Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
Democrats Urge President Obama to Protect the Grand Canyon's watershed as a National Monument
Democrats recently sent this letter to President Barack Obama urging him to protect the Grand Canyon's watershed as a National Monument.
Republicans pushing voucher bills, jeopardizing public schools
Not only does the Republican’s new budget jeopardize our state’s
economic future by cutting critical funding from K-12 public schools, they
continue to push bills that will syphon additional money from public education.
Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) and School Tuition
Organizations (STO) are two of the better-disguised methods Republican leaders
use to divert money away from our public schools. Arizona’s public schools are
still funded below pre-recession levels, and instead of investing in education
Republican leaders have prioritized private school voucher programs above the
public district schools that educate more than 80 percent of Arizona school
children.
This session, Republican legislators have made several attempts to
expand ESAs and STOs. Every one of the following bills was introduced by a
legislator who voted for the budget:
ESA
& STO bills
|
Estimated
Cost
|
|
|
|
These bills together would cost Arizona more than $3 million
each year beginning in fiscal year 2017
Republican rhetoric about increasing classroom spending rings
hollow after they have systematically disinvested from schools - leaving
teachers with outdated or no textbooks, schools in disrepair, and classroom
sizes growing. Fully funding inflation would give schools an extra $246 per
student that could be used for teacher salaries and other classroom spending,
but our Republican leaders continue to fight against meeting that obligation.
State leaders have a constitutional and moral responsibility to support
the public education system that serves a vast majority of Arizona’s students.
But instead of fulfilling this responsibility, they turn away from it. This
legislative session, thousands of Arizonans voiced their support for public
education. If we keep making noise, eventually the Republicans will
have to listen.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Rep. Alston criticizes attempts to make it illegal for some people to collect early ballots
Alston criticizes
attempts to make it illegal for some people to collect early ballots
STATE
CAPITOL, PHOENIX – Rep. Lela Alston, D-Phoenix (District
24), voted no on a last-minute amendment to SB 1339 in the House Appropriations
Committee on Wednesday, saying that the bill will punish people for civic
engagement. A bill with the same language faced bipartisan opposition and
failed last week.
“This
reckless process to pass legislation is leading to bad policies that are going
to negatively impact our vulnerable populations,” said Alston. “It will
criminalize teachers for working in their communities to improve schools, and
make it more difficult for the elderly, disabled, poor and disadvantaged to
vote.”
Opponents
argue that this bill offers a solution in search of a problem and that there is
no evidence that the voter fraud the legislation claims to prevent even exists.
Alston added that the legislation is also unnecessary because current law makes
tampering with a ballot illegal. Republicans passed SB 1339.
“This bill
goes way too far, making felons of those trying to improve their community based
on speculation of voter fraud when there is no evidence it exists,” said
Alston.
-30-
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Education funding and equity major issues facing Native American Nations
Education
funding and equity major issues facing Native American
Nations
STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – The most recent meeting of the Native
American Caucus focused on education funding cuts and equity issues.
The new budget cuts nearly $10 million
from the 33 school districts on Native American Nations from funds that are
used to purchase classroom supplies and maintain facilities.

“I know that transportation costs are
tremendous for some of our schools,” Hale said. “The budget cuts will make that
burden more difficult to bear. There are schools in the Window Rock School
District that are already having issues. This budget will worsen the
situation.”
Steele warned that the cuts to Joint
Technical Education Districts will have long-lasting economic consequences.
Currently, there is one centralized JTED located within the Navajo Nation, and
there are eight satellite campuses on reservations across the state. Each
location will lose $345 per participant in fiscal year 2017.
“This will basically destroy the JTED
program,” Steele said. “Many people will not get the skills and training they
need to prepare for a job after high school, which jeopardizes the future
economic stability of our communities.”
Janice
Palmer, Arizona School Boards Association director of governmental relations
and public affairs, said she expects additional education cuts at the federal
level and discussed the need for equity in education.
