“Arizona’s hearts are heavy today on the news of the death of Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever. Cochise County could not have had a better fighter for its residents. He always had the best interests in mind for the community.

To many people, Larry Dever WAS Cochise County. He was born in St. David, grew up there and joined the Sheriff’s Department back in 1976. In 1996, voters made him their Sheriff.

Larry was always ready to come up to Phoenix to let state leaders know what was happening in his county. No one better articulated concerns about illegal immigration and drug smuggling and how they impacted residents. My fellow ranchers who live near the border knew they could count on Sheriff Dever. His voice will be missed.

My condolences go out today to his wife Nancy, their six boys and 11 grandchildren “

You’ve probably heard lawmakers exclaiming that their priorities are “jobs, jobs and jobs”. No matter what the issue of the day happens to be, leaders on both sides of the aisle will say the focus must be on jobs and the economy. But I don’t blame some of the more cynical parts of the electorate to question whether those words ever turn into action. What are Arizona leaders doing to create jobs and bring back this economy? I would point to an announcement on August 14 as evidence Republicans are making the right decisions in public policy and re-establishing Arizona as a leader in the national recovery.

That day the Intel Corporation announced it will start building a $300 million research and development facility in Chandler. The company says that facility will create several hundred well-paying jobs. This is on top of the massive construction project well-underway on the Chandler Intel campus. The Fab 42 manufacturing facility will be completed next year, and the company says it will hire one thousand people for that plant.

Clearly these are exciting numbers to see as we climb out of the economic downturn. A private company is pouring billions of dollars into an expansion of its already-large operations in our state. These decisions weren’t made in a vacuum. We can point to specific decisions made by Republicans in the Senate and House, along with the Governor, that led to these positive economic developments.

Last year, the Governor called a special session to enact the Arizona Competiveness Package. Within this sweeping tax reform and business incentive plan were many items that a company such as Intel would look at when considering an expansion in Arizona.

We lowered the state’s tax rate for commercial property from 20% to 18%, a tremendous reduction for a $300 million facility. The corporate income tax is being phased down from almost 7% to 4.9% by 2016, becoming the fifth-lowest rate in the country. We raised the sales factor from 80% to 100%, meaning a company such as Intel that sells products around the world will have a much bigger reason to stay and expand in our state.

The Arizona Competiveness Package also included a Quality Jobs Program, providing a tax credit of $3,000 per new employee. We improved upon this in our last legislative session, lifting a 400 employee cap on the credit, so that a company such as Intel will benefit from the credit for the 500+ new employees it hires.

I don’t pretend to claim that legislation passed into law was the only reason for Intel’s expansion in Chandler. What I do know is the Majority in the Legislature laid the groundwork for companies large and small to flourish. It’s crystal clear that Arizona is now a business-friendly state, and we all benefit from an outstanding company investing, expanding and hiring here. My hope is that this announcement is just the start.

Sen. Steve Yarbrough Chairman, Senate Finance Committee

On Thursday Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Patricia Trebesch issued a temporary restraining order banning the sale of dangerous synthetic drugs such as “bath salts” in Yavapai County. I applaud this ruling. Bath salts are a public safety crisis and my county has been hit hard. Emergency rooms in Yavapai County are reporting on average twenty ER visits each week by people suffering reactions to synthetic drugs. They ingested drugs bought at stores in Prescott, Sedona, Cottonwood and throughout the Verde Valley.

Yavapai County Attorney Shelia Polk is doing an outstanding job in

combating this scourge. So is Senator Linda Gray, who I have been working with to fight this menace that is tearing apart families and putting the public at risk. This past session we swiftly passed a bill that was signed by the Governor to outlaw the synthetic drugs we have been aware of, and we are looking for ways to continue to address this concern in the next legislative session. Judge Trebesch’s order is now another step in getting these life-threatening drugs off the shelves.”

Alarmed by the potential impact of new environmental regulations on the local economy, State Senator Sylvia Allen (R-Snowflake) will testify before a public hearing conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding a federal plan that has the potential to close one or more units at the Cholla Generating Station near Joseph City.

