by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 18, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona Republicans again got the better of Governor Katie Hobbs with their second installment of a state budget amid a tenuous divided government.
On Saturday night, the Republican-led Arizona Legislature passed the 2024-2025 state budget and adjourned for the year after finishing its tasks. This latest budget was negotiated between Senate President Warren Petersen, House Speaker Ben Toma, and Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs.
“Following last year’s state budget, where Republican lawmakers provided inflationary relief to everyday Arizonans through $274 million in tax rebates distributed to struggling families, as well as a ban on the tenant-paid rental tax taking effect this January, Republicans are again successfully supporting our hardworking citizens while simultaneously reining in spending,” said Senate President Warren Petersen. “In this year’s budget, we defended more than $520 million allocated last year for much-needed transportation projects statewide. We also cut fees for Maricopa County drivers on emissions testing by 5%, and we banned fee increases on Arizonans from state boards for the next two years.”
House Speaker Ben Toma added, “At a time when Arizonans are having to tighten their financial belts, so is state government. The Arizona House of Representatives has passed a fiscally conservative, structurally balanced state budget that solves the nearly $1.5 billion deficit, without touching the rainy-day fund or using budget gimmickry. The budget trims government and protects conservative priorities. It increases funding for local border support operations and assists fentanyl interdiction efforts by law enforcement. It funds transportation and infrastructure and maintains our state’s commitment to water security.”
According to a press release from the Arizona Senate Republicans Caucus, some of the highlights from the agreed-upon budget included the following:
- Reduction of state spending by $1.7 billion below the 2023-2024 budget (10%);
- Reduction of ongoing spending by $330 million; and
- Addition of $5 million for local border security support and $4 million for fentanyl interdiction and law enforcement response.
The Senate Republicans also noted that their efforts this year produced a budget that did not add any new taxes, tax increases, or debt. Additionally, the budget did not pull dollars from the rainy-day fund, ensuring that the state would have sufficient funds to draw upon should it experience more stormy weather in future years.
“We tightened the state’s belt by trimming fat from state agencies, and we reallocated unspent tax dollars to the general fund to eliminate the deficit, without irresponsibly tapping into our rainy-day fund,” said Senate Appropriations Chairman John Kavanagh. “Most government operations within the state received a healthy and manageable 3.5% reduction in spending, with a few exceptions. Safe communities free of crime and a secure border are the biggest priorities to Arizonans and Republicans alike, and we want to ensure our budget reflects that. As a result, funding for the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Corrections, and the Arizona Auditor General remains intact, while we’re also investing millions in border security, all without raising taxes or creating new debt.”
“Our budget also reflects our support for our citizens’ Second Amendment rights,” said Senator David Gowan, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Military Affairs, Public Safety & Border Security. “We’re funding two full time positions at the Department of Public Safety to address a backlog of concealed carry permit applications and renewals, with a requirement to prioritize Arizona residents first. This move can have a positive impact in our state by ultimately strengthening the safety and security of our communities as our citizens seek avenues to protect themselves, their families, and their private property. Additionally in this budget, we’re infusing crucial dollars into the Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) located in our rural communities, so these residents have convenient access to emergency care.”
Not every Republican was on board with this budget, however. State Representative Matt Gress explained his “no” vote on the most-recent edition, writing, “This year’s [budget] seems more focused on just ‘getting it done’ than ‘doing it right.’ There’s a reason there is bipartisan opposition. This is not a budget that reflects the shared priorities of Arizonans.”
Gress’ fellow Republican colleague in the chamber, Representative Jacqueline Parker, opined, “Literally the ONLY ones saying good things about this budget are Democrats…”
Senator Wendy Rogers weighed in after the vote in her chamber, posting, “This was a solid Republican budget and I voted for it.”
State Representative John Gillette agreed with Rogers’ sentiments, saying, “After a hard fight and two days of voting, we finally passed the 2024-2025 budget with tax cuts and NO new debt. Fiscal responsibility and conservative values prevailed.”
Regardless of their stance on the budget agreement, many Republicans seemed to be excited about the end of another legislative session.
Republicans will now have to make the case to Arizona voters in the all-important November General Election about why they should return to power in the state legislature for another two years in a divided government with Governor Hobbs. Throughout the past two years, Republicans have been mostly united and focused on protecting several of their priorities from the clutches of Democrats eager to dismantle values and principles. That balance of power, though, hangs on a knife’s edge as fall awaits.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 18, 2024 | Education, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
For the second year in a row, Republicans protected the state’s historic school choice program from Democrats seeking to regulate or end it.
