by Daniel Stefanski | Mar 23, 2023 | Economy, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs hasn’t been willing to compromise on Republicans’ proposals for economic relief for Arizonans, but her one idea for a targeted tax exemption has attracted bipartisan support as it moves through the legislative process.
HB 2401, sponsored by Democrat Alma Hernandez, “exempts feminine hygiene products and diapers from transaction privilege tax and use tax,” according to the overview provided by the Arizona House of Representatives. Republican Representatives David Cook and Steve Montenegro are two of the five co-sponsors on the bill.
Representative Hernandez’s bill has sailed through House committees, passing the Appropriations Committee with a 12-0 vote (with two members voting “present” and one absent) and the Rules Committee with a unanimous 8-0 tally.
Earlier in February, Hernandez explained her introduction and support of this policy, saying, “This would bring meaningful savings for families across AZ who are in need. I am hopeful that this year we will finally get it across the finish line and on @katiehobbs desk.”
Certain Arizona interest groups applauded the passage of this bill from committees, which placed it closer to a vote on the House floor. Arizona List tweeted, “Thank you Rep. @almaforarizona for introducing HB2401, which would eliminate tax on diapers and feminine hygiene products to make them affordable and accessible to all Arizonans. Congrats on its passing and thank you for your leadership on this hygiene equity issue.”
Before being selected as Governor Hobbs’ latest nominee to lead the Department of Child Safety this month, David Lujan took an opposing view to HB 2401, arguing, “Wealthy households do not need a $7 monthly savings on the sales tax for diapers. A better approach to this issue is a grant program which would provide free diapers to low-income parents.”
This exemption was one of Governor Hobbs’s first proposals upon taking office on January 2, which she highlighted the following week in her first State of the State address to the Arizona Legislature.
Hobbs later tweeted out, “Arizonans shouldn’t have to choose between paying their bills or getting what they need to be healthy. But with rising costs, everyday items add up. Eliminating the state sales tax on feminine hygiene products is a real step to provide meaningful relief.”
Should this piece of legislation reach the governor’s desk, it would be a lock for a swift signature from Hobbs to enact it into law. However, Arizona legislative leadership could hold the bill in one or both of the chambers to extract concessions from the Governor’s Office on Republicans’ policy demands.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Mar 21, 2023 | Education, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A popular and effective program to improve Arizona schools found itself on the wrong side of Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs’ widescale efforts to claw back earmarked funds by her predecessor, but Arizona Republicans are raising awareness and taking corrective action.
Last week, the Arizona Senate Education Committee heard a presentation from Dan Parris of Project Momentum. Parris told the committee that Project Momentum Arizona “was made possible through a unique public/private partnership initiated under former Governor Doug Ducey in 2015,” and that its goals include “increasing student achievement in mathematics and English Language Arts at a rate higher than that of the state and raising performance-based school letter grades.”
According to Parris, “all participating districts (in Project Momentum) have made objective improvements in student achievement outcomes as measurable by the state assessments in English Language Arts and mathematics. Performance growth rates across the project have been two to three times greater than that of the State.” For example, “results from the 2021-2022 school year show the Project supported seven schools with a D or F State rating for performance; and after one year under Project Momentum Arizona, all seven schools earned an A or B rating in the State.”
Parris informed Senators during his presentation that “on February 14, Project Momentum Arizona received notice that ‘the State has determined that the Agreement is not compliant with applicable Arizona law and is, therefore, invalid. Please immediately stop any and all efforts undertaken pursuant to the Agreement.’” This coincides with Governor Hobbs’ February decision to invalidate 19 grants totaling $210 million from former Governor Doug Ducey at the end of his final term as Arizona’s chief executive. In answer to a question from Senate Education Chairman Ken Bennett, Parris said that this project required around $6 million for the fiscal year to accomplish its designs.
