Former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer marked the death with a post on her “X” account, writing, “Today, Lou Conter, the last survivor from the USS Arizona, passed away at the age of 102. Join me in offering a prayer for Lou, his loved ones, and for all the men and women who have risked and given their lives to preserve freedom.”
Today, Lou Conter, the last survivor from the USS Arizona, passed away at the age of 102.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell added, “So grateful for his service – and the service and sacrifice of so many others.”
So grateful for his service – and the service and sacrifice of so many others. https://t.co/tJAGIc4k7R
— Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell (@Rachel1Mitchell) April 2, 2024
Former Arizona legislator Kate Brophy McGee stated, “A humble man who spoke always of his fellow service men who did not make it that day. Rest in peace.”
A humble man who spoke always of his fellow service men who did not make it that day. Rest in Peace.
A Republican-led bill to help protect the Arizona electric grid from a lethal threat was recently signed into law.
Late last month, Governor Katie Hobbs signed SB 1301, which “requires electricity producers in Arizona to take steps to secure a continuous supply of electricity regarding the threat of an electromagnetic pulse” – according to the purpose from the State Senate. The proposal was sponsored by Senator David Farnsworth.
SB 1301, sponsored by Senator @DaveFarnsworth_, was signed into law!
In a statement to mark the successful conclusion of his legislation, Farnsworth said, “A few years ago, I was made aware of the danger of electromagnetic pulse. This phenomenon occurs as a burst of electromagnetic energy that can shut down all our electricity in a matter of seconds. That means all transportation, forms of communication, refrigeration, etc., needed to live and operate as a society, will cease to exist. This can occur as a result of a natural event in the form of a solar storm, or a man-made weapon such as a nuclear bomb or electromechanical device.”
The Republican Senator added, “If you want to know more about this phenomenon, I recommend watching a documentary called Grid Down, Power Up, which further explains these dangers and possible solutions.”
The bill unanimously passed the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Energy and Water with a 7-0 vote in February. It was then cleared by the full Senate chamber that same month with a 29-0 vote (with one member not voting). After being transmitted to the State House of Representatives, the legislation was approved by the Committee on Natural Resources, Energy & Water in March with a 9-1 vote. It then sailed past the final legislative hurdle, passing the full House chamber with a 48-8 vote (with three members not voting and one seat vacant).
Senators Shawnna Bolick, Sonny Borrelli, Wendy Rogers, Justine Wadsack, and Representative Seth Blattman were co-sponsors of the bill.
SB 1301 will go into effect 90 days after the Arizona Legislature adjourns for the 2024 session.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Arizona legislative Republicans are racking up a lengthy list of legal cases on behalf of the state.
Earlier this month, the Arizona Senate Republicans Caucus’ “X” account posted an update on the lawsuits that President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma have engaged in due, in large part, to the absence of the state’s Democrat attorney general. The collective voice for the Senate Republicans wrote, “Your Arizona Republican state lawmakers don’t shy away from joining legal battles when your freedoms, safety, and our democracy are on the line! We’ve joined a number of impactful cases and are now paving the way for other state legislatures to do the same.”
Your Arizona Republican state lawmakers don't shy away from joining legal battles when your freedoms, safety, and our democracy are on the line!
We've joined a number of impactful cases and are now paving the way for other state legislatures to do the same.
Per the Senate Republicans, the issues covered by the legal challenges include the following: election integrity, religious freedom, First Amendment rights, Second Amendment rights, the homeless crisis, keeping men out of women’s safe spaces, government overreach, and medical freedom.
There were several updates on cases that the Arizona Senate Republicans have weighed in on behalf of state residents. In AZ Senate v. Hobbs – a case involving a dispute over the governors’ retraction of agency director nominations – “oral arguments on cross motions for summary judgment is set for April 26, 2024.” Late last year, legislative Republicans sued Governor Katie Hobbs over this issue.
In Johnson v. City of Grants Pass – a case involving a challenge to a local government’s policy against a homeless encampment – “the U.S. Supreme Court accepted review of the case and set oral argument for April 22, 2024.” Legislative Republicans wrote an amicus brief to the nation’s high court in support of the City of Grants Pass’ position.
In a challenge over the constitutionality of Arizona’s Save Women’s Sports Act, “the Ninth Circuit [had] set oral argument in [the] appeal of the trial court’s preliminary injunction ruling for March 14, 2024.” Legislative Republicans had intervened in the case to help defend the law that was passed to protect the integrity of women’s sports.
In Murthy v. Missouri, “oral argument [was] scheduled at the U.S. Supreme Court on March 18, 2024.” The Legislature had joined with over a dozen states on an amicus brief in support of Missouri’s fight against the federal government over online censorship.
