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

As the Arizona superintendent of public instruction, I have traveled around the state three times on my annual “We Are Listening Tours.” These tours give fellow Arizonans the opportunity to tell me what’s going right, what’s going wrong and the ...

The Legislature recently approved a state budget proposal that prevents any new net reductions to K-12 education in Arizona this fiscal year. Though the budget increases overall funding for K-12 education, it does not do so equally, and all students in Arizona do not have the opportunity to benefit. We are not OK with that.

During the past year, Arizona businesses of all sizes were targeted by unscrupulous attorneys filing ADA lawsuits. While the chamber encourages all businesses to comply with ADA requirements, many of these lawsuits were not focused on ADA compliance, but were attempts to extort money from business owners with often very minor ADA violations.

President Trump’s executive order calling for a review of expansive executive land designations under the Antiquities Act of 1906 has predictably generated a volume of debate and dire predictions. Missing from the discussion is thoughtful dialogue about the critical role of multiple-use management in natural resources conservation and the sometimes dire consequences to our natural resources of removing such tools from the pallet of management actions and possibilities. This is all done in the name of “protection,” but sometimes we literally love our most special places to death.

The next few weeks will include much debate about President Trump’s economic plans with a primary focus on tax cuts. The typical question will be: “So, is this good?” The typical answer by policymakers and economists will be either “yes” or “no.” That’s it. Interview over. This doesn’t come close to the bare minimum discussion that is required. Here is my offering of where to start the debate.

Between health care reform, the border wall, and growing international unrest, Washington has a lot on its plate in the weeks to come. But we must make a point of prioritizing tax reform. Thirty years have passed since the last serious reforms, and our economy has been hampered by our outdated system. We haven’t achieved growth of 3 percent or higher since 2005.

Another tax season has passed and of the millions of law-abiding taxpayers who filed, many had to wonder if their private financial information would remain secure. There is ample evidence to justify taxpayer concerns about confidentiality and security.

The state of Arizona – much like the rest of the nation – is at an energy crossroads. As demand for electricity grows, residents and policymakers are wrestling with questions that will define the future of the state’s energy grid, and will determine Arizona’s ability to keep its lights on and its economy vibrant in the years to come.

If recent climatic experience has taught Arizonans anything, it is that the specter of drought is an ever-present proposition. Droughts of 30- or even 50-year durations are not unknown phenomena. So, even when Mother Nature blesses us with a wet year, like this year, water in the Southwest remains a scarce resource that must be managed cooperatively with a long-term view, if we are to assure that water remains available and abundant for the millions of people who rely on it.

Very likely far more dollars could be gained with improved tax enforcement, but adding corporate auditors is an obvious step. It’s a win-win for the state and those that already comply with the state’s tax laws.