The Tuesday, August 14 hearing will solicit public feedback on the EPA’s decision to reject Arizona’s plan to address regional haze (a visibility, not health issue) in favor of a federal plan that would require Arizona utilities to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to install new and expensive technology on existing power plants, including Cholla. If implemented, the plan could force the utility to close one or more units at the generating station.

“I am appalled that the EPA is considering new regulations that could do significant harm to Navajo County’s economy at virtually the same time that we’re struggling to deal with the closure of the Catalyst Paper Mill near Snowflake,” Allen said. “I look forward to defending my constituents against the Obama Administration’s extreme environmental agenda.”

WHAT: EPA public hearings on new regional haze regulations.

WHO: State Senator Sylvia Allen.

WHEN: Tuesday, August 14, 6 pm.

WHERE: Northland Pioneer College (Tiponi Conference Room).

The Arizona Association of County School Superintendents has named Senate President Steve Pierce, R-Prescott, as the 2012 Legislator of the Year.

Pierce was honored at a ceremony July 25 in Flagstaff as part of the association’s annual legislative retreat.

To read the rest of the story, click here: http://www.trivalleycentral.com/articles/2012/08/06/casa_grande_dispatch/news/doc501ff6acce14e462121015.txt

Senator John McComish, Chairman of the Arizona Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, is investigating the impact that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will have on Arizona. The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld the individual insurance mandate contained in the law, but ruled that the federal government could not act punitively towards states to force them to expand their Medicaid populations.

This week Senator McComish held his most recent meeting of stakeholders to discuss health care issues in general. Topics have ranged from insurance coverage, medical liability costs to access to healthcare. However, at the heart of the discussion was whether or not the Affordable Care Act would stay in place or leave states to design programs and solutions at the local level. “Now we know what hand we are dealt. I am just beginning to understand where we are headed. I am hoping in the coming months we will have good data to make a sound decision moving forward. I hope to partner with the stakeholders and collaborate with the Executive on next steps.”

“There are many unanswered questions left by the recent court ruling. Specifically, what will expansion of Medicaid cost the state? What is the state and federal contribution to the system and will it be a sustainable program in the years to follow? Can we afford it?”

Another key issue is whether the state will implement the health insurance exchange created by the health care law. What options are best for Arizona is a central focus to McComish’s investigation. “I am getting input from folks in the health care arena as to what are the advantages and disadvantages to this new commercial market created by Obamacare. It’s quite an extensive and expansive infrastructure that will govern the delivery of health care for everyone.”

Senate President Steve Pierce joined a coalition of policymakers, business and community leaders protesting new regulations being considered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that have the potential to cost Arizona residents hundreds of millions of dollars in higher electricity costs.

The Senate President’s comments came at a July 31 public hearing conducted by the EPA to solicit feedback on the agency’s decision to reject Arizona’s federally-mandated plan to reduce regional haze (a visibility, not health issue) in favor of a new regulations requiring Arizona utilities to install exorbitantly expensive technology at three power plants that provide electricity to millions of Arizona residents.

If implemented, the regulations would require Arizona Public Service (APS), Salt River Project (SRP), and the Arizona Electric Power Cooperative (AEPCO) to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade their facilities with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology, which makes no perceptible improvement in visibility compared to measures already required under Arizona’s plan.

While the EPA has publicly claimed that its plan is designed to improve visibility, many Arizona leaders believe that the driving force behind the regulations is an EPA effort to force utilities to abandon the use of coal as a clean, inexpensive, and reliable source of energy in favor of other “green” sources of energy that have proven to be less reliable and much more expensive.

The end result of such a move, Pierce argued, would be higher electricity costs and, consequently, higher prices for goods and services.

