by Daniel Stefanski | May 22, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona legislative Republicans are again standing for election integrity.
Last week, Senate President Warren Petersen, House Speaker Ben Toma, and the Republican National Committee (RNC) filed a motion “for a partial stay of the injunction against the enforcement of those provisions of HB 2492 that:
1. Prohibit registered voters who have not provided documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) from voting for President of the United States;
2. Prohibit registered voters who have not provided DPOC from voting by mail; or
3. Are inconsistent with the consent degree entered in League of United Latin American Citizens of Arizona v. Reagan.”
The case that the Arizona Legislature and the RNC weighed in on was Mi Familia Vota v. Fontes.
The Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus wrote, “Biden’s open border policies are causing chaos and eroding confidence in Arizona’s elections. Seems like common sense, but only American citizens should have the right to cast a ballot in our elections. Senate President Warren Petersen is fighting to block individuals who do not provide proof of citizenship from this privilege. Election integrity is being compromised, and we will not sit idly by while our state and country are run into the ground by flawed election practices. Today, we filed a motion asking a U.S. District Court to allow Arizona to enforce its laws that limit voting for president and voting by mail to only those who provide proof of citizenship.”
Speaker Toma added, “Arizona voting laws that require proof of citizenship are common-sense regulations & critical to ensuring confidence in Arizona elections. I intervened in the Mi Familia case last year to fully defend these laws in federal court. Today I asked the court to stay its injunction and allow Arizona to enforce its citizenship requirements in the 2024 election.”
“It’s common sense,” said President Petersen in an exclusive comment to AZ Free News. “If you are not a legal citizen, you should not have the right to vote in the US. Other countries prohibit non-citizens, and we should too. It is unfathomable that the Democrats and the judicial branch are fighting us on this issue.”
In a press release, the Republican National Committee noted the joint court filing, stating that it had “filed a motion to stay the court’s order, pending our appeal, that ruled Arizona cannot require proof of citizenship in mail voting and presidential elections. If successful, this means Arizona would require documentary proof of citizenship ahead of this year’s election as we fight the issue on appeal. This is a consequential legal step to stopping non-citizen voting in Arizona.”
In their brief, the intervenor-defendants argued that “the Ninth Circuit is likely to find that neither the NVRA nor the LULAC Consent Decree preempts HB 2492, [that] the partial nullification of HB 2492 irreparably injures the legislative intervenors as representatives of the state and of the legislative institution and inflicts a competitive injury on the RNC, [and that] the balance of equities and public policy support a partial stay.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Elizabeth Troutman | May 22, 2024 | Economy, News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
Fast food prices have skyrocketed during the Biden administration, according to a graph shared on X by the account End Wokeness.
Prices as measured by the seasonally adjusted Consumer Price Index are now up by almost 20% in the years since President Joe Biden took office.
The prices of five of McDonald’s most popular items — french fries, a cheeseburger, 10 McNuggets, the Big Mac, and the McChicken — on average have increased by more than 140% from the end of 2019, when Donald Trump was president, to this year.
An order of medium french fries cost $1.79 when Trump was president but now costs $4.19. The McChicken increased from $1.29 to $3.89. The cheeseburger went from costing $1.00 to $3.15, a 215% increase.
Taco Bell’s popular items have on average increased by 57.4%, with the beefy five layer burrito increasing in price from $1.69 in 2019 to $3.69 in mid-2024, a 118% increase.
At Chick-fil-A, the average price across the Deluxe Chicken Sandwich, eight nuggets, four chicken strips, medium waffle fries, and a large milkshake increased by 80.1%.
The eight-piece chicken nugget, which once cost customers only $3.05, now costs just short of six dollars. The medium waffle fries increased from $1.65 to $2.99.
Biden has acknowledged the increases consumers have faced in prices during his presidency.
“Inflation has fallen more than 60% from its peak, and core inflation fell to its lowest level in three years,” he said, acknowledging that “prices are still too high” and reiterating that fighting inflation is his “top economic priority.”
