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

There’s no question that the pandemic has presented everyone with countless challenges this year. For parents especially, trying to juggle virtual learning and child care with a job has been an unprecedented challenge of its own.

It’s time for Arizona to get smart on crime and join other conservative states by adopting the reforms in SB1064.

Such progress will enhance the entire Arizona economy, converting us from a state that depends on the cycles of hospitality, tourism, construction and growth to an economy with multiple foundations, including one for 21st century expansion built around science and technology, a sector that is now and will continue to drive expansion and opportunity for everyone.

Sports betting’s popularity has grown exponentially through the 2010s and now represents a $20 billion industry nationwide. State legislative analysts and industry experts predict that sports betting has the potential to generate over $427 million in revenue across the state. Although a highly speculative figure, this revenue would be taxed at a minimum rate of 8% as set by the Arizona Department of Gaming and could increase the state General Fund by $34.2 million annually.

As Arizona looks ahead to the future, we should recognize that while this is a critical step in the right direction, this is only the first step in creating better criminal justice reform practices.

Goodwill proposes to open as many as 22 Excel Center locations in Arizona over the coming decade. A modest state investment would pay massive benefits for the economy and, most of all, the individual students and their families.

It’s easy to get bogged down by the politics, the criticism or the should haves, but our children don’t have the time for this. So, we forge forward, providing the best opportunities we can with the hand no one would ever want to be dealt; and, with that, we turn to advocating for our children so we can meet their needs moving forward.

Arizona’s unemployment system needs to be revamped. I introduced SB1411 as a comprehensive package to provide this overhaul after countless hours of collaboration from a diverse stakeholder community, prioritizing information-based policymaking. House members took a different approach. As a result, the actual policy was poorly crafted.

Our individual quality of life, the strength of our workforce and our state’s long-term prosperity are all at stake. The return on Arizona’s investments in education could be astounding if we make the right decisions today.

Arizonans can all agree: it should be easy to vote but hard to cheat.