by Elizabeth Troutman | Feb 27, 2024 | News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
A bill introduced to the House of Representatives would uplift families during the first year of their newborn’s life.
U.S. Representative David Schweikert, a Republican, introduced the Family Growth and Investment Act on Feb. 20. The bill provides families with a one-time tax deduction for non-medical expenses like car seats, strollers, and cribs which are otherwise costly and can deter Americans from raising children.
“I am proud to introduce the Family Growth and Investment Act to support one of the most important decisions that hard working Americans can make — to start and grow a family,” Schweikert said.
Families spend approximately $13,000 per child annually and will spend over $233,000 for food, shelter, and other necessities to raise a child through the age of 18, according to the news release.
Schweikert said he hopes the bill eases that burden on parents during a stressful and financially challenging time of life.
“For many parents, the annual costs of the first years of a child’s life can be daunting regardless of how they raise their family,” Schweikert said. “Already, CBO [the Congressional Budget Office] is projecting that by 2042, there will be more deaths than births in the United States. This pro-family legislation will make it easier for Arizonans and Americans everywhere to enjoy one of life’s greatest gifts.”
The legislation allows for a one-time, above-the-line tax deduction of up to $5,000 for non-medical essential expenses, like bottles, diapers, baby formula, cribs, strollers, and car seats.
The income limit is $100,000 for single filers and $200,000 for joint filers.
The bill is headed for the House Committee on Ways and Means, which Schweikert sits on.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues to help advance this bill and make the American dream more attainable than ever,” the 61-year-old state representative said.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Feb 27, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
An election-related bill may have a good chance of becoming law in Arizona thanks to an overwhelming result in one legislative chamber.
Last week, the Arizona House of Representatives passed HB 2482, which “establishes a voter registration alert system requiring the County Recorder to notify voters of specified changes, such as change of party affiliation, telephone number or address to their voter registration record” – according to the overview provided by the chamber. The vote in the State House was 57-0 – with two members not voting and one seat vacant.
Republican State Representative Barbara Parker, the sponsor of the bill, issued a statement following the successful passage of her proposal. She wrote, “We now live in a digital age where the tiny glowing rectangle in our pocket can communicate any information to us at any given time. Admittedly, government communication isn’t always top-notch. However, it absolutely should be, especially when it comes to voting! That’s why our County Recorders should uniformly communicate with Arizona’s constituents regarding changes such as party affiliations, phone numbers, or addresses. And what’s the easiest way to do that? Via text message.”
Parker added some final thoughts on the importance of this bill for the voter registration and election landscape across the state, saying, “With the passage of HB 2482, and through the creation of a voter registration alert system, they will be required to do just that. Remember: Education and information are always key. And with a little legislative nudge, we’ll get there.”
Last month, the legislation was approved by the House Committee on Municipal Oversight & Elections. The vote in committee was unanimous – 9-0.
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request To Speak system, representatives from AZ National Organization for Women, State Conference NAACP, and the Sierra Club – Grand Canyon Chapter, indicated their support for the legislation.
A representative from the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office signed in as neutral to the bill.
HB 2482 now heads to the Arizona Senate for consideration.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Elizabeth Troutman | Feb 27, 2024 | Education, News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
A report shows that almost 40% of educators disciplined in 2023 were punished for sexual misconduct. One third of cases were associated with assaultive (non-sexual) behaviors.
“From only the cases adjudicated in 2023, 39% of cases were associated with sexual misconduct, followed by 28% associated with assaultive (non-sexual) behaviors,” the Arizona State Board of Education’s 2023 Enforcement Action Report says. “Substance-related cases decreased to 15% of all the 2023 cases, while breaches of contract decreased to 7%. Cases associated with fraud and theft remained constant at 11% in 2023.”
The report provides an overview of the type and frequency of discipline it has imposed on educators, certificated and uncertificated, who have participated in unprofessional or immoral conduct.
The number of cases processed by the State Board Investigative Unit has increased, but the board claims this is due to increased staffing and improved efficiency in processing cases, rather than an uptick in activity by teachers.
