Estimated Reading Time: < 1 minute
The Maricopa County Republican Committee is calling on Arizona state congress members to run a bill that mandates calling voter registration cards by a more accurate name. “Will one or both of your members please run a bill that mandates all 15 Arizona County Recorders replace erroneous so-called “Voter *ID* Card” terminology, misrepresenting what are, […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey will not take action in the dispute over a new Election Procedures Manual due to the lack of agreement between Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, Ducey said in a letter. Hobbs submitted the 2021 version of the manual for approval on Oct. 1, 2021. Brnovich submitted […]
Estimated Reading Time: < 1 minute
Phoenix has the second-highest percentage change in high-paying jobs out of a list of large U.S. metros, according to a Stessa report. Phoenix saw a 217.1% increase in six-figure jobs from 2015 to 2020, marking the second-largest percentage increase among the nation’s largest metropolitan areas. More Phoenix workers made six-figure salaries in 2020 than the […]
Estimated Reading Time: < 1 minute
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has joined 24 other states in filing a lawsuit against President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates for staff and volunteers in Head Start programs. Head Start programs provide children ages 3 to 5 and their families at or below the federal poverty level with early childhood education and […]
Estimated Reading Time: < 1 minute
The city of Phoenix will offer bonuses up to $2,000 to vaccinated city employees, costing the city between $25 million to $29 million. The Phoenix City Council voted, 6-3, this week to approve the bonuses, which will go out to full and part-time employees by Jan. 18. City employees who do not have the option […]
Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
A Saudi Arabian man described by a U.S. Border Patrol chief as a “potential terrorist” was apprehended attempting to enter the U.S. illegally near Yuma, Arizona. He was apprehended wearing a New York county ambulance jacket. Yuma Sector Chief Border Patrol Agent Chris Clem announced the apprehension on Twitter with an accompanying blurred photo of the man. […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
It is now easier for Arizona drivers to obtain commercial driver’s licenses under a new order from Gov. Doug Ducey. Ducey and the Arizona Department of Transportation hope to “alleviate stress” on the transportation system and address the nationwide supply chain crisis, the news release said. “We are working to make sure commercial drivers and […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich asked the U.S. District Court in Arizona for a temporary restraining order and nationwide preliminary injunction against the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates. “The COVID-19 vaccine mandate is one of the greatest infringements upon individual liberty, federalism, and the separation of powers by any administration in our country’s history,” Brnovich […]
Estimated Reading Time: < 1 minute
The Tucson City Council decided in a 4-3 vote to terminate city employees who are not vaccinated by Dec. 1, resulting in backlash from Gov. Doug Ducey, who called the decision “unfathomable.” City Manager Michael Ortega recommended the termination of the more than 300 unvaccinated city employees if they did not comply by Dec. 1. […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
The U.S Forest Service announced the cancellation of the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI), prompting criticism from Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and U.S. Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema. “The Forest Service blindsided Arizonans with their decision to cancel the long-awaited 4FRI contract,” Kelly said in a press release. “This is unacceptable and is only […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s Office says it will not tolerate a federal government investigation into Arizona’s school mask policies. That’s according to a letter from Brnovich to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Aug. 31. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced Monday that they “opened directed investigations in […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
More than 4 million Arizonans over the age of 12 have now received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while more than 3.5 million are fully vaccinated, according to a Saturday news release from the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS). “Arizonans are stepping up and doing their part to put this pandemic […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
A group of Arizonans filed the “Arizonans for Voter ID Act” ballot initiative on Monday, asking the secretary of state’s office to further ID requirements for in-person voting, individuals returning a voter’s ballots, and mail-in voting. In a news release, the political committee chaired by Arizona voter Vicki Vaughn said that the initiative would make […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
State Representative Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek and 25 other Republicans legislators issued a statement against school districts requiring masks in opposition to state law, arguing that under the Arizona Constitution, “local governments do not have the authority or power to usurp state law simply because they disagree.” They compared the local governments’ actions to “anarchy” […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
A Phoenix teacher filed a lawsuit against the Phoenix Union High School District (PUHSD) for requiring that students and teachers wear masks at school, arguing that state law prohibits school mask mandates. Douglas Hester, a Metro Tech High School teacher, sued the district, its governing board, and its superintendent in Maricopa County Superior Court. He requested a […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
