Chamber and business organizations across the state oppose Corporation Commission proposal to stifle free speech

The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry and business organizations across the state submitted the following response to Corporation Commissioners Susan Bitter Smith and Bob Burns’ proposal to encourage public service companies and unregulated companies not to engage in the the support or opposition of candidates seeking election to the Corporation Commission. We write: On…

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Chamber submits comments in response to proposed Dept. of Labor overtime overhaul

The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry filed comments recently in response to an Obama administration proposal that would make vast numbers of workers eligible for overtime pay. The proposal could do serious damage to an employer’s ability to manage his or her workforce, which could have far reaching effects on the economy’s overall health. Read more…

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Hamer Times: AG Brnovich stands up to the EPA

As the EPA continues its onslaught of regulations, aggressively attempting to expand its jurisdiction, Arizona received some reprieve yesterday thanks to Attorney General Mark Brnovich. The EPA’s rule to define “Waters of the U.S.” subject to the Clean Water Act was set to take place today. The Arizona Chamber and more than 30 other business…

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Hamer Times: Is Tempe seriously considering publicly funded elections? Bad idea.

From the Really Bad Ideas file, consider what Tempe City Councilmembers David Schapira and Lauren Kuby are proposing to bring to their community: publicly funded political campaigns. Cities have a myriad of priorities before them, ranging from economic development to transportation to parks and recreation. Using public dollars to fund junk mail and robocalls should…

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Puerto Peñasco is destined for major transformation

If there is one word to describe our recent Trade Mission Trip to Puerto Peñasco, it’s “opportunity”. They are on the precipice of many changes over the next several years. The city is known by many as a sleepy beach town, and it was obvious that it had been hard hit during the 2008 economic…

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Hamer Times: State Board of Education’s work on assessment scores earns high marks

For the first time in two decades Arizona is being honest about what it takes to be job and college ready. Today’s unanimous vote by the state Board of Education to adopt assessment cut scores that accurately reflect grade level proficiency along the path to graduating college and emerging career-ready was the culmination of a…

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Hamer Times: Governor makes great pick for new Tourism director

Congratulations to Debbie Johnson on her new role as director of the Arizona Office of Tourism. Governor Ducey announced yesterday that he would appoint Debbie to replace retiring director Sherry Henry. Debbie has been an active and invaluable member of the Chamber’s board for many years. She has served as the Chair of our Tourism Committee,…

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Report from Road Show 2015: Copper Corridor

Our latest stop on the 2015 Road Show took us to Arizona’s Copper Corridor, where we had the opportunity to visit with the chambers of commerce in Superior and Globe-Miami. Our conversations made clear that copper is commerce. The precious metal is one of the “Cs” of Arizona’s five Cs, so integral not only to…

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Road Show 2015: Sierra Vista

We wrapped up the southern swing of our 2015 Arizona Road Show on Wednesday with a visit to Sierra Vista, home of the Army’s Fort Huachuca. These stops through Southern Arizona – including to Yuma, Tucson and Nogales – have given us real insight into the economic might that exists in this region. Much of…

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Report from Road Show 2015: Tucson and Nogales

Greetings from Sierra Vista, where today we continue our Southern Arizona swing as part of our 2015 Arizona Road Show. Yesterday we were in Tucson and Nogales. I want to thank my friend Lea Marquez Peterson, the dynamic president and CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, for setting up a great business roundtable…

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