“What we’re really talking about is taking hundreds of millions of dollars from Arizona residents and employers to pay for new technology that makes no significant improvement in air quality,” Pierce declared. “That’s not just unfair, it’s outrageous. It reflects a staggering disregard for the state’s economy and a disturbing willingness to sacrifice economic growth in favor of a reckless environmental agenda. As Senate President, I call upon the EPA to abandon its plan and work with the state to find a logical and common sense solution.”

President Pierce’s comments were echoed by statements from Senator John Nelson (R-Phoenix), an engineer and chairman of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, and Senator Gail Griffin (R-Hereford), whose district includes the Apache Generating Station, owned by AEPCO.

Nelson, a former council member and interim mayor of the City of Phoenix lambasted the EPA’s plan. “I have to tell you in all candor that in my nearly 3 decades of public service, I have never seen something as arbitrary, unfair, and illogical as this plan and its demand that Arizona utilities install SCR technology on their plants,” Nelson said.

Senator Griffin agreed. “Let’s be very clear—these regulations have nothing to do with public health and everything to do with the Obama Administration’s radical push to eliminate coal as a source of cheap electrical power.”

In addition to state lawmakers, prominent community and business leaders from throughout the state spoke out against the regulations, including the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the National Federation of Independent Business. Together with President Pierce, these leaders expressed alarm that the high cost of installing SCR technology may force Arizona utilities to:

• Dramatically increase utility rates, putting Arizona at a competitive disadvantage in its effort to attract new employers.

• Shutter one or more units at their generating facilities, leading to job losses and a reduction in property tax revenue for local schools and public safety.

• Purchase electricity on the open market at much higher cost to Arizona consumers

Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry President and CEO Glenn Hamer applauded President Pierce’s testimony. “We appreciate the willingness of President Pierce, Senator Nelson, and Senator Griffin to stand with Arizona job creators against unreasonable, unwarranted, and unnecessary environmental regulations that threaten our economic recovery. Arizona needs strong leaders like President Pierce who have the courage to protect Arizona employers and working families from overzealous federal regulators.”

Pierce concluded by urging the EPA to work with the state on a solution that achieves the goal of reducing regional haze without sacrificing the state’s economy.

“Failure to do so would send a clear message that the Obama Administration is more concerned about eliminating coal than it is about creating jobs and improving our economy.”

“Catalyst Paper announced today it is closing its paper mill in Snowflake. The decision means more than 300 people are losing their jobs in September. Hundreds more in the community who do business with the mill will also be impacted by the closure.

I am heartbroken by this announcement. These are my friends and neighbors who are losing their work. The mill is the lifeblood of the Snowflake-Taylor area. It’s been operating for more than 50 years.

Catalyst says it has struggled to make a profit because the demand for the newsprint it produces is down ten percent, but there is more to this. The troubles go back to before Catalyst even bought the plant. Back in the ‘90s, the paper mill was a profitable plant that used pulp wood to make paper. Then, federal policies and radical environmentalists shut down the forests due to the Mexican Spotted Owl. The mill was forced to switch from pulp wood to recyclable paper in an attempt to keep the mill going, but recently there have been so many factors working against Catalyst. Fuel costs have been soaring, the dollar has lost its value, China is producing paper at much lower costs, and our country is facing a debt crisis. The closure of the mill is another reminder of just how sick our national economy is today.

I will not rest until we can find work for these great employees. I’m calling on the company to help these fine folks secure employment. I’ve talked with the Arizona Commerce Authority and the Governor’s Office and am encouraged that they will do all they can. It’s a sad day in Navajo County, but I have faith that the people of Snowflake will bounce back from this sad development.”

Determined to protect the rights of Arizona residents and strengthen the state’s economy, Senate President Steve Pierce (R-Prescott) and State Senator Gail Griffin (R-Hereford) joined the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, Arizona Cattle Growers Association, and Friends of the Arizona Strip in opposition to a radical proposal to prohibit ranching, mining, and forest thinning on nearly 2 million acres of land in northern Arizona.

Disingenuously titled “The Grand Canyon Watershed National Monument”, the proposal calls on President Obama to declare 1.7 million acres of public land north of the Grand Canyon as a national monument and outlaw any future use of the land by private industry. The plan was submitted to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) earlier this year by some of the most extreme environmental groups in the country, including the Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity.

