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

Our notion of the common good calls us to be in solidarity with those impacted by climate change while avoiding the temptation to pass this problem along to future generations as a result of our own neglect or narrow interests. This is why as a nation we -- including Members of Congress -- must prioritize action on climate.

Arizona’s Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Sen. Mark Kelly will be lauded as heroes if they can persuade their colleagues to change the ABC Test to the IRS Test. Failing that, voting no would be the only way to prevent potential disaster for independent contractors in Arizona and across the country.

Relaunching America’s computer chip industry could create hundreds of thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs. The U.S. can resume its position as the world’s leading manufacturer of semiconductors — something that would strengthen national security and America’s industrial self-sufficiency.

Addressing public safety is urgent for communities throughout the state that experience loss, violence, and trauma every day. These are communities that have been left behind by the current system.

If Sinema wants to keep her reputation of legislating in line with Arizonans (and her job), she should start to actually do that by eliminating the filibuster and getting to work to raise wages, pass democracy reform, and more.

HB2454 would be a huge step in the right direction for Arizona patients and providers who want to make healthcare — of which telehealth is an essential and lasting piece — as safe, accessible, and affordable as possible.

As we look ahead to the future, we must find new and innovative ways to produce the energy we need to support our growing economy and the businesses and communities that call Arizona home. Fortunately, we have legislators prioritizing the clean energy, technology and innovation sectors by focusing on policy solutions that will have a real and positive impact on Arizona’s economy, both in the short-term as our economy recovers and for years into the future.

To be clear, lawmakers should seek to advance policies that protect the rights and liberties of all people, regardless of race or wealth. But especially as union activists seek to point fingers in every direction but their own when it comes to “structural barriers” holding back communities of color, perhaps it is time lawmakers rethink their loyalties and take action to remove the real obstacles affecting communities in need.

Sadly, here in Arizona our governor has taken a different approach, ignoring the needs of horse racing and the multitude of rural, locally owned businesses that support the industry. There has been no meeting, no conversation, no discussion about how the state can help us modernize the industry as we can compete with other states.

When our State Senate considers D.C. statehood, they should treat this issue as a necessary and substantive pro-democracy reform rather than giving it the cursory and partisan treatment that the House did. If this issue comes up in the U.S. Senate, I hope Sens.Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly will recognize D.C. statehood for the racial justice and voting rights issue that it is.