Governor Ducey Promises Arizona is “On the Rise”

By: Lorin McLain

Arizona is growing and getting better. That was the message Governor Doug Ducey conveyed to the state legislature in his State of the State address on the day of the year’s first legislative session. Ducey credited Arizona’s financial turnaround in the past year to Republican efforts of getting rid of what he said are “old laws getting in the way of new jobs.”

Ducey described the state of the state as “not just strong. It is on the rise.” He announced releasing his new budget plan and said he will prioritize education, public safety and child safety. His mission – eliminate waste and continue to lower taxes.

Ducey made a plea to the assembly to send him legislation to get rid of what he calls unnecessary regulation. “There are far too many licenses for far too many jobs,” he said, creating a “maze of bureaucracy for small business.” The governor also called on municipal leaders throughout the state to refrain from pursuing their own wage and labor laws that would create “California style chaos.”

To lure employers from California and other states that he said are sinking under the weight of taxation, he announced signing an executive order creating the Governor’s Council on Sharing Economy.  The goal, he said, is to “get the word out” and convince companies that Arizona is a place to thrive, and to keep job creators already here.

Ducey called on Arizonans to support his three-and-a-half billion dollar school funding plan that will go in front of voters later this year. He calls it a “once in a generation opportunity” that puts Arizona among states investing the most new money in public schools without raising taxes. The governor says the plan awards schools that show continued academic success with more money, and giving more money to schools in troubled areas also showing improvement.

His proposals also included getting rid of the “grandmother penalty,” which gives more state money to a foster parent than it does for a child’s grandmother, and mentioned giving foster kids a “fast pass” to get in front of the line of the best public schools. His child safety initiative takes aim at deadbeat dads by posting their faces on social media along with how much money they owe in child support.

The governor announced signing an executive order that establishes a special task force to clear the backlog of untested rape kits, with money in the budget set aside for resolving unsolved cases. Ducey also touted the success of the Border Strike Force Bureau, that aims to fight cartel activity and drug trafficking through the border, and stated he’d like to see a community correction center in Maricopa County to help addicts seeking treatment.