Still, some parents and parent advocates said their increasing awareness of predators in public school classrooms and lazy administrators desperate to fill classrooms played a significant role in complaints.
“There are few things worse in our society than the abuse of our precious children,” former Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas told the Arizona Daily Independent. “Parents send their children to school assuming they will be safe from predators. Yet according to this report 67% of the enforcement cases in 2023 were sexual misconduct or non-sexual assault. This is just of the cases that have been reported and investigated. How many cases go unexposed, unreported and in some cases under-disciplined?”
Douglas wondered how many children may not realize they are being abused because of how they are being sexualized in their school’s sex-ed classes.
“How can people who have been trained as the teachers of our children abuse them in such horrific ways? Shame on our ‘Colleges’ of Education – 25% of the disciplinary actions from ASU. Where is our Board of Regents?”
Male educators represent more than half of enforcement actions, while 39% of actions involve women.
The largest disciplined group, representing 30% of all cases, are educators with secondary teaching certificates, which are usually used to teach middle and high school.
Educators with elementary teaching certificates and educators with substitute teaching certificates make up more than one third of all discipline cases.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Feb 26, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s Attorney General is taking the Internal Revenue Service to court.
Last week, Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes issued a press release to announce that “the State of Arizona has sued the IRS to prevent it from taxing the state-issued Arizona Families Tax Rebate.”
Mayes’ lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court of Arizona.
The legal issue at hand stems from the Arizona Legislature’s May 2023 passage of a “General Welfare Income Tax Rebate to offer financial relief to eligible taxpayers.” Few – if anyone – in the state expected this rebate to be taxable by the federal government, but that all changed earlier this year when a notice came from the IRS. The Arizona Attorney General’s Office confirmed that “the IRS did not confirm its decision in writing until late last week.”
In a statement that accompanied the release, Mayes said, “This lawsuit is about standing up for Arizona taxpayers. The federal government’s decision to tax these rebates is unfair and unlawful – and I will do everything I can to ensure the tax relief provided to Arizonans by their state government remains in the pockets of Arizona taxpayers, as intended.”
Mayes had previously sent a letter to the IRS Commissioner over the issue, arguing that “the full Tax Rebate should be excludable from federal tax under the general welfare exclusion,” and that “at a minimum, the Tax Rebate should be excluded from federal tax to the extent it does not exceed state taxes that were actually paid and that were not deducted from federal income.”
According to the State Attorney General’s Office, the legal challenge makes the following allegations:
- Unlawful Taxation: The IRS’s decision to tax the rebates lacks legal basis and contradicts prior IRS guidance and precedents.
- Arbitrary and Discriminatory: The decision by the IRS is arbitrary, capricious, and unfairly targets Arizona taxpayers.
- Economic Impact and Violation of Taxpayers’ Rights: Taxing these rebates affects not only the individual taxpayers but also the broader economic well-being of Arizona, reducing the disposable income of taxpayers and state sales tax revenue.
Mayes’ public involvement in the matter over the IRS taxing these rebates appears to have followed that of Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, who, in January, shared that he was “working diligently to come to a resolution that will protect the more than 700,000 recipients from having to give the federal government a portion of [the rebate] this tax season.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Feb 26, 2024 | Education, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A bill to help educate Arizona students about the history of communism is one step closer to the Governor’s desk.
On Thursday, the Arizona House of Representatives passed HB 2629, which “establishes November 7 of each year as Victims of Communism Day and requires the State Board of Education to create a list of recommended resources for mandatory instruction on the topic in certain public school courses” – according to the chamber. The proposal was sponsored by Speaker Ben Toma and received a vote of 33-26 (with one seat vacant).
In a statement, Toma said, “Teaching Arizona students about the evils of communism shouldn’t be a partisan issue, yet here we are. Thankfully, Republicans get it. As someone who lived in communist Romania, I can attest that Marxist ideology has left a lasting scar on our world. For more than 100 years and over 100 million lives lost, the legacy of communism is death, oppression, deprivation, economic suffering, and families being torn apart. It’s important to educate about this dark history, to ensure that the atrocities of communism are never forgotten, and future generations can learn from those who suffered in the past and gain a deeper appreciation for the democratic principles that underpin our free society.”
