The newest state representative from Legislative District 16 is Republican Chris Lopez, a small-business owner of a trucking firm and a food concessions business from Casa Grande. He ran on a slate with Republican legislative leaders from the district – Rep. Teresa Martinez, R-Casa Grande, and Sen. T.J. Shope, R-Coolidge. Lopez will be the vice chairman of the House Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee. He is a member of the House Government Committee, Health and Human Services Committee. The border, the economy and police funding are some of Lopez’s top issues he lists on his campaign website. Lopez also calls for more skilled vocational programs and joint technical education district opportunities as ways to grow the economy. Lopez says on his campaign website that he will prioritize protecting the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program the way it currently stands and support increasing teacher salaries through House Bill 2800 from 2023, a measure sponsored by Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix.  It proposed giving teachers a $10,000 raise over two years but was opposed by Democrats because it only provided one-time funding and didn’t include other classroom support positions. Lopez didn’t respond to the Arizona Capitol Times request for an interview before deadline.