by AZ Free Enterprise Club | Jan 25, 2025 | Opinion
By the Arizona Free Enterprise Club |
As President Trump gets to work cleaning up Joe Biden’s failed economy, the last thing the people of Arizona need is to be sending their hard-earned dollars to woke Hollywood. But that’s exactly what’s happening.
Thanks to a law passed in 2022, movie companies that film in Arizona will begin receiving refundable tax credit subsidies this year—up to 15 percent if they spend up to $10 million in production costs, 17.5 percent if they spend between $10 million and $35 million, and 20 percent if they spend over $35 million. Then, to top it all off, these movie companies can get an additional 2.5 percent if they meet other criteria.
But here’s the real kicker. The keyword in all of this is “refundable.” This essentially means that if a movie company qualifies for more credits than they owe in taxes, the State of Arizona sends them a check!
So, how much does this outrageous tax scheme cost the people of Arizona?
Up to $125 million each year!
For that kind of money, there must be at least some kind of return on this investment, right? Nope.
If a company comes to Arizona, films a movie, mentions our state in the credits but decides not to release or distribute the film, it still receives the money.
Yes. You read that right. Arizona taxpayers could be funding Hollywood movies that won’t ever see the light of day…
>>> CONTINUE READING >>>
by Daniel Stefanski | Sep 23, 2024 | Economy, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Dozens of Arizona Republicans running for the state legislature received endorsements from a key organization for their support of small businesses.
Late last month, the National Federation for Independent Business Arizona PAC endorsed 51 individuals for their General Election races in the upcoming November contests.
“Locally-owned businesses are the foundation of our state’s economy, creating good-paying jobs and thriving communities,” NFIB State Director Chad Heinrich said. “A recent NFIB survey found that inflation and health care costs are taking a serious toll on our small business owners. These candidates understand the challenges small business owners face and support policies that will make it easier to do business in our state.
Heinrich added, “On behalf of our small business owner members, I’m proud to announce these endorsements for the 2024 general election, and ask all Arizonans to support these pro-small business candidates.”
Senator J.D. Mesnard, one of the Republicans who received an endorsement, said, “I’m proud to have been among a small group of Arizona legislators to receive the Guardian of Small Business Award from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the state’s leading small business advocacy organization. My colleagues, President Petersen and Senator Shope, also received this award for their work. NFIB holds legislators accountable for the way they vote on important small business issues. I believe that state government should follow the same financial guidelines that any responsible individual or family would follow: spend only what’s necessary, don’t rack up debt, invest in your learning, save for the future, and when times get tough, find responsible ways to trim. We should also create and protect policies that allow small businesses to thrive in our state. I have always voted on legislation with those beliefs in mind. This session, I received a 100% on the NFIB Arizona voting record.”
The NFIB endorsements are as follows:
Endorsed candidates:
Senate
District 01 Mark Finchem
District 02 Shawnna Bolick
District 03 John Kavanagh
District 04 Carine Werner
District 07 Wendy Rogers
District 10 David Farnsworth
District 13 J.D. Mesnard
District 14 Warren Petersen
District 15 Jake Hoffman
District 16 T.J. Shope
District 17 Vince Leach
District 19 David Gowan
District 25 Tim Dunn
District 27 Kevin Payne
District 28 Frank Carroll
District 29 Janae Shamp
House
District 01 Selina Bliss
District 01 Quang Nguyen
District 02 Ari Bradshaw
District 02 Justin Wilmeth
District 03 Joseph Chaplik
District 03 Alexander Kolodin
District 04 Pamela Carter
District 04 Matt Gress
District 07 Walt Blackman
District 07 David Marshall
District 09 Kylie Barber
District 10 Justin Olson
District 13 Jeff Weninger
District 13 Julie Willoughby
District 14 Laurin Hendrix
District 14 Khyl Powell
District 15 Neal Carter
District 15 Michael Way
District 16 Chris Lopez
District 16 Teresa Martinez
District 17 Rachel Jones
District 17 Cory McGarr
District 19 Lupe Diaz
District 19 Gail Griffin
District 23 Michele Peña
District 25 Michael Carbone
District 25 Nick Kupper
District 27 Lisa Fink
District 27 Tony Rivero
District 28 Beverly Pingerelli
District 28 David Livingston
District 29 Steve Montenegro
District 29 James Taylor
District 30 Leo Biasiucci
District 30 John Gillette
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Mar 9, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona legislators continue to work on solutions to help their constituents afford and own their own homes.