The typical U.S. household needed to pay $227 more a month in March to purchase the same goods and services it did one year ago because of inflation. Americans are paying on average $784 more each month compared with the same time two years ago and $1,069 more compared with three years ago.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | May 22, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Even with an ever-widening political divide yielding highly disparate views of Attorney General Kris Mayes, most may agree that she has kept to her campaign promises, especially with the indictment of those Republicans who challenged the 2020 and 2022 election results.
Securing back-to-back indictments for two highly contentious elections in what amounts to just over her first year in office didn’t come cleanly. Mayes had to break some eggs in the process.
Late last year, the State Bar began an ongoing investigation into Cochise County Attorney Brian McIntyre over allegations that he colluded with Mayes and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes against his own county supervisors, a blatant violation of attorney-client privilege.
McIntyre’s alleged collusion was outlined in a letter that surfaced recently amid that investigation, as reported by The Arizona Daily Independent.
In that letter, McIntyre had requested Mayes to retract the opinion set by her predecessor, Mark Brnovich, on expanded hand counts, a request made while his clients were actively appealing for their ability to conduct those hand counts. Mayes did just that.
The same month that the State Bar began to investigate McIntyre, Mayes secured indictments against Cochise County Supervisors Peggy Judd and Tom Crosby for delaying certification of the 2022 election results. The pair were hit with felony-level election interference and conspiracy charges.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Fish heard oral arguments in their case last month. Counsel for Crosby argued in court that Mayes was a “rogue prosecutor” leading a “rogue prosecution” attempting to read motives into Judd and Crosby’s actions amid the 2022 election.
Assistant Attorney General Todd Lawson told the judge that Judd and Crosby were in on “an overall conspiracy, a larger plan” aimed at chaos with the ultimate goal to “obstruct the election.” Lawson disputed that Judd and Crosby, much less any other county supervisor, had the right to do any more to review election results than simply pass along the vote tallies to the secretary of state.
That sentiment drove, in part, the indictments against President Donald Trump’s 2020 electors and their conspirators. 18 were hit with felony charges of conspiracy, fraud, and forgery last month: Kelli and Michael Ward, Tyler Bowyer, Nancy Cottle, State Senators Jake Hoffman and Anthony Kern, Jim Lamon, Robert Montgomery, Samuel Moorhead, Lorraine Pellegrino, Gregory Safsten, Christina Bobb, John Eastman, Jenna Ellis, Boris Epshteyn, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, and Mike Roman.
According to a new report from Politico featuring anonymous tipsters, these indictments were unprecedented and even rang of the “rogue” characterization.
Some of those indicted were promised repeatedly by prosecutors that they were not the subject of investigation, least of all charges: Bobb and Ellis among them. And yet, the grand jury indicted both.
A grand jury will only indict those who are presented by prosecutors as potential defendants. Nonetheless, Mayes’ office told Politico that responsibility lay with the jury for the indictments.
“The State Grand Jury was given leeway to conduct an independent investigation, as it is entitled to do by law,” said Mayes’ spokesperson, Richie Taylor. “I cannot confirm or deny the specifics of grand jury proceedings, and I will note that the investigation remains open and ongoing. I will have to decline to comment further.”
Multiple high-level prosecutors concurred to Politico that the indictments were “unusual” and “bad form.” They questioned the claims by prosecutors that they were unaware of plans to bring up Bobb and Ellis to the grand jury.
The merit of the prosecutors’ claims earned further scrutiny after they ordered witnesses pleading the Fifth to appear before the grand jury at the jurors’ request. The prosecutors could’ve excused those witnesses, as is customary and even recommended by the Justice Department; instead, they forced them to face questioning and risk the possibility of appearing guilty by remaining silent.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | May 21, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A bill to help enhance Arizona’s resources to fight fires has been signed into law by the state’s governor.
