by Daniel Stefanski | Feb 25, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona may no longer have a pro-life governor, but Republican legislators are working hard to champion family values at the State House and Senate – and they turned out en masse to this week’s Arizona Right to Life March in downtown Phoenix.
Senate President Warren Petersen attended the event and issued the following statement before the March: “Today we will MARCH FOR LIFE! One of the key reasons I am republican is because we believe in the sanctity of life.
The Arizona Senate Republican Caucus tweeted, “Every life is precious and deserving of protection. As pro-life advocates, we believe in upholding the dignity and value of human life from conception to natural death. At today’s #MarchForLife at the Capitol, Republican Senators and Representatives showed their support and assured Arizona residents that we will continue to fight for the most vulnerable.”
House Speaker Ben Toma also attended the March for Life, saying, “Honored to address today’s March for Life at the State Capitol. As the Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, I will ALWAYS fight protect the good laws that we have passed in this state to safeguard the sanctity of life!”
House Majority Leader Leo Biasiucci released a photo from the stage of the rally at Wesley Bolin Plaza, showing all the Arizonans who showed up to stand for life.
Representative David Marshall tweeted a picture of him on the March for Life sage, stating, “Thousands came out to support the unborn, Praise the Lord!”
Representative Matt Gress pledged his support to pro-life causes and laws at the rally, saying, “What an amazing day at the Capitol! We marched with thousands of Arizonans who believe life is a sacred human right. We will do all that we can to fervently protect that right.”
Senator Wendy Rogers tweeted a picture of her and her colleagues standing on the rally stage with the caption, “Honored to stand for #MarchForLife at the Arizona Capitol today.”
Senator Justine Wadsack shared photos of the March for Life rally, including one with her LD17 seatmate.
Representative John Gillette thanked all the individuals who attended the rally and March for Life: “We are grateful for the support and the thousands that turned out in support, and a big thanks to Majority Whip Martinez for getting the word out.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Corinne Murdock | Feb 17, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
TikTok may soon be banned from Arizona’s government devices, according to a proposed bill that passed out of committee on Wednesday. The House Government Committee passed the legislation unanimously.
State Rep. Matt Gress (R-LD04) introduced the ban through a strike-everything amendment rewriting HB2416. Gress coordinated with House Government Committee Chairman Tim Dunn (R-LD25) to craft the legislation.
During the committee hearing, Gress relayed remarks from FBI Director Christopher Wray issued last year concerning national security concerns on government devices with TikTok. Wray warned that the Chinese government is capable of controlling recommendation algorithms to implement influence operations, or control software on devices with the option to possibly compromise personal devices.
Gress reminded the committee that other bad actors rely on TikTok besides the Chinese government, such as the Mexican cartels. The ban would include specific carveouts for law enforcement addressing cartels relying on the app.
“The cartels use TikTok to recruit many of their contractors to wreak havoc in the United States,” said Gress.
In a Tuesday press release ahead of the committee approval of the legislation, Gress reminded Arizonans that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which controls TikTok, is capable of gathering data on American citizens’ internet activity through the app.
“When I was sworn into office, I took an oath to defend my constituents and all Arizonans from enemies both foreign and domestic,” said Gress. “This legislation fulfills this promise as the security risks associated with the use of TikTok — an application owned and operated by the Chinese Communist Party with the capabilities of gathering crucial details about personal, private internet activity — can’t be ignored.”
The legislation would require the Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA) to remove TikTok from all information technology devices used for state business and public services within 30 days after enactment.
25 states have banned TikTok on all state devices, with three states banning the app from certain state devices. The states that have banned the app from all state devices are Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Florida, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia banned the app from certain state devices.
Last November, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the House Homeland Security Committee that the parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, could monitor Americans through the app.
“There’s a number of concerns there as to what is actually happening and actually being done,” said Wray. “That’s probably something that would be better addressed in a closed, classified setting, and I could see what information we might be able to share that way, but that’s probably not much more than I could add to that, other than to say it is certainly something that’s on our radar, and we share your concerns.”
