 50 percent to $2.4 billion within the last four years.
AZ529 accounts allow parents, grandparents, or future students to take a tax-advantaged approach to saving for their educational expenses. Those opening the accounts also don’t need to be related to the beneficiary, and they may accept gifts to these accounts from others.
The opening cost for an AZ529 account starts with investments as low as $15 monthly and no application fee, with plan providers going up to $25 and $150.
AZ529 savings may be used at most accredited public or private universities, colleges, community colleges, technical and vocational schools nationwide, or apprenticeship programs, and even certain foreign institutions.
Qualified educational expenses include tuition and fees; books, supplies, and equipment; public, private, or religious K-12 school tuition for up to $10,000 per year; and up to $10,000 in student loan repayments.
Under these accounts, distributions are exempt from Arizona income tax and federal income tax. AZ529 received Morningstar’s 2023 Silver Rating.
Not only are the distributions tax-exempt, but contributions are tax deductible. Arizona allows AZ529 contributors to receive deductions of up to $4,000 per beneficiary for married tax filers who file a joint return and $2,000 per beneficiary for individual tax filers.
AZ529 plans must be funded by December 31 of this year to be eligible for deductions on 2024 taxes.
Arizona offers two financial institutions for AZ529 plans: Fidelity Investments and Goldman Sachs 529 Plan. The former allows for personal account opening, while the latter allows for personal or financial advisors to open accounts. Both have contribution limits of $590,000.
AZ529 also offers an annual essay writing contest, with hundreds of dollars in rewards offered. This past year, 20 students won over $500 toward their AZ529 accounts out of the over 600 who participated.
This year, the state began allowing certain “leftover” AZ529 funds to be transferred to a Roth IRA free of any tax, penalty, or applicable income limits for the first time. Qualifying AZ529 accounts have been maintained for a minimum of 15 years under the same owner and same designated beneficiary, and the amount transferred must also have been contributed at least five years prior to the transfer and the aggregate lifetime limit for rolling over is $35,000.
Or, account owners have the option to change the name of the beneficiary to another. In the event that the beneficiary receives a scholarship, becomes disabled, or dies, the account owner may withdraw the assets in the account without incurring the 10 percent federal tax penalty normally issued for non-qualified withdrawals.
Congress created 529 plans in 1996, officially known as “qualified tuition programs.” AZ529 plans are the state of Arizona’s version of these programs.
Federal financial aid programs may take up to about six percent of the AZ529 account balance into consideration as a parental asset when determining eligibility for need-based aid.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 6, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
One Arizona Democrat appears to be leading the charge against the incoming Republican presidential administration’s plans to secure the nation’s southern border and protect Americans.
Late last month, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero released a statement in opposition to President-elect Donald J. Trump’s border security and enforcement proposals once he takes the oath of office on January 20, 2025. She wrote, “I want to reassure every single resident that I am committed to do all we can to keep our community safe. I am deeply troubled by President-Elect Trump’s plans for mass deportation. I believe they are cruel and immoral. I will work with our police chief to make sure that our focus remains on protecting and serving Tucsonans. Here in Tucson, we know how to stand up and fight against hate and racist laws. Part of our history is coming together with our faith leaders and families from separation. I am unwavering in my commitment to this fight.”
Romero added, “While we do not have specific details about how mass deportations will be carried out by President-Elect Trump’s administration, we do know that it will be painful to children, families and our immigrant community. We do not have the exact details as to when and if Proposition 314 goes into effect, we know that this hate-filled proposition draws from SC 1070 – the show me your papers law. We are a compassionate city that knows we are stronger together and that values our multi-racial heritage. Justice will prevail.”
The Democrat mayor’s fiery comments earned a response from Trump’s incoming Border Czar, Tom Homan. On the Fox News Channel with host Laura Ingraham, Homan said, “We got children dying on the border every day. We got women being sexually assaulted by the cartels every day. Someone is going to die on the border tonight. Women are being raped on the border tonight. So what’s cruel about securing that border and saving lives, first of all? But I’ll give her the same warning I’ve given the rest of the sanctuary city mayors and the governors: you can not help us. That’s fine. You should get the hell out of the way, then, ’cause we’re going to do the job.”
Homan also stated, “And we got one hell of an attorney general coming in, Pam Bondi. I think she’ll read that statute the same way I do it. I’m not a lawyer, but I can read, and we’re going to have consequences of people violating the law and try to prevent us from doing our job.”
