Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business

The sheer controversy that surrounds public prayer and the petty theatrics it seems to attract testify to the fact that Arizona can do better. Arizona’s humanists and atheists will show up and speak up for equal representation as long as our government opens official meetings with prayer, but we could all get along a lot better if we cut out the prayer and got down to business instead.

The Arizona Corporation Commission is severely understaffed and is in serious need of assistance from the Legislature and Governor’s office to increase the ACC’s assessments (within currently approved statutory levels) to support manpower increases needed to match the ACC’s significantly increasing work load.

In Arizona, without accurate and complete data, our criminal justice system is losing public trust, which prevents us from keeping people safe. SB 1171 would make our prosecutors’ offices more effective and improve public collaboration with our criminal justice system. SB 1171 has found support across the political spectrum because it would give lawmakers, prosecutors, and the public the information we all need to better serve justice.

Given what we now know about how easily the new coronavirus spreads and the fact that it’s spreading in several countries, including South Korea and Iran, it’s only a matter of time before it starts circulating in Arizona.

It’s hard to believe that, in 21st century America, the life of a baby more than halfway through pregnancy is considered up for debate – but it’s true, thanks in part to Senator Kyrsten Sinema and her extremist Democrat friends in Congress. In many parts of the country, even newborn infants are uniquely vulnerable to being killed or left to die, all because they were slated for abortion and miraculously survived.

Arizona’s economy is growing rapidly and folks are moving here for our job opportunities, climate, and quality of life. What could be better? Yet moves are underway to radically “restructure” our electric system, something no state has done in the last 20 years and many states who did returned to traditional utility regulation.

During February, which is Black History Month, it is a good time to look upon the triumphs and tragedies in African American history. Movies like Harriet tell of heroes of the Underground Railroad and the struggle against slavery. It is good to honor those stories. There is, however, one tragedy of the African American community that is often overlooked: the tragedy of legalized abortion.

Arizona Rep. Walter Blackman, R-Snowflake, recently introduced a bill that would allow nonviolent offenders to be eligible for a reduced sentence if they participate in a rehabilitation program while incarcerated. It’s a step in the right direction, but one that needs to be expanded.

The fact that some non-Native politicians at the state Capitol are taking it upon themselves to change the laws around tribal nations and tribal education for Indigenous students is unnecessary, unwelcome and frankly uninformed.

You should know there is stiff competition for the future of hypersonic research. Indiana has made huge investments at Purdue and Notre Dame, and Texas A&M recently announced a joint state and university investment of $130 million specifically for hypersonics research and development. Arizona cannot afford to fall behind in our hypersonics research capability.