by Daniel Stefanski | Feb 18, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Another lawmaker has been appointed to serve in the Arizona Legislature.
On Wednesday, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors appointed Charles Lucking to serve in Legislative District 5, filling a vacancy from former legislator Amish Shah. According to a press release from the Arizona House Democrats, Lucking is a fourth-generation Arizona native who is employed by Community Legal Services.
Lucking said, “I’m very excited and honored to be representing LD 5 in the legislature. Arizona is facing a mountain of very complex challenges, such as our housing crisis. I’m eager to get started doing the hard work as a servant of the people to implement real solutions for all Arizonans.”
Bill Gates, the District 3 Supervisor on the Maricopa County Board wrote, “Charles Lucking is not only a long-time resident of LD-5, he is also a fifth generation Arizonan with a deep commitment to serving his community. When interviewing him, it was clear that he will be laser-focused on creating more affordable housing and addressing the budget deficit head on.”
Arizona House Democratic Leader Lupe Contreras added, “With the appointment of Charles Lucking, Arizona and our caucus has gained a passionate champion who is committed to use his legal expertise to address pressing social issues, including the housing crisis and environmental conservation. Deep roots and unwavering dedication to service, advocacy, and community empowerment will make Representative Lucking an impactful addition to our caucus.”
Lucking was sworn in to the State House of Representatives on Thursday.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 13, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona legislative Republicans are warning against unilateral action from the state’s governor on water policy.
On Monday, Governor Katie Hobbs spent time in her second State of the State address to discuss the importance of water for Arizona and her past and future work on this front. Hobbs said, “Let us remember that water and drought do not care about party registration or job titles or whether you live in an urban or rural community. We can only protect our water supply by working together. I stand ready to work with you to pass legislation that makes the changes we need today – all to safeguard Arizona’s water for tomorrow. And those who have spent years refusing to act: if you don’t, I will.”
That last line earned the Democrat governor an ovation from her allies in the Arizona House chamber, yet a warning of legal repercussions from two powerful lawmakers who were listening to her words.
Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope responded, “Yeah, I don’t think she has that type of authority to act alone but she seems willing to bend the State Constitution to her will pretty often so I’m sure she’ll try and I’m sure we’ll see her in court.”
Shope’s colleague, Senate President Warren Petersen, added onto the comment, writing, “Kind of like when she broke the law by appointing 13 fake directors?”
The future of Arizona’s water policy has always been a complex issue, but perhaps more so during the past year with a divided government and two parties with very distinct ideas about how to manage the vital resource. As the governor also mentioned in her State of the State address, she created a Water Policy Council during her first year in office “to analyze and recommend updates, revisions and additions to the 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Act (GMA) and related water legislation, which shall include without limitation, analysis and recommendations for groundwater management outside current Active Management Areas.” Hobbs referred to this council as “bipartisan,” though one prominent Republican, Senator Sine Kerr, resigned from her post in October, alleging that the Council was “nothing more than a forum to rubberstamp the progressive environmental goals of special interest groups,” and that “this community (of Arizona citizens and stakeholders) is not being provided with fair representation at the table.”
Along with Kerr, the Arizona Farm Bureau also announced its withdrawal from the Council that month, opining, “…the outcome of the greater Council appears to be pre-determined as essentially a cross between the seriously flawed attempts of the past and an AMA (Active Management Areas).”
Hobbs created unfavorable headlines for the future of Arizona’s water during summer 2023, when she held a press conference to announce the publication of the Phoenix Active Management Area Groundwater Model. At the press conference, she stated that the study’s results “show we need to take action once again,” and that if the state does nothing at this juncture, “we could face a four percent shortfall in groundwater supplies over the next 100 years.” The governor announced a pause on “approvals of new assured water supply determinations that rely on pumping groundwater, ensuring that we don’t add to any future deficit.”
