Wednesday, May 22, 2013
McCune Davis holding public hearing to review investigation of the Arizona National Guard
McCune Davis holding public forum to review investigation of the Arizona National Guard
STATE
CAPITOL, PHOENIX
– Rep.
Debbie McCune Davis, D-Phoenix (District 30), will host a public forum to
review the results of the investigation into the Arizona National Guard.
“All Arizonans, as well as all Arizona National
Guard members, deserve an organization that operates at the highest level of
integrity,” McCune Davis said. “We owe it to them to ensure that the
remediation process is fair, thorough and public.”
What: A public forum to discuss the
results of an investigation into the accusations of misconduct in the Arizona
National Guard.All legislators are invited. Presenters will include Robert White and public comments are
welcome.
Where: Arizona House of
Representatives
Hearing
Room 2
1700
W. Washington
Phoenix, Arizona
85007
When: Tuesday,
May 28, 2013
10
a.m. to 12 p.m.
Please join
us.
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Friday, May 17, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Investigation confirms misconduct; McCune Davis renews call for public hearing on Arizona National Guard report
Investigation
confirms misconduct; McCune Davis renews call for public hearing on Arizona National Guard report
STATE
CAPITOL, PHOENIX
– After
reviewing a report from the National Guard Bureau confirming shocking incidents
of misconduct within the Arizona National Guard, Rep. Debbie McCune Davis,
D-Phoenix (District 30), is renewing her call for a public hearing to review
the report’s findings.
“This report confirms many of the troubling
accusations involving some members of the Arizona National Guard uncovered by
the Arizona Republic. The investigation reveals a culture of
corruption that did little to prevent, and at times actively covered up,
abusive, unethical and criminal behavior,” McCune Davis said. “The public must
have an opportunity to review and to comment on this report.”
McCune Davis said the report, which was submitted
to the governor’s office in April, illustrates that the problems with the
Arizona National Guard are deeply rooted. She said the
report includes the results of a survey of 2,176 members of the Arizona National
Guard. The survey showed that 15 people were victims of sexual assaults in the
last 12 months. It is undeniable that this happened while Maj. Gen. Hugo Salazar
was in command.
She added that
the report indicated that when victims did come forward to report mistreatment
or crimes, they were sometimes told to be more resilient or to be tougher and
complain less.
“The
investigation uncovered a prevailing sentiment from those who did come forward,”
McCune Davis said. “Many of them said
they were victimized twice – once by the perpetrator and then again by some of
the leadership who were unable to help or uninterested in helping the victim.
The inaction from Arizona National Guard leadership caused additional harm and
all of this occurred under Maj. Gen. Salazar’s watch.”
She noted that the Guard’s adjutant general, Maj.
Gen. Salazar, has been in command since 2008.
“The governor asked Maj. Gen. Salazar to submit a
remediation plan this week. He’s had plenty of time to correct issues within
the Arizona National Guard,” McCune Davis said. “I’m not confident that giving
him the task to create a correction plan now is in the best interest of our
National Guard, especially since the report shows that Maj. Gen. Salazar
acknowledged the issues with ethical leadership but did not rectify them. It
also shows there were documented cases of abuse of position, fraud, attempts to
falsify documents, and cover ups. ”
Today McCune Davis again called on Sen. Al Melvin,
R-Tucson (District 11), chairman of the Senate Commerce, Energy and Military
Committee, and Rep. Justin Pierce, R-Mesa (District 25), chairman of the House
Public Safety, Military and Regulatory Affairs Committee, to conduct a public
hearing on the Arizona National Guard report.
“All Arizonans, as well as all Arizona National
Guard members deserve an organization that operates at the highest level of
integrity,” McCune Davis said. “We owe it to them to ensure that the remediation
process is fair, thorough and public.”
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Thursday, May 09, 2013
Larkin sends governor recommendations for new director of Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services
Larkin sends governor recommendations for new director of Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services
STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – Rep. Jonathan
Larkin, D-Glendale (District 30), today respectfully requested that Gov. Brewer
consider his recommendations to fill the director’s position at the Arizona
Department of Veterans’ Services.
“In the past weeks, many veterans have shared
their concerns about who will become the department’s director,” Larkin said.
“If the governor has decided that the department must have a new director, it
is extremely important that she appoint someone who has vision, intelligence
and the ability to work with a large community. There are several names that
have come up, time and time again, in my conversations with veterans.”
In a letter to the governor, Larkin
recommended the following people for consideration as the next director of the
Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services:
·
Terry Araman, an
Army veteran and the current program director of Madison Street Veterans
Association
·
Cosme F.
Lopez, an Army veteran and the current director of community outreach and
public relations for the U.S. Department of Justice
·
Rick Romley, a
Marine veteran, a former Maricopa
County attorney and the
current president of the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame
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House approves Alston’s bill helping former foster kids afford college
House
approves Alston’s bill helping former foster kids afford college
STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – The House of Representatives
recently approved a bill co-sponsored by Rep. Lela Alston, D-Phoenix (District
24), that would create educational benefits for some young adults who have aged
out of Arizona’s
foster care system.
Alston said SB
1208 would create a five-year pilot program to help qualified students, who
were previously in foster care, attend Arizona
public universities and community colleges by instituting a tuition waiver
scholarship.