The presentation also revealed that “on March 7, districts participating in Project Momentum Arizona received email notice from the Governor’s Office of Grants and Federal Resources that existing grant awards, contingent upon funding, would be continued until August 31. This statement is in compliance with the current binding governing agreements for this school year. Furthermore, participating districts were informed that ‘The Governor’s Office is finalizing a competitive solicitation that will address similar activities as allowed by the U.S. Treasury’s Final Rule for ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. These include remedying student learning loss through provision of professional development and support for teachers and paraprofessionals. Districts will be made aware of this competitive solicitation, application procedures, and the award process in the coming weeks.’”
At the end of the presentation and time for questions, Chairman Bennett reflected on his previous experience in the Senate with then-Governor Janet Napolitano, stating that “one of the things that we are quickly learning – both in the governor’s office and with the legislature – is how to work in a shared government situation.” He hoped that resolving the stoppage in funds to Project Momentum is “one of those things that we ought to work out because it is really helping students in Arizona.”
Earlier this month, the Governor’s Office announced a “redesigned grant opportunity that will designate $100 million for schools and local education agencies in Arizona to address COVID-19 recovery and mitigation efforts.” Additional grant solicitations would follow for another $87.5 million, according to the release.
One prominent Arizona Republican isn’t waiting for Hobbs to correct her funding cut for Project Momentum. The Arizona Department of Education, led by Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne released the following statement Saturday morning, announcing that Project Momentum would soon be receiving funds to resume its worthy operations: “Since its inception, Project Momentum has achieved incredible outcomes, and we were saddened to see its funding cut. Nevertheless, ADE is committed to Project Momentum’s work and is now announcing that it will step up with funds to both facilitate its uninterrupted service and expand to an additional 24 schools.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Corinne Murdock | Mar 21, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Last week, Gov. Katie Hobbs held “listening sessions” ahead of her third trip to the southern border in order to better understand the border crisis.
Hobbs met with groups that provide housing and transport for illegal immigrants seeking asylum to discuss the anticipated impact of Title 42’s end come May 11. These included Campesinos sin Fronteras, International Rescue Committee, Regional Center Border Health and representatives from Greyhound lines and Sky Harbor International Airport.
The governor claimed in a press release that her administration has “proactively” addressed the crisis.
“My administration is proactively addressing the myriad of issues with our southern border, and want to hear from organizations on the ground regarding how the administration can better support efforts to coordinate and collaborate on processing these individuals in the most humane and efficient manner,” said Hobbs.
There have been well over 4.9 million southwest border encounters since President Joe Biden took office. That’s an average of over 197,000 encounters a month. At this rate, there could be well over 9.4 million illegal immigrant encounters by the end of the president’s first term.
The encounter data doesn’t include gotaways: those illegal immigrants not apprehended but observed crossing into the country.
Hobbs plans to visit the border on Tuesday; her third since taking office in January, previously visiting Yuma, San Luis, and Somerton. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas plans to join Hobbs for this latest border visit.
The governor has taken the opposite approach from her predecessor when it comes to border security. Almost immediately after taking office, Hobbs had the shipping containers removed and repurposed into houses for the homeless. Hobbs claimed that former Gov. Doug Ducey’s effort to close the border was a “publicity stunt,” and not a permanent solution.
The state spent about $95 million on construction and $75 million on removal of the shipping containers.
Following her election, Hobbs also pledged to dissolve Ducey’s Border Strike Force (BSF), established in 2015. Hobbs clarified during a press conference last month that the BSF would go away — but not its funding and resources.
“Right now, the Border Strike Force is not actually being utilized at the border, so we want to coordinate those resources where they can be most helpful with the law enforcement there,” said Hobbs. “It’s really important to listen to the folks working in the field that are experts on these and take our direction from them.”
Hobbs has also advocated for greater benefits to illegal immigrants, asking lawmakers for $40 million to finance illegal immigrants’ college tuition during her State of the State address in January.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Mar 20, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
The “transracial” woman who stirred national controversy about eight years ago for falsely claiming to be Black attended Gov. Katie Hobbs’ signing of a ban on hair discrimination last Friday.
