Governor Napolitano says it is time for the Legislature to begin dealing with issues other than abortion and same-sex marriage.

After responding to questions about the controversial social issues at her March 2 news briefing, Ms. Napolitano said action on “real business” is overdue.

“There is serious work to be done in Arizona,” she said. “It is time for the Legislature to really start grappling with the big issues in the budget and move on some of the other items on education and so forth, forest health, the military installations. It’s time to get down to real business.”

Ms. Napolitano on March 4 vetoed S1077, the first veto this year and the 18th bill of her administration. The bill would have mandated that information about abortion be given to a woman by her physician, then have to wait 24 hours before having the procedure done. In her veto message, the governor said existing law requires that a physician obtain informed consent before performing any surgical procedure, while the waiting period “merely imposes a burden on a woman’s exercise of her constitutionally protected rights.”

The House has sent to the Senate a measure, HCM 2004, which supports an amendment to the U.S. Constitution mandating that marriage be between one man and one woman.

2005 Budget

Regarding the fiscal 2005 budget, legislative leaders report that work is well under way, with hearings on agency budget requests and working group negotiations. Four groups are working on the budget in the House, and a bipartisan group of senators is working through the numbers, said Majority Leader Tim Bee, R-30.

“Nothing’s off the table,” he said.

Ms. Napolitano has requested $7.2 billion for the next fiscal year, and the projected deficit is $300 million to $600 million.

Military Affairs Panel

Also at the briefing, the governor named a permanent 15-member Military Affairs Commission to work on preserving and expanding state military facilities.

“The need has been obvious for Arizona to do more to protect the long-term presence of our military installations,” Ms. Napolitano said, adding that the military’s annual $5.6 billion contribution to the state’s economy “is at risk” because the Department of Defense plans to close or consolidate 25 per cent of the nation’s military installations.

The commission will be co-chaired by Lisa Atkins, former aide to the late Arizona Congressman Bob Stump and current executive director of the County Supervisors Association, and retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Gene Santarelli of Tucson.

Ms. Napolitano has submitted a legislative package to protect military bases. The bills are the product of her Military Facilities Task Force and include a request for $1 million to seed a fund that would be used to purchase land near Luke AFB to protect it from further encroachment by private and public development.

And Rep. John Nelson, R-12, has introduced legislation that would prohibit large natural gas storage facilities within three miles of a city or a municipal or military airport. The bill comes on the heels of El Paso Natural Gas plans to store large amounts of natural gas in underground salt caverns near Luke.

In a short floor speech March 1, Sen. Robert Blendu, R-12, accused Arizona Public Service of playing both sides of the encroachment issue. The utility, he said, voices support for the Air Force base, but supports El Paso’s project, which he said would store natural gas one-half mile from a Luke ammunition dump.

Marty Shultz, APS lobbyist, said preservation of Luke and El Paso’s plan for the area will be “very compatible.”

“We support the development if it’s warranted, if it’s engineered properly and if it’s safe, Mr. Shultz said. “We are natural gas deficient. What we’ve been trying to do is frame the debate so cooler heads will prevail because this area is urbanizing and there’s a number of conflicts, if you will.”

Ms. Napolitano said she has written Pinal County officials to protest a proposed development near Marana, which, she said, would encroach upon a military helicopter-training site.

Kerry Endorsement

And on the political front, the governor said she did not discuss her endorsement of Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry for the Democratic presidential nomination with the candidate. Ms. Napolitano has been mentioned in the national press as on the list of possible running mates with Mr. Kerry, but critics have said she would not be a good choice because she is not married.

To that, she said, “I am not going to respond to Republican attacks. I am who I am.” —