According to the State House of Representatives, if the bill was enacted, the “State Board of Education (SBE) would be tasked with developing a list of recommended resources on the history of communism that align with academic standards in statute. Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, high school taking American government courses will have at least 45 minutes of classroom instruction on the history of global communist regimes, encompassing figures such as Mao Zedong, Joseph Stalin, Fidel Castro, Vladimir Lenin, Pol Pot, and Nicolas Maduro. Students would learn about how victims suffered under such regimes, through poverty, starvation, forced migration, lethal violence, and the suppression of speech.”
Only two House Democrats supported the proposal on the floor, which was something that Representative Quang Nguyen, the bill’s cosponsor, highlighted. Nguyen stated, “I think if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle grew up under a communist regime, as Ben and I both did, this vote would have been unanimous. Opposing the education of Arizona students on the history of communism and those who have suffered from it is an extreme and shameful position that’s hard for Democrats to defend. And it’s certainly far from where most Arizona parents stand.”
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request To Speak system, representatives from the Arizona Education Association and Save Our Schools Arizona, signed in opposition to the bill.
Last month, the legislation passed the House Judiciary Committee with a 6-3 vote. All Republicans voted in favor, and all Democrats voted to oppose.
HB 2629 now heads to the Arizona Senate for consideration.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Feb 26, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona voters may have the opportunity to help crack down on illegal immigration if the state legislature refers a new measure to the ballot.
Last week, the House Appropriations Committee passed HCR 2060, which was sponsored by Speaker Ben Toma. The proposal would “submit a proposition to the voters relating to employment and the use of the E-Verify program,” according to the overview provided by the State House.
In a statement accompanying the announcement of this introduction, Speaker Toma said, “We need to ensure illegal aliens don’t stay in Arizona to illegally obtain work and free benefits. The invasion of illegals into our country is a cultural and financial catastrophe! It is incumbent upon Arizona to do its part to ensure that if you break our laws, there are real consequences. We need to make sure illegal aliens can’t take advantage of hardworking American pocketbooks.”
On Monday, Toma held a press conference outside the state capitol with fellow members of the Legislature. Afterwards, he posted on the platform “X,” “Today, I announced my ballot referral to crack down on illegal immigration. The ‘Protecting Arizona Against Illegal Immigration Act’ expands the use of E-Verify and cuts off welfare programs to illegal aliens. If the Biden Administration won’t provide deterrents to stop the illegal invasion, Arizona will.”
According to Speaker Toma, HCR 2060 would accomplish the following:
- Make it a class 6 felony to knowingly assist illegal aliens in their efforts to break the law.
- Give Arizona’s law enforcement agencies greater resources to enforce immigration laws by instituting tough financial penalties for violations ($10,000 per offense).
- Require any state funded government agency or program which provides social welfare benefits to individuals to run them through E-Verify.
- Require businesses to run E-Verify when hiring independent contractors for the first time.
- Require any state agency that issues documentation, licensing, accreditation, or identification that is not immigration related to run an applicant through E-Verify.
Democrats on the committee expressed their strong opposition to the Speaker’s legislation. Representative Lorena Austin said, “I’m proud to serve with other members of the SB 1070 generation. We got involved, we got educated, we’re here now and we’re not going anywhere because we’re here to protect the rights of all Arizonans.”
Representative Marcelino Quiñonez added, “This sort of rhetoric, this sort of branding does not benefit Arizona. This is not who we are anymore.”
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, a representative from Heritage Action for America signed in support of Toma’s measure. Representatives from Chicanos Por La Causa, Living United for Change in Arizona, CHISPA Arizona, American Civil Liberties Union of AZ, State Conference NAACP, Rural Arizona Action, All Voting is Local Action, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, and WM E Morris Institute for Justice, indicated their opposition to HCR 2060.
HCR 2060 awaits final action in the State House of Representatives. If passed by both chambers, it would appear on the November General Election ballot.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