Last week, Governor Katie Hobbs signed HB 2751, which will “adopt the Great Plains Wildland Fire Protection Compact, entering into a mutual aid agreement with other member states for the purposes of forest firefighting” – according to the purpose from the Arizona State Senate.
State Representative David Cook, a Republican who sponsored this bill, issued the following statement after Hobbs’ action: “As we head into fire season, it’s critical that Arizona is prepared to respond effectively to wildfire threats. With several large fires currently burning in Northern Arizona, this legislation comes at a crucial time. The enactment of H.B. 2751 will ensure our communities are better protected and our firefighting resources are optimally utilized. I’m grateful for the broad bipartisan support that we had in both chambers to pass this important legislation and for the Governor’s support in quickly signing it into law.”
According to the press release from Cook and Arizona House Republicans, this legislation would “allow the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management to collaborate with state foresters in other states, including Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Saskatchewan, South Dakota, and Wyoming, to ensure that Arizona can both provide and receive assistance swiftly during wildfire emergencies, improving overall response times and resource availability.
Joining Cook in support of the bill during the legislative process were Representatives Marshall, Payne, and Sandoval as co-sponsors.
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from the Arizona Fire District Association, Arizona Wildlife Federation, and Arizona State Forester signed in to support the bill.
The legislation first passed the Arizona House of Representatives in February with an overwhelming 53-3 result (three members did not vote and one seat was vacant). The state Senate then gave its green light to the bill with a 27-2 vote (with one member not voting) before sending it to the Governor’s Office.
Cook’s press release also explained that HB 2751 “provides a framework for administering mutual aid, allowing state forest fire control agencies to quickly request and render firefighting personnel and resources to each other in times of need and to receive reimbursement for their assistance afterwards, [and] stipulates the responsibilities of and protections for employees that are involved in out-of-state firefighting efforts, including provisions for workers’ compensation and liability coverage.”
Because the proposal was an emergency measure, it is now effective under Arizona statute.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | May 21, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee was honored before Congress on Monday for her work and legacy inspiring girls and young women.
Congresswoman Debbie Lesko presented the recognition for Yee. Lesko noted that Yee was the first Chinese-American woman in Arizona to take on a high state-level position, as well as a Republican.
“It is the first Asian-American elected to a statewide office in Arizona history,” said Lesko.
Yee formerly served in the Arizona legislature, in both the House and the Senate, and rose to become the state’s second female majority leader, after the late Sandra Day O’Connor.
Prior to joining the state legislature and coming to Arizona, Yee worked for California’s Republican governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Shwarzenegger. After Yee moved to California, Yee became communications director for the place she now leads: the state treasurer’s office.
Yee’s transition into the legislature began after Governor Jan Brewer successfully recommended Yee to replace another lawmaker, former Republican representative Doug Quellan.
It was in the legislature that Yee passed a bill requiring doctors to provide women with the option of an ultrasound before obtaining an abortion.
Some of Yee’s high marks in office include her improvements that led to record highs of the Permanent Land Endowment Trust Fund, totaling over $8.6 billion at one point (as of March’s end, $6.75 billion); punishing companies’ boycotts of Israel; and getting into state law a requirement of financial education for high schoolers prior to graduation.
“Treasurer Yee’s service to Arizona has raised financial literacy rates, improved Arizona’s economy, and helped show young women and girls across the state that anything is possible,” said Lesko.
Yee has acted and spoken out consistently on her views of unsound policy, usually Democratic.
Back in February, Yee joined state Republican lawmakers’ lawsuit against the Biden administration over its confiscation of nearly one million acres of land in northern Arizona in an attempt to declare the land a monument.
The treasurer has also pushed back on Governor Katie Hobbs. She asserted publicly that the governor’s proposed education funding plan was “dangerous and unsustainable.”
Yee also refused to admit government employees under two agencies during a Board of Investment meeting after the Governor refused to nominate agency directors.
