The Senate Education Committee yesterday saw a display of just how critically important the Arizona’s education environment is to the state’s business community. Anyone watching the hearing now knows that a state’s tax, labor, regulatory and legal environments are all important to companies considering investment, but a quality K-12 education system can be the ultimate…
Read MoreRepublican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus just released a 100-page reporton how the Republican Party can attempt to win back the large swaths of the electorate that has abandoned it over the last few election cycles. The report contains discussion of the party’s posture towards women and minority voters, how young voters view the party…
Read MoreA state’s legal environment is a major contributing factor in its attractiveness to business. If you’re in the job creation business, you don’t want your state to show up on the American Tort Reform Foundation’s list of Judicial Hellholes. The Arizona Chamber this session has joined with Sen. Kimberly Yee on Senate Bill 1452, an…
Read MoreAs we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Sen. John McCain’s release as a prisoner of war, I wanted to update you on the Chamber’s efforts to help our veterans transition back into the civilian workforce. During Governor Brewer’s State of the State address she mentioned, among her Four Cornerstones of Reform, the importance of helping…
Read MoreThanks, Sen. Paul, for bringing the rarely used filibuster to the Senate floor last night. It was fun to watch. If you were looking to earn headlines, you succeeded. But if the filibuster was intended to carry out a serious policy discussion, you fell short. As The Wall Street Journalpointed out in its editorial today,…
Read MoreState Senator Kimberly Yee is a model state legislator. Her record during her tenure in public service is exemplary. Senator Yee has advanced civil justice reform, tax cuts, regulatory reform and supported efforts to protect the public from the uncontrolled use of toxic substances. Sen. Yee also has deep experience in education reform. She…
Read MoreYou might have read that paycheck protection legislation, SB 1182, went down to defeat today in Committee of the Whole in the Arizona state Senate. In a Senate chamber with a Republican majority, I am stunned that the bill was turned back. This was an opportunity to finally put an end to public sector labor…
Read MorePOTUS: First, congratulations to the president on his re-election. Barack Obama is an extremely talented politician and he should be commended for pulling of a hard fought victory in the face of a lagging economy. There’s no time to celebrate, though, as we inch ever closer to the fiscal cliff. Flake earned this one: While…
Read MoreNot every congressional race is coming down to the wire tonight. In fact, the vast majority of House races will see someone cruise to victory without breaking a sweat. But that’s not to say that the work of these members of Congress should go without recognition. Ed Pastor, the dean of the delegation, might not…
Read MoreIn the late 90s I had the privilege of serving as Rep. Matt Salmon’s legislative director and chief of staff. Later, when Sen. Jon Kyl sought re-election in 2006, I was the executive director of the state GOP, which Matt chaired. To say that he has played a huge role in my professional life would…
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