Romero appeared to be the loudest Arizona Democrat who stood against the announced policies and plans of the Trump administration, but she wasn’t the only one in opposition. Last month, Governor Katie Hobbs released an ambiguous post on her official X account, indirectly taking aim at the Trump administration’s forthcoming actions. She said, “Securing our border is not a red issue or a blue issue. It’s an Arizona issue and an American issue. I’ll work with anyone to secure our border while standing up to misguided policies that attack Arizonans.”
Thus far in her administration, Hobbs has resisted most attempts by Republicans to maximize Arizona’s resources and laws to better protect communities against the harms from illegal immigration. That resistance led to state legislative Republicans sending a border security ballot measure to voters this past November – Proposition 314, which gave local law enforcement more tools to combat illegal immigration across the state. Arizona Republicans are expected to continue to search for ways to assist the Trump Administration to stop the flow of illegal immigration into and through their state over the next two years.
This week, the Trump Administration may have received a legal boost to its future efforts to remove illegal aliens from the country. On Tuesday, a panel with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court’s judgment for the federal government in USA v. King County, which held that a local jurisdiction’s Executive Order, which prohibited fixed base operators (FBOs) from servicing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) charter flights, violated the law. That decision will likely be key in the new year, if and when local officials, like Romero, may attempt to obstruct the federal government’s actions when it comes to deportations and enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 6, 2024 | Education, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
The first piece of legislation in the Arizona House of Representatives for the upcoming 57th Regular Session was introduced by a soon-to-be second-term Republican lawmaker.
Last week, state Representative Matthew Gress announced that he had introduced his chamber’s first bill, stating that “this constituent-inspired legislation will help address the regulatory lag that is disrupting access to mental healthcare professionals.”
An Arizona resident responded to the news, saying, “I absolutely love this. I never knew what an issue mental health could be until I saw some of my friends in the Army struggling with it after encountering horrible things. We lose more vets to mental health issues than combat. Access to care is an issue that must be addressed.”
Not everyone on the X platform was on board with the proposal, however. One account asked, “What is the problem to solve here? This bill problematically gives an out of state counselor who has committed an act that would be cause for discipline, or has had their license revoked, or is under investigation for misconduct – a free pass to work in AZ. Health professions are regulated precisely to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public – no one’s guaranteed a license unconditionally.”
Gress fired back at the detractor of his bill, saying, “Right now, if you go to school to become a social worker, counselor, marriage and family therapist, or addiction counselor, you are required to build clinical hours by having patients. In order to do this, the student must undergo a background check. Here’s the problem: Under the status quo, once someone graduates, that individual must stop working and patients are shown the door. Many patients don’t or can’t find an alternative despite developing a trusting relationship with the therapist who just graduated.”
The Republican lawmaker added, “This is an outdated and unexplainable piece of red tape that inhibits people who’ve gotten their degrees and their experience to start working sooner. HB 2001 is a simple reform. If you’ve completed the hours and work, they count. We need good people and more people going into this field, especially with rising suicide rates and the worst mental health crisis we’ve ever seen.”
Legislators will be officially back in action in just over a month as Arizona returns to its status of a divided government for at least another two years.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 6, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s Senate President recently highlighted the exorbitant cost of illegal immigration to his state.
Last week, state Senator Warren Petersen shared a recent study on what the city of Denver, Colorado was spending on illegal immigration. He contrasted Denver’s “sanctuary city” approach to that just experienced by the State of Arizona, where voters passed a border security ballot measure, Proposition 314.
Petersen said, “And the media in AZ was pushing a false narrative that it would cost us money to enforce immigration laws. When in fact we save money. The cost of illegal immigration to AZ is 2 Billion. Cost of enforcement is significantly less. The voters didn’t buy the false media narrative. They passed our border security act by nearly 2 to 1.”
The study promoted by the Arizona legislator was from the Common Sense Institute, which showed that Denver had expended $356 million of taxpayer dollars on illegal immigrants – almost $8,000 per foreign national purportedly in the municipality, which amounts to eight percent of its 2025 budget.
According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), illegal immigration cost Arizona taxpayers around $3.19 billion in 2023 – an annual burden of $1,189 for each state household (or each illegal alien costing the state $5,230). As in Denver, a large share of that financial total was for educational expenses ($1.36 billion). More than half a billion dollars was shelled out for police, legal, and corrections in the Grand Canyon State.
In 2023, it was estimated that 453,000 illegal immigrants lived in Arizona, with their households sending 109,602 students to local schools.