“We are trying to change the
conversation to focus on equity. Each student requires different resources and
support to have an equal opportunity for success. One child might need
breakfast; another child may need a speech pathologist and a teacher’s aide,
while another may need help with English proficiency,” Palmer said. “Each of
these services may not be ‘equal,’ however they are all required for individual
students to have an equal chance for a quality education.”
Palmer added that the Arizona School
Boards Association is partnering with Helios Education Foundation and West Ed
to host The Equity Event from April 8 through April 10 in Phoenix to find ways
to solve the educational achievement gaps. More information about the
conference is available at www.azsba.org.

“Equity is something that I, as an
educator and as a parent, have been talking about all of my adult life,”
Gonzales said. “We have been struggling with this issue for decades, and it
needs more attention.”
Hale agreed.
“Statistically, Native American
students are at the bottom of a lot of lists, including high school graduation
rates,” he said. “That needs to change.”

“We need more
people to get involved, especially those on the reservations. When people make
their voices heard, change happens. If we don’t say anything, then we will be
ignored,” Benally, who is a retired Navajo Nation district court judge, said.
“As a judge, I saw what the lack of education did to people, and we absolutely
have to speak out for equitable opportunities. We absolutely need to have a
voice.”
-30-
Monday, March 23, 2015
Republicans taking food out of the mouths of babes...
There was nothing transparent about the process that
produced a state budget that cut $9 million from services for Arizona’s
neediest children. The budget bills were
developed in secret, closed-door meetings. They were debated in the middle of
the night and passed on a weekend during the early morning hours. But maybe
that is the only way to get support for a budget that aggressively targets
programs that help some of the state’s most vulnerable people?

In addition to the $9 million TANF cut, Children’s Action
Alliance’s analysis of the budget shows that the Republicans made a number of
other cuts that will “leave
more children in danger and will drive up neglect.”
Those cuts include:
- $2 million from
the Department of Economic Security
- $11 million from
the Department of Child Safety to address the growing case backlog.
- $3 million from
youth treatment funds
- $4 million from
child care vouchers for low-income, working families
These cuts will shrink a vital safety net when the state
is lagging
behind the rest of the country in recovering from the recession. Instead of
prioritizing programs that help parents get back to work, prevent families from
falling into crisis or investing in education, the Republicans have created a
shortsighted budget that promotes corporate special interests above all else.
These are not the priorities of the people of Arizona. Our children and our
families deserve more.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Thursday, March 19, 2015
New budget passed with little input from Native American Nations will have drastic consequences
New budget passed with little input from Native American Nations will
have drastic consequences
STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – The Native American members of the
House of Representatives made the following statements regarding the budget
that Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law on March 12, 2015:
“The cuts to
education in this budget are detrimental to Arizona and to Native American
communities. In our state, there are 33 school districts located within Native
American Nations. These districts will lose nearly $10 million in state
funding. Schools rely on this money to maintain facilities and to buy classroom
supplies. Instead of investing in schools in Arizona and in Native American
Nations, this budget prioritizes special interest tax handouts. This is especially
troubling because Native American students have some of the highest school
dropout rates in the state. The cuts to education funding are part of a
shortsighted economic strategy that has failed in the past and will continue to
fail. Without properly educating our children, how are we going to attract new
industries to Arizona? This budget isn't logical, and it punishes
families.”
“The choices
reflected in the Republican budget jeopardize the safety of our children. It
does not fund foster care caseload growth or emergency placement of children in
group homes at a time when about 1,300 Native American children are in
out-of-home care for their safety. The budget also cuts $4 million
from child care subsidies. This cut will be compensated for with federal money
but the loss means about 1,000 additional children per month will not receive
child care. There are nearly 2,000 Native American children who currently
benefit from these subsidies. Imagine how many more could be served if the
Republicans had made this program a priority? This budget is the result of bad
choices.”
