Sen. Steve Smith appeared Thursday night on Fox News to talk about the latest on the border fence project. He gave Greta an exclusive with word of a major donation by a large company.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1129274855001/arizona-accepting-donations-for-a-border-fence/

He’ll talk about some new developments with the border fence project. The show airs at 7 pm.

When Arizonans voted to create the Independent Redistricting Commission in 2000, they likely expected they would get fair and transparent redistricting of legislative and congressional districts. Seeing how the current IRC led by Colleen Mathis is spinning out of control, even the IRC’s most rabid supporters must be disappointed.

The wobbly performance of the IRC began when Ms. Mathis sided with the Democrats and refused to let the Republicans on the IRC choose their own attorney! It continued when Ms. Mathis and the two Democrats on the IRC chose Strategic Telemetry to draw the maps of the new districts. Strategic Telemetry’s stated purpose is to elect “progressive” candidates. It’s understandable that people question that such a partisan firm will be able to put politics aside and draw fair districts.

That controversial decision was set up by the incompetent Commissioner José Herrera and Ms. Mathis. Herrera admitted publicly that he fudged the scores deliberately high for Strategic Telemetry. The fact that Strategic Telemetry was the most expensive bidder should have disqualified ST immediately. Instead, ST was allowed to lower its bid. The new bid was a smokescreen, however, because the IRC had to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for ST’s special software and office space, which competing bidders already had.

Failure to adhere to the normal public bidding process and being co-opted by the Democrats has accelerated the erratic behavior of Chairman Mathis. Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne is investigating allegations Mathis violated open meeting laws. Mathis and Herrera say they will not cooperate with the investigation. Instead, they have hired two attorneys with taxpayer money to defend them in this investigation.

Additionally, I have sent a statutory request for information to the IRC but have been ignored. Since the original request more than a month ago I have made two additional requests and still haven’t received the requested information. Between thumbing their noses at the Attorney General and stonewalling the requests for information from the Legislature, it has the feel of a blatant cover-up.

If Ms. Mathis is unwilling to act in an “independent and impartial fashion”, as required by the Arizona Constitution, she should be removed. The bidding process for Strategic Telemetry needs to be reviewed to see if state laws were broken. Mathis and Herrera need to come clean on whether they violated open meeting laws. Mathis needs to order her attorneys to respond immediately to my request for information.

Arizonans approved the IRC believing we would have a fair and transparent redistricting process.

Ms. Mathis and her Democratic cronies have proven to be obstructionist, unfair, and obstinate in their duties. It seems that Ms. Mathis and Commissioner Herrera have failed in their constitutional duties to uphold “public confidence in the integrity of the redistricting process.”

Therefore they should be removed in the manner that the voters insisted should be a safeguard to the process of redistricting.

Having attended the public hearing by the Arizona Department of Corrections on the Perryville prison it is important for everyone to understand some of the history behind its present location and why it should not be expanded and furthermore if it should even remain in place at all.

ADOC is wrapping up a process to find a place to build several new private prisons in Arizona.

Depending on the selection, each prison would hold 1,000 to 5,000 inmates. There is a demand for these new beds, and each 5,000 bed prison will bring 1,000 construction jobs and more than 1,000 permanent jobs to the state.

Four companies are making bids. Corrections Corporation of America is proposing a 4,500 bed complex in Eloy. Geo Group is considering a 2,000-3,000 bed prison near Yuma, or up to 5,000 beds at Perryville. LaSalle Correctional Management wants to build a 1,000 bed unit in Winslow. Management & Training Corporation is considering a 3,000 bed prison near Yuma or a 3,000-5,000 bed complex in Coolidge.

ADOC held five public hearings around the state to talk with residents about the proposals. They have heard the public give opinions on the benefits to the economy and the concerns about safety.

One thing has become clear. The expansion should not happen at Perryville. West valley residents remember when the State broke a promise in the 1980s concerning Perryville, and they don’t trust the State with its promises at this time.

In 1980, the State was in the middle of a political battle and a lawsuit filed by the Litchfield Elementary School District over where to build a new prison, and how big that prison should be. To get a bill passed, lawmakers agreed to a limit of 1,000 beds for male inmates and four hundred beds for females. Over the objections of nearby residents, the Governor and the Legislature at the time made the decision to build it near I-10 and Cotton Lane.

