The Republican-led Senate continues to achieve results in its vetting of appointments from Arizona’s Democrat Governor.
Last month, the Arizona State Senate Republicans announced that Jacob D. Raiford had resigned from his appointment to the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments “just hours before his scheduled confirmation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee.”
🚨 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Another Radical Left Nominee from Hobbs Resigns Before Scheduled Confirmation Hearing in Senate Judiciary Committee pic.twitter.com/qFcJDT6Iqy
According to Senate Republicans, “while reviewing Mr. Raiford’s background and qualifications in preparation for [the] confirmation hearing, disturbing revelations from his social media activity came to light, showcasing an extreme disdain for conservative public officials and a disrespect for the Senate confirmation process.”
“The Constitution requires these nominees to review judge candidates impartially, and with his public displays on social media, I don’t know how that can be possible,” said Senate Judiciary Chairman Anthony Kern. “It’s unfortunate Hobbs once again irresponsibly appointed someone to a position of power who clearly should not be there. In the absence of her conducting due diligence by vetting these nominees before appointment, the Senate will remain the line of defense in protecting our citizens from radical individuals who prefer to be activists for the left instead of serving all Arizonans.”
The news about Raiford’s resignation follows a year in 2023, when Arizona legislative Republicans took serious umbrage over some of Governor Katie Hobbs’ nominees and appointments to cabinet and other positions. At the beginning of the previous legislative session, Senate President Warren Petersen established a Committee on Director Nominations, which was chaired by Senator Jake Hoffman and purposed to vet Hobbs’ nominees. The Governor was slow to transmit several of her nominees to the Senate, leading to Republicans’ demands that she follow the law and fulfill her prescribed duty.
While Hobbs did eventually send her nominees to the Senate chamber, some did not escape enhanced scrutiny by the Republican lawmakers, who ensured that they did due diligence on the backgrounds, statements, and policies of each of the appointments. Many of the governor’s nominees were confirmed, but some resigned or were withdrawn from consideration after receiving undue attention from the legislators’ investigative efforts.
This process slowly continued until mid-summer 2023, when Governor Hobbs issued executive orders that demonstrated a greater propensity for overreach by her office. Senate Republicans, led by Jake Hoffman and others, shut down all remaining nominations hearings until the governor would reverse course on her actions. Hobbs refused to bring her executive orders in line with the state constitution and intensified the situation at hand by pulling all her remaining nominees from consideration before the Senate, reassigning them as Executive Deputy Directors of their respective agencies. The move from the Democrat governor even forced State Treasurer Kimberly Yee to “not recognize employees from the Arizona Department of Administration or the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions as legally participating members” at a regularly scheduled meeting around this time.
At the end of 2023, the Arizona Senate filed a lawsuit in the Maricopa County Superior Court against Hobbs over her refusal “to nominate agency directors, bypassing the Senate’s advice and consent processes.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Arizona Sen. Krysten Sinema’s decision not to run for re-election is “a political earthquake [that] has rocked Arizona, the likes of which we haven’t seen in recent history,” according to U.S. Senate Candidate Mark Lamb. Sinema, a former Democrat who switched to Independent, announced her decision on March 5.
“I love Arizona and I am so proud of what we’ve delivered,” Sinema said in a video posted to social media. “Because I choose civility, understanding, listening, working together to get stuff done, I will leave the Senate at the end of this year.”
Lamb said with Senator Sinema out of the race, the focus is now on the Republican Primary.
“My experience and ability to pick up support from conservative Independents and Democrats in the general election separate me from the Republican field,” he said.
Lamb currently serves as Pinal County Sheriff. If he wins the primary, he will take on Democrat Ruben Gallego, who currently serves as the U.S. representative for Arizona’s 3rd congressional district.
“It’s now a two-person race in the general election, between Democrat Ruben Gallego and the eventual Republican nominee,” Lamb said.
“The focus has moved to the Republican primary, where Republicans get their chance to nominate who they think is the most qualified person for the job and who is best able to defeat Gallego and win the general election,” Lamb continued.
The Republican primary is far from over, Lamb argued.
“It’s going to be a spirited contest and it has now taken on renewed interest and sense of urgency,” Lamb said. “Bottom line, Arizonans do not need outsiders selecting our candidates.”
