by admin | Feb 14, 2025 | Elections, News and Updates
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – Yesterday, the Arizona Legislature passed SB 1011 / HB 2703, sending the bill to the Governor’s Office. The proposal from legislators, which mirrors policies from the State of Florida, would greatly speed up the result of elections every two years to ensure that Arizona is no longer severely lagging in its vote tabulating – especially when there are critical races on the ballot to adjudicate.
“After one too many Election Nights (and weeks) of delayed results, Arizona legislators have done the right thing, crafting a bill that gives our state same-day results,” said Scot Mussi, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club. “Voters are exhausted of watching this slow-motion train wreck every November. Other states have same-day election results, and it is high time that Arizona enters the 21st Century in this regard. We call on Governor Katie Hobbs to sign this carefully crafted and negotiated bill into law.”
SB 1011 / HB 2703 would enact the following procedures for Arizona elections to drastically improve the speed and efficiency of the tabulation process, ensuring that a vast majority of votes are counted on Election Day:
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- Cut off early ballot drop-offs to vote collection locations on the Friday preceding Election Day.
- Require voters in larger counties to confirm their address every election cycle to receive a ballot by mail, and those in smaller counties to confirm their address every four years to receive a ballot by mail.
Read more about the efforts here.
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Arizona needs to have a unified voice promoting economic freedom and prosperity, and the Free Enterprise Club is committed to making that happen. But we can’t do it alone. We need YOU!
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by admin | Feb 13, 2025 | News and Updates, Tax
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – Yesterday, the Arizona House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means approved HCR 2035 – the freedom to move ballot referral. The measure passed along party lines. If given the green light by both the Arizona House and Senate and a majority of voters in November 2026, the proposal would amend the constitution to prohibit the state government from tracking, taxing, or limiting miles of travel.
“As we have seen in other states, governments left to their own devices will succumb to radical attempts to track, tax, or limit their citizens’ transportation miles,” said Scot Mussi, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club. “These environmental schemes have no place in a free and prosperous society. In this divided state government, it is critical for our Republican-led Legislature to proactively send this constitutional amendment to the voters to protect our state from these authoritarian policies. I’m thankful to the lawmakers who have supported this bill, and I look forward to seeing it pass the full House in the near future.”
HCR 2035 is the first of its kind in the nation. As a constitutional amendment, it would prohibit the state, cities, towns, and counties from imposing a Vehicle Miles Traveled tax and limiting or monitoring vehicle miles traveled by an individual – whether they are using a gas-powered car or an electric vehicle. If approved by the Arizona House and Senate, the measure would then be transmitted to the Secretary of State to be included on the November 2026 General Election ballot to be considered by voters, bypassing the Governor’s Office.
Last month, the Senate Government Committee approved the mirror version of the legislation, SCR1004.
Read more about this issue here.
Help Protect Freedom in Arizona by Joining Our Grassroots Network
Arizona needs to have a unified voice promoting economic freedom and prosperity, and the Free Enterprise Club is committed to making that happen. But we can’t do it alone. We need YOU!
Join our FREE Grassroots Action List to stay up to date on the latest battles against big government and how YOU can help influence crucial bills at the Arizona State Legislature.
by admin | Feb 10, 2025 | Elections, News and Updates
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – Today, the Arizona Free Enterprise Club filed a criminal complaint with Attorney General Kris Mayes and Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell over the nearly 40,000 duplicate signatures that were discovered during the petition review on Proposition 140, which had taken place last year before the November General Election. Proposition 140 sought to enact a California-style election scheme built around ranked choice voting and jungle primaries. It was soundly defeated by Arizona voters at the ballot box.
Of the nearly 40,000 duplicates that were included when the Prop 140 Committee submitted their signatures to the Arizona Secretary of State, it was uncovered that 253 people had signed petitions five or more times. One individual had signed 15 times.
“Double or even triple-signing the same initiative petition over the span of several months may well evince merely carelessness or forgetfulness. Signing one’s name five, ten, or even fifteen times, however, is not susceptible to that excuse,” said Scot Mussi, president of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club. “There is certainly, at the very least, ample reason to believe that the individuals identified in Exhibit A knowingly violated Arizona law. I accordingly request that your respective offices open an investigation and pursue all appropriate criminal charges.”
Read the complaint here. See the exhibit of duplicate signatures here.
Help Protect Freedom in Arizona by Joining Our Grassroots Network
Arizona needs to have a unified voice promoting economic freedom and prosperity, and the Free Enterprise Club is committed to making that happen. But we can’t do it alone. We need YOU!
Join our FREE Grassroots Action List to stay up to date on the latest battles against big government and how YOU can help influence crucial bills at the Arizona State Legislature.
by admin | Feb 7, 2025 | Misc, News and Updates
President Trump’s historic victory in the November election gave him a clear mandate from the American people. And so far, he hasn’t wasted any time getting to work. In his first month back in office, Trump signed 45 Executive Orders (EO) in an effort to put America first and undo much of the damage created by the Biden administration. And that’s especially true with his executive actions to unleash American energy.
Ending the Net Zero Climate Cult Fantasy
For four years under President Biden, the American people were forced to endure an administration that was hellbent on pursuing a net zero agenda. Across the country, they pushed these radical and costly climate action plans to fundamentally transform and restrict the energy options available to consumers. Along with this came calls from the Left to ban gas stoves, gas cars, gas-powered lawn equipment, and hundreds of other draconian ideas to limit the freedom of the American people.