This past weekend, the Arizona legislature passed the 2024-2025 state budget, adjourning for the session.
House Speaker Ben Toma, who was instrumental in the negotiations and approval of the budget, addressed his caucus’ defense of the Empowerment Scholarship Account program, writing, “I’m most proud of the fact that this budget fully protects the state’s universal Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program which provides educational freedom for Arizona families. Democrats have long vowed to dismantle the program. As the sponsor of the universal expansion of ESAs, I was never going to let that happen. Eligibility for the program is unchanged and we have included several smart, commonsense reforms that improve this popular school choice program and increases accountability.”
“What’s not included in the $16.1 billion budget is an elimination of the historic Universal Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program or our School Tuition Organizations program providing tens of thousands of Arizona families the freedom to pick the best schools to meet their children’s unique learning needs,” said Majority Whip Sine Kerr. “We are continuing our commitment to providing every family in the state of Arizona with a quality education, no matter their zip code or economic status. Additionally, we said ‘no’ when Governor Hobbs and Democrats proposed eliminating our Arizona Freedom Schools at our public universities, which are dedicated to civics education and ensuring students are equipped down the road to lead our state to a brighter tomorrow.”
Christine Accurso, one of Arizona’s foremost advocates for the ESA program, shared an update on the state of the program in the aftermath of the legislature’s action with the budget. She said, “For the second year in a row, Governor Hobbs failed to live up to her campaign promise of gutting the Empowerment Scholarship Program. ESA students will see the full funding in the program in 2024-2025 school year… The legislature prioritized parents and students over bureaucratic vendors… “
Accurso’s comment about Hobbs harkened back to the passage of the 2023-2024 budget process, where the then-first-year governor disappointed Democrat legislators and allied interest groups with her failure to break through a Republican blockade of the ESA program on behalf of Arizona families. Hobbs spent the remainder of 2023 and a good portion of the first half of 2024 taking more overt political swipes at ESAs in, what appeared to be, an attempt to win back favor from her base.
Hobbs may have sensed a renewed crescendo of disappointment and outrage from her side after the budget was passed by the legislature. In her statement about the agreement, Hobbs said, “…I know we still have more work to do. While this bipartisan budget delivers reforms to ESAs, there are not enough. I stand committed to bringing much needed accountability and transparency to the unsustainable ESA program.”
Marisol Garcia, the President of the Arizona Education Association, issued a statement following the latest budget passage, in which she previewed the road ahead for her side as they regroup and try to win Democrat seats for a legislative majority come January. Garcia wrote, “…There’s only so much that pro-education lawmakers can do when they’re outnumbered by an extremist majority. This budget is a call to action – it’s up to us to elect a new legislature this November and start making Arizona a state that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few.”
Save Our Schools Arizona also released a statement to oppose the budget and echoed the sentiments of the Arizona Education Association, stating, “Failing to touch Gov. Ducey’s unaccountable ESA voucher giveaway is an incredibly irresponsible use of taxpayer funds… This budget makes the path forward abundantly clear: No progress can be made for Arizona public schools until the balance of power is shifted at the legislature.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 6, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona Republican legislators continue to stand up in defense of the rule of law in the absence of the Democrat attorney general.
Late last month, the Arizona Legislature, led by Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma, signed onto a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court in Smith & Wesson Brand, Inc. v. Mexico. The Second Amendment-related petition was led by the State of Montana and joined by a number of other states from around the country.
In a statement for the Arizona Senate Republicans weekly newsletter, Senator Frank Carroll addressed the latest action in federal court for state legislators, writing, “In a federal lawsuit, Mexico is trying to blame American gun manufacturers for cartel violence, instead of their own government’s negligent policies. California and other blue states, along with anti-gun activists, are working to support Mexico’s efforts in an attempt to put gun manufacturers out of business. We recently joined 26 states to urge the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on this case.
Carroll added, “A foreign nation has no business using our court system to try to limit the rights of our citizens, yet that’s exactly what’s occurring with this $10 billion lawsuit. The bipartisan Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) prohibits civil liability actions from being brought against manufacturers for damages resulting from the misuse of their products. It was enacted nearly a decade ago for a reason. The fact that this case was revived after being previously dismissed is a threat to our Second Amendment rights, and has the potential to set a dangerous precedent moving forward, which is why we’re fighting for the highest court to weigh in.”