Polls show Lamb as the strongest Republican candidate, he said, pointing to a Noble Predictive Insights Survey showing him beating Gallego by 10 points or more.
Lamb called for a series of debates with the other leading Republican candidate, Kari Lake.
“Voters deserve to hear and see their candidates front and center on the issues,” Lamb said.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
The city of Tucson’s experiment with free transit (subsidized using a combination of local and federal funding) appears to be coming to an end.
In a memo for Tuesday’s council study session meeting, the city manager recommended the reinstatement of transit fare for Sun Link and Sun Express services. After much debate, Mayor Regina Romero tabled any action on reinstating transit fare for their next study session on March 19. The council nearly approved a motion to undertake the first step for reinstating transit fare: conducting the federally required Title VI Fare Equity Analysis.
In order to reinstate fares, the city estimated a timeline of six months and cost of just over $419,000, about 70 percent of which would be for the hire and training of five staffers. That estimated restoration cost pales in comparison to the expenditures the city has already issued on the subject: Mayor Regina Romero remarked that the city has spent “millions” on consultants to problem-solve transit fares.
The council entertained the possibility of creating more taxes, such as bed taxes or a car rental tax, or leaning into the Pima Association of Governments (PAG) emission reductions program. Romero directed the city manager to use these next several weeks before their next study session to find any possible funding streams.
Tucson suspended transit fares in March 2020 in response to the first stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The city began covering the costs of free transit with the receipt of $43 million from the Federal Transportation Authority in pandemic relief. As the federal funds dwindled, the city attempted to tap their academic partners — Tucson Unified School District (TUSD), University of Arizona (UArizona), and Pima Community College (PCC) — to cover the estimated $10 to $15 million annual cost for transit, but all have declined.
UArizona, whose students and faculty make up about 70 percent of streetcar ridership according to Councilman Steve Kozachik, isn’t in a position to subsidize free transit with its ongoing financial crisis. On Tuesday, UArizona President Robert Robbins voluntarily took a $350,000 pay cut.
Councilmember Lane Santa Cruz said that the city should find a way to cover the cost of fare, reiterating that it makes up 8-10 percent of the overall cost to operate the transit system. She asked whether there were other funding streams that could be tapped in the short term, referencing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) emissions reduction funding. Santa Cruz disclosed that the council found it “frustrating” that none of their educational partners had stepped up to cover transit costs.
“I will continue to make the case that our public transportation system should be a core service, that our taxpayers are paying for this public good, the way that we pay taxes for our parks, our police and fire,” said Santa Cruz.
Romero opined that the effort to source funding partners was too great a cost for the benefit of securing fare-free transit. The mayor also lamented the unwillingness of their academic partners to help.
“I don’t personally think that bringing in $1.4, $2.1 million is worth the exhaustive worth we need to do to reinstate these fares,” said Romero.
In an effort to source funding last May, the city formed a stakeholder group consisting of TUSD, UArizona, PCC, Pima County, the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), and members of the business community. That group was unable to reach a consensus on addressing the budget shortfall during its five meetings last year.
During Tuesday’s study session, Santa Cruz expressed her regret that the council had created the stakeholder group.
“[T]hey were more interested in talking long-term vision for what our transit system should look like and not really this short term,” said Santa Cruz.
The city has partnered with Raytheon, Amazon, Rio Nuevo, and the downtown Tucson partnership to cover some of the routes.
According to Sun Tran data, annual ridership has been in a slight decline since 2012. Ridership did recover consistently during the pandemic to slightly above the 2019 fiscal year level in this past fiscal year, though it didn’t recover completely from its initial drop-off around the 2016 to 2018 fiscal years. The recovery in ridership may be attributed to the elimination of transit fare.
The high cost alone isn’t the only major reason the city hasn’t been able to fund the transit itself. The border crisis has cost the city millions to house, feed, and transport the illegal immigrants.
Watch the council’s study session discussion on restoring transit fare here:
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
The president of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC), Brandon Judd, says that President Joe Biden’s policies effectively forced their support of the border bill.
Judd toldThe Arizona Daily Independent that Biden’s State of the Union (SOTU) was a “slap in the face” that didn’t adequately acknowledge the border crisis. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) invited Judd as her guest to the SOTU, though Judd didn’t join her.
“The reason we support the border bill is because President Biden put us in a position where we have to accept anything,” said Judd.