On Wednesday, the Arizona State Senate passed HB 2570, the Arizona Starter Homes Act, with a bipartisan vote. The bill, which was sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Sonny Borrelli and House Majority Leader Leo Biasiucci, “creates municipal prohibitions relating to home designs and single-family home lot sizes” – according to the overview provided by the chamber.
“Hardworking Arizonans are finding it increasingly difficult to purchase their first home and begin their pursuit of the American dream. This legislation is a step in the right direction in bringing prices down by eliminating some of the restrictive government red tape and expensive regulatory constraints being passed onto homebuyers,” said Senator Borrelli. “Government should do everything in its power to make the lives of our citizens better, but local municipalities are overstepping their authority by trying to control private property rights, instead of focusing their attention on valid rules and regulations protecting against nuisance and safety issues. The Arizona Starter Homes Act is a no-brainer, and I’m encouraged it received bipartisan support. I look forward to the Governor taking appropriate action on behalf of our citizens’ lives and livelihoods by signing this bill into law.”
The bill passed the Senate with a 16-13 vote. One member did not vote.
Last month, the Arizona House of Representatives approved the proposal with a 33-26 vote (with one vacant seat).
Senator Anna Hernandez, a Democrat, applauded the passage of the legislation from her chamber, writing that the result “is amazing for all Arizonans!”
Earlier this week, Democrat State Representative Analise Ortiz stated that this bill “provides the best opportunity for the American dream of homeownership.” She added that “we don’t have to be ‘forever renters,’” and that “our generation deserves to own a home & build generational wealth.”
While the support in the legislature for this piece of legislation is bipartisan, towns and cities around the state have indicted strong opposition to its proposed policies. On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from the cities of Prescott, Scottsdale, Avondale, Goodyear, Sedona, Flagstaff, Eloy, Mesa, Buckeye, Chandler, Litchfield Park, Glendale, Tucson, and Yuma; as well as from the League of Arizona Cities & Towns, Chandler Chamber of Commerce, and Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce, signed in to oppose the bill. Representatives from the Arizona Neighborhood Project, Republican Liberty Caucus of Arizona, Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, and the Arizona Homeowners Coalition indicated their support for the legislation.
HB 2570 now heads to Governor Katie Hobbs’ desk for a decision on its fate.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Jan 30, 2024 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
The newly-elected chair of the Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP), Gina Swoboda, revealed that GOP leadership plans to sue Secretary of State Adrian Fontes over the Elections Procedures Manual (EPM).
Swoboda dropped the news in an interview with Steve Bannon. She said Fontes’ EPM was “off the rails” and worse than the one produced by his predecessor, now-Gov. Katie Hobbs.
“The legislature’s going to drop a lawsuit this week, the AZGOP’s going to drop the lawsuit this week,” said Swoboda.
Bannon questioned why the lawsuits weren’t dropped earlier, to which Swoboda informed Bannon that the EPM was published on Dec. 30.
On top of discarding Fontes’ EPM, Swoboda revealed that the state party would attempt to get rid of unstaffed drop boxes and implement stricter requirements for signature verification.
“What we can do is get in there now, eliminate the things that are the worst of the gaps in the system: the unmanned drop boxes, the lack of any requirements for signature verification, […] and what’s in this procedure’s manual will blow off the door, so if we thought what we saw before is bad, it’s off the rails,” said Swoboda.
Prior to her election as chair of AZGOP, Swoboda was a deputy registrar for the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office, the AZGOP Election Integrity Committee chair, and the executive director for an organization that published voter rolls online: Voter Reference Foundation (VRF), a subsidiary of Restoration of America.
