For local governments—and councils of governments—in Arizona, it appears that creating a climate action plan has become all the rage. Maybe that’s because it pays well.
The latest group to bow down at the altar of the Biden administration’s climate change agenda is the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG). Back in August, MAG received a $1 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program to serve as the lead planning organization for the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area. The grant requires MAG to develop a priority climate action plan by next March, a comprehensive climate action plan by 2025, and a status report in 2027 after the four-year grant period expires.
But this $1 million grant isn’t the only way MAG stands to benefit.
The development of a priority climate action plan is simply a prerequisite for phase two of the EPA’s grant program, which concerns implementation grants for greenhouse gas emissions reduction policies, programs, and projects. And that could lead to MAG overseeing up to $4.6 billion in federal funding. Now, we see the true motivation.
All of this builds off what governments in Tucson, Tempe, and Phoenix have already passed in their respective cities. Earlier this year, the city of Tucson finalized its climate action plan to the tune of $326 million. And it’s ripe with Green New Deal mandates that are aimed at controlling citizens’ lives, forcing them out of their cars, and destroying the community.
Then, there’s the Tempe City Council which claims to have created a road map to address the immediate threat of “extreme heat.” As part of its plan, the city will be implementing green codes and standards that it believes will create a more walkable and cooler Tempe. Maybe someone should tell the Tempe City Council that we live in a desert and the so-called “extreme heat” they think they can control has always been a normal part of Arizona summers.
Of course, we can’t forget about Phoenix, where Rep. Ruben Gallego has also jumped on the “extreme heat” bandwagon by lobbying for more federal dollars to counter it. And Mayor Kate Gallego has urged the Biden administration to declare Arizona’s heat a federal emergency to, you guessed it, grab more federal funding. The City of Phoenix passed its climate action plan in 2021 with a goal to reduce emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Keep in mind that this is the same Phoenix that implemented “cool” pavement that is making people hotter and wants to eliminate parking spaces in an effort to become a 15-minute city. And on top of that, its current mayor is helping to lead a globalist effort to ban meat, dairy, and private cars by 2030.
This is the agenda MAG has chosen to join. Now, with this grant, it will be actively working with the rest of the cities in Maricopa County to adopt climate action plans just like these. And with that, MAG has made its true motivations clear. It is nothing more than a puppet for the Biden administration and the Left.
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The Arizona Free Enterprise Club is proud to release our 2023 Legislative Scorecard. Over the course of the 2023 legislative session, the Club tracked and engaged on more than 60 bills, resulting in more than 35,000 emails sent to lawmakers from nearly 15,000 activists across the state. Our 2023 scorecard (View House Scorecard and Senate Scorecard) includes votes taken on 25 bills in the House and 30 bills in the Senate that cover priority issues for the Club and grassroots conservatives.
This year presented a unique challenge. For most of the legislative session, the caucuses in the House and Senate were unified, and there was less bad policy that made it onto the floor for a vote in either chamber. That’s a good thing, but it does make it difficult to distinguish the views of members when there are fewer contentious votes. There were, however, a few key difference-making votes.
For example, the Club has long opposed refundable tax credits for corporations, and similar to previous sessions, this year the Senate voted on SB1562, increasing the refundability for a portion of the program and making the other portion of the existing nonrefundable R&D tax credit refundable. You can find out more about why we oppose this idea here. Additionally, the House Appropriations Committee voted to increase and extend the Club opposed Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, which you can learn more about here. Most impactful, however, was a Prop 400 plan opposed by the Club and supported by MAG that was passed the last day of session as SB1102. These bills had the largest influence on lowering scores in both chambers.
We also scored dozens of bills supported by the Club. This includes bills to strengthen the integrity of our elections, cut taxes, and protect children from sexually explicit materials, and referrals to the 2024 ballot that will limit the power granted to the Governor during a state of emergency (HCR2039), protect our primary elections (HCR2033), and protect our ballot against initiatives bankrolled by out of state special interests to put liberal policies on the ballot (SCR1015).
A full list of bills scored in this year’s scorecard can be found here, and the full methodology, including the weighting of each bill, for the House can be found here and for the Senate can be found here.