“This irresponsible proposal is just the latest in a series of moves by extreme environmentalists to ‘protect the environment’ at the expense of the economy and jobs,” President Pierce declared.

“By prohibiting responsible development of the some of our state’s most valuable natural resources, the plan would further hamper Arizona’s economic recovery and hurt rural Arizona communities already devastated by the recession and federal environmental policies.”

Pierce pointed out that the proposed monument would preclude mining at a time when new technology minimizes mining to the point that it is almost unnoticeable. “We’re punishing those industries that are working the hardest to protect the environment.”

In her opposition to the proposed national monument, Griffin, who chairs the Senate Water, Land Use, and Rural Development Committee, pointed out that 87% of land in Arizona is already owned by the government. According to documents submitted to the BLM, the proposed National Monument would encompass a large portion of the Kaibab National Forest both north and south of the Grand Canyon and would include much of the Arizona strip between the existing Grand Canyon Parashant and Vermillion Cliffs national monuments.

“With only 13% of Arizona land in private hands, Arizona’s economy is at a significant disadvantage compared to other states. We need less federal regulation of our land, not more,” Griffin declared.

Pierce and Griffin are not the only Arizona leaders to express opposition to the proposed plan. On May 11, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission adopted a resolution opposing the proposed national monument, citing a number of concerns and concluding that “the new monument is being proposed to ‘preserve’ and in some cases lock away these lands rather than conserve them, which could impact public access, recreation, grazing, and the ability of the commission to manage wildlife.”

Game and Fish Commissioner Kurt R. Davis pointed out that, “It’s not as if these lands aren’t already being managed and conserved. This is really about changing the status of these lands and adding another layer of federal bureaucracy, which has far-ranging implications.”

In a statement on the group’s website, the Friends of the Arizona Strip also deplored the proposed monument, saying that the group “vigorously oppose[s] the creation of the Grand Canyon Watershed National Monument because it is not necessary and because it violates the express declaration by the United States statute that the land, owned by the people, must serve their interests best. That means all people, not just a select few that think that they know the best way to preserve the public’s assets.”

Concern with the plan is not limited to local and state leaders. Federal elected officials, including Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Jim Matheson (D-Utah), have publicly expressed their opposition as well.

Senator Griffin urged all Arizona residents to contact their federal representatives and ask them to oppose the proposed monument.

“We’ve seen where the radical environmentalists’ agenda takes us,”Griffinsaid. “In their efforts to protect the forest, they burn it down. In their efforts to preserve the Spotted Owl, they destroy its habitat. In their efforts to clean the air, they threaten our economy.

“Arizona can’t afford their ‘protection’ any longer.”

“The U. S. Supreme Court has ruled that ObamaCare is constitutional. I wonder what Constitution the justices were using? No other issue has gotten more grassroots, citizen political involvement than ObamaCare. It gave birth to the Tea Party.

Since the secret backroom deal of this single-party legislation passed without anyone reading it, we have had time to become acquainted with the 2,000-page bill and are more afraid than ever of the consequences. It is very clear that for ObamaCare to work, we must have high taxes and heavy-handed enforcement.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently revised its earlier cost estimate, saying that ObamaCare will cost more than $2 trillion, double its original estimate. Where on earth do we get the money? From the people.

This country is already $16 trillion in debt, with this year’s budget $1.4 trillion out of balance. It will be a huge sacrifice at the expense of our children’s future.

The elderly will be penalized the most in delaying, rationing, and denying treatment. The doctors who serve them will find their payments slashed. What provider will want to take care of them if they can’t be paid a reasonable amount for services rendered?

President Obama’s sound bites today suggest that he apparently has not read the bill yet, judging by all the misinformation he spews. Your liberty and freedom in the area of healthcare is about to be taken from you. Good, sound, free-market principles and reforms that are needed to save our health care system have to be trashed and replaced with socialist European controls, not to mention that state sovereignty is out the door.