ByteDance also revealed to U.S. reporters last year that it had planned to use TikTok to monitor the physical location of specific Americans for surveillance purposes.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Feb 8, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
President Joe Biden gave his second State of the Union (SOTU) address on Tuesday night in front of a packed U.S. House chamber and millions of viewers around the world. As is the case with most of these speeches, members of the president’s political party applauded his words, while members of the opposing party largely condemned his statements and policies.
It was no different with members of the Arizona Legislature – some of whom could very well be members of Congress in the future. Many Republican and Democratic state legislators were very active on Twitter before, during, and after the SOTU address.
Representative Matt Gress shared a clip from U.S. Representative Juan Ciscomani’s Spanish language Republican response to the nation following the president’s speech.
House Majority Leader Leo Biasiucci retweeted a handful of posts reacting to President Biden’s statements, including his comments about an assault weapons ban, fentanyl, and Social Security.
Senate President Warren Petersen retweeted a post from U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which fact checked Biden’s actions to increase the U.S. deficit.
Representative Tim Dunn gave some SOTU feedback to President Biden on the border crisis: “Biden SOTU speech fails to address the emergency effecting the southern border. This can end by changing his policy. This allows fentanyl to come to your neighborhood. Secure the border protect our airways from China and open up oil exploration to curb inflation.”
Senator Wendy Rogers, in addition to retweeting other posts about the president’s comments, quote tweeted a post showing Bono and Paul Pelosi chatting at the State of the Union, saying, “This shows NO RESPECT for our sacred institutions… I do not allow this in my Arizona Senate committee.”
Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope also retweeted several tweets reacting to the president’s speech, and he added his own quote tweet to U.S. House Speaker McCarthy’s post of U.S. Representative Ciscomani’s Republican response, saying, “Thank you @SpeakerMcCarthy for choosing my friend @RepCiscomani to deliver the Spanish-language @GOP response to the #SOTU! The #AmericanDream is alive and well!”
Representative Jacqueline Parker quote tweeted U.S. Senator Rick Scott’s reaction to the SOTU, writing, “AZ & the federal government are like mirror images right now. The state of OUR state is worsening under Hobbs too. Our borders aren’t secure, school choice is under attack, families are suffering, & all Hobbs wants to do is spend more taxpayer money on big gov’t special interests.”
Representative David Livingston retweeted a number of posts reacting to the SOTU, including some by U.S. Representatives Jim Banks and Byron Donalds. He also shared an Axios story about Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ Republican response to the SOTU.
Representative Austin Smith had a one-word answer for President Biden when the @POTUS account tweeted about banning assault weapons: “No”
House Speaker Pro Tempore Travis Grantham shared multiple SOTU tweets from other accounts, including from U.S. Representatives Andy Biggs and Tom Tiffany.
Representative Justin Heap retweeted a post from the National Republican Congressional Committee about U.S. Representative Ciscomani’s Republican response.
Senate Democratic Leader Raquel Terán tweeted, “@POTUS brought it all in for his (SOTU) address!”
Representative Consuelo Hernandez retweeted a post, which positively reacted to President Biden taking a moment to “acknowledge the fears of black parents & their children.”
Senator Christine Marsh retweeted a post from Martin Luther King III, which read, “We must continue working to bring an end to violence everywhere in this country. It’s why I’m continuing dad’s fight to eradicate the triple evils of poverty, racism, and violence.”
House Minority Leader Andrés Cano retweeted Biden’s @POTUS account, showing him shaking hands with Vice President Kamala Harris – and the caption, “What a night, VP.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Corinne Murdock | Dec 3, 2022 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
On Thursday, Arizona House Speaker-elect Ben Toma (R-LD27) announced the committee and chair appointments for the upcoming session.
The House GOP clarified that committee membership is forthcoming.