Attorney General Mark Brnovich is leading a coalition of attorneys general in filing a petition challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s “Delay Rule,” which postponed the Trump Administration’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR). “While the Biden Administration talks a lot about preserving clean air and water for future generations, they have failed to […]
Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
The Goldwater Institute has filed more than $23 million in claims against the Arizona city of Flagstaff on behalf of more than 50 property owners in defense of their property rights, which it holds were violated by the new High Occupancy House Plan. Flagstaff, home of Northern Arizona University, had a total of 29,569 students […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
The Goldwater Institute is challenging an Arizona Court of Appeals ruling that shooting ranges qualify as “places of amusement,” subjecting them to higher tax rates. The court ruled in April that shooting ranges are “comparable” to “amusement parks.” The Goldwater Institute filed a friend of the court brief last week, arguing that shooting ranges are […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced he and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt are leading a coalition of 26 states to defend Second Amendment rights at the U.S. Supreme Court. In their amicus brief in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Corlett, the state attorneys general urged the court “to declare New York’s […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
Gov. Doug Ducey signed an education transparency bill requiring public and charter schools to allow parents to opt their child into sex education and prohibiting sex education before fifth grade. “Parents should have the right to know what their children are learning in school,” Ducey said in a press release. “This is a no-brainer piece […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
The expected water cuts from the Colorado River as a result of the Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) will likely mean higher water utility rates, according to Fitch Ratings. The U.S. Congress passed the DCP in 2019 to protect water levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead which provide water to Colorado River basin states. Arizona, […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
The National Federation of Independent Businesses’ June Job Report, a national barometer of the small-business economy, said Arizona is in a good place to beat its neighbors to full economic recovery. The report revealed that 46% of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in the current period. This marks a two-point […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
Arizona Republicans have endorsed a plan to shield small businesses from a new tax to better fund public schools. The Senate voted along party lines Monday to pass Senate Bill 1783, which would create a new tax class for small business owners who would otherwise file as a pass-through entity. This would allow them to […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
The Arizona House of Representatives voted down an expansion of the state’s school voucher program, the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA), one of the state’s 2021 budget amendments. The Senate voted by party line on June 23 to attach the expansion to the state’s annual budget, but HB 2898 could not get majority support in the […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
This week, the Supreme Court is likely to rule on two Arizona voting regulations which a lower court held were violations of the Voting Rights Act. The first regards a 2016 regulation that made a phenomenon known as “ballot harvesting” a felony in Arizona. HB 2023 allowed judges to impose a presumptive one-year prison term […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
On Monday, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors approved a $3.4 billion budget for the 2022 fiscal year beginning July 1, cutting property tax rates and increasing public health and homelessness prevention funding. The $3,419,735,244 budget marks a $898,479 decrease from the board’s Tentative Budget. The board also moved to adopt its five-year capital improvement […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
State-run COVID-19 vaccination sites are closing by June 28 in Arizona, as the state’s focus shifts to increasing community-based vaccination options such as pharmacies, pop-up clinics, and doctors’ offices. State-run vaccination sites have administered 1.6 million doses of the vaccine to about 900,000 Arizonans, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS). “Starting with […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
Gov. Ducey and Sonoran Governor Claudia Pavlovich met for the last time to sign an agreement to secure Sonora’s access to water and further monitor air quality. The agreement marks the end of a six-year professional relationship between Ducey and Pavlovich, who was elected in 2015 and will leave office this year. She is the […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
Gov. Ducey has less than two months to choose between seven Supreme Court nominees to fill the vacancy of Justice Andrew Gould, who stepped down to run for State Attorney General. He was appointed by Gov. Ducey in 2016 and retired last month. The Commission on Appellate Court Appointment nominees includes five judges and two […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
A group of power providers say a change prioritizing electrical demand in California would leave Arizona and other states with power shortages that could lead to blackouts amid the state’s oppressing heat. Southwest utilities including Tucson Electric Power, Arizona Public Service and others say they’re opposed to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) plan to […]
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
Senator Kyrsten Sinema is catching up in popularity to junior Senator Mark Kelly, who may have an unstable lead for reelection in the 2022 senatorial race. Sinema angered many in the Democratic party in March after voting against increasing the minimum wage in Arizona to $15 from its current $7.25. Senator Bernie Sanders sought to […]