Today our Constitution hangs by a thread, and the only thing that will save us from one of the largest tax increases in history and the destruction of our liberty and freedom is “We the People.”

The Supreme Court is not the last word. We the People still have the power to change this. In November, we must elect Governor Romney and clean up Congress so that ObamaCare can be repealed.”

“Today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court comes as both a tremendous disappointment and dangerous precedent for years to come. Forcing Americans to buy a private product or service of the government’s choosing, under threat of financial penalty, opens the door for unchecked federal power for future generations. There is simply no limiting principle after today’s decision, and federal mandates that a citizen purchase a certain kind of car or consume healthier foods are no longer as far fetched as they once seemed.

The so-called Affordable Care Act, or ObamaCare, will have devastating effects on Arizona once it is fully implemented. The Medicare tax increase takes effect in 2013, as well as taxes on medical devices and other products, which will have a detrimental effect on job creation.

The centralized bureaucracies and endless new regulations and mandates will accelerate Arizona’s already dangerous doctor shortage. As the Arizona Republic recently pointed out, our state needs 2,400 physicians just to come up to the national average. The Court’s limited reading of withholding Medicaid funds notwithstanding, the law would increase Medicaid enrollment in Arizona by 36% or more, while Arizona taxpayers will be forced to pay for 10% of these new enrollees by 2020, at a cost of over $850 million.

There is now only one remaining opportunity to overturn this terrible law – this November’s elections. Any remaining doubt that this coming election is the most important in generations should now be settled.”

“Stopping Obamacare is now up to the American people. The Court’s decision to uphold the mandate forcing Americans to purchase government-approved insurance based on its being a tax is disappointing to say the least, as it was sold to us expressly as NOT being a tax. In fact, this is the largest tax increase imposed on America in our nation’s history. A $500 billion tax increase And it’s only the beginning. It’s catastrophic to America’s health.

Now, the only way to save the country from ObamaCare’s budget-busting government takeover of health care is to elect a President and Congress who understand the answer to rising health care costs is not, and never will be, bigger government and more government control.

ObamaCare is hurting the economy and must be repealed. Even though it has been held constitutional, it is still bad law. Healthcare costs continue to increase exponentially – despite the web of new government rules and regulations. It makes it harder for small businesses to hire workers and expand. It limits Americans’ choice in healthcare and intrudes on the doctor-patient relationship and it creates trillions in new government spending we cannot afford, while slashing Medicare.

Only full repeal can end this damage and stop things from getting worse.

America needs real health care reform, and that means repealing ObamaCare.

We should enact commonsense, step-by-step reforms based on the free market and not dictated by the government. We must protect Americans’ access to the care they need, from the doctor they choose, at a lower cost. This is possible and Americans know it.”

“This mixed ruling by the Supreme Court demonstrates that now more than ever we need a permanent and complete immigration plan. Arizonans know that immigration was not the cause of all our problems and SB1070 was never intended to be the solution to all of our problems.

“I’m pleased, and not surprised, that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the core component of SB1070. The ruling honors state sovereignty and, by extension, the right of citizens to pass laws to protect themselves. Claims that SB1070 will cause racial profiling are fear-mongering at its worst. Properly implemented, SB1070 will strike the right balance between protecting citizens and the rights of suspects. I look forward to seeing experience prove the naysayers wrong.”

As a proud supporter of SB1070, I was glad to see the Court uphold the most important aspect of the law—allowing local law enforcement to question someone’s immigration status during a lawful stop. I was saddened to see the Court strike down several other provisions of the law that made certain immigration-related activities state crimes.