The bill referenced by Judd was the $118 billion foreign aid bill — formed by Sinema alongside Sens. James Lankford (R-OK) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) — which contained marginal provisions for border security, with a majority set aside for Ukraine and other nations.
Pleased to announce that Brandon Judd, President of the National Border Patrol Council, will be my guest at this year’s State of the Union address. Washington partisans may have decided to move on from the border crisis, but in AZ, we don’t have that luxury.… pic.twitter.com/TUYDLmiHY5
However, Judd commended Sinema’s advocacy for more border security in a press release issued by Sinema ahead of the SOTU.
“[Sinema] has advocated for border security in all forms whether it be at the Ports of Entry or between. She has listened to the voices of the people doing their best to protect this great nation,” said Judd.
Sinema announced earlier this week that she wouldn’t be seeking reelection. The development wasn’t all too surprising, given that she had failed to file her statement of interest to run.
Another representative of the border crisis, president of an NBPC local in New York and agent Brandon Budlong, was invited to the SOTU.
Budlong said in a House GOP video series critiquing the Biden administration that border agents are unable to do what “they’re meant to do,” turning away illegal immigrants, and instead “streamlining millions” of illegal immigrants into the country.
“Hearing the news about Laken Riley’s death was extremely frustrating for me,” said Budlong. “It makes you almost feel like you failed at your job, even though you did everything that you could with the policies in place. This administration created this crisis and they can fix it, but they refuse to do so.”
"This Administration created this crisis and they can fix it. But, they refuse to do so." Border Patrol Agent and President of the National Border Patrol Council Local 2724 Brandon of Theresa, New York. pic.twitter.com/rILXMaS8qW
Riley was a 22-year-old nursing student murdered during her morning jog on the University of Georgia campus last month. The accused murderer, 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra, came to the U.S. illegally from Venezuela in September 2022 near El Paso, Texas. Ibarra received parole due to ICE’s inability to lodge a detainer in a timely manner, effectively benefitting from the catch and release that many other illegal immigrants have enjoyed throughout the Biden administration.
In his short stint in the U.S., Ibarra was arrested in New York last September for acting in a manner to injure a minor and a driving license violation. Ibarra had been living in a taxpayer-funded shelter. Ibarra left the state shortly after his NYC arrest for Georgia.
The New York Post reported on Friday that Ibarra was permitted entry despite documented ties to Teen de Aragua (TdA), a Venezuelan gang operating in New York and Georgia, as well as Texas, Illinois, and Florida. The Post discovered that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) internal documents had Ibarra’s name listed as belonging to TdA.
In a motion filed earlier this week, federal authorities alleged that Ibarra’s brother, Diego, has ties to the same gang.
Diego was arrested shortly after his brother for possession of a fake green card; he had cut off an ankle monitor to evade authorities. Diego also had an arrest record. He was arrested three times by Athens, Georgia law enforcement for a DUI and driving without a license, shoplifting, and failure to appear in court.
The House passed the Laken Riley Act, an immigration bill requiring federal detention of migrants charged with burglary or theft, on Thursday.
Riley did receive a mention by Biden during his SOTU, though only after an outburst during his speech by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA-14) demanded that Biden “say her name.” Biden did say Riley’s name, though he mispronounced it as “Lincoln Riley.” The president then downplayed her death by contrasting it with the number of other deaths that occur every day under illegal immigrants.
“Lincoln — Lincoln Riley, an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal,” said Biden. “That’s right, but how many of the thousands of people [are] being killed by illegals?”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Arizona’s congressional leaders had varied reactions to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday, largely toeing party lines. Nearly all addressed the state of the border and the economy; however, while Republicans generally viewed each as being in a negative state, Democrats viewed them as being in a positive state.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) issued the lengthiest play-by-play during Biden’s remarks in a series of X posts (formerly Twitter), touching on the major issues facing the country: involvement in foreign conflicts, as well as the economic, crime, and illegal immigration crises.
The average military age in Ukraine is 42. They’ve lost 500,000 men. Why are we encouraging war instead of encouraging peace?
Joe Biden has actually weaponized our government against his enemies. These included protestors on both the Left and Right, school board parents, and Catholics.
Joe Biden’s economy has been a disaster for Americans. There has been 19.8 percent inflation since January 2021, costing Arizona families $12,891 this year, according to the Joint Economic Committee.