The appointments are as follows:
Appropriations Committee — Chair: Rep. David Livingston (R-LD28), Vice Chair: Rep. Joseph Chaplik (R-LD3)
Appropriations Subcommittee on Education — Chair: Rep. Matt Gress (R-LD04)
Appropriations Subcommittee on Health & Welfare — Chair: Rep. Selina Bliss (R-LD01)
Commerce Committee — Chair: Rep. Justin Wilmeth (R-LD02), Vice Chair: Rep. Michael Carbone (R-LD25)
Education Committee — Chair: Rep. Beverly Pingerelli (R-LD28), Vice Chair: Rep. David Marshall (R-LD07)
Ethics Committee — Chair: Rep. Joseph Chaplik (R-LD03), Vice Chair: Rep. Travis Grantham (R-LD14)
Government Committee — Chair: Rep. Tim Dunn (R-LD25), Vice Chair: Rep. John Gillette (R-LD30)
Health & Human Services Committee — Chair: Rep. Steve Montenegro (R-LD29), Vice Chair: Rep. Barbara Parker (R-LD10)
Judiciary Committee — Chair: Rep. Quang Nguyen (R-LD01), Vice Chair: Rep. Selina Bliss (R-LD01)
Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee — Chair: Rep. Lupe Diaz (R-LD19), Vice Chair: Rep. Michele Pena (R-LD23)
Municipal Oversight & Elections Committee — Chair: Rep. Jacqueline Parker (R-LD15), Vice Chair: Rep. Alexander Kolodin (R-LD03)
Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee — Chair: Rep. Gail Griffin (R-LD19), Vice Chair: Rep. Austin Smith (R-LD29)
Military Affairs & Public Safety Committee — Chair: Rep. Kevin Payne (R-LD27), Vice Chair: Rep. Rachel Jones (R-LD17)
Regulatory Affairs Committee — Chair: Rep. Laurin Hendrix (R-LD14), Vice Chair: Rep. Cory McGarr (R-LD17)
Rules Committee — Chair: Rep. Travis Grantham (R-LD14), Vice Chair: Rep. Gail Griffin (R-LD19)
Transportation & Infrastructure Committee — Chair: Rep. David Cook (R-LD07), Vice Chair: Rep. Liz Harris (R-LD13)
Ways & Means Committee — Chair: Rep. Neal Carter (R-LD15), Vice Chair: Rep. Justin Heap (R-LD10)
The Senate announced its committee chairmanships and leadership last month.
The session opens Jan. 9.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Terri Jo Neff | Oct 24, 2021 | News
By Terri Jo Neff |
Three of the people most involved in negotiating Arizona’s landmark Fiscal Year 2022 budget will take part in a Budget Roadshow next week across the state.
Sen. David Gowan (R-LD14), Rep. Regina Cobb (R-LD5), and Matt Gress of the Governor’s Office are headlining the free events in Casa Grande, Sierra Vista, and Tucson to help citizens better understand the budget process, budget history, and look ahead to the next session which starts in January 2022.
They will also discuss notable -and some not so notable- budget accomplishments from the recent legislative session and take part in a Q&A session.
The Thursday, Oct. 28 event at Casa Grande City Hall begins at 10 a.m. with a meet and greet, followed by the presentation at 10:30. It will be followed that afternoon at the Cochise College – Sierra Vista Campus at 3:30 p.m.
Then on Friday, Oct. 29, the trio will take their presentation to the Pima Community College – Downtown Campus Auto Center at 10:30 a.m. followed by a meet and greet at 11:30.
The three participants are well-suited for the event, as Gowan is the Senate Appropriations Chairman, Cobb is the House Appropriations Chairwoman, and Gress heads up Gov. Doug Ducey’s Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting.
The meet and greets are being hosted by several Chambers of Commerce, including Benson / San Pedro, Greater Casa Grande, Green Valley / Sahuarita, Greater Vail Area, Marana, Oro Valley, and Sierra Vista Area.
More information about the Budget Roadshow, including how to request a presentation in a specific community, is available by calling Cobb’s office at (602) 926-3126 or Gowan’s office at (602) 926-5154.