Republicans were quick to push back against Hobbs’ interpretation of the model. Kerr asserted that the results from the model “show the GMA of 1980 is working as it should,” and that “the remaining 4% of unmet demand over 100 years can be achieved through non-groundwater sources.” Representative Austin Smith told AZ Free News that “we can’t be beating the drum about a housing crisis, and then in the same beat, kneecap the housing industry.” Petersen also weighed in, writing, “There is no need to stop homebuilding. Homes use the least amount of water.”
Both the Arizona Senate and House Republican Majority Plans for 2024 addressed the issue of water. Senate Republicans promised that, “unlike the work product of the Governor’s Water Policy Council,” their solutions would “be grounded in the consent of the governed, the collaborative buy-in of all water users, and the common goal of preserving the health of groundwater basins for future generations.” House Republicans vowed to “protect, prioritize, and secure water resources for our state’s future.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 12, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s House of Representatives unanimously stood with the nation of Israel on the first day of the Second Regular Session of the 56th Legislature.
On Monday, the Arizona House and Senate resumed operations, and Speaker Ben Toma wasted no time in using the opportunity to support one of America’s staunchest allies.
Toma called for and obtained passage by unanimous consent of House Concurrent Resolution 2009, which expresses the support of his chamber for the “nation of Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its citizens from terrorism.”
In a statement posted to “X,” Speaker Toma said, “Yesterday, the Arizona Legislature kicked off the 56th Second Regular Session by passing my resolution standing with Israel and calling for the elimination of Hamas. It is important for leaders to stand up for what is right. I appreciate my colleagues on both sides of the aisle joining me to unanimously declare Arizona stands with Israel.”
The resolution expressed the “most heartfelt condolences” from Members “to all Israeli victims as well as their families and communities.” It also declared “support” for “Arizonans law enforcement community in its efforts to remain vigilant in protecting Israeli Americans, Jewish Americans and all supporters of Israel from acts of crime and unlawful discrimination that tend to manifest in times of turmoil.”
The Republican Speaker also co-wrote an opinion piece for the Arizona Republic on January 3, where he wrote, “we wholly condemn Hamas, categorically call for Hamas’ elimination – and strongly urge all of Arizona’s leaders, including state lawmakers, to do the same.”
The resolution from the Arizona House of Representatives on Monday follows a Joint Legislative Proclamation, which was issued by Toma and Senate President Warren Petersen on October 11, to “denounce the horrific acts of war against Israel and support Israel’s right to defend itself” – among other calls to action for the Legislature. The Arizona Capitol Dome was lit ‘blue’ that week “to show Arizona’s support for Israel.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Oct 26, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A northern Arizona lawmaker won a major recognition from a Second Amendment organization.
On Monday, the Arizona House announced that State Representative Selina Bliss, a freshman Republican, earned the “Legislator of the Year” Award from the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL).
“I am immensely honored to be recognized by the Arizona Citizens Defense League,” said Representative Bliss. “They are a terrific organization, dedicated to legislative action in support of the Second Amendment. Like them, I believe fervently in safeguarding our citizens’ right to bear arms – a cornerstone of our Constitution. As a state legislator, it is my privilege to work alongside fellow Arizonans in safeguarding and preserving the freedoms that define our great state, and to stand against any attempts to undermine those cherished liberties.”
Representative Bliss wasted no time in coming to the legislature and working to achieve results for her constituents and Arizonans. Bliss introduced HB 2617, which would have “allowed a constable or deputy constable to carry a firearm, both on and off duty and in the same manner as other certified peace officers, if the constable or deputy constable is in compliance with the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board (AZPOST) firearms requirements and has fulfilled all other requirements as prescribed.” The first-term legislator told AZ Free News that she had introduced the bill after learning from her own Yavapai County Constable Ron Williams ““that constables and deputy constables are not part of the list in ARS 38-1113, which covers off-duty carry of firearms by peace officers.”
Even though the legislation passed out of the State House with broad bipartisan support on May 15, Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed the bill four days later. In the governor’s veto letter to House Speaker Ben Toma, Hobbs said, “I am concerned that this bill would have expanded the authority of constables to carry a gun while off-duty whereby some constables may choose to view themselves as having a ‘duty to respond’ when they are off duty.”
