Republican Caucus Releases Plan For 2024 Legislative Session
By Daniel Stefanski |
The Arizona House Republican Caucus released its Majority Plan for the upcoming 2024 Legislative Session.
On Friday, Arizona House Majority Leader Leo Biasiucci posted his Caucus’ Majority Plan in advance of Monday’s session. Biasiucci wrote that “Arizona House Republican members will serve Arizonans once more by doing what we do best: defending past legislative victories and protecting our citizens’ fundamental rights.”
The House Republicans’ plan includes five pillars – border security, fiscal responsibility, good governance, education freedom, and constitutional rights.
On the border, House Republicans assured Arizonans that they could count on them “to again pursue meaningful policy and budgetary solutions in the upcoming legislative session to protect Arizona’s border,” including “empowering and supporting our county attorneys to prosecute egregious criminal activity, fighting fentanyl, combatting human trafficking, and engaging the Arizona National Guard.”
On fiscal responsibility, the Republicans cautioned that Arizona “must live within its means by reprioritizing discretionary funding and programs.” They pledged to “continue to put more money back in your pocket” and vowed to “pass a balanced budget that maintains Arizona’s competitive business and family-friendly economy.”
On good governance, the Majority Plan telegraphed Republicans’ intentions to be working on “election reforms in a deliberate manner aimed at fostering integrity and trust within our systems,” adding that ballot referendums would be likely on this front – especially in a divided government shared with Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs. House Republicans also stated their willingness to “remove barriers to entry, aid in cultivating a highly skilled new-blue-collar workforce, and tackle issues surrounding affordable housing,” in addition to continuing their efforts “to protect, prioritize, and secure water resources” for the future of Arizona.
On education freedom, House Republicans promised “to continue to protect school choice this year and beyond,” as well as supporting parental rights “to protect their children from vulgar and sexual material.”
On constitutional rights, the Republicans’ Plan assured Arizonans that their Caucus would “always protect rights guaranteed by the Constitution.” Throughout 2023, House Speaker Ben Toma and his Caucus had been extremely active in engaging in litigation to defend both state laws and cases in various federal courts. According to the 2024 Plan, those efforts will continue.
The House Republicans’ Plan for the 2024 Legislative Session follows the Senate Republicans’ Roadmap, which was released last month before Christmas. The Senate Republicans’ plan featured eleven categories for the upcoming session – budget approach, inflation relief, law enforcement & military, education, water, infrastructure, health, government, judiciary, elections, and litigation. They pledged to “remain laser focused on easing the burden of rising costs for our citizens, while continuing to stop dangerous California-style policies from being implemented in the Grand Canyon State,” adding their resolve to stay “unified in protecting freedoms and constitutional rights, advocating for family values and safe communities, promoting free market principles and limited government, and stopping radical ideologies from infiltrating the way of life and opportunities we’ve established over the past decade for all Arizonans.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
