Yesterday the Governor’s Classrooms First Initiative Council fulfilled one of the Governor’s first promises he made in his inaugural state of the state speech by releasing an initial framework for change to Arizona’s school finance system. What the Council released yesterday is an exciting jumping off point from which to modernize our state’s complex and cumbersome…
Read MoreClement Leung, the commissioner for the Hong Kong government in the United States, was our special guest yesterday at a joint luncheon hosted by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Arizona Commerce Authority. Commissioner Leung gave our audience a great overview of Hong Kong and its “one country, two systems” political structure.…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreAs 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…
Read MoreFrom 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…
Read MoreIf 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…
Read MoreFor 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…
Read MoreCongratulations 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,…
Read MoreOur 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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