After the Hamas terrorist attack that initiated the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza, Yee ramped up support for Israel. The state increased its bond holdings to support Israel.
Yee ensured Arizona was the first state in the country to enforce anti-Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions laws. The state divested $143 million from Unilever, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s, in response to the latter company’s ceasing distribution in Israel.
Yee also improved Education Savings Plans (ESPs) under her leadership. The ESPs were up 38 percent: a three-year difference worth $2.25 billion.
Last year, Yee resisted Hobbs’ alleged desire to cancel ESA-related grants enabling children to attend all-day kindergarten.
Assets under Yee’s management grew from $15.4 billion when she took office to $30.4 billion.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | May 20, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona Republican legislators are working hard to come up with bipartisan solutions that would help to mitigate the state’s growing housing crisis.
This week, the Arizona House of Representatives passed two bills to augment the state’s housing supply. The first bill was HB 2720, which would “establish requirements relating to accessory dwelling units,” according to the overview from the state House. The second was HB 2721, which would “adopt requirements for middle housing development.” Both bills now head to Governor Hobbs’ desk.
According to the press release issued by the Arizona House Republican Caucus, these bills “will increase the supply of housing types that are currently illegal to build in most cities and towns across the state. HB 2720 will legalize backyard Accessory Dwelling Units, or Casitas, and HB 2721 will legalize duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes—or Middle Housing— in certain areas of cities and towns. Both bills will only apply to cities and towns with a population of more than 75,000 people.”
Both proposals were sponsored by State Representative Michael Carbone, who issued a statement to champion these bipartisan efforts during another contentious legislative session in the state’s divided government. Carbone said, “Arizonans across the state are being decimated by high housing costs and unrelenting inflation. Right now, our teachers, nurses, firefighters, and police officers can’t afford to live in the communities that they serve. Our children and grandchildren can’t afford to live in the communities that they grew up in. Most Arizonans have been priced out of the housing economy – it’s wrong and un-American.”
Carbone added praise for a Democrat colleague, who helped get these pieces of legislation to the finish line in the Arizona Legislature, writing, “I cannot go a single day without hearing from my constituents about the high housing costs in our state that is decimating my community and locking families in poverty. We worked tirelessly with housing and community stakeholders in order to craft this historic and bipartisan solution that we are proud to send to the Governor. This was truly a bipartisan effort, and I am grateful for Senator Hernandez’s leadership on this issue.”
Senator Anna Hernandez, a Democrat, noted the legislative success of one of these bills, saying, “Someone told me months ago, that we could never pass our statewide ADU (casitas) legislation. HB2720 just passed final read in the house with 35 bipartisan votes. This bill, that will legalize casitas, is now heading to the Governor’s desk. Huge thanks to everyone that worked with me and helped get this across the finish line.”
As the two bills head to the Governor’s Office for her decision, both Republicans and Democrats who supported these proposals are hoping for a better result than the fate that met another housing bill earlier in the session. Back in March, Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed HB2570, which would have “create[ed] municipal prohibitions relating to home designs and single-family home lot sizes” – according to the overview provided by the state House. Hobbs explained that she had vetoed the proposal because “this is unprecedented legislation that would put Arizonans at the center of a housing reform experiment with unclear outcomes.”
The Senate Republican Caucus’ press release after the veto of HB 2570 highlighted that Hobbs became the “first Governor in the nation to block a bill removing zoning restrictions to bring housing prices down for hardworking citizens.” Representative Analise Ortiz, a Democrat, said, “I hope Governor Hobbs will support future plans to expand the state’s inventory of modest, starter homes and homes on small lots – homes that our parents & grandparents purchased years ago that allowed them to build wealth, lay roots in communities, and break cycles of poverty.” And Senator Anna Hernandez added, “I hope the Governor takes this moment to reaffirm her commitment to solving the housing crisis rather than stand as another obstacle in the way of solutions.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