“After an
all-night session which resulted in hasty decisions being made in the dark of
night, the Legislature adopted a
Republican-developed budget that they claim is balanced and
supposedly adds money to education. However, upon review, the adopted budget
contains many funding cuts that will bring hardship to our children,
our elderly, our families in need of assistance, and our educational systems.
The budget is ‘balanced’ on the backs of children, elderly, and the needy. Many
of the costs are shifted to the counties and local governments. The budget will
cause education programs, and programs for the elderly and children to again
greatly reduce the services they provide. Funding for these programs has
already been cut to the bone in prior years. Rather than finding new ways to
increase our revenues and minimize cuts, we chose only to cut
funding. More egregious is, rather than increasing our revenues or
passing laws to accommodate that, we continue to give money away
through tax credits and handouts to special interest groups.”
“This budget has a disproportionately negative
impact on Native American Tribes and Nations in Arizona. It was pushed through
the legislative process quickly and secretively. It included a new cap on the
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program that will ultimately take $9
million from Arizona’s most vulnerable families. The Department of Economic
Security estimates that almost 200 Native American families will be
affected. It is clear that their needs are not being recognized by
this budget, and the fact that the tribes were never consulted about key parts
could be seen as a sign of disrespect.”
For more
information on the budget impacts on Native Americans in Arizona, please see
the attached fact sheet or go to www.azhousedemocrats.com.
-30-
Impacts of the Fiscal
Year 2016 Arizona State Budget on Native Americans
On March 7,
2015 The Legislature passed and on March 12, 2015 the governor signed a $9.1
billion budget that includes $74 million in revenue increases, $220 million in
fund transfers, $176 million in spending increases and $497 million in spending
reductions. The budget projects an
ending cash balance of $451 thousand in Fiscal Year 2016 and uses $113 million
from the Rainy Day Fund to help eliminate a $148 million deficit in FY15.
K-12 cuts – The policy decisions in this budget
represent $170 million in funding reductions in FY16 and $417 million over the
next two years. Some of the specific
cuts include:
§ $116.5 million
cut to Additional Assistance: This is a cut to
both District Additional Assistance [$113.5 million] and Charter Additional
Assistance [$3 million]. This funding is designed to provide schools with
the resources to maintain facilities, purchase classroom supplies, and augment
Maintenance and Operations dollars for classroom spending.
o There are 33 school districts located within Indian Reservations.
This reduction would represent $9.7 million in cuts to those districts.
o
In 2013, Native American students made up to 5 percent of the state
student enrollment.
o
The percent
of Native American students passing AIMS in either reading or mathematics was
the lowest of the racial/ethnic groups. However, Native American students
showed the second highest increase (7 percent) in average percent passing in
reading from 2010 to 2013.
o
Native American students showed higher dropout rates than all other
racial/ethnic groups.
§
$22 million
repeal of the Student Success Formula. This was a newly
created performance funding model that rewarded schools for student gains and
high school graduations. This funding was transferred to the School
Facilities Board to serve as collateral for charter schools seeking favorable
financing.
o
There are 33 school districts located within Indian Reservations.
This reduction represents $1.5 million in cuts to those
districts.
o
Break
down of the 33 school districts by
letter grades:
§ 7 rated B school
districts
§ 13 rated C school
districts
§ 13 rated D school
districts
§ $30
million reduction to
JTED formula funding by 7.5 percent for students attending at a satellite
campus beginning in FY17. The reduction
would affect districts and JTEDs.
o
JTEDs located within Indian
Reservations:
§ There is only one centralized JTED campus located on the Navajo
Indian Reservation. (N.A.T.I.V.E. JTED)
§ There are eight satellite JTEDs campuses located within the Indian
Reservations (Chinle HS, Ganado HS, Monument Valley HS, Pinon HS, Red Mesa HS,
Tuba City HS, Valley Sanders HS, Window Rock HS)
§ This means that the eight satellite campuses will lose JTED funding
and only receive 92.5 percent
of the BSL funding for a student who is concurrently enrolled in a JTED and
district high school.