If the high cost of these plans wasn’t enough, they have also proven to be unreliable. States and countries that have committed to energy sources like solar and wind as part of this net zero fantasy have experienced rolling blackouts, continually demand that their customers use less, and eventually have to make haste to open reliable sources of generation they had closed down. Isn’t that right, California?
But Trump’s Executive Order 14154 unleashes fossil fuel production and use in America while unwinding much of the damage caused by the Biden administration. Under Trump, the government will promote the production, distribution, and use of reliable domestic energy supplies, including oil, natural gas, and biofuels. And it will also eliminate the electric vehicle (EV) mandate in order to promote consumer choice across the country.
On top of this, a recent memo directs federal agencies to eliminate anything approved under the Biden administration that references climate change; greenhouse gas emissions; racial equity; gender identity; “diversity, equity, and inclusion” goals; environmental justice; and the Justice 40 Initiative. This is a big win for America, but there is still more work to do.
Next Step: Rolling Back the Administrative State
Trump’s executive actions were the critical first step in freeing the country from this net zero madness, but the pushback can’t stop there. The Trump administration must begin the difficult work of stripping the administrative state of their ability to coerce states into adopting Green New deal policies through brute bureaucratic enforcement.
Just look at how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been weaponizing their ozone rules to force states into adopting California’s net zero agenda. We’ve seen it right here in Arizona.
According to the EPA, Maricopa County is an ozone nonattainment area under the Clean Air Act. As a result of this determination, they are threatening heavy sanctions against the state unless we adopt “control measures” to deal with the problem. And it just so happens that those control measures align perfectly with the goals of the radical climate cult lobby—banning gas cars, stoves, leaf blowers, and all gas-powered industrial equipment that make our economy function.
But here’s the thing. Arizona and, more specifically, Maricopa County, doesn’t even have an ozone problem. Current levels of ozone in the region are lower today than they were 20 years ago. And it turns out that most of the ozone we do have in the atmosphere doesn’t even come from anyone in the county—it is either naturally occurring or comes from international sources, primarily China and Mexico.
Other states across the country have the exact same problem, yet the EPA doesn’t care because it’s not really concerned about where the ozone comes from. They just want to use it as a cudgel to beat states into submission.
This sort of bullying from the administrative state must be stopped by the Trump administration. It is critical for the federal government to curb and repeal any agency rules designed to force states to adopt Green New Deal policies like banning gas cars and gas stoves. And we certainly should not be allowing any federal agency to punish U.S. citizens and businesses for pollution coming from China and Mexico. In his second term, our 47th President has shown a knack for fixing some significant problems in the government. Now, the Club is excited to get to work with his administration to fix this problem—and take the next step in unleashing American energy.
Help Protect Freedom in Arizona by Joining Our Grassroots Network
Arizona needs to have a unified voice promoting economic freedom and prosperity, and the Free Enterprise Club is committed to making that happen. But we can’t do it alone. We need YOU!
Join our FREE Grassroots Action List to stay up to date on the latest battles against big government and how YOU can help influence crucial bills at the Arizona State Legislature.
by admin | Feb 5, 2025 | News and Updates, Tax
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – Yesterday, the Arizona Senate passed SB 1013, which protects hardworking taxpayers in counties, cities, and towns from those jurisdictions raising taxes and fees that a supermajority of the relevant local officials did not approve. The proposal was sponsored by Senate President Warren Petersen.
“For over three decades, Arizona voters and their elected officials in the state legislature have expressed their strong preference to keep taxes and fees as low as possible,” said Greg Blackie, the Director of Policy for the Arizona Free Enterprise Club. “With Proposition 108 and Proposition 132, voters have time and again voted to prevent the state and themselves from raising taxes or fees without a supermajority in support. Despite this, many counties, cities, and towns continue to extract taxes and fees from citizens through edicts by faceless bureaucrats. Thankfully, legislators realize the importance of protecting the financial interests of the men, women, and children they represent by applying to the same standard to all jurisdictions.”
Despite counties, cities and towns protesting these proposals, complaining that the legislature is cutting local funding, these jurisdictions are flush with increasing financial revenues. Just this past year, cities alone have benefited from $315 million of new revenue from the collection of online sales tax.
In 1992, Arizona voters passed Proposition 108 to prevent the legislature from increasing taxes without a two-thirds majority.
In 2022, Arizona voters passed Proposition 132 to require a sixty percent threshold on voter initiatives to approve any tax increase on the ballot.
There is also a referral – SCR 1008 – moving through the Arizona Legislature at this time. SCR 1008 sends the policy of SB 1013 to Arizona voters for an up-or-down vote in the November 2026 General Election in the event that Governor Hobbs vetoes a bill sent to her Office. This ballot measure will be considered by the Senate Government Committee this week.
Help Protect Freedom in Arizona by Joining Our Grassroots Network
Arizona needs to have a unified voice promoting economic freedom and prosperity, and the Free Enterprise Club is committed to making that happen. But we can’t do it alone. We need YOU!
Join our FREE Grassroots Action List to stay up to date on the latest battles against big government and how YOU can help influence crucial bills at the Arizona State Legislature.
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