Swoboda said that she hadn’t originally planned to run for party chair until she received a call from former President Donald Trump.
Top Democratic lawyer Marc Elias referred to her selection as “a worrying choice,” citing her VRF involvement.
Swoboda rebutted that Elias was “scared” of her.
“I think Marc is scared of me and I think they actually tried to do a lot of damage over the last three days,” said Swoboda. “We need to litigate, we need to protect ourselves from lawfare, that’s how they weakened the system in 2020 and we didn’t see them coming. We know where they are.”
Despite expressing worry over Swoboda, Elias said that he didn’t feel threatened by the prospect of further litigation.
In order to engage in that lawfare against Elias and others, Swoboda said the party required more funding. Swoboda disclosed that the AZGOP was “broke” and that there were financial unknowns dating back to a year regarding the party’s profits and losses. Swoboda said that the party was “running on fumes.”
“If I can’t litigate, I can’t protect us,” said Swoboda. “We’ve got to take it to them, we can’t sit here and wait and then try to flail about when it’s too late and it’s already started. We’ve got to do it now, we’re bringing it now, but we need support to do it.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 22, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona Republican legislators continue to work alongside state attorneys general in significant legal fights in federal court.
On Friday, the Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus announced it had joined an amicus brief to the Supreme Court of the United States in Trump v. Anderson, defending the former president’s right to remain on the ballot in Colorado – and every other state – for the upcoming election. This action follows a similar effort, where legislators, led by Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma, signed their names to a brief that successfully petitioned the nation’s high court to hear the case.
This latest amicus was led by the States of Indiana and West Virginia and co-signed by twenty-three additional states. Notably, the legislative leadership of North Carolina also joined the coalition of attorneys general and the Arizona Legislature in the filing. As with Arizona, North Carolina has a Democrat attorney general and a Republican-led legislature.
Senator Jake Hoffman championed the newest sign-on from the state legislature, writing, “With a Leftist AG in Arizona who refuses to stand up for the rule of law, the conservative-led Legislature has stepped up to defend not only the laws of our state, but the very fabric of our republic. Proud to stand with Warren Petersen and the Arizona Senate Republicans on these legal battles.”
Representative Alexander Kolodin added, “Democrats are trying for a Chinese style election where only their presidential candidate appears on the ballot. The Arizona House and Senate Republicans are stepping up to defend democracy against this threat!”
In their brief, the attorneys general and legislators warn that “if the Court endorses what happened in Colorado, then the chaos can only be expected to worsen. No doubt a political tit-for-tat will ensue, in which competing parties will find new avenues to disqualify their opponents. And elections could then come down to small variations among state elections laws and the political composition of state administrations. In short, indulging challenges of this sort and in this posture will ‘sacrifice the political stability of the system’ of the Nation ‘with profound consequences for the entire citizenry.’ At a minimum, it will ‘expose the political life of the country to months, or perhaps years, of chaos.’”
The legislators’ sign-on to this brief marks yet another time they have joined Republican attorneys general on their legal filings over the past couple months. At the start of the year, the Arizona Legislature joined an amicus brief in federal court to help challenge California’s Assault Weapon Control Act. That brief was led by the attorneys general of Idaho, Iowa, and Montana, and co-signed by almost two dozen additional states.
In December, Petersen and Toma joined a public comment letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to address its newly proposed rule, Definition of “Engaged in the Business as a Dealer in Firearms.” That letter was led by the States of Kansas, Iowa, and Montana, and co-signed by 22 other attorneys general.
Over the past month, the two Republican legislative leaders have signaled a more aggressive shift in taking the reins from Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes to defend the law and Constitution. Attorneys general are not usually joined by outside parties on their amicus briefs, yet multiple coalitions of Republican state prosecutors have included Petersen and Toma on these major filings. In previews for the 2024 legislative session, both the House and Senate Majority Caucuses indicated more of these efforts are to be expected throughout this year.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