University Cuts
The
Legislative budget continues an ongoing trend of decreased state investment in
the three state universities. Funding is
reduced by $99 million and
distributed proportionally to each university based on student count
§ UA:
$28 million NAU: $17 million ASU: $53 million
- In
the fall of 2013, 1,983 [1.6 percent] of undergraduate students enrolled
in the Arizona public universities were Native American students.
- During
the 2012-13 academic years, 443 Native American students were awarded
bachelor’s degrees [1.7 percent of all undergrads graduating].
Community College Cuts
The
Legislative budget also eliminates all state funding for Pima Community College
District and Maricopa Community College District. The total reduction equates to $16 million spread between PCCS and
MCCD.
§ Pima:
$7 million Maricopa: $8 million
o At Pima Community College only 3 percent of students taking credit
courses, adult education or attending classes at their center for training
development, self-identified as Native American
§ For 2013-14, only 1 percent of students receiving an Associate’s
Degree and 1 percent receiving a certificate were Native American
o Statewide, 7,703 Native American students were enrolled in fall of 2012
at the state’s 10 community college districts.
§ These students comprise about 3.5 percent of total statewide
enrollment.
o These cuts are likely to lead to increases in both university and
community college tuition, making higher education more unaffordable for a
group that is dramatically underrepresented in our higher education system
Health and Human
Services
Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System
(AHCCCS) 2 percent “fee” and co-pays
– This budget would also require AHCCCS to apply for waivers from the federal
government to impose the following statutory changes:
1.
Requires
adult Medicaid enrollees up to 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Limit (FPL)
to pay a premium of 2 percent of their income,
2. Allows providers to charge co-pays of
up to $25 for non-emergency use of the emergency room, and
3. Eliminates payment for non-emergency
medical transportation from October 1, 2015 through Sept. 30, 2016 for adults
at 100 percent – 133 percent FPL.
Premiums: This
change will affect the working poor the most: 2 percent income premium will
hurt families already struggling to make ends meet. The average premium would be $320 for
a family of 2 earning $16,000. This change is only estimated to create $1.1 million
in savings in FY17
- As of January 2015, 9.6 percent
of AHCCCS recipients were Native American
TANF
12-month life time limit
– The Legislative budget imposes a 1
Year limit on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Cash Assistance in
FY17. This hits poor moms and kids hard:
75 percent (20,400) of the people participating in cash assistance are
children; the remaining 25 percent are their parents.
o The Department of Economic Security estimates that approximately 175
Native American households would lose benefits.
o
A number of
Native American Tribes have exercised the option to develop a TANF Program and
to submit their proposal to the federal government for approval. Currently, the
following Native American Tribes have federally-approved TANF Programs:
§ Salt River, Pascua Yaqui, White Mountain Apache, Navajo, Hopi, San
Carlos Apache,
Department
of Child Safety – This
budget reverts $5.5 million in unused transition funding back to the General Fund
instead of appropriating it to handle growth in caseloads or to address the
15,000-case backlog.
§
The Governor’s budget recommended $3.3
million for caseload growth. The
agency currently has a 15,000 case backlog and receives thousands of reports of
child neglect and abuse annually.
§ This budget does not fund foster case caseload growth, child care
caseload growth or emergency placement of children in group homes.
§ The Governor’s budget proposed $3.4 million for foster care caseloads and
$2.2 million for
emergency placement of children in group homes and $3.3 million for child care caseload and
NONE of these items were funded in the Legislative budget
- As of September 30,
2014, there were 1,336 American Indian children in out-of-home
placement. This represents 7.9 percent of the current total
out-of-home population of 16,900 children.
Childcare – The Legislative budget cuts $4 million
from Child Care subsidies and backfills the loss with Federal funds. The $4 million cut to the program prevents an
additional 1,000 kids per month from getting childcare.
o DES currently has 30,006 children currently authorized for child
care services. 1,933 of these children are coded as Native American. The
Department does not differentiate on vs. off tribal lands, only the race.
