by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 18, 2023 | Education, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s schools chief is continuing his quest to make state schools safer.
Last week, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne released a number of recommendations from his administration’s task force meant to strengthen school safety.
Superintendent Horne said, “The safety of our schools is of the utmost importance. There is no greater nightmare than to contemplate a maniac shooting up a school and it’s essential that everything is done to increase campus safety. This committee has done remarkable work and now the task is to get these proposed changes implemented so we can make the state’s school safety program even stronger.”
A handful of the recommendations from the task force involve changing state laws, which the Arizona Legislature would have to approve through legislation and then the governor would have to sign. Those changes are as follows:
- Removing barriers to allowing retired law enforcement officers to work as School Resource Officers.
- Allowing for the school safety program to pay for School Safety Officers and school psychologists in addition to the other positions currently included in the program.
- Adding increased mental health training to focus on adolescent mental health issues, education privacy law and civil rights matters.
- Adding language to the law requiring attention to school architecture, ingress and egress and safety technology and training.
The task force also recommended steps for the Arizona Department of Education to enact within its statutory responsibilities, including the following:
- Reviewing and providing additional safety training and materials.
- Hosting an annual conference for educators, law enforcement and mental health professionals.
- Pursuing partnerships with entities that can help encourage workforce development in the social work and mental health sectors.
According to Horne’s office, his task force “consists of educators, legislators, representatives of mental health professions, law enforcement, and other community leaders.”
With the next legislative session just weeks away, the recommendations from the school safety task force may come at a perfect time to put the issue in front of lawmakers returning to work in January. Since school safety is a priority of Horne and his administration, he and his team will surely be lobbying for these changes and attempting to work with legislators from both sides of the aisle as they attempt to keep Arizona boys and girls safe at their schools.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 15, 2023 | Economy, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
On Wednesday, Republican lawmakers held a press conference to announce their plan to “ease the financial burden hitting hardworking Arizonans when they fill their gas tanks…by addressing fuel blend requirements in Arizona.”
The fuel blend issue at Arizona pumps has long been a point of contention between legislative Republicans and the Hobbs’ administration, leading to this proactive attempt at a solution on the lawmakers’ side. According to the press release issued by the State Senate Republican Caucus, “Arizona is required to provide drivers in Maricopa County a specific fuel blend for cooler season months and a different fuel blend specific for warmer season months.” The blend employed by the state during spring and summer is “Cleaner Burning Gas” (CBG) – a boutique blend dictated by statute and procured from outside the state, which can lead to shortages and higher prices for consumers filling up their tanks at critical times of the year.
Faced with this issue of a very limited set of approved fuel blends, Arizona legislative Republicans announced that they had “identified eight comparable blends” in their free-market proposal to allow “as many fuel blends as possible.”
“We believe the EPA can and should approve those blends for use, as they provide nearly identical clean air benefits as CBG,” said Senate President Warren Petersen. “Providing multiple fuel options allows the market to compete during unexpected shortages and helps keep gas prices low for Arizona drivers.”
Senator Justine Wadsack, the bill’s sponsor, added, “The Legislature was not made aware of the shortage until after it had happened. As part of our plan, we’re proposing the Legislature be immediately notified if a waiver is requested by refineries, and that the Senate President and House Speaker are provided the authority to file a waiver request directly with the EPA. Hardworking Arizonans are struggling in this economy. Turning a blind eye to crippling gas prices is like throwing salt on their wounds. As lawmakers, we should do everything in our power to improve the lives of our citizens who elected us to represent them.”
The issues raised by Wadsack refer to previously induced information this year that the Governor’s Office was convinced by the EPA not to submit a waiver for an “alternative fuel type to provide an adequate supply for drivers and preventing a hike in gas prices,” despite oil companies warning state officials of significant refinery shutdowns and past Arizona Governors applying for and receiving that opportunity. According to Senate Republicans, “this catastrophe reduced the supply of the CBG (fuel blend).”
In an exclusive statement to AZ Free News, Representative Austin Smith said, “I applaud my fellow freedom caucus colleagues, Kolodin and Wadsack, for being the leaders on this issue. Every Arizonan, specifically in Maricopa County, has felt the pain at the pump under the Biden administration. Katie Hobbs could have led on this issue with requesting a waiver from the EPA, but failed to do so. As Vice Chairman of the House Energy committee, I look forward to seeing the proposals come forward this upcoming session. It’s the upmost importance to deliver real solutions to working Arizona families where we can.”
Earlier this year, Senator Jake Hoffman unleashed a blistering rebuke of Hobbs’ reported failure “to do the right thing by requesting this waiver to allow prices at the pump to drop.” Hoffman’s statement followed the aforementioned accounts of a letter that had been sent to Hobbs in March by independent petroleum refiner HF Sinclair, warning the state’s chief executive “of a critical supply shortage in Arizona due to an unexpected equipment failure stopping the production of CBG required by the Biden Administration in Maricopa County, as well as parts of Pinal and Yavapai Counties.”
At the time, Hoffman said, “Katie Hobbs’ incompetence as Arizona’s Governor continues to take center stage, and hardworking Arizonans are paying the price for it. The average price for a gallon of gas right now in Maricopa County is a full $1 higher than the national average. This is extra money that could help with groceries, medications and other necessities many of our taxpayers are having a difficult time affording because of the Biden Administration’s reckless policies leading to historic inflation.”