The coalition of states argue in the brief that the “PLCAA is part of a carefully calibrated regulatory scheme in which Congress – not just the judiciary – regulates the firearms industry, [that] the Court should grant the petition to enforce PLCAA and definitely address the scope of its exceptions, [and that] Mexico’s sovereign power undercuts any claim of proximate causation.”
This action from the Petersen and Toma-led Arizona Legislature is one of a growing number of instances where the Republican lawmakers have led their own challenges or joined other attorneys general in legal filings in federal court. Both the Arizona Senate and House have prioritized these actions over the past year with Democrats in the Governor’s and Attorney General’s Offices.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 5, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona voters will have the opportunity to empower local law enforcement to better secure their communities after the state legislature sent a measure to the November ballot.
On Tuesday, the Arizona House of Representatives passed HCR 2060, the Secure the Border Act, sending the proposal to the November General Election ballot. The vote was entirely along party lines.
House Speaker Ben Toma, who sponsored the original version of the ballot referral earlier this year, lauded the progress of the measure. Toma said, “Arizonans have had enough and want change. They want safe communities and a secure border. House Republicans do too. That’s why we crafted HCR 2060, the Secure the Border Act, a ballot referral with meaningful reforms to protect the integrity of Arizona’s workforce, strengthen criminal laws, and reinforce the rule of law in this state. Today’s final passage sends this Act to the ballot this November, so the will of Arizona voters is heard.”
The state House gallery was closed during the debate and subsequent vote for the bill, and Democrats made sure their displeasure was known. State Representative Alma Hernandez said, “Shameful. This is the people’s house. The public should have the right to be there. I don’t remember the last time I was here in the past six years when the gallery was closed to the public. They do not want the public watching. If they were so proud of the bill we are going to vote on today, there would be no reason to close down the gallery.”
The Arizona House Republicans Caucus “X” account responded to the accusations, writing, “Due to security concerns prompted by the shameful and illegally disruptive conduct by Democrats and their leftist allies, the House gallery is not open today. However, anyone who wants to come down to the House of Representatives and watch democracy live in action is welcome and the lights are on.”
During final consideration of HCR 2060 in the Arizona Senate last month, a group of protestors disrupted the legislative process with their shouting against the measure, forcing security to remove them from the gallery.
Arizona Senate Republicans also cheered on their colleagues in the other chamber for approving of this border-related ballot measure. After the vote, Senate President Warren Petersen and other Senators issued statements of support for the House’s action to send HCR 2060 to Arizona voters in November. Petersen said, “In the 12 years I’ve served here at the Arizona Legislature, never has the border crisis been as dangerously severe as it is now, costing Arizona taxpayers more than $3 billion in 2023 alone. As soon as Joe Biden took office, he rolled out the welcome mat for illegal crossings and criminal activity. Now, just months away from an election, he issues yet another executive order so that we’ll all of a sudden believe he cares about the chaos he’s constructed. The citizens of this state aren’t buying it, and they will take border security matters into their own hands this November.”
Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs, however, was not pleased with the result. In a series of posts on her official “X” account, Hobbs said, “As I’ve said time and time again: HCR 2060 will hurt Arizona businesses, send jobs out of state, make it more difficult for law enforcement to do their jobs, and bust the state’s budget. It will not secure our border. I have listened to the needs of border law enforcement and have done everything in my power to support their efforts to maintain a safe, secure, and humane border. What’s clear from my conversations with law enforcement on the ground is that HCR 2060 is not the answer.”
Attorney General Kris Mayes, also a Democrat, echoed Hobbs’ sentiments about the measure, stating, “Further straining law enforcement resources while implementing a measure that could lead to racial profiling is not the answer to creating safer communities. HCR 2060 is a political distraction that will sow seeds of bias and fear without fixing the issues it claims to address.”
The top political party organizations in Arizona also took opposing sides on HCR 2060. The Republican Party of Arizona posted, “It’s long past time to protect our communities, secure our borders, and give Arizonans a voice.”