Under Joe Biden’s leadership, layoffs have surged to the highest level in 15 years.
If Joe Biden really wants to take down Big Pharma, he should support, pass, and sign our bill that would eliminate immunity for dangerous vaccines.
We’re $34 trillion in debt, Joe. The Affordable Care Act: still unaffordable.
Education is actually a state issue.
The last thing we need in our education is Dr. Jill [Biden] and Joe reading to three-year-olds.
Joe, has your son paid back his taxes yet?
Joe Biden actually wants to ensure the Child Tax Credit goes to illegal aliens.
Joe Biden is actually making insulin prices higher for Americans.
When does Big Government get out of the way? It doesn’t.
Joe Biden can shut the border down NOW. Get it done!
Joe Biden is separating families. His Administration has lost some 140,000 illegal aliens from the border.
The biggest dark money distributors are DEMOCRATS.
Democrats have called for defunding the police. Crime is everywhere as a result.
Joe Biden is citing figures from the Gaza Health Ministry. They were found to have completely fabricated their casualty figures.
These so-called UN humanitarian workers actually helped facilitate the heinous October 7th attacks in Israel.
Joe Biden’s plan to create a ‘Gaza Port’ actually fast-tracks aid to Hamas. GOP Oversight and I have been conducting oversight on our aid to Gaza. It’s ending up in the wrong hands.
Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06) criticized Biden’s address as “divisive,” “disconnected,” avoidant of all responsibility for issues like the border crisis, and void of “real solutions.” Ahead of the SOTU, Ciscomani issued his endorsement of President Donald Trump. Ciscomani said that, despite Biden’s failings, he had hope for a national revival.
“President Biden’s State of the Union was divisive, devoid of real solutions, and disconnected from our real needs,” said Ciscomani. “While those [issues] still persist, so does the will and determination of our people and the American spirit that built this country. As long as we have that, I remain optimistic for our future and focused on fighting for our families.”
— Congressman Juan Ciscomani (@RepCiscomani) March 8, 2024
Ciscomani’s guest was Jane Strain, an Army veteran from Sierra Vista.
Excited to have my friend Jane Strain accompanying me to tonight’s State of the Union!
An Army veteran herself, Jane is a tireless advocate for Sierra Vista, our military communities, and all veterans across #AZ06. I’m honored to have her join me this evening. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/v0y9Xh9ZQV
— Congressman Juan Ciscomani (@RepCiscomani) March 7, 2024
Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) also issued a brief play-by-play during the SOTU. Crane criticized Biden’s focus on foreign nations over America, and dismissed the feasibility of the border provisions within the failed $118 billion foreign aid bill.
Biden mentioning Ukraine before America is pretty on brand.
He seems to be pretty nervous about his predecessor, given how often he’s referring to him.
The ‘toughest border security bill’ Biden is referring to would only force action by DHS after 5,000 criminal aliens infiltrated PER DAY FOR A WEEK.
“All Americans deserve the freedom to be safe and America is safer today than when I took office.” – Biden. 8+ million criminal aliens have infiltrated our communities during Biden’s time in office.
Tough talk about China from someone who let a Chinese spy balloon traverse the entire contiguous United States.
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) also issued a brief play-by-play during the SOTU. Gallego praised the CHIPS and PACT Acts, critiqued the unfairness of fees on service items, and urged agreement on a border security bill.
Arizona is a hub that’s seeing major benefits from the CHIPS Act. That’s more jobs, higher wages, and a boon to our state’s economy. I’m proud to have helped get it passed.
Arizona families are tired of price gouging junk fees that raise the cost of everything from hotels to phone plans. I’ve introduced the Junk Fees Prevention Act to put an end to it.
Arizona needs the bipartisan border deal. Far-right extremists killed it. I’ll keep fighting for real solutions to secure our border and fix our broken system.
I slept next to burn pits in Iraq, and I’ve seen too many of my Marines brothers suffer because of it. That’s why I fought to pass the PACT Act and ensure all toxic-exposed veterans get the healthcare they need.
Gallego’s guests to the SOTU were two Marines that served with him in Iraq, John and Cheston Bailon.
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-07) said that Biden’s address was a “robust defense” of current policy. Grijalva focused on the passage of Biden’s massive budget bills, which have financed a wide array of projects and initiatives including infrastructure, and contrasted Biden with former President Donald Trump.