Senator Shawnna Bolick, who also attended the Wednesday press conference, told AZ Free News that “earlier this year, a proposed waiver that would have helped Arizonans save millions at the pump was rejected by an unelected government bureaucracy. During the critical supply shortage of CBG this spring it would have been invaluable to have this legislation to increase the availability of multiple gas blends instead of the current monopoly. It is time to remove unnecessary excessive red tape and open the market to competition to help Arizonans counter the Biden inflationary economy.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Nov 30, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
An Arizona lawmaker was recognized for her efforts on behalf of law enforcement this past legislative session.
On Tuesday, the Arizona House Republicans Conference announced that freshman State Representative Selina Bliss “was recently honored by the Arizona Constable Association for her dedicated efforts in support of Arizona constables.” Those efforts included the sponsoring of HB 2617 in 2023, which would have fixed “a disparity in current state law whereby retired constables have more extensive carry rights and protections than their active-duty counterparts.”
In a statement, Bliss said, “It is an honor to champion our law enforcement and peace officers in Arizona. HB2617 reflects our commitment to ensuring that constables, as essential members of our law enforcement community, are afforded the necessary privileges and protections to carry out their duties effectively. This bipartisan effort reflects our collective dedication to strengthening public safety and supporting those who are sworn to serve and protect on the front lines.”
The honor from the Arizona Constable Association follows one given earlier this year to Bliss from the Arizona Citizens Defense League, which named the Republican Representative from northern Arizona as its “Legislator of the Year.”
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.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Nov 13, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
An Arizona leader has traveled to Israel to show his support of its people as they continue to recover from one of the worst terrorist attacks in their nation’s history.
Peoria Mayor Jason Beck revealed on his Facebook platform this week that he had visited Israel “to meet with and support IDF soldiers, political and religious leaders around the country.”
The first-year mayor surmised he might have been “the first American to visit (the Kibbutz Be’eri) due to the continued threats in the area. This community of approximately 1,100 men, women, and children lost over 120 individuals in the October 7 terrorist attack from Hamas – more than ten percent of its population.
Beck shared he “felt it was extremely important to tour Be’eri and provide an accurate accounting of the horror and the intensity of what took place at this location.” He added that “the lives that were taken, the extreme brutality of Hamas of how men, women and children were tortured, executed and slain is important for someone to take in and carry forward for others to experience and hopefully recognize these heinous acts that took place on these beautiful people.”
As Mayor Beck concluded his post, he challenged readers to stand with this American ally in their fight against their terrorist enemies, writing, “To not support Israel’s ability to defend their people, home and lands from Hamas is to support terrorism and weakness that will surely spread across this world if it is not destroyed.”
According to his account, Beck met with the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eli Cohen; Rabbi Rabinovich of the Western Wall, and other rabbis and pastors in the country.
Though the west valley mayor has less than one year of time in the political world, he has decades of military and foreign affairs experience through his work in the private sector. Beck is the Founder and CEO of TYR Tactical, which is a “leading global manufacturer of tactical gear and equipment for military and law enforcement.” He also served the United States in the Marine Corps before he veered into his business ventures.
Days after the horrific terrorist attack in Israel, Beck vowed to “send body armor to Israel for the protection of the brave soldiers who will defend their homeland and our Western values.” That promise was fulfilled with an estimate of 2,000 protective vests being shipped to Israel.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Corinne Murdock | Nov 6, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
The state’s two main foster care court advocacy groups are requesting more volunteers to assist and advocate for children in the foster care system.
In a press release issued on Wednesday — also recognized as National Adoption Day — the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) expressed a need for volunteers in all 15 counties to serve with them or the Foster Care Review Board (FCRB).
CASA and the FCRB provide aid to the approximately 10,000 children in the state’s foster care system. CASA Program Manager Charlie Gray stressed in a press release that expertise isn’t necessary for volunteering — just compassion.
“You do not need to be steeped in child welfare experience or knowledge,” said Gray. “You only need to have a compassion to help guide a child through one of the most emotionally difficult experiences they will have in their life.”
Children in the state’s foster system need the support and care of their community more than ever: as we reported in August, a recent audit of the Arizona Department of Child Services found that caseworkers were failing the children in their charge by neglecting to provide all necessary documents for their cases and skipping case review meetings.
The auditor general found that these shortcomings by DCS caseworkers not only hindered children’s cases but compromised the foster care system by diminishing trust from the Administrative Office of the Courts and the local foster care review boards tasked with completing foster children’s cases.
Arizona community members may make up for DCS shortcomings by providing advocacy, support, and attentive care to the children and their cases.
CASA volunteers visit and build a relationship with a child as well as the people involved in their case. These volunteers also serve as advocates for the child’s best interests in court by issuing recommendations, while working alongside others involved with that child. That may include the child’s teachers, foster family, parents, and service providers. These volunteers serve as a stable, consistent presence for the child.
“A CASA volunteer stays with the child throughout the entire case and is often the one consistent adult throughout the court process,” stated CASA.
Comparatively, FCRB volunteers serve on a five-member panel that meets virtually once a month to review children’s foster care cases. The goal of the volunteers is to become acquainted with the same cases, recognize the needs of a child and their family, and achieve permanency.
Those interested in volunteering must be at least 21 years of age, able to pass a fingerprint background check, and able to participate in an introductory program training. Those desiring to be CASA volunteers may apply here; those interested in applying to be FCRB volunteers may apply here.
There are plenty of other volunteer opportunities to assist the court system, and thereby make it easier for those going through it. CASA shared that the Arizona Supreme Court also needs volunteers for its 30 standing committees and commissions.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