Given the rigorous criteria in the Club’s 2023 and past years’ scorecards, the top performing legislators distinguished themselves as faithful conservatives in the caucus. These members consistently fight for limited government, free market principles, low, smart, and fair taxes, and individual liberties. The Club Top performers in the Legislature who have earned a lifetime ‘A’ in 2023 included:
Representative Neal Carter (LD15)
Representative Joseph Chaplik (LD3)
Representative Justin Heap (LD10)
Representative Laurin Hendrix (LD14)
Representative Rachel Jones (LD17)
Representative Alex Kolodin (LD3)
Representative David Marshall (LD7)
Representative Cory McGarr (LD17)
Representative Steve Montenegro (LD29)
Representative Barbara Parker (LD10)
Representative Jacqueline Parker (LD15)
Representative Michelle Peña (LD23)
Representative Austin Smith (LD29)
Representative Beverly Pingerelli (LD28)
Representative Travis Grantham (LD14)
Representative Gail Griffin (LD19)
Senator Jake Hoffman (LD15)
Senator Anthony Kern (LD27)
Senator Janae Shamp (LD29)
Senator Justine Wadsack (LD17)
Senator Warren Petersen (LD14)
Senator JD Mesnard (LD13)
Senator Wendy Rogers (LD7)
You can view the 2023 Legislative Scorecard for the House here.
You can view the 2023 Legislative Scorecard for the Senate 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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How much do you like to walk in 110-degree heat? If you’re a resident of the city of Phoenix, you may need to start getting used to it if the city council gets its way.
A proposed ordinance in Phoenix is looking to significantly reduce the minimum number of parking spaces it requires for apartments. Currently, Phoenix requires a minimum of 150 parking spaces for every 100 one or two-bedroom apartments. Under the proposed ordinance, that number would decrease to 125 spaces. But that’s not the end of it. For new affordable apartment complexes near light rail stations, the requirement for most would be reduced to zero! Yes. Zero parking spaces at an apartment complex. Have you caught on to their agenda yet?
If you’ve been keeping score, you already know that—in just this year—climate change zealots have been seeking to prohibit gas stoves; put limits on things like lawn and garden equipment, motorized boating, and water heaters; and ban the internal combustion engine. Now, this latest attempt to reduce parking spaces makes it clear. They want to force you out of your air-conditioned car to walk in 110-degree heat with your reward being to wait for a bus or light rail—all the while hoping that you don’t develop heat stroke. Then, once you’re riding on whatever form of public transit you’ve been forced to use, you get to hope that you won’t be assaulted or victimized on a system of transportation that’s seeing an increase in crime. Finally, you’ll get off said public transit and be rewarded with yet another long walk in 110-degree heat. (But at least it’s on Phoenix’s “cool” pavement. Oh wait. It turns out, that’s making people feel even hotter.)
Remember when they said, “You’ll own nothing, and you’ll be happy”? They’re certainly doing everything they can to make the first part a reality. But there isn’t a soul in Phoenix who would be happy walking around the city during an afternoon in July.
All this nonsense is aimed at their agenda to turn Phoenix into a 15-minute city, and they’re not even trying to hide it anymore. Case in point, meet Phoenix’s Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari who recently took to Twitter to hype the proposed ordinance and the 15-minute city concept—where cars will be phased out and everything you need will supposedly be available by foot, bike, or public transit. Of course, if Ms. Ansari is so passionate about Phoenix becoming a 15-minute city, perhaps she’d be willing to lead by example. Why doesn’t she give up her car, walk to the bus stop every day in 110-degree heat, and ride the public transit that she believes is so safe?
But she won’t. And none of the liberal elites pushing this plan will either. They will continue to use their own car and park in their premium parking spots while all of us regular folks are left to deal with these outrageous policies.
They hate how we live and how we get around, and now they want to make us miserable until we surrender to their climate change agenda. But with the proposed parking plan up for a vote sometime in September, there’s still time to fight back. Stay informed. Build a passionate argument based on facts. And make your voice heard. Tucson residents recently defeated a similar attempt to create a 15-minute city by voting down Prop 412. Now, Phoenix should follow their lead.
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!
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It looks like we struck a nerve at one of the largest universities in the United States. Last week, the Free Enterprise Club published an article on Arizona State University’s (ASU) failure to uphold free speech. The article came in the aftermath of an event held by the T.W. Lewis Center for personal development—a center of the Barrett Honors College—that featured prominent conservative speakers like Robert Kiyosaki, Dennis Prager, and Charlie Kirk.
While the event was allowed to proceed, it faced a campaign from 39 of the 47 faculty from the honors college who tried to shut it down. Then, in the months following the event, the center was not only dissolved, but two staff members lost their jobs. Now, ASU has offered a “fact check” of our article in a desperate attempt to save face. And as you might expect, it’s another swing and miss.
It begins by referencing our organization as the Free Enterprise “Club.” Yes. That’s right. It put “Club” in scare quotes for whatever reason, as if that may not be part of the name of our organization. But it has inspired us to consider recognizing ASU as Arizona State “University” moving forward. After all, universities are supposed to be institutions of higher education, and ASU appears to be trending away from that mission to fulfill its desired woke agenda.
Speaking of agendas, ASU also accuses the Club of being “a non-profit, political organization with a political agenda which utilizes what have now become standard political techniques of making brash, attention-getting statements and accusations in a well-orchestrated campaign to secure more social media engagement, more media hits and more donations.”
