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Senate Leadership calls for end to 53/47 contribution rate for state employees

December 21, 2011 By 10 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 21, 2011
CONTACT: Mike Philipsen

Majority Leader to author bill that will put money back into teachers’ paychecks

(Phoenix, State Capitol) —Senate President-elect Steve Pierce and Majority Leader Andy Biggs announced today a bill will be offered in the upcoming legislative session ending the recent 53% employee/47% employer contribution rate split. That split went into effect in July, as part of the FY 12 budget. The change plugged a $40 million hole in the budget and reduced employee paychecks.

The bill will return the contribution rate split to 50/50, and increase the paychecks of teachers and other state employees by $20-40.

“Last session we made a commitment to Arizonans to deliver a balanced budget. The 53/47 split helped that happen, but many members agreed it was one of the toughest decisions they had to make. Conditions have changed, and I am comfortable now running a bill to repeal 53/47,” says Majority Leader Biggs.

“The truth is, the economic landscape is very different from March, when these budget negotiations were taking place. Because of our fiscal discipline and an improving economy, revenues are coming in at a much higher clip, and we can reverse this contribution rate change,” says President-elect Pierce.

“Republican leadership continues to put a high priority on strengthening education during these difficult times. We held K-12 reductions to about one percent last year. Today’s announcement is another way to honor the hard work of our district and charter school teachers,” says Pierce.

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Filed Under: Government Reform, Legislation, Press Release, State Budget, State Government Tagged With: , ,

Special Poll: Stop Punishing Investment to Spur Job Growth

December 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment


Small-business owners point to a way out of Arizona’s recession

PHOENIX, Ariz., Dec. 14, 2011 – Small-business owners believe Arizona needs further legislative action to spur job creation and overwhelmingly favor lowering the property tax burden on new equipment and machinery to do so, according to a special poll released today by their leading representative association.

“Small business wants job creation to continue to be the highest priority for Gov. Jan Brewer and the Arizona Legislature next session,” said Farrell Quinlan, Arizona state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, America’s largest small-business association. “Lowering the cost for small businesses to create jobs through meaningful property-tax relief and the further lifting of the regulatory burden will help restore Arizona’s economy and put our citizens back to work.”

The NFIB survey found near unanimous support among small business owners with 93 percent agreeing our leaders should keep job creation a high priority. It also found 77 percent of small business owners favor significantly increasing the amount of a business’ equipment and machinery that is exempt from personal property taxation.

The survey based its personal property tax questions on a legislative referral being developed by Senate Majority Leader Andy Biggs (Gilbert) and other lawmakers, including House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jack Harper (Surprise). The legislation, called the Small Business Job Creation Act, asks voters to increase the Arizona Constitution’s exemption for new equipment and machinery to an amount equal to the annual wages of 50 Arizona workers or approximately $2.3 million from the current $67,000.

The NFIB survey dramatically reveals that lowering the tax burden on a business’ equipment and machinery would lead to a burst of job creation from small businesses. When asked if Sen. Biggs’ proposal becomes law, 46 percent of small business owners said raising the personal property tax exemption would likely lead their businesses to hire new workers while 56 percent said such a move would likely result in more equipment and machinery purchases.

“Clearly Arizona’s economy has yet to recover and that’s born out in continued weak job creation numbers and Arizona’s unemployment rate remaining stuck at 9 percent,” said Quinlan. “Small businesses have historically led our state and nation out of recessions through creating new jobs and investing in the future. Small business’ message to our political leaders is unmistakable, job creation is the top issue and lowering small business’ cost of creating those jobs is a great place to start.”

The poll was conducted September 6 to October 21, 2011 with 496 respondents who are Arizona small business owners. The entire poll can be read by clicking here. Results from NFIB’s fuller, annual survey on other issues will be released in the coming weeks.

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NFIB is the nation’s leading small business association with offices in Washington, D.C., and all 50 state capitals. Founded in 1943 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, NFIB gives small and independent business owners a voice in shaping the public policy issues that affect their business. NFIB’s powerful network of grassroots activists send their views directly to state and federal lawmakers through our unique member-only ballot, thus playing a critical role in supporting America’s free enterprise system. NFIB’s mission is to promote and protect the right of our members to own, operate and grow their businesses. More information is available online at www.NFIB.com/newsroom.

Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Ballot Measures, Economic Development, Economics, Jobs/Labor, Legislation, Polls, Press Release, Small Business, State Economy, Taxation Tagged With: , , , ,

Longtime East Valley Legislators Stand with Salmon

November 21, 2011 By 1 Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 21, 2011
CONTACT: Adam Deguire

Biggs, Farnsworth Tout Salmon’s Conservative Record and Experience

EAST VALLEY – Former Congressman and candidate for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District Matt Salmon announced today that his campaign received the endorsements from two more prominent East Valley legislators:

Senate Majority Leader Andy Biggs (R – LD 22)
State Representative Eddie Farnsworth (R – LD 22) 

State Senator Andy Biggs stated, “Our nation is facing a critical period and we need leaders who will stand up and demand reduced wasteful spending and return our nation to a path of fiscal responsibility. Matt Salmon has done this before in Congress and he has the knowledge and experience to get things done again.”

State Representative Eddie Farnsworth added, “Matt Salmon has a proven track record of fighting for conservative values. Arizona needs representation in Congress they can depend on and there is no one more qualified for the job than Matt Salmon.”

Former Congressman Matt Salmon stated, “I continue to be humbled by the growing support from East Valley leaders that my campaign is receiving and I am thrilled to have Andy and Eddie as the latest additions to my team. They are without doubt two of Arizona’s finest and most respected legislative members and continue to serve East Valley residents with honor and integrity.”

About Matt Salmon
Matt Salmon was first elected to the United States Congress in 1994 and served until 2000, honoring his term limit pledge. A proud conservative, Salmon was rated in the top five among all 535 members of the House and Senate by Citizen’s Against Government Waste for all six years he was in office. He is a lifetime member of the NRA with an A+ rating and also earned a 100% rating by the National Right to Life. He was also the proud recipient of the American Cancer Society’s “Top National Elected Official” award.

Matt Salmon has received endorsements from Arizona Congressman Trent Franks, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, South Dakota Senator John Thune, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn, Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-49) Mayor Scott Smith (Mesa), Mayor Jay Tibshraeny (Chandler), Mayor Hugh Hallman (Tempe), Mayor John Insalaco (Apache Junction), Mayor Gail Barney (Queen Creek) and former Arizona Congressman John Shadegg .

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Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Elected Officials, Endorsements, Press Release Tagged With: , , ,

Congratulations Senate President Steve Pierce

November 10, 2011 By 26 Comments

Today, State Senate Republicans, by secret ballot, elected Senator Steve Pierce as Senate President.

Prior to the election, three names had emerged as possible replacements should Senator Pearce be recalled: Steve Yarbrough, Steve Pierce and Andy Biggs. Biggs was presumed the favorite.

Biggs had also unwaveringly stood by Senator Pearce throughout the recall election.

Earlier during the session, Steve Pierce had voted against five immigration bill Russell Pearce had advocated.

When the vote went down today, the numbers were 11-10 in favor of Senator Steve Pierce. Yarbrough had bowed out of the race leaving it a Pierce vs. Biggs contest.

It’s not hard to see that the State’s newest senator, did not vote for Senator Andy Biggs and speculation abounds that Senator Gould traded his vote for an endorsement for his congressional bid against House Speaker, Andy Tobin, also from Prescott which Pierce represents.

Senator Frank Antenori from southern Arizona, replaced Pierce as Majority Whip – the likely result of another vote for endorsment arrangement. Antenori has already formed an exploratory committee for congress in southern Arizona.

Based on pure speculation, the vote tally probably went along the lines of the following:

Voting for Steve Pierce:
Jerry Lewis
Rich Crandall
Adam Driggs
Frank Antenori
Michele Reagan
John Nelson
John McComish
Nancy Barto
Linda Gray
Ron Gould

Voting for Andy Biggs:
Scott Bundgaard
Sylvia Allen
Lori Klein
Rick Murphy
Steve Yarbrough
Steve Smith
Gail Griffin
Al Melvin
Don Shooter

Congratulations Senator Pierce. You certainly have your work cut out for you.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Elected Officials, Political Parties, State Government Tagged With: , ,

US Rep Ben Quayle and AZ Senate Majority Leader Andy Biggs at NE Valley Pachyderm Coalition Meeting next Wed.