Just four years later, legislators changed the law, and now 1,400 inmates could be housed, regardless of gender. More egregiously, in 1989, the Legislature ripped up the 1980 agreement, and removed any limits on the number of inmates housed at Perryville, thereby again thumbing their noses at the people of the west valley. The result? Four thousand five hundred inmates are housed at Perryville. Our residents have long memories, and they know an agreement with the state over prisons isn’t worth the paper it is printed on.

The good news is that nearly every other proposed site is being welcomed with open arms. In Winslow, residents and local leaders were literally begging for LaSalle to build its prison there. At the Yuma hearing, one of my Senate colleagues said it was “a no-brainer” to expand the prison in San Luis. Reports from Eloy say the CCA proposal there got near-unanimous support.

Arizona is going to have new prison facilities, and we are going to make sure ADOC demands the highest security standards, with the safety of neighborhoods in mind. There are some good options available. The west valley is not one of those options.

Senate President Russell Pearce announced today he is naming Senator Don Shooter chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“Senator Shooter is a strong fiscal conservative. He works well with his colleagues and the Governor. He will put the taxpayers of Arizona first,” says President Pearce.

Sen. Shooter currently serves as Chair of the Appropriations Sub-committee on Rural Issues, Education & Natural Resources.

“It will be a year of reform, with a smaller, more efficient government. With this pro-jobs, pro-education, pro-public safety Senate we have a great opportunity to continue to move Arizona in the right direction,” says Sen. Shooter. “We will return in January with no deficit, thanks to the Senate’s hard work in delivering a balanced budget.”

“Senator Shooter will be an outstanding Appropriations chair, continuing our effort to stimulate the economy with lower taxes and reduced regulation,” says Pres. Pearce. “He understands the process and has a good working relationship with the House and the Governor. Senator Shooter has the time and willingness to work with Leadership on budget issues important to Arizona.”

Shooter replaces Senator Andy Biggs, who is now Majority Leader in the Senate.

“Senator Biggs will stay very engaged in the Appropriations process, and Appropriations Vice-Chair Ron Gould is a seasoned Senator and a longtime Appropriations member. With Senator Shooter moving into this leadership role, our Appropriations team becomes even stronger,” says Pres. Pearce.

Sen. Linda Gray, a well-known champion of strong drunk-driving legislation, continues to be recognized nationally for her efforts. The Century Council has given the Phoenix Republican a Leadership Award for her hard work. The Century Council is a national not-for-profit organization funded by distillers and focused on fighting drunk driving and underage drinking.

Senator Gray is one of only seventeen legislators across the country to earn the award.

In announcing the honor, the group said “Senator Gray has fought tirelessly to strengthen Arizona’s drunk driving laws”. The Century Council recognized that Senator Gray has made community safety a top priority by promoting legislation to prevent alcohol-related traffic crashes. In 2001, The Century Council supported her bill to lower Arizona’s “extreme DUI” level from .18 to .15.

In the most recent legislative session, Senator Gray sponsored SB 1200 which promotes the increased use of ignition interlocks to prevent drunks from driving. She credits the use of the interlock devices for the 46% reduction in DUI fatalities in the latest data obtained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Senator Gray is chair of the Senate Public Safety & Human Services Committee.

Senate Republicans embrace the 11th Circuit Court’s ruling declaring the individual mandate portion of President Obama’s healthcare law unconstitutional. The opinion decries Obamacare, with Chief Judge Joel Dubina writing, “The individual mandate exceeds Congress’s enumerated commerce power and is unconstitutional.” It goes on to state, “This economic mandate represents a wholly novel and potentially unbounded assertion of congressional authority: the ability to compel Americans to purchase an expensive health insurance product they have elected not to buy, and to make them re-purchase that insurance product every month for their entire lives.” We are confident this ruling will be upheld in future legal challenges.