Not only have Arizona Republican legislators been active in intervening on cases that impact laws or interests of their state, but they have increasingly shown an appetite for joining briefs and letters that have been led by Republican state attorneys general around the country. While not unprecedented, those actions have been extremely rare in the past – until recently, when the Arizona Legislature, led by Petersen and Toma, have signed onto multiple actions in federal court. More of these efforts are expected as the year continues.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
State Rep. Justin Heap (R-LD10) wants Arizona to conduct its own census excluding illegal immigrants.
Heap proposed the plan through his resolution for a ballot proposal, HCR2058. The resolution would enable the state to have its Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) or a legislative designee conduct a state census in years ending in zero in order to create legislative districts of equal citizen population. The resolution passed the House last month along party lines and is now working its way through the Senate, with Senate Appropriations scheduled to review the resolution on Tuesday.
“The United States Supreme Court has declined to limit redistricting methods to any single specific population metric and has expressly recognized the permissibility of drawing districts on the basis of eligible voter populations,” states the resolution. “An Arizona specific decennial census of the citizen population will ensure that redistricting determinations are predicated on accurate and current data.”
Should the IRC not complete the state census by Dec. 31 of any year ending in zero, then the IRC would use data from the Census Bureau or a successor agency to determine citizen populations of each legislative district. The resolution would also grant authority to any lawmaker to initiate an action or proceeding to ensure the IRC’s completion of the census and legislative district mapping.
During the House floor vote last month, Heap emphasized that the ballot proposal wouldn’t bind the state to conducting its own census.
“It doesn’t require that we conduct a census: if we don’t either for budgetary reasons or logistical reasons we don’t feel that we can conduct the census on a statewide level, then we just default to the federal as we’ve always done,” said Heap.
Heap further explained during the initial House committee hearing on the bill last month that the federal census has presented a “growing problem” of abstaining from asking about citizenship status.
The Census Bureau didn’t ask about citizenship status in the 2020 Census, after the Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to include the question on the form. As a result, the bureau has confirmed that both citizens and illegal immigrants are included in the resident population for the census.
Last year, the Census Bureau announced it would test-run questions about sexual orientation and gender identity in its American Community Survey beginning this year.
Heap blamed the federal government’s alleged poor census-taking for the state not earning its highly anticipated tenth congressional seat in 2020.
“It was widely seen that Arizona was undercounted by the census, resulting in the loss of us receiving another vote,” said Heap. “It’s also widely known that California has two to three additional representative seats in the House that they should not have because noncitizens in California are being counted.”
Heap dismissed the concerns of the cost to the state. He referenced the cost of the last federal census, about $14 billion, for the entire country as indicative that a single-state census wouldn’t cost too much.
“Arizona can do it better, if we choose to,” said Heap.
Last year, Heap posted on X that census records have likely underreported the illegal immigrant population.
“[T]he U.S. census is not the reliable source in determining the undocumented population because that population avoids contact with government and do not cooperate with the census,” said Heap. “So the reported [illegal immigrant] pollution in any census record is just an estimate and is more likely to be heavily under reported.”
I didn't say they were the problem. I said that the U.S. census is not the reliable source in determining the undocumented population because that population avoids contact with government and do not cooperate with the census. So the reported I.I. pollution in any census record…
— Az State Rep. Justin Heap (@azjustinheap) May 24, 2023
Heap also claimed that illegal immigrants usually don’t speak with census workers.
All of you are failing to follow the basic premise so let me give an analogy. Let's say the census is taken of a small community. This community is made up of 100 native-born citizens, 100 foriegn-born legal immigrants, and 100 illegal undocumented farm workers. The Census goes…
— Az State Rep. Justin Heap (@azjustinheap) May 24, 2023
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Arizona ranked fifth out of states adding the most mortgage debt between quarters three and four of 2023 according to a WalletHub survey.
WalletHub released a report Friday showing in what state homeowners are struggling the most in response to the upward trend of mortgage debt over the past few years.
The personal finance website compared the 50 states based on its proprietary data on mortgage debt from Q3 to Q4 2023.
Mortgage debt is by far the biggest category of debt for Americans, with the average household owing around $100,000. WalletHub found the total balance to be more than $12 trillion.
“Mortgage rates are the highest they’ve been in around a decade, and home prices have seen a meteoric rise in recent years as well,” WalletHub Editor John Kiernan said in a news release. “Even small increases in home prices can lead to thousands of dollars in extra mortgage interest costs for homeowners, so it’s important to choose wisely when deciding where and when to buy a house.”
The average mortgage balance in Arizona increased by 0.068% from Q3 to Q4 2023, and the average mortgage balance was more than a quarter of a million in Q4 2023.
The Grand Canyon state’s average monthly payment for mortgages in Q4 2023 was $1,751.
The states ahead of Arizona for adding the most mortgage debt included Maryland, Nevada, Hawaii, and Texas. The states with the smallest increases to mortgage debts were Wyoming, Delaware, and Vermont.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