“The American people continue to benefit from the Biden administration’s landmark legislative accomplishments, including the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act. These laws are revitalizing Arizona with projects like the I-10 expansion, the City of Tucson’s 22nd Street bridge, millions of dollars to update clean drinking water infrastructure, the San Luis and Douglas Ports-of-Entry, and more. The Biden presidency stands in direct contrast to the extremism presented by Trump and Congressional Republicans. Trump and Republicans tried to overturn a democratic election, repealed Roe v. Wade, refused to secure resources for our border and pass immigration reform, and supported tax breaks for corporations and billionaires instead of helping working families. Through chaos and threats, Republicans have shown over the past two years that they are incapable of governing. All the while, Trump and Republicans remain fixated on the southern border and chose to block bipartisan immigration reform for the sake of campaign politics. I do, however, caution President Biden from pushing for Trump-era immigration policies that have not yielded any positive results and only worsened conditions at the border for families and individuals seeking refuge in our country. Real immigration reform is needed, and it begins with providing the necessary resources to localities like those in Southern Arizona that are at the forefront of the situation. It’s clear the American people have benefitted from the leadership of President Biden and his commitment to defending the freedoms and values essential to American democracy. I look forward to working together with President Biden to ensure we can build on the historic progress we have made thus far and champion bold policies to protect reproductive freedom, establish a living wage, guarantee paid leave, ensure climate justice, hold corporations accountable, require the wealthy to pay their fair share in taxes, safeguard Social Security and Medicare, and defend and advance racial equity and civil rights for every American for future generations.”
Reaction to #SOTU2024 🧵@POTUS' State of the Union address offered a robust defense of American democracy, reproductive freedoms, and recommitted our nation to our allies abroad. He defined a positive and comprehensive vision for our nation. 1/
Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08) also issued a play-by-play, focusing on how Biden policies have resulted in an increased cost of living, and a sweeping crisis of illegal immigration and crime.
President Biden touts his economic policies, meanwhile the average American family is spending $1K+ more per/month than they were 3 years ago for the same things. Are those families supposed to believe Bidenomics is working?
List of things the American people can no longer afford: Gas, Groceries, Housing, Vehicles, Utilities AND MORE! His claims of the success of #Bidenomics are a slap in the face to every American family struggling through this cost-of-living crisis!
Since Biden took office, the income needed to purchase a home comfortably has gone up 80%. That’s the reality of #Bidenomics
Is it really a surprise Biden is blaming the Republicans on the border crisis? Of course he doesn’t want to take accountability for halting construction of the border wall, ending ‘Remain in Mexico’, starting catch-and-release, and more. He’s failed, and he knows it.
These “pro-immigrant” policies President Biden is touting are the same ones that get women and children trafficked and raped, kidnap families, and allow terrorists to move into your neighborhood.
Why is President Biden blaming House Republicans when he could… Reinstate ‘Remain in Mexico’, End catch-and-release, Stop the taxpayer funded migrant money grabs, Build the wall. President Biden caused the border crisis.
There’s an invasion at our Southern Border whether Biden believes it or not. That’s why I introduced my resolution recognizing the border crisis as an invasion. We’ve already had more than 1 MILLION illegal crossings this fiscal year! Sounds like an invasion to me.
FACT CHECK: DC had the highest number of homicides in 2023 since 1997. Our country has gotten no safer under the Biden Administration and Biden’s soft-on-crime policies will only make it worse.
Last night President Biden touted the state of our union, but the American people know the truth.
— Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (@RepDLesko) March 8, 2024
Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ-01) focused on the poor fiscal health of the nation in his response: a $3 trillion increase in the national debt over the past year.
“The national debt will have increased by over $333 million by the time President Biden finishes speaking. Our nation’s fiscal health is rapidly deteriorating,” said Schweikert. I won’t stop sounding the alarm about our intensifying fiscal nightmare.
Since March 7 of last year, our national debt has gone up $3,000,000,000,000.
Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04) also offered a brief play-by-play during the SOTU. Stanton focused on abortion rights, semiconductor manufacturing, pharmaceutical costs, and the border.
When the Supreme Court overturned Roe, they turned back the clock on women’s rights in America. Congress must make the protections Roe provided the law of the land once again.