Rachel Dolezal, who now goes by Nkechi Amare Diallo, formerly served as the president of an NAACP chapter in Washington, as well as an Africana studies professor at Eastern Washington University. The truth of Dolezal’s race came to light after her parents came forward to disavow her claimed identity, following her Black rights activism and claims to police and media that she was the victim of racially-motivated hate crimes.
Hobbs signed the executive order — titled the “Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair” Act, or “CROWN” Act — on Friday. The California-originating model legislation prohibits public schools and state employers or contractors from discriminating against employees’ hair texture and protective styles, such as braids, locs, twists, knots, and headwraps.
“Black women, men, and children should be able to wear their natural hair with pride and without the fear of discrimination,” tweeted Hobbs, echoing a line from the executive order.
Dolezal wasn’t included in the published version of the photo posted by the governor.
California lawmakers passed their version of the CROWN Act in 2019. New York, New Jersey, Washington, Maryland, Nevada, Virginia, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Illinois all followed suit in passage of their version of the model legislation.
The Arizona legislature last considered a version of the CROWN Act in 2021 under HB2593 from former Democratic State Rep. Aaron Lieberman. The legislation didn’t make it to committee.
Reactions to Hobbs’ executive order were mixed, mainly along party lines.
The Arizona Free Enterprise Club (AFEC) questioned Hobbs’ priorities: making time for an executive order declaring the professionalism of certain hairstyles while other issues such as the border crisis continue unsolved.
“We don’t have a budget or a secure border, inflation is raging, our elections are a laughingstock and our schools are a parent’s worst nightmare. But at least there’s this,” tweeted AFEC.
However, some criticism came from within Hobbs’ own party. Talonya Adams — the woman impacted by racial discrimination under Hobbs when the governor was Senate Minority Leader in the legislature — indicated that Hobbs’ executive order was an attempt to placate the Black community.
In a since-deleted tweet, Adams questioned Hobbs’ decision to prioritize a social issue like hair discrimination over other, more pressing issues like the homeless crisis or offering an explanation of the Oman trip.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Mar 15, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
This week, Gov. Katie Hobbs departed for Oman to officiate a pact made under the former administration with the Middle Eastern country.
In a press release, Hobbs said that the partnership provided greater readiness for Arizonan forces. Oman has a population of nearly four million people, bordering Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The partnership formed under former Gov. Doug Ducey last October.
“This partnership is grounded in our Arizona National Guard military relationship but expands to other sectors of the government bringing valuable interoperability opportunities for both countries,” said Hobbs.
Kerry Muehlenbeck, Arizona National Guard adjutant general and Department of Emergency and Military Affairs director, added that the partnership would strengthen both country’s forces.
The Arizona National Guard established the partnership last October through the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program. The program partners states with nations in order to bridge international civil-military affairs; over 90 nations have a match in the states. This year marks the program’s 30th anniversary.
Arizona partners with one other country through the program, the Republic of Kazakhstan, a relationship it has held since 1993.
Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said that the program also allows soldiers to visit other countries and understand problem-solving skills from foreign soldiers.
“To look at the environment that they operate in, and to really see, in many cases, the same problems — just approached from a different angle,” said Hokanson. “We learn a lot in those countries and in those interactions that we bring back to make our organizations better, and I like to think vice versa.”
Several days after announcing the partnership, the University of Arizona (UArizona) Eller Executive Education announced a partnership with the Royal Academy of Management in Oman for a program, “Developing Leaders and Future Foresight.” Although the press release was issued several days after the state announced the National Guard partnership, UArizona’s initial press release was dated for the same day as the state’s announcement.
UArizona’s partner program with Oman is designed to develop and equip national leaders to fulfill Oman’s “Vision 2040,” a plan to become a developed country by 2040.
Oman is one of the top oil exporters. They also export liquified natural gas.
Hobbs attended the formal signing ceremony on Monday, and is scheduled to depart from Oman on Wednesday. Oman leadership is scheduled to visit Arizona in May.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