County Cost Shifts
The FY2016 budget includes several provisions that shift
costs to cities, towns and counties. The
largest shift to municipalities and counties is in the form of a $21 million
fee split between cities/towns [$14 million] and counties [$7 million] to fund
the operations of the Arizona Department of Revenue. One other key change would
require counties to pay 25 percent of the cost of juveniles housed at the
Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections.
This is expected to have a statewide cost to counties of $12 million.
The overall impact of ongoing and newly enacted cost shifts is $62 million.
o Here are the impacts to counties serving Native American populations:
§ Apache: $416,000
§ Coconino: $1.4 million
§ Gila: $631,000
§ Graham: $745,000
§ Pima: $16 million
§ Yavapai: $2.4 million
Agency Consolidations
This
budget also includes 3 separate agency consolidations including the transfer of
the Department of Racing into the Department of Gaming. The consolidation would
be effective on either July 1, 2015, or the effective date of the Budget Reconciliation
Bill, whichever is later.
o
The Tribes were never
consulted about a proposed consolidation of an agency that they completely fund, with an agency that
receives its revenues from state resources. In addition, the Department of
Gaming only exists because of the partnership, otherwise known as the compact,
between two sovereigns; the State and the Tribes. The consolidation merges two
very different entities, Tribal Governments and commercial racing, into one agency.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Monday, March 16, 2015
House Democrats Deliver Education Funding Proclamations from School Districts Across the State
House Democrats Deliver Education Funding Proclamations from School Districts Across the State
Tucson Unified School District Opposes Education Budget Cuts
Tolleson Union High School District Proclamation Denouncing Republican Budget Cuts
Tucson's Sunnyside School District Proclamation
Tolleson Union High School District Proclamation Denouncing Republican Budget Cuts
Paradise Valley School Board Education Funding Proclamation
Holbrook Unified School District Proclamation
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Meyer: The budget ‘jeopardizes the economic security of our state’
Meyer: The budget ‘jeopardizes the economic security
of our state’

“The
governor just signed a budget that jeopardizes the economic security of our
state. His claim that this budget is spending more money on education in the
history of the state is misleading at best. Make no mistake – on a per pupil
basis, there are no new funds for students in this budget when adjusted for
inflation. It only includes money for student population growth and a fraction of
the $330 million court-ordered inflation funds owed to our schools. Students, teachers and parents will be on the
losing end of the shell game that this budget plays with education funding.
“The deep
cuts to higher education included in this budget further threaten our state’s
future. Universities will see their budgets slashed by nearly $100 million.
Community colleges in Maricopa and Pima counties will lose all state funding. These cuts are a tax on middle-class families
that will make access to higher education harder and will leave our students
struggling to prepare for 21st century jobs.
“Arizonans
came out in droves to protest these cuts, marching at the Capitol for days. The
governor and the Republican leaders at the Legislature ignored these concerns
and pushed their budget through in the middle of the night and into the early
hours of the morning. And their claims that they were forced to make tough
choices to balance the budget ring hollow. There are other options – including
closing tax loopholes and ending special interest corporate giveaways.
“A budget
is a statement of values. This budget indicates that the governor and
Republicans value special interests over our kids and the long-term economic
stability of our state.”
-30-
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
UPDATE: HCM 2003 Passes Legislature
UPDATE: March 16, 2015
Rep. Steele and Sen. Dalessandro met with Secretary of State Reagan for a ceremonial signing of HCM 2003
Steele: Bill ‘will force victims to suffer another trauma’
Steele:
Bill ‘will force victims to suffer another trauma’
“This
bill would require women who are seeking an abortion after being traumatized by
rape or incest to share personal, private and emotional information with an
insurance company if they want coverage for the procedure. It will force
victims to suffer another trauma. Telling my story today was difficult, and I
have had years to deal with and recover from the incident. I can’t imagine the position this legislation
would put recent victims in if they attempt to get medical care,” Steele said.