The CHIPS Act is bringing in billions of dollars in investment to Arizona, and creating thousands of good paying jobs that don’t require a college degree. Advanced manufacturing is returning to the United States.
We’ve capped the cost of insulin at $35 a month for seniors on Medicare, lowered the cost of health care coverage, and finally forced Big Pharma to negotiate lower drug prices. Now we’re working to expand these savings to ALL Americans.
I was in Nogales just last week to meet with federal law enforcement and leaders on the front lines of the border crisis. Every day that extreme House Republicans block a vote on a border funding bill, it’s Arizona communities that suffer the consequences.
“We can fight about the border or we can fix it. I’m ready to fix it.” – @POTUS Let’s get it done.
In her play-by-play, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) said that the Republican and Democratic parties were resisting mutual solutions to the border crisis. Sinema also discussed laws passed under her on gun regulation and benefits for injured veterans.
Both parties are guilty of pointing fingers and pushing off the blame when it comes to our border crisis. If partisans care about securing the border as much as they pretend to on cable news appearances, let’s drop the talking points and deliver real results.
After the horrific Uvalde shooting, I brought Senators in both parties together to craft the Bipartisan Safer Communities law – breaking the 30 year logjam on gun violence prevention legislation. Since then, gun violence has dropped by 12% in urban centers and 10% elsewhere.
Earlier this week, millions of veterans exposed to toxins while serving gained access to health care thanks to our work on the PACT Act law. That’s how we work to deliver lasting solutions for those we serve.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) issued a brief defense of the Biden administration as having implemented positive progress for the country.
“Tonight, President Biden illustrated the clear choice our country faces between continuing the progress we’ve made over the past few years or going backwards,” said Kelly.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
The “Freedom to Move” bill, a ballot referral that would create a constitutional ban on taxes or fees for Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and limitations on travel miles, SCR1002/HCR2018, failed to pass in the Senate on Wednesday.
The resolution failed as Republican State Sen. Ken Bennett (R-LD01) joined Democrats in voting against it.
VMTs levy fees based on miles driven, generally for passenger vehicles only. Oregon implemented a VMT in 2015, and Utah implemented a VMT in 2020. The federal government has encouraged VMT pilots and enhancements through its Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives (STSFA) grant program. Arizona is a member state of the STSFA Road Usage Charge (RUC) America Pilot, as are 12 other states.
Bennett expressed frustration that he was unable to have “reasonable changes” made to this or any other resolution like it.
The senator said that while he agreed with the desire to prevent limitations to free movement, he had concerns that the bill didn’t provide sufficient exceptions for governmental entities to monitor their vehicles for maintenance and employee reimbursement purposes.
Bennett further noted that businesses brought concerns to him that they would be prevented from complying with or taking advantage of the state implementation plan through Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), and federal statutes.
“We do not want Arizona ever to be going down the road of what’s happening in other jurisdictions where they’re using VMT taxes or fees to limit people’s ability to move freely wherever they want to go,” said Bennett.
Bennett also claimed the bill wouldn’t appropriately apply to alternative fuel vehicles, such as electric vehicles. He suggested the legislature first come up with an energy equivalency calculation to bring alternative fuel vehicles into the process of paying for the roads.
“The growing number of electric vehicles is outside the HURF [Highway User Revenue Fund] revenue in this state, and we have to address that,” said Bennett.
Sen. Jake Hoffman (R-LD15) dismissed Bennett’s concerns as “patently false” and alleged that his counterpart knew that to be the case.
Hoffman countered that the bill does allow for governmental entities to enact VMT monitoring or limitations, just not mandates for businesses, and that the bill wouldn’t preclude businesses from voluntarily engaging with VMT rules or policies. The latter was a provision added under an amendment at the request of Intel Corporation, according to Hoffman.
Hoffman said that the federal government and entities bent on advancing environmental interests and policies were behind a feverish push for VMT.
“It’s called choice architecture, it’s a theory of the left. In choice architecture, you artificially alter the inputs with which people make decisions, so that the architecture surrounding those decisions changes,” said Hoffman. “You raise the price of gas to an unreasonable level, well, what’s the resulting behavior? They don’t drive as much.”
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Republican State Sen. Frank Carroll (R-LD28) voted against SCR1002/HCR2018. Sen. Carroll voted in favor of the resolution.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