To me and other policymakers concerned with the federal government’s total failure to protect our border, the issue boils down to whether states have the ability to protect their citizens. On this issue, I agree wholeheartedly with Justice Scalia, whose opinion pointed out that Arizona is dealing with:

“A Federal Government that does not want to enforce the immigration laws as written, and leaves the States’ borders unprotected against immigrants whom those laws would exclude. So the issue is a stark one. Are the sovereign States at the mercy of the Federal Executive’s refusal to enforce the Nation’s immigration laws?” (p. 21)

The real winners of the federal government’s failure to protect our border are the violent billionaire cartels, the drug-and-human smugglers, and the “open border” advocates. Criminal drug and human smuggling networks reach throughout our state and nation with dirty money. These networks build criminal corruption and destroy the lives of our citizens and their families. There are even concerns about terrorism spilling over our southern border.

As Chairman of the Border Security, Federalism, and State Sovereignty Committee, I understand how critical and urgent it is for the federal government to secure the Tucson sector of the border as they have the Yuma sector. If I and many others know where the smuggling routes are located, then it only stands to reason that the federal government knows also. It’s time to get the resources on the border needed to stop these criminal invaders. We have the technical ability. We have the knowledge. We have the manpower. We just need the political will. Upholding provisions of SB1070 is a great start. I fully agree with Justice Scalia:

“… to say, as the Court does, that Arizona contradicts federal law by enforcing applications of the Immigration Act that the President declines to enforce boggles the mind.” (p. 21)

U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Key Part of SB 1070

“This morning the United States Supreme Court announced that justices have ruled unanimously in favor of the central part of Arizona’s SB 1070. This ruling upheld what Arizonans have known all along; Arizona is not precluded from taking action herself to help secure our southern border.

Our state has grown frustrated by the lack of security at our border with Mexico and inaction by the federal government. SB 1070 grew out of that frustration. It was a common sense bill that I supported, along with nearly every member of our Caucus.

It only gave local and state law enforcement the power to enforce existing law. Illegal immigration is an issue that directly affects Arizona’s economy, overburdens our corrections system, strains local budgets and leads to increased costs on our citizens for vital services such as health care and education.

Perhaps now we can deal with the issue as a sovereign state, just as we should be able to with the mismanagement of our forests. Natural resources are going up in smoke due to even more of the Feds inability to do what is right.

It is an election year, but I hold out hope that the Obama Administration can finally move past the rhetoric and work toward a solution to this and other very important problems that impact not only Arizona, but the nation as well. While we need the Border Patrol agents to improve security, we also need more U.S. Customs and Border Security agents to get commerce moving immediately.

Today’s decision is a clear sign that the days of inaction and excuses are over.”

State Senator Gail Griffin (R-Hereford) testified last week before members of a Congressional subcommittee that federal agencies are threatening access to critical supplies of water and undermining economic development in southeast Arizona.

“The proper management of our lands would produce jobs and a healthy environment,”Griffin declared. “Please do not allow any more federal acquisition of land. They have proven they can’t take care of what they have.

Griffin’s comments came at a rare field hearing conducted by members of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Water and Power, which came to Phoenix to hear testimony from Senator Griffin and other elected officials and business leaders concerned about the impact of federal policies on Arizona’s economy.

Providing a southern Arizona perspective, Griffin informed the Subcommittee that federal actions are threatening the Town of Tombstone’s water supply and complicating the City of Sierra Vista’s efforts to facilitate new development.

“Tombstone’s water infrastructure is located in the Coronado National Forest, which supports both adequate safe drinking water and fire suppression.Tombstone’s water rights date back 130 years prior to any designation of land by the Forest Service,”Griffin explained to the committee.

“Huge mudslides [following last year’s Monument Fire] forced boulders . . . to tumble down mountainsides, crushing Tombstone’s water lines and destroying reservoirs, shutting off Tombstone’s main water source.”

Griffin explained that the whole Town of Tombstone is at risk unless the Forest Service allows the Town to repair its water infrastructure. Inexplicably, however, the Forest Service has prohibited the Town from using motorized equipment to make necessary repairs, putting the Town at risk. The Forest Service has even prohibited the Town from using any mechanized equipment, to include wheel barrels, to make repairs.

“Should a fire occur, Tombstone structures could be history.Tombstone does not have the water to fight a major fire,”Griffindeclared. “The Forest Service’s motto is, ‘Caring for the land and serving people’. They have done neither in this case,” Griffin said.