We’re certainly glad our article got the attention of ASU and others. That is, after all, what an article is supposed to do. And it’s in line with our mission. Since 2005, the Arizona Free Enterprise Club has been the leading organization in the state dedicated to advancing a pro-growth, limited government agenda in Arizona. And through active lobbying, litigation, and our extensive grassroots network, the Club has secured numerous policy victories in the state, including historic income tax cuts, expanded school choice, and protection of free speech. So, yes, when we see violations of free speech, we call them out. We want to get the attention of the people of Arizona, so they know about it and can speak up. And once again, this strategy proved to be a success as the state legislature holds a hearing today about free expression at Arizona’s public universities.
But what about the content of the article itself? What did ASU specifically refute or identify as factually incorrect? We would like to call out a few particular highlights from their alleged “fact check”:
This is how ASU responded to this particular sentence. No talking points. No arguments. Just a link to the “About” page on its website that says nothing about its commitment to free speech.
Some ASU faculty members disagreed? We’re talking about more than 75 percent of the Barrett Honors College faculty signing on to a letter condemning the event and calling the speakers “purveyors of hate.” That’s certainly more than “some.” And ASU’s claim that it is “unaware that students were ‘recruited’ by faculty to oppose [the event],” is laughable when we know at least one faculty member emailed the condemnation letter to her students.
This is just another carefully worded response. ASU’s fact check says that “employees” are not forced to sign diversity statements. But our article doesn’t mention employees. It references “job applicants,” and according to a report from the Goldwater Institute, as of the Fall of 2022, more than 81 percent of job postings at ASU mandated a diversity statement from applicants.
ASU’s “fact check” claims that Lin Blake left for reasons having nothing to do with the Lewis Center event, which certainly makes it sound like she left of her own accord. But then it goes on to say it would be glad to provide more information about her leaving. That makes no sense. Just like it makes no sense to fire someone who was referred to as a “rockstar” within months of pulling off a successful event amid controversy while dealing with staffing shortages due to the Super Bowl occurring the same week.
While ASU has certainly hosted conservative events, our article didn’t say that the school cancels every single conservative event that comes its way. That would’ve thrown up red flags years ago. But it can’t deny that it did cancel a conservative fundraiser in January 2022 with conflicting explanations. And it did cancel the events featuring Brett Weinstein and Katie Pavlich after faculty opposed them in a survey until President Michael Crow felt pressure and restored the events.
Finally, ASU claims that no centers were closed or personnel were fired as a result of the event. Their stance is that the donor to the Lewis Center simply withdrew his gift. But once again, ASU isn’t disclosing the entire story. T.W. Lewis says that he pulled his funding because of ASU’s hostility to conservative thinkers. And Ann Atkinson—the executive director of the T.W. Lewis Center who was fired—says that she offered a diversified group of donors to offset the funding, but that Barrett Honors College Dean Tara Williams wasn’t interested.
Perhaps, instead of spending so much time fact-checking, ASU should simply stop giving in to the leftist faculty mob and follow through on its supposed commitment to free speech. It’s not enough to just allow speakers to speak. Everyone should be able to freely participate in the marketplace of ideas without fear of government censorship or retribution. That’s the heart of the First Amendment. And if ASU won’t commit to it, Arizona lawmakers should do it for them.
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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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Universities are supposed to be the “marketplace of ideas.” With a “green light” rating from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), you would think that Arizona State University (ASU) would understand this. But apparently, the school would rather be just another woke university that shuts down free speech. Now, the T.W. Lewis Center for Personal Development—a center of the Barrett Honors College—and its executive director Ann Atkinson have found out the hard way.
Back in February, Atkinson organized an event on “Health, Wealth, and Happiness” as part of a series from the Lewis Center focused on connecting students with professionals who can offer career and life advice. Speakers for the event included Rich Dad, Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki, radio talk show host and founder of Prager U Dennis Prager, founder and president of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk, and heart-transplant cardiologist Radha Gopalan. For a university that offers classes on subjects like witchcraft and critical theories of sexuality, this event felt pretty tame by comparison. But the mere mention of these conservative speakers caused more than 75 percent of the Barrett Honors College faculty to have a meltdown. (Looks like ASU’s commitment to force job applicants to sign diversity statements is paying off.)
Along with sending a letter to Barrett Honors College Dean Tara Williams condemning the event and calling the speakers “purveyors of hate,” some faculty spent time in class denouncing it while others actually recruited students to oppose the program. On top of that, on-campus marketing of the event was removed with fliers torn down and all digital advertising scrubbed. Atkinson was also told by the dean that she couldn’t send an email promoting the event all while ASU continued to promote a counter-event. And she was warned that if the speakers made any political statements, it wouldn’t be in the “best interests” of the Lewis Center.