The Arizona Democratic Party countered with their own reaction to the passage of the measure, writing, “Today, Republicans again voted to bring back SB 1070 era immigration politics by introducing a ballot referral that mirrors a Texas Law allowing local law enforcement to racially profile people.”
The efforts from Arizona legislators to send this referral to state voters comes months after Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed SB 1231, the Arizona Border Invasion Act, which would have “ma[de] it unlawful for a person who is an alien (unlawful immigrant) to enter Arizona from a foreign nation at any location other than a lawful port of entry and outline[d] penalties for violations of illegally entering Arizona and provide[d] immunity from civil liability and indemnification for state and local government officials, employees and contractors who enforce this prohibition” – according to the purpose from the state Senate.
Senator Janae Shamp, the sponsor of SB 1231, had vowed in the aftermath of the governor’s veto that members of her party would continue to push forward solutions to combat the border crisis. This week, Shamp took a victory lap after the state House gave the green light to HCR 2060, stating, “The time has come to empower Arizonans to fight back against the tyranny. I wholeheartedly believe the Secure the Border Act will save countless lives, save billions in taxpayer dollars, and strengthen our national security. We must stop the invasion now, otherwise, our beloved Arizona as we know it will be no more.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Jun 4, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
With House Speaker Ben Toma, a congressional candidate, leading the expedition, House Republicans visited the border to assess the crisis for which they say Democrat leaders are to blame.
Toma questioned why, three years into an ever-worsening problem, President Joe Biden and even Governor Katie Hobbs had focused their efforts on derailing solutions. According to Toma and the other Republicans, his bill, HCR 2060, is one of those latest solutions opposed by the likes of Hobbs and Biden.
“Arizonans need to ask Democrats like President Joe Biden and Governor Katie Hobbs why they are fighting to keep America’s border wide open,” said Toma. “It’s unsafe, it’s unsecure, it’s un-American, and it’s indefensible.”
The Senate passed HCR 2060 last month; it now needs final House consideration before it can appear on the ballot. The bill would make it statutorily unlawful for all border crossings outside lawful ports of entry. Law enforcement would only have probable cause for arrest of an illegal immigrant should a law enforcement officer witness the illegal crossing, technology records the illegal crossing, or any such other constitutionally sufficient indicator of probable cause exist.
The bill would mean more power to the state to handle its borders. Currently, the courts only recognize the federal government as having the authority to detain illegal immigrants.
Governor Hobbs called the bill a “stunt” for “cheap political points,” a job killer that would “demonize” communities and make the job of law enforcement more difficult.
The statute would only apply proactively, not retroactively. The nearly 7.9 million illegal immigrants encountered along the southern border since Biden took office (not counting the “gotaways,” or the witnessed but not encountered) would be safe from arrest under the law.
The statute would also define unlawful presence in the country as applying to those who were paroled pursuant to a programmatic grant of parole, such as those created under notice-and-comment rulemaking, and those who were required to be detained under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act but were instead paroled into the country.
Those guilty of illegal entry would earn a class one misdemeanor, elevated to a class six felony should that illegal immigrant have been previously convicted of illegal entry.
Rather than convict or adjudicate an illegal immigrant for illegal entry, HCR 2060 would allow a court to dismiss the charge and instead issue an order to the immigrant to return to the foreign nation from which they entered or attempted to enter the U.S., or the immigrant’s nation of origin. This would only be an option for the court should the illegal immigrant agree to the order, have no prior convictions of illegal entry, have no prior charges of another class one misdemeanor or felony, and have no criminal database hits indicating that they’re a threat to national security.
If the illegal immigrant refuses to comply with their order to return to a foreign nation, they are guilty of a class four felony.
HCR 2060 also branches out into other threats posed by the open border: fentanyl sales. The statute would establish a new crime: “sale of lethal fentanyl,” applying to adults who knowingly transport a narcotic drug for sale containing fentanyl that causes the death of another. The penalty for lethal fentanyl sale would be a class two felony, with all sentencing increased by five years. A presumptive sentence would be 10 years instead of five, a minimum sentence would be nine years instead of four, and a maximum sentence would be 15 years instead of 10.
Even if the Arizona legislature passes HCR 2060 and voters approve it as well, the statute pertaining to illegal immigration wouldn’t go into effect until similar laws — namely that which was passed last year by Texas (SB 4) — have gone into effect for at least 60 days.
The bill is scheduled to go before the House Caucus on Tuesday.
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