Griffin also made the Subcommittee aware of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) efforts to halt development in Sierra Vista. In April of this year, the BLM sent a letter to the Department of Water Resources demanding that the State of Arizona halt the long awaited Tribute development in Sierra Vista, claiming that the development’s water supply is “legally unavailable” because it is near the San Pedro National Conservation Area.

“[B]y claiming that sufficient water for the development is physically available, but legally the property of the federal government, this administration is signaling its determination to control the water not only in the San Pedro River but anywhere near it as well,” Griffin declared.

Griffin was joined at the hearing by representatives from Salt River Project, Grand Canyon Electric Co-op Association, the Gila River Indian Community, and the Arizona Cattle Growers Association, all of whom asked Subcommittee members to reform federal policies threatening Arizona’s access to affordable water and power.

Of particular concern to the Subcommittee is the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) efforts to require electric utilities, including rural co-ops such as the Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, which runs the Apache Generating Station near Benson, to install prohibitively expensive emissions controls that could force these power plants to close. Such closures would cost Arizona hundreds of jobs, and lead to dramatically higher prices for electricity and water. For example, if the Navajo Generating Station (NGS) near Page were to close, the Central Arizona Project would have to purchase electricity from other, much more costly sources, leading to significantly higher water rates for Arizona residents in Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima Counties.

Subcommittee members, including California Congressman Tom McClintock and Arizona Congressmen Paul Gosar and David Schweikert, thanked Senator Griffin for her testimony.

“What we’re doing here today is extremely important,” Congressman Schweikert said.

Senator Griffin pledged to continue her fight against federal encroachment on property rights and local control. “I applaud Congressmen Gosar and Schweikert for their focus on these critically-important issues. We need their leadership to push back against the growing power and intrusion of the federal government in Washington D.C.”

Sen. Murphy: Ruling shows SB 1486 was right idea

A Maricopa Superior Court judge Tuesday ruled the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association can’t spend taxpayer money to pay officers for union work, instead of law enforcement duties. A contract agreed to by Phoenix and PLEA allows more than one million dollars to be spent for six police officers to do union work instead of traditional law enforcement.

Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper ruled the so-called release time is likely a violation of Arizona’s gift clause, because it is not for a public purpose, but instead serves the private interests of PLEA.

Today’s ruling is vindication for Senate Bill 1486, sponsored by Senator Rick Murphy. That bill prohibited a public employer from compensating a public employee for non duty-related union activities. Instead of agreeing to reasonable restrictions, the unions gambled on an all-or-nothing approach, and with this ruling, they have nothing.

“Judge Cooper made the proper decision, and we are going to see the end of release time in our state,” says Senator Murphy. “Taxpayers expect our great men and women in blue to protect and serve, not lobby for legislation that benefits the union.”

SB 1486 passed comfortably in the Senate in February, but died in the House of Representatives when House leadership blocked the bill from going to the floor.

Steve Pierce: Keeping GOP out of the news was biggest challenge

Senate President Steve Pierce. (Photo by Evan Wyloge/Arizona Capitol Times)

Extraordinary events put Steve Pierce at the helm of the Arizona Senate — and those same events made the job of leading the chamber, which is already difficult by itself, even more challenging.

The Prescott rancher was elected as Senate president following the ouster of Russell Pearce, who lost a November recall election to a rival Republican. While some of Pearce’s colleagues had no love lost for the former senator, others remained loyal to him.

Pierce had to manage a caucus that not only fractured on these emotional grounds, but one that was also sometimes split on philosophical issues.

For the complete Arizona Capitol Times interview, go here: http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2012/05/25/steve-pierce-keeping-gop-out-of-the-news-was-biggest-challenge-in-2012-legislative-session/

Last night Channel 5 in Phoenix updated viewers on buildtheborderfence.com. The report featured an interview with Senator Steve Smith.

Channel 5 report on the border fence: http://www.cbs5az.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7318478