“Giving Arizona’s foster care
children an educational advantage will help them find the success they so
dearly deserve. Once foster care children turn 18, they often have little
support,” Alston said. “This is a huge
disadvantage if they want to go to college, since they will need to be working
to pay for their own cost of living.”
SB 1208 requires
students who qualify for the tuition waiver pilot program to apply for federal tuition
assistance, reducing the amount Arizona
would need to provide. All recipients of
the tuition waiver must perform at least 30 hours of community service each
semester.
Additional
requirements include:
- Arizona residency
- An age limit of 21 and inclusion in the foster care system by the age of 16
- Acceptance or enrollment in a state university or community college
- Financial need
“If the governor
signs this bill, it will open bright doors for these youth. The ability to afford college will be more
attainable,” Alston said. “The idea behind providing tuition waivers gives a
student the ability to achieve a secure and financially successful future with
a college degree. SB 1208 could also reduce future needs of these individuals
for governmental assistance.”
According to a
Pew Charitable Trust report, nationally one in four foster youth are incarcerated
within two years of aging out of foster care.
Only half of those youth will graduate high school, and of those who do,
less than 3 percent ever earn a college degree.
“We need
legislation like SB 1208 to improve these young Arizonans’ chances for
success,” Alston said. “Working on this bill has been a personal highlight of
this session, and I hope the governor will recognize the importance of this
effort.”
On Wednesday, the Arizona House of
Representative voted 49 to 9 to pass the bill. It now goes back to the Senate. For more information on the Pew Charitable
Trust report, go to http://www.pewtrusts.org/news_room_detail.aspx?id=26136.
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Wednesday, May 08, 2013
Campbell: ‘Ethics reform should be a priority, not a political catch phrase’
Campbell: ‘Ethics reform should be a priority, not a political catch phrase’
STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – House Minority Leader Chad Campbell, D-Phoenix
(District 24), said he is skeptical of any ethics reform calls from Republicans
at the Arizona Legislature.
“We’ve had
two years to work on ethics reform since the results of the Fiesta Bowl
investigation became public,” Campbell
said. “Democrats have been introducing legislation based on the recommendations
of that report since then. Now, at the end of this legislative session, accountability
becomes a part of the Republican agenda? Ethics reform should be a priority,
not a political catch phrase. Most of the bills Democrats have introduced to
fix the ethics issues outlined in the Fiesta Bowl report haven’t even been heard
in committee.”
In the current legislative session, Campbell introduced HB 2256
to correct the concerns raised by Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery
following his investigation into the Fiesta Bowl scandal. Montgomery identified several problems with
the laws regulating lobbyists and financial disclosure for public officials. Campbell’s bill sought to
fix those problems and to provide more accountability and transparency to the
public as well as to diminish the influence of lobbyists.
This bill
includes reforms that make it a criminal offense to recklessly file false
financial disclosure forms and closes all of the lobbyist gift ban loopholes. In the
2012 legislative session, Campbell
introduced the same provisions in HB 2704.
“Many Republicans at the Legislature have shown a
lack of interest in efforts to increase accountability and transparency. Most
of their attempts have not gone far enough to deal with the real issues, and
even those weak attempts have gotten little traction,” Campbell said. “If they are just jumping on
the bandwagon or committing to substantive reform now because of the recent
increased media attention, then it’s obviously insincere or political posturing.”
A news report regarding the Republican-led
Legislature’s unwillingness to address ethics reform recently aired on KTVK-3TV.
To see the report, go to http://www.azfamily.com/video/featured-videos/Monday-night-at-9-Gifts-for-lawmakers-206050641.html.
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Monday, May 06, 2013
Hale accepts appointment to NCSL’s Legislative Nuclear Workgroup
Hale accepts appointment to NCSL’s Legislative Nuclear Workgroup
STATE CAPITOL,
The NCSL’s Nuclear Legislative Workgroup provides legislative members the opportunity to learn how nuclear operations and energy issues affect the nation. Members of the workgroup help guide policies and advocate on behalf of individual states.
“Nuclear clean up and storage are critical issues in which I am extremely interested. Protecting our environment and its natural resources, while continuing to explore energy production, is essential to Arizona Arizona
In the late 1970s, Hale along with United States Senator Tom Udall, former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall and former Ambassador William Mahoney, Sr. litigated against the United States Four Corners area. The litigation eventually resulted in the Uranium Miners Compensation Act enacted by the United States Congress to provide compensation to Navajo miners and others for radiation exposure injuries. From his work, Hale has extensive knowledge of the legacy of open uranium mines and tailings left in the Four Corners region of the Navajo Nation.
The workgroup will convene June 4-6 in Cincinnati , Ohio
“I take this appointment very seriously. I am committed to being a strong voice for our state and advocating for remediation of the legacy left by uranium mining companies,” Hale said. “I appreciate the opportunity to participate in this workgroup.”
Rep. Hale is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. He was born in Ganado and raised in Klagetoh , Arizona Fort Wingate High School , a Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school located east of Gallup , New Mexico Arizona State University , Tempe , Arizona (1973), and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law, Albuquerque , New Mexico
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