November 4, 2011 By 2 Comments

Location: Appaloosa Public Library
7377 E. Silverstone Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85255
(Near intersection of N Scottsdale and E Pinnacle Peak)
Date: Wednesday,Nov.9, 2011. (2nd Wed of Month)
Time: 6:45-7:00 pm meet & greet. Meeting from 7-8:15pm

Contact Information:
Howard Levine,
NE Valley Chapter Chairman
Howard_Levine@rocketmail.com , www.pachydermcoalition.com
480-577-4168

 

Filed Under: Elected Officials, Federal Government, State Government, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Senate Majority Leader Biggs on removal of IRC Chair Colleen Mathis

November 4, 2011 By 3 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 4, 2011
CONTACT: Mike Philipsen

Op-Ed by Senate Majority Leader, Andy Biggs

When the drafters of Proposition 106 took their idea to the ballot in 2000, they knew they had to address the possibility of the State needing to remove a Commission member. They wrote that a Commission member could be removed by the Governor, with the support of two-thirds of the State Senate, for acts considered “gross misconduct” or “substantial neglect of duty”

Thank goodness they included that in the proposition approved by Arizona voters. Because of that wording, and the overwhelming evidence that Chair Colleen Mathis committed “gross misconduct” and “substantial neglect of duty”, the Governor was able to remove Ms. Mathis before she could do any more damage to our state.

We have to get past the arguments of which party benefits by which map. That’s not what this is about. To make the decision to remove a member of the IRC, we must look at their actions in office. Take the partisan blinders off and look at how Ms. Mathis committed “substantial neglect of duty”.

  • She admitted meeting in violation of open-meeting laws in a pursuit “of consensus” on awarding the mapping consultant contract.
  • There is evidence that Ms. Mathis fudged the scoring on the mapping consultant in order that her preferred company was chosen. One political commentator indicated that her actions resembled bid rigging.
  • She failed to disclose on her application that her husband was the Treasurer of Democratic candidate for the Legislature Nancy Young-Wright.
  • Contrary to the Constitution she appointed two vice-chairmen instead of one.
  • Her presentation of a donut-hole map, and the instructions to the Commission was a violation of the Constitutional requirement that the maps work from a grid and make adjustments to that grid.
  • She privately created her own Congressional district map and forced a vote on that map on the same day it was introduced.

This list of her misconduct does not even include the pages of unconstitutional activities discovered during the course of the Joint Legislative hearings on the Independent Redistricting Commission.

We don’t even need to speculate on the partisan motivations behind all these actions. The actions themselves are more than enough to remove her.

Proposition 106 included very specific guidelines on the role of the Legislature in the redistricting process. This Legislature has followed those guidelines to the letter. Legislative leaders selected four of the five members. The Legislature reviewed the conduct and product of the Commission and made comments to the IRC. Members did this by convening a joint bipartisan commission, although Democrats shirked their duty by “boycotting” meetings. The State Senate has followed the requirement to review and confirm/refuse in the case of the Governor’s removal of a commissioner. Once the Senate received the Governor’s call of a special session and findings outlined in her removal letter to the former IRC Chair, the Senate had a duty to act.

As the weeks go on, many will discuss whether the IRC system is even the best way to draw Congressional and Legislative maps. But that is the system we are under right now, the Governor and Legislature worked in a Constitutional manner and removed a Commission member for a series of unconstitutional acts.

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Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Guest Opinion, Political Parties, Political Science, Press Release, State Government Tagged With: , , , ,

Statement by President Pearce on Ethics Committee Appointments

September 22, 2011 By 3 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 22, 2011
CONTACT: Mike Philipsen

“Today I received a letter from the Senate Rules Attorney (attached), informing me that three members of the Ethics Committee were recusing themselves from the Committee while the panel considers an ethics complaint filed against the three on September 20, 2011. The letter also explains that under Senate Ethics Committee Rule 17, as President of the Senate, I have no choice: I am required to temporarily replace the three members.

Therefore, I am announcing the appointments of Senator Linda Gray, Senator Robert Meza and Senator Jack Jackson, Jr. to the Senate Ethics Committee. Committee member Senator Andy Biggs will serve as Ethics Committee Chair while the three members are temporarily replaced. Senator Biggs is leaving early Friday morning for a commitment at Harvard University. When he returns on Monday he will meet with staff attorneys on this matter.”

Filed Under: Ethics, Press Release, State Government Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission op-ed by Senate Majority Leader Andy Biggs

August 22, 2011 By 4 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 22, 2011
CONTACT: Mike Philipsen

By State Senator Andy Biggs

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.

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Filed Under: Government Reform, Guest Opinion, Press Release, State Government, Voter Registration Tagged With: , ,

Friday Poll: Who should run for CD-6?

March 4, 2011 By 14 Comments

This week’s Friday poll is now up! (See the right sidebar)

This week we are polling on the race to replace Jeff Flake in Congressional District 6. On the list of candidates are a handful of legislators, prior candidates and local mayors.

Voting will go on for one week until next Friday’s poll.

Please share the poll with friends!

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Polls Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,