As Americans around the country honored the fallen men and women who have worn our country’s uniform on Memorial Day, Arizona Legislators paid their own homage to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation’s freedoms and Constitution.
With the LD-1 Team today to honor the fallen at the Citizens Cemetery Memorial Day Ceremony. This historic cemetery dates back to 1864 when the City of Prescott was founded. A shout-out to Senator Bennett who was the Emcee and set the tone for the ceremony. pic.twitter.com/bCPypg6jDl
Last month I traveled to Washington D.C. and visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial where I found the name of my Uncle, Albert D. “Butchie” Austin Jr., who was honored as a City of Mesa Hometown Hero for his courageous sacrifice on the frontlines of the 1968 Tet Offensive during pic.twitter.com/wSnZPzqpS2
— Representative Lorena Austin (@LorenaAustin4Az) May 29, 2023
Another #MemorialDay Weekend, another “Murph Workout” in honor of Lt. Michael Murphy and all the fallen soldiers.
— Rep. Joseph Chaplik 🇺🇸 (@JosephChaplik) May 29, 2023
Remembering the brave men and women of the Armed Services who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, Wishing you all a safe and enjoyable #MemorialDay2023pic.twitter.com/0o5gzwydCm
— Arizona House Democrats (@AZHouseDems) May 29, 2023
Great Memorial Day ceremony at the Fountain Hills Veterans' Memorial. "All gave some but today we honor the some who gave all." pic.twitter.com/QpYRQ5z8u3
— Senator John Kavanagh (@JohnKavanagh_AZ) May 29, 2023
Rep. Terech and I spent some time today at the National Cemetery honoring those who died protecting our country and freedom. It was a very moving experience. pic.twitter.com/PKbbv6IYM6
— Senator Christine Marsh (@ChristinePMarsh) May 29, 2023
On Memorial Day, we recognize all of those brave men and women who gave their lives on the battlefields of many hard-fought wars. What many of us don't realize is that some of these warriors make it home and continue to struggle with PTSD, depression, and anxiety.
— AZ Representative Rachel Jones (@RJ4arizona) May 29, 2023
"Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices." -President Truman #memorialday
— Arizona Senate Democrats (@AZSenateDems) May 29, 2023
Today, we remember heroes who died while serving in the US military.
We pray for the lives lost, and the families left behind.
Freedom comes at a high cost, and we must continually protect it as Americans. Thank you to the heroes who sacrificed it all for our country. pic.twitter.com/bLWnk3ksXx
— AZ Senator Justine Wadsack (@Wadsack4Arizona) May 29, 2023
This Memorial Day we honor those soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice. May their memory illuminate our own efforts in creating a strong and compassionate country every day.
— Rep Marcelino Quiñonez (@Marcelino4AZ) May 29, 2023
— Arizona House Republicans (@AZHouseGOP) May 29, 2023
This Memorial Day, we honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country and protecting our freedoms.
— Representative Judy Schwiebert, AZ House LD2 (@JudyForAZ) May 29, 2023
May we never forget and always be appreciative of the great debt we owe to all the individuals who have laid down their lives to protect American freedom. We live in the greatest country in the world and have so much to be thankful for – because of the service and sacrifice of these men and women who are no longer with us.
God bless and keep the United States of America.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
25 Arizona House and Senate Republicans led by freshman State Representative Jake Hoffman (R-Phoenix) called for Governor Doug Ducey to do something about the school districts defying state law with their mask mandates. The news release on Wednesday revealed that Republican legislators have urged Ducey privately to take action, to no avail. This public statement appears to be their next step in convincing Ducey to enforce the law.
It’s been over a week since the first school district called a mask mandate: Phoenix Union High School (PXU). Other schools followed suit soon after: most recently, Flagstaff Unified School District (FUSD). Ducey hasn’t taken action – though his spokespersons have relayed Ducey’s finger-wagging statements of disapproval in response to those school districts.
The legislators proposed that Ducey respond to the districts’ actions by withholding federal funding, authorizing temporary Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) for families, inform families of the law, and take legal action.
Hoffman’s statement explained that the ban on mask mandates included a retroactivity clause that puts it in effect – contradicting school districts’ insistence that the law can’t take place until 90 days after the end of the legislative session, per Arizona statute. He noted that the school districts’ behavior undermined lawful government and bordered on anarchy.
“Under Arizona’s constitutional form of government, local governments do not have the authority or power to usurp state law simply because they disagree, yet that is precisely the kind of illegal activity in which many local governments are presently engaged. The Arizona legislature, with the Governor concurring, very intentionally enacted the laws at hand to protect Arizonans and Arizona children from the threat of government mandating them to wear a mask or be injected with a vaccine,” wrote Hoffman. “A resounding message must be delivered to any local government or subdivision of the state considering defying state law – lawlessness will not be tolerated.”
House Speaker Pro Tempore Travis Grantham (R-Gilbert) signed onto the statement admonishing Ducey. He told AZ Free News that he also supports law enforcement stepping in to enforce the law. Grantham hinted that this debacle sparked a legislative priority for next year – adding more teeth to legislation.