“Additionally, this bill endangers doctors who provide a legal, medical service
to women by making the doctors’ personal information public. The bill is
inappropriate on many levels. Politicians should not be creating laws that
target women and doctors.”
SB 1318 would prevent health care
plans offered through any Arizona health care exchange from providing coverage
for abortions with some exceptions, including rape and incest. The bill would
also require medical providers to report their personal information to the
Arizona Department of Health Services. To view the bill in its entirety, go to http://www.azleg.gov/DocumentsForBill.asp?Bill_Number=1318&Session_Id=114&image.x=0&image.y=0.
-30-
Rep. Wheeler Responds to Being Gavelled Down for Questioning Anti-Women's Health Care Bill
Rep. Wheeler Responds to Being Gavelled Down for Questioning Anti-Women's Health Care Bill
To see a live stream of the committee hearing click here.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Monday, March 09, 2015
Gov. Ducey’s Claim Doesn’t Add Up
Gov. Ducey’s Claim Doesn’t Add Up
The governor’s claim that the new budget spends the most on
education in Arizona’s
history doesn’t add up. He hasn’t provided an explanation for this
assertion but based on information from the Joint Legislative Budget Committee,
education funding across the board was higher in 2008. It seems clear that Republicans are
shortchanging Arizona schools … again.
Sources:
Saturday, March 07, 2015
Republican budget ‘shell game’ continues
Republican budget ‘shell game’ continues
Republican
budget proposal developed behind closed doors and favors special interests over
education
STATE
CAPITOL, PHOENIX –
Rep. Eric Meyer, D-Paradise Valley (District 28), released the following
statement in response to the budget that Arizona House Republicans passed
today:
“The
Republicans made sure the budget process was quick and provided little
opportunity for public comment. Despite this effort, hundreds of teachers,
students, parents and concerned citizens came to the Capitol to deliver a clear
message. This budget is bad for education and jeopardizes our economic
stability.
“Instead
of listening to the people they represent, Republicans have chosen to perpetuate
the education funding shell game which prioritizes special interest tax cuts
and corporate giveaways over the needs of middle-class families. They’re
slashing more than $100 million from higher education. Those cuts include
eliminating all state support for the largest community colleges. These
policies are irresponsible and shortsighted. Without a solid education and
access to affordable higher education, Arizona kids won’t be ready for 21st
century jobs.
“I
encourage the governor to listen to what the people of Arizona are saying and to
veto the budget. There are other options; balancing the budget does not require
us to mortgage our future.”
-30-
Friday, March 06, 2015
Thursday, March 05, 2015
Native American Caucus delves into Indian Law
Native American Caucus delves
into Indian Law
STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – Members of the Native American Caucus recently attended an overview of
Indian law in Arizona and the United States.
At the meeting, retired
Apache County Superior Court Judge Michael C. Nelson gave a presentation on the
evolution and present status of the legal relationship between Indian Nations,
states and the federal government. He said that often times, elected officials
believe that their actions do not affect people living in Indian Nations, but
there are many people who live and do business in Indian Nations who are
subject to state regulations.
Rep. Victoria Steele,
D-Tucson (District 9), thanked Nelson for his presentation and said that it is
important that state legislators understand their relationship with Arizona’s
22 Indian Nations.
“Today’s
presentation provided an exceptional opportunity to better understand the
interactions between tribes, the state, and the federal government, which is
vital information for legislators in Arizona to have,” Steele said.
Rep.
Sally Ann Gonzales, D-Tucson (District 3), agreed that the topic is important.
“We
were very happy that Judge Nelson could share with us his expertise on this
topic,” Gonzales said.
She
added that she thinks this information should be shared with more people. Rep.
Albert Hale, D-St. Michaels (District 7), echoed that sentiment.

-30-
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)