Resilient EVIT is committed to in-person learning
EVIT is a school of choice – and we will continue to honor the choice East Valley families made to send students to EVIT for in-person learning. We will remain committed to the resilience it takes to prepare our students for the real world.
Civil asset forfeiture reform: A solution in search of a problem
If the Arizona Legislature wants to help drug cartels and organized crime, then heeding the Institute for Justice and establishing a “conviction first” statute for civil forfeiture is a great start. The only people such a measure will hurt are law abiding citizens, prosecutors and police officers. But drug dealers? They will absolutely love it.
To improve Arizona Legislature, consider cumulative voting
Imagine an Arizona House of Representatives modeled in part on the system used in Illinois. There would be Republicans elected from liberal bastions like Phoenix, Tempe, and Tucson. Democrats would be elected from conservative places like Mohave and Yavapai Counties.
Congress should pass Puerto Rico statehood bill
Making Puerto Rico a state would respect the will of the Puerto Rican people, provide true representation for the American citizens on the island, and be of economic benefit for both Puerto Rico and the mainland. Hopefully, Representative Grijalva will support Puerto Rico statehood unequivocally, and move critical legislation out of his committee to help make it happen.
Recreational marijuana OK a defining moment
For thousands of years cannabis has been used for food, fuel, fiber, medicine, spirituality/religion, health, and leisure. And now in Arizona we can appropriately call its use recreation. I, for one, believe that this expanded access to legal cannabis for responsible adult “recreational” use – by any definition – is healthy for our communities.
It’s time to normalize methadone treatment
Gaps in our health care system have become more obvious and urgent under the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. Let’s use this time to think differently about how providers can deliver care and act now and normalize methadone treatment. We all will thrive as a result.
Is Constitution to be taken seriously or for granted?
As an attorney and retired judge I have always considered the Arizona Constitution to be the highest law of the state, not a set of guidelines. That’s why I am a plaintiff, along with a top local businesswoman, in the lawsuit brought by Rose Law Group challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 208, potentially the largest income tax hike in Arizona history.
Choice, competition and jobs: A clean energy plan that works for Arizona
Compared to where our nation stood just 10 years ago, America’s energy revolution is moving further and faster than most people ever dreamed. Arizona played a leading role in this revolution, and thanks to the ACC’s new clean energy rules, we will continue to lead in the years and decades to come.
Arizona earns D- for police moneymaking schemes
Police who patrol Arizona communities should focus on criminals, not cash. Current laws encourage the reverse, making everyone a potential ATM for cash-strapped agencies.
Improving HOPE for Alzheimer’s Act
There are more than 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s, including 150,000 in Arizona. Over 16 million Americans provide unpaid care for loved ones with Alzheimer’s or other dementias, including 346,000 in Arizona.
Infrastructure investment must include ‘Buy America’ rules
Congress must include strong “Buy America” rules in national infrastructure investment — and update U.S. trade agreements that block them. The United States has long served as the world’s primary consumer. It’s time to bring more of that spending back home, and create much-needed jobs at a pivotal time.
Prop. 207 brings expungement for some, why stop there?
The solution is evident – keep the momentum going and pass a more expansive expungement law in Arizona. My hope is that the Arizona Legislature thinks about these questions, listens to their constituents with the passage of this recent expungement law, and takes the role of forging a path to an attainable end for those who have made mistakes to redeem themselves and become more productive member[...]