Atkinson ignored all the threats, and the event proved to be a great success with 1,500 attendees in person, more than 24,000 attendees online, and zero disturbances or traumatized students.
So, how did ASU respond to this success?
Lin Blake, the event operations manager at ASU Gammage Theater (where the event was held), was fired despite initially being labeled a “rockstar” for how she handled the event. And as of June 30, ASU dismantled the Lewis Center and terminated Atkinson’s position.
Of course, this isn’t the first time ASU has shown disdain for conservative events. In January 2022, the university offered conflicting explanations for canceling a fundraiser that was set to feature Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs and former Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz. And in March 2022, the school initially canceled two other conservative events that included speakers Bret Weinstein and Katie Pavlich. The March events were eventually restored with a follow-up email that stated, “Under the leadership of President Michael Crow, Arizona State University is committed to intellectual diversity.”
For President Crow and ASU, it now appears that “intellectual diversity” and free speech are simply limited to allowing speakers to speak. But if those speakers even dare to hold ideas that are counter to the prevailing orthodoxy on campus, there will be retribution. Positions will be terminated. Centers will be closed. And students will suffer because of it. After all, many undergraduates skipped out on the “Health, Wealth, and Happiness” event because they were worried that their attendance could hurt them academically. That very real possibility should serve as a “red light” to any parent who’s considering paying to send their child to ASU. And it should inspire lawmakers to find ways to ensure that free speech is protected at our state’s taxpayer-funded universities.
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!
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We all know it’s been a rough start for Governor Katie Hobbs as Arizona’s Chief Executive. Along with high-profile staff exits and breaking the veto record after killing the bipartisan “Tamale Bill,” Hobbs alienated many Democrats when she signed the budget sent to her by the Republican-led legislature.
Not to be outdone, Attorney General Kris Mayes has come along since taking office with one clear message to Hobbs: “Hold my Bud Light.”
Mayes has been occupying the AG office for a couple of months, and she has already figured out a way to abuse her power and violate her attorney client obligations. All driven by her desire for headlines and trying to claim the mantle as top Democrat demagogue in the state.
Her antics began in April when she decided it was a good idea to threaten action against the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR), demanding that the department supply her with documentation showing that the agency is in compliance with its responsibilities.
Then she kicked off last month by falsely claiming that the budget agreement that protected universal school choice would bankrupt the state, despite the expenditure data showing that the growing and wildly popular Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program saves the state money.
When her social media blustering against ESAs didn’t stop the budget from being signed by Governor Hobbs, Mayes doubled down on her ESA assault by announcing her intent to investigate parents and the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) over the ESA program.
Kris Mayes has always had a reputation of trying to bully other people around (just ask anyone that dealt with her at the Arizona Corporation Commission), but one would think she would at least confer with legal counsel in the AG office before engaging in behavior that can get you disbarred. After all, making public threats as a lawyer that you want to investigate your own client (ADWR or ADE) and accusing them of illegal behavior is a severe ethical violation. But Mayes wanted the headlines and adoration from Red For Ed. Well she got it, and her reward is a formal complaint filed against her with the State Bar of Arizona demanding an investigation.
We believe a comprehensive investigation by the State Bar is necessary to hold AG Mayes accountable for her reckless behavior. At a minimum, a closer look at her inappropriate behavior should bring to a screeching halt any rogue investigation that Mayes was planning on conducting—without evidence—against the ESA program at the Department of Education.
And despite the rhetoric coming from Mayes, Hobbs, and other leftists like Rep. Andrés Cano that ESAs will bankrupt our state, the opposite has proven to be true. Arizona’s bet on universal school choice has been paying off in spades. During this fiscal year, the ESA program has exploded with more than 58,000 now enrolled.
But if you believe the lies of Mayes, Hobbs, Cano, and their allies in the teachers’ unions, you would think that Arizona would be suffering from a severe budget deficit. Instead, the nonpartisan Joint Legislative Budget Committee has estimated a revenue surplus by an extra $750 million—a surplus that has increased as ESA program enrollment has increased.
The fact is that a typical ESA scholarship award is around $7,000 per student. But public schools spend roughly twice that per student to the tune of $14,000 per year. This means that any time a student is awarded an ESA, taxpayers get a 50% discount. No wonder Arizona families will be getting some cash back from the state later this year. The ESA program is not only sustainable, but it puts money back into the wallets of taxpayers!
Once again, the left proves that it’s really bad at math. They can’t count signatures, and they think that spending less per student will lead to bankruptcy. No wonder they’re trying to prevent Abe Hamadeh’s challenge to the Arizona Attorney General Election. They’re worried that the over 9,000 provisional ballots remaining will put them on the wrong side of the count once again. And that would be the final straw for Kris Mayes.
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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