“It’s unfortunate that some of our government-funded schools have chosen to blatantly ignore state law and the will of the majority of Arizonans by instituting mandates regarding students wearing face coverings,” relayed Grantham. “I support executive action by the governor to include withholding of taxpayer dollars and expansion of school choice funding options giving more educational choices to parents. I also support any efforts by law enforcement to enforce state law and I encourage parents and teachers to follow state law when sending their children to school and when on school grounds. Next year I will make it a focus to hold those who violate state law accountable and ensure appropriate funding reductions are in place for districts that purposely violate the law.”
State Representative Joseph Chaplik (R-Scottsdale) also signed onto the statement. He reiterated to AZ Free News that disagreement with the law isn’t justification for violation of it. Chaplik wrote the legislation that effectively banned mask mandates in schools. He, too, asserted that the power to act is in Ducey’s hands.
“Just because some don’t agree with policy and law, we should not disrespect and violate it while also teaching children these illegal tactics,” said Chaplik. “We passed this policy due to the inconsistencies of results with mask use and the unknown long term health issues that can impair our children. We need to stop this madness. The legislature did its job and now the executive branch needs to enforce the law.”
As of press time, Grantham and Chaplik said that they haven’t seen or heard any responses from Ducey.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
By Diane Douglas, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction 2015-2018 |
In the words of the famed NY Yankee catcher, Yogi Berra, “it’s like déjà vu all over again!”
In 2019, during the very last, wee hours of the legislative session the legislators passed SB1558 attempting to TRIPLE their per diem compensation.
This year’s attempt, by virtue of an eleventh hour “strike everything” amendment to HB2053, is to give themselves a very significant increase in their per diem because a salary increase must be passed by the voters. It’s probably safe to assume that such shenanigans would have been attempted last year as well had the session not been prematurely preempted thanks to the Covid “crisis.”
This session the legislators propose to increase Maricopa County legislators per diem from $35 to $56 for meals each day of the session. Legislators outside Maricopa County per diem increases from $60 to $207 – $56 for meals and $151 for lodging for every day in session.
Legislators are paid a salary of $24,000. This may not seem like a lot however consider that this is for a 100 day session (which includes in that count Saturdays, Sundays and Fridays when committee meetings or floor sessions are virtually never conducted and most have already left for home). Prorate that 100 days to the 260 days full time Arizonans work it equates to $62,400 per annum. Not bad, especially when considering that for many the legislature is a second job. Many of them have another career or are collecting at least one if not more, oft times government, retirements or own very successful businesses or charter schools for which they write the laws or all of the above.
But I digress, back to the per diem.
If nothing else, legislators should treat themselves by the same rules and standards which they impose on state employees.
But wait, state employees are not entitled to meal allowances unless they are traveling on state business and then, if I’m not mistaken, must be outside a 50 miles radius to qualify for meal or travel allowances. They are not given a meal allowance to buy their daily lunch at their assigned work site (nor are they frequently, if ever, the guests of lobbyists) so neither should Maricopa legislators.
For those legislators outside Maricopa County, in addition to the meal allowance, they will all receive the same travel per diem, $151, regardless of how close or far they are from the Capitol. Whether they travel the 190 or so miles from Kingman in Mohave County or Sierra Vista in Cochise County and stay in Phoenix Monday through Thursday; or travel the 40 miles home nightly to Apache Junction in Pinal County or Black Canyon City in Yavapai County the per diem is the same.
A benefit, by the way, that is not provided to a Maricopa County legislator should he/she live in Gila Bend almost 70 miles from the Capitol. In my opinion the same 50 mile radius that applies to state employees should likewise apply to legislators regardless of their county of residence.
Finally, the per diem will be tied to the annual federal per diem rate for Maricopa County as determined by the United States General Services Administration and adjusted annuallywithout future legislative action.
But let’s put all that aside. The real issue not just the “how much” – some will argue too much, others not enough. It is the “how” that matters most.
In 2019 it was a bill slammed through at the last moments before the legislators voted to Sine Die at 12:58am. This session it is done through a “strike everything” amendment to HB2053. If that were not bad enough, allegedly part of the “deal”, to get Maricopa legislators to support this strike everything amendment, is to raise the Maricopa legislators’ lunch money as well. 30 pieces of silver this Easter Week, well, okay 21.
HB2053 originally entitled “superior court clerk; salary”, now titled “salary; superior court clerk” but nothing to indicate the true legislative intent of the amendment. – giving themselves an extra $2,100 for those in Maricopa and $14,700 for those outside.
(I’ve written about this legislative game of strike-all shenanigans in the past here.)
Legislators’ salary increases are supposed to be referred to the voters for approval however their “per diem” is defined in statute which takes no more than a majority and signature to increase. Effectively giving themselves what the voters will not – increased compensation.
If per diem is really just a backdoor way for legislators to do an end run around the taxpayers and give themselves a substantial increase in their compensation that the voters have not or are not otherwise willing to approve then, at the very least, legislators should be transparent and honest about it. Drop an appropriately titled bill at the beginning of the session. Do not do it through late night bills on the way out the door or late session “strike everything” amendments.
Especially after a year when untold numbers of Arizonans have lost their jobs and countless small business have had to close their doors Arizonans deserve better from their elected officials than the same old games. Deja vu Yogi, deja vu.