Last month, Arizona voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 314, which was referred to the ballot by Republican legislators earlier this year – with almost 63% of voters supporting the measure. Prop 314, which mostly is in effect now, gives local law enforcement and communities more resources to combat illegal immigration in their state and to protect innocent men, women, and children from the dangers that the open border has increasingly presented over the past four years of the Biden-Harris administration.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 5, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A southern Arizona elections official is facing a potential investigation over her jurisdiction’s execution of the recent November General Election.
On Monday, state Representatives Teresa Martinez and Rachel Jones sent a request to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, asking her office to conduct an investigation “into the Pima County Recorder Gabriella Cazares-Kelly’s handling of the 2024 General Election.”
The Republican lawmakers raised a number of issues stemming from the election in Pima County, including “shutting down of early ballot request portal, inmate voter registration program, [and] handling of undeliverable and returned ballots.”
“Election integrity is the foundation of our democracy, and voters deserve to know their elections are being administered fairly, lawfully, and transparently,” said Representative Martinez. “The numerous irregularities and lack of accountability from the Pima County Recorder’s Office demand a full investigation.”
“When nearly 4,000 voters face barriers to requesting a ballot, and when questions about unlawful voting and ballot processing are met with silence, it’s clear that immediate action is needed to restore public trust,” added Representative Jones.
In their letter to Mayes, the two legislators wrote, “Arizonans deserve free, fair, and transparent elections. In light of your recent decision to immediately investigate President-Elect Donald Trump over his speech (although you later determined his remarks were protected by the First Amendment), we hope you will agree that Recorder Cázares-Kelly’s alarming conduct administering the 2024 General Election warrants a thorough investigation.”
The Pima County Recorder appears to be a proud Democrat activist alongside her nonpartisan position as an election official. During this just-completed elections cycle, Cázares-Kelly posted a picture with Jane Fonda, and boasted about shaking former President Barack Obama’s hand at a political event.
Cázares-Kelly also shared a video of Mayes dancing at a political rally in October.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Dec 5, 2024 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
The Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS) called for the removal of guns from all homes with children.
AZDHS made the recommendation for family homes to have their firearms removed in their latest Arizona Child Fatality Review Program (CFRP) report, released last month. This annual report is submitted to the governor and leaders of both the House and Senate for the purpose of guiding policy and even influencing state intervention.
“CFRP believes that the most effective way to prevent firearm-related deaths in children is to remove all firearms in households with children because the presence of firearms in a household increases the risk of suicide among adolescents,” stated the opening letter of the report. “Parents of all adolescents should remove all guns from their homes, especially if there is a history of mental health issues or substance use issues. In addition, CFRP recommends that all gun owners should practice safe storage of their firearms by keeping guns unloaded and locked in a safe separate from the ammunition.”
The report recommended that the state should require mental health screening and gun safety training as prerequisites to purchasing firearms, license and track all firearms, and punish people for failing to report stolen firearms.
The report also recommended that policy makers, participating agencies, and schools launch public awareness campaigns advising the removal of all firearms from their households.
According to that report, nearly 70 minors died from preventable firearm injuries last year. Of those deaths, 44 percent (30 deaths) were suicides. 75 percent occurred in children ages 15-17 years, and 84 percent of firearm injury deaths were among males.
The leading risk factors of firearm injury deaths were: access to firearms (60 percent), CPS history with the family (59 percent), substance use (56 percent), history of violence or trauma (46 percent), and an unlocked firearm (40 percent).
Firearms were not the leading cause of preventable deaths for Arizona minors.
The top leading cause of preventable deaths among minors occurred from motor vehicle crashes (81 deaths, 20 percent), followed by firearm injury (68 deaths, 16 percent), then suffocation (52 deaths, 13 percent), poisoning (34 deaths, eight percent), and drowning (31 deaths, seven percent).
Founding member and chairwoman Mary Rimsza authored the opening letter which recommended the total removal of guns from homes with children, and the unloading and locking up of guns in all other homes.
Rimsza is a pediatrician, fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, professor of pediatrics at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, and research professor of Health Management and Policy at Arizona State University.
Rimsza advocated for mandatory masking and vaccinations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in the media while serving as the advocacy committee chair for the Arizona chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
According to her X profile, Rimsza has also advocated for eating less meat and indicated her support for Democrats across the board, expressing avid support for Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy and opposition to the reelection of Donald Trump in 2020.
In a separate X profile, Rimsza shared a statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics claiming that racism impacts the physical health of children.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