Arizona Republican senators celebrate the Arizona Court of Appeals ruling to uphold the abortion consent act. See the link below for key provisions of the ruling.

http://blog.azpolicy.org/life/victory-for-life-advocates-arizona-court-of-appeals-upholds-abortion-consent-act/

Sen. Nancy Barto has been named a recipient of the American Legislative Exchange Council’s “Legislator of the Year” award. Sen. Barto was presented the award at the organization’s annual meeting in New Orleans. The “Legislator of the Year” Award is given to state legislators who are ALEC members in good standing and have distinguished themselves by taking a leadership role in advancing, introducing and/or enacting policies based on the fundamental Jeffersonian principles of free markets, limited government, federalism and individual liberty. “It is such an honor to receive this award from ALEC. It’s good to know the hard work we’re doing here in Arizona fighting for everyone’s health care rights is being recognized by such a respected national organization,” says Sen. Barto, a Republican from Phoenix. Sen. Barto serves on the Executive Committee for the Health & Human Services Task Force. She has been a key force behind Health Care Freedom, protecting citizens’ fundamental health care rights. Efforts that began in Arizona have now led to 12 states passing Health Care Freedom laws and another four states will have it on the 2012 ballot. “Now Arizona’s state constitution prevents citizens from being forced to purchase health insurance and guarantees their right to purchase health care privately – two rights that are threatened by Congress’ unconstitutional health care takeover in 2009,” says Sen. Barto. Barto also sponsored the Health Care Sharing Ministries bill, which was signed into law this year – another example of ALEC model legislation that expands patients’ rights to affordable health care. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is the nation’s leading nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

Sen. Rick Murphy appeared this week on Channel 3’s Politics Unplugged to talk about Empowerment Scholarship Accounts. In this new law, ninety percent of the money that would be used to pay for a special needs child in public school can be used by parents for other educational options.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, July 28, 2011.

Contact: Amy Rezzonico (602) 542-8019.

HORNE URGES CONSUMER CAUTION WHEN USING WEBSITES FOR BORDER FENCE CONTRIBUTIONS PHOENIX (Thursday, July 28, 2011) — Attorney General Tom Horne says Arizonans who wish to contribute to the construction of a border fence should only contribute to the state’s official website designated for that purpose. That website is: http://www.buildtheborderfence.com.

“In the past few days, some consumers may have become confused by a website with a similar Internet address as Arizona’s official border fence construction site,” Horne said. “That website made changes when the operator was alerted to the possible confusion, but consumers should always exercise caution when donating money. Make sure the entity you’re giving the donation to is legitimate and will use the funds for the purpose intended. In the case of the border fence construction, the official website has the Arizona State Seal and the az.gov website banner. Consumers should be wary of any other website that claims to support funding for the border fence.”

The expanded Joint Border Security Advisory Committee will meet for the first time Wednesday, one week after the successful launching of the border fence website: www.buildtheborderfence.com.

That website, which collects private donations to help Arizona build a fence along the Mexico border, raised more than $100,000 in its first three days.

The meeting is set for Wednesday at 9 a.m. in House Hearing Room 1. The committee is co-chaired by Sen. Al Melvin and Rep. Russ Jones. New committee members Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu and Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever are all planning to attend.

Sen. Steve Smith, Republican from Maricopa, will give a presentation on the first week of the border fence donation website.

All the funds raised at www.buildtheborderfence.com are held in a trust fund account in the Arizona State Treasurer’s Office. The Joint Border Security Advisory Committee, established in the bill, will oversee the project.

Sen. Steve Smith sits down with Fox 10’s John Hook to talk

about the border fence.

http://www.buildtheborderfence.com

I understand that a notice of claim challenging the merits of my pension reform bill, SB 1609, was filed today by two judges. Early this session, it became clear that the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System, which includes the Elected Officials’ Retirement Plan, was headed for collapse. One of the greatest achievements this session was the passage of sweeping reforms to these pension systems through SB 1609. Numerous changes were enacted to strengthen the funded status of the retirement plans while maintaining generous employee benefits. Ultimately, SB 1609 will be instrumental in turning these public retirement systems around and protecting benefits for future employees.

From retired employees to new employees just starting their careers, no one is served by an unsustainable system on the verge of insolvency. I stand by SB 1609 as an important milestone in the recovery of our public retirement systems. After working with employee stakeholders on SB 1609, I understand the frustration from groups affected by these changes. But with few options and a duty to protect the retirement benefits for all employees, we will vigorously defend the important reforms contained in SB 1609.

The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission hasn’t even had its first public hearing, and already the Commission is creating controversy over the way the hearings are handled.