Bliss also scored a recent Second Amendment victory over the City of Phoenix’s donation of hundreds of unclaimed firearms to Ukraine’s national police force, working with Arizona House Judiciary Chairman Quang Nguyen to force the municipality’s leaders to end their efforts and to seek sanctions against its leaders. Both Bliss and Nguyen sent a 1487 complaint to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes over the issue, who issued a subsequent report which concurred that the City’s ordinance had violated multiple state laws. The two lawmakers were then joined by Representative Travis Grantham in sending a letter to Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, calling on the prosecutor to “immediately undertake a criminal and civil investigation of City of Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and City Councilmembers for their intentional and flagrant violation of state law in connection with their actions surrounding the City’s Ordinance S-50010.”
According to its website, AzCDL “is a non-profit 501(c)(4), all volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to the principles contained in Article II, Section 2 of the Arizona Constitution that ‘All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights.’”
The organization’s goals for Arizona are as follows:
- Freedom to Carry – Restore and protect the right of law-abiding citizens to carry a firearm openly or discreetly anywhere they have a right to be.
- Fewer restrictions on the lawful carrying of firearms on public property (state and local government buildings, parks, etc.).
- Restaurant Carry – The ability of law-abiding citizens to dine out while carrying a firearm.
- Continued strengthening and preservation of the right of presumed innocence in self-defense situations.
- Strong State Preemption – Firearms laws should be consistent throughout the State.
- Liability responsibility for property owners who ban firearms.
- Continued improvements to CCW laws.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | May 16, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
As the border crisis continues to worsen after the end of Title 42, Arizona House Republicans are crying out for action and assistance.
Last week, Arizona House Republicans used the Title 42 news from the border to highlight the need for more federal and state efforts to enforce the nation’s laws and defend innocent American families and communities. The House Republican Majority issued a statement demanding that “federal leaders end the border crisis and protect states.” Then five Representatives sent a letter to Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs, “urging her to take immediate action and activate all available state resources to keep communities safe from the dangerous and unprecedented threats presented by an unsecure southern border.”
In the statement to the federal government, the House Majority leaders shared what Arizona had enacted to secure the border over the past three fiscal years:
“In 2021, House Republicans passed a Border Security Fund, which was used to help prevent human trafficking and illegal entry into the country, to solidify infrastructure, aid local prosecution efforts, and other necessary activities to protect Arizona citizens.
Last year we put over $500 million into the fund and allocated over $209 million for a variety of state and local border enforcement activities. About $240 million remains in the fund, which the state can use to counteract the federal government’s negligence on the border and the harm it has in our communities.
In the new state budget passed this week, we included:
– Maintaining a $30 million program that provides additional support to local law enforcement facing border-related crimes. (Border Drug and Interdiction Fund; Local Border Support – formerly known as the Border Strike Force)
– Adding $10 million to human trafficking prevention efforts.
– Adding $3 million for additional fentanyl prosecution efforts.”
In the letter to Governor Hobbs, the state representatives (Gail Griffin, Tim Dunn, Lupe Diaz, Michael Carbone, and Michele Peña) referenced former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s legal opinion on “the federal government’s failure to uphold its duty to defend the States from invasion;” and a May 2022 Arizona House Legislative Proclamation, declaring that “an uncontrolled border is a security and humanitarian crisis,” and that “the smuggling of illegal drugs, weapons, and human beings poses a direct threat to our communities and innocent Americans.”
The five lawmakers wrote that “the State of Emergency in Arizona’s border counties that former Governor Ducey declared on April 20, 2021, is still in effect and continues as long as these conditions exist. And over $240 million remains in the Border Security Fund, which the Legislature established to prevent illegal entry into the country, solidify infrastructure, and combat other harms at the border.” They requested the governor “take immediate action and activate all available state resources to keep our communities safe from these dangerous and unprecedented threats.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
