PHOENIX (June 19, 2023)—The Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry is proud to announce a host of legislative wins this session that will pave the way for further economic development, preserve Arizona’s pro-growth business climate, and protect our citizen initiative process from out-of-state special interests.
The Chamber is particularly grateful for the passage of HB 2809, priority legislation that will spur the development of public infrastructure to ensure cities’ ability to attract and support major manufacturing projects.
“When we encourage businesses to invest or expand in our state, infrastructure is always a top consideration for employers,” Chamber President and CEO Danny Seiden said. “That’s why we fought so hard for HB2809, a measure that will continue a proven, self-funded economic development tool to improve local infrastructure and ensure Arizona remains the top state for manufacturing investment and growth. We are grateful to the bipartisan group of legislators who supported this effort, particularly bill sponsor Rep. Michael Carbone, and to Gov. Katie Hobbs for signing it into law.”
The Chamber is also proud of the recent passage of SCR 1015, legislation that will give voters across the state a greater say in which initiatives appear on the statewide ballot. By requiring a minimum threshold of signatures from each legislative district for a proposition to qualify for the ballot, the bill guarantees a more comprehensive representation of our diverse state.
“For too long, initiative proponents have been able to gather their petition signatures from a relatively small area of the state without ever having to make their case to voters outside the metros,” said Chamber Vice President of Government Affairs Courtney Coolidge. “That will change once voters approve this measure, which is a mainstream reform similar to those already in place in half of the states with a citizen initiative system. We appreciate Sen. J.D. Mesnard for his leadership as sponsor of this measure, and we’ll strongly urge voters to support it.”
To date, 18 bills supported by the Chamber have been signed this session. This includes an important dual enrollment measure enacted in the state budget – a crucial bipartisan policy championed by Sen. Steve Kaiser, R-Phoenix, that will enhance educational opportunities and workforce development across the state.
The Chamber’s focus continues to be on protecting the current regulatory structure and tax environment, ensuring no rollback of the pro-growth policies implemented over the years. Moreover, the Chamber continues to prioritize defending businesses from government overreach.
This session, the Chamber fought back against a barrage of anti-business bills that would have undermined the ability of job creators to set their own workplace policies. They included a resurrection of vaccine-related requirements on employers, as well as an uptick in bills that sought to involve government in just about every aspect of an employer’s operations – including telling companies who they can and can’t do business with, mandating the payment options a business must accept, and more.
Fortunately, all 45 bills the Chamber opposed this session were either defeated or amended to address business community concerns.
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry is proud of the work of our business community and our business champions at the state Capitol to further advance Arizona’s reputation as the most attractive state in the nation for investment, job creation, and economic development.
# # #