Sen. Ron Gould of Lake Havasu City discovered today the Commission may send only one of its five members to the sole IRC hearing in Mohave County. Previous meetings in Phoenix and Tucson have been attended by all five members.

“I guess the rules are different outside of Maricopa and Pima counties. In the IRC’s mind, the full Commission doesn’t need to hear the concerns of Mohave County residents. One member is just fine. That’s an insult,” says Sen. Gould.

The public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, July 26 at 6 p.m. at Bullhead City Council Chambers.

“You’ll have people coming from all over the county to Bullhead City for this meeting. These people care about the process. It’s a real slap in their faces,” says Sen. Gould.

The IRC is also now the target of a probe by Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, over accusations of violations of open meeting laws and procurement laws.

Sen. Steve Smith of Maricopa will appear on Channel Eight’s HORIZON tonight to discuss the new border fence donation website www.buildtheborderfence.com

Lawmakers in several states, including Arizona, are pushing for a law that would make it illegal for a parent not to report their child missing within 24 hours – they’re calling it Caylee’s Law.After three years behind bars, Casey Anthony walked out of a Florida jail over the weekend. Anthony was acquitted in the murder of her daughter Caylee on July 5. Many people disagree with the ruling, saying she should have received a harsher punishment for lying to police and for not reporting her daughter’s disappearance. Called Caylee’s Law, it’s a national push to make it illegal for parents not to report their children missing within 24 hours. Several states are pushing for the new law, and Arizona has jumped on board. State Senator Linda Gray says she has received more than 900 emails asking her to make this a law in Arizona.

Read entire article here: http://www.kvoa.com/news/ariz-lawmaker-pushes-for-caylee-s-law-/

District 23 state Senator Steve Smith announced July 20, 2011 as the launch date of the border fence donation website where residents can donate to the privately funded fence construction effort on the border. Governor Brewer approved the border fence fund in May. Senator Smith will be hosting a launch party in Casa Grande for the website where he will be joined by other conservative lawmakers.

Read the rest of the story here. http://www.goldcanyontoday.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1746&Itemid=189

"The U.S. Supreme Court this morning ruled the matching funds provision of Arizona’s taxpayer-funded campaign finance system unconstitutional. This is a victory for Arizona and a victory for free speech. The Court rightly found that matching funds illegally discourages private candidates from raising and spending cash in elections.

The Court ruled that matching funds present a substantial burden to free speech rights. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote “the First Amendment embodies our choice as a nation that, when it comes to speech, the guiding principle is freedom—the unfettered exchange of ideas—not whatever the State may view as fair”.

It made no sense that as privately-funded candidates raised money for their campaigns, it triggered taxpayer subsidies for the opposing candidates. This was an experiment that failed, and now it has been ruled unconstitutional by the highest court in the land. Good riddance. This ruling follows an Arizona Supreme Court ruling on Friday dealing with another big issue.

The Court rejected the request of public interest attorneys to place an injunction on the AHCCCS enrollment freeze scheduled to take effect Friday. The justices understand that there is not sufficient funding to maintain one of the richest Medicaid programs in the country. Arizonahas gone above and beyond what is federally required and can no longer foot the bill. These tough times have prompted tough decisions, and it is encouraging to see that reflected in the court’s decision.”

Sen. Steve Pierce, a Republican from Prescott, has been named the 2011 Senator of the Year by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Pierce is Majority Whip and has been a member of the Senate since 2009.

“Senator Pierce’s hard work in 2011 stood out. He has a strong pro-business record and this year he was focused on shepherding job-creation legislation to passage. We applaud his support of the economic competitiveness package and for his leadership within his caucus,” says Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“Sen. Pierce knows that doing the right thing isn’t always the popular thing. We commend him for his work to advance to the ballot a measure to eliminate public funding for political campaigns. It’s a stance that might not earn him the title of Mr. Popular among his colleagues, but we believe his leadership on this and other important issues helps make Arizona a better place to work and live,” says Hamer.

Sen. Pierce is a third-generation Arizonan, a graduate of Prescott High School and the University of Arizona. He operates the ranch outside Prescott that his father acquired fifty years ago.

The 2011 Chamber Awards Luncheon honoring Sen. Pierce and others is being held June 24 at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort.