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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 13, 2023 PHOENIX – State Representative Myron Tsosie is calling for a thorough and serious investigation by military and local authorities into underage sex trafficking after a 14-year-old Indigenous girl was discovered in barracks with a Marine at Camp Pendleton, California. The girl had been missing for about two weeks after running away. Relatives of the girl alleged that she had "been sold to a soldier for sex." She has since been returned to her family. The Marine was taken into custody but later released pending further investigation. "We need to hold authorities and the military accountable," said Tsosie, D-Chinle. "According to relatives, this young girl is a member of an Indigenous tribe. Because of the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people in Arizona and around the country, this is a very sensitive issue that hits many of us personally. I am glad to hear the girl is safe and with family, but the authorities must investigate this matter thoroughly and hold anyone who compromised this girl's safety accountable. Indigenous communities everywhere are watching this closely." -30-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 11, 2023 PHOENIX – The City of Scottsdale recently announced it would use a $940,000 grand from the Arizona Department of Housing's Homeless Shelter and Services fund to continue a successful program to provide shelter in hotels and services to seniors, families and single mothers experiencing homelessness. LD 4 Senator Christine Marsh and Representative Laura Terech, both Democrats, today expressed support for Scottsdale's proactive efforts to address homelessness and the affordable housing crisis, and decried efforts to stoke fear about a successful program that has not created complaints or hazards previously. "It's important to understand that there is nothing new about what the City of Scottsdale is doing except the level of state investment in their success," Terech said. "And it has been successful in transitioning seniors, families and single moms with kids out of homelessness over 80 percent of the time, with zero calls for police service or crime associated with the program. The bottom line is this was successful program now has an additional $940,000 to make an impact that our community desperately needs. Any attempt to stop this work or attack city officials is unconscionable as our state is facing a historic housing shortage and record-setting hot temperatures. No community is immune from homelessness or the affordable housing crisis, and Scottsdale should be supported for doing its part." Marsh added, “It's simple: this program is working but fails to play into the extremist narrative that our homeless population is dangerous and unworthy of investment. As elected officials, it is not our job to stand in the way of progress. The city has found a path forward that supports some of our most vulnerable and makes our society safer in the long run. I am excited to see the work these new funds make possible and look forward to supporting the city in this work.” -30-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 30, 2023 PHOENIX – Representative Cesar Aguilar said today's decision by the conservative Supreme Court overruling President Biden's student loan forgiveness program will needlessly crush tens of millions of young Americans – including nearly 900,000 in Arizona – with higher education debt. Aguilar, former Executive Director of the Arizona Students Association, added support for President Biden's next steps, which will use other authorized methods to address student debt in spite of the politically charged ruling. "For far too long student loan providers who work with the federal government have profited off the backs of Americans seeking a higher education, generating $5 billion a month on student loans. With this extreme Supreme Court ruling against President Biden’s Student Debt Cancelation plan, Americans will have less money in their pockets to pay for bills, goods and services strained by inflation. This action will lead to less consumer spending and will reduce economic growth. Nearly 900,000 mostly younger Arizonans hold student debt, about 13 percent of our population and the 15th highest number of borrowers in the country. When Republicans say this court decision will impact wealthier Americans, they are wrong. This ruling impacts the middle class who took out loans to afford to go to college. The conversation around student loans also must center on who is actually profiting off the backs of people seeking to contribute to our economy and society. When families are spending their whole lives paying for student debt, how is that right, or even legal? President Biden reminded everyone today that taxpayers bailed out businesses by forgiving PPP loans during the pandemic, which cost the nation $760 billion. In comparison, the President's plan to cancel student debt would have benefited middle-income working families who were also impacted by the pandemic, and would have cost only $400 billion, but with stronger economic benefits throughout the whole state as younger Arizonans could have bought homes, started businesses and grown their families free from crushing student debt." Details on President Biden's next steps for student debt relief can be found here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 30, 2023 PHOENIX – The Co-Chairs of the Arizona Legislature's LGBTQ Caucus released the following statements following the Supreme Court's disastrous decision today allowing a religious right to discriminate against LGBTQ Americans and other protected classes. Co-Chair Oscar De Los Santos, House Member from Phoenix (District 11): "In a free, fair, and democratic society, we have no room for social castes or second-class citizens. The United States’ greatest promise is equality under the law. But today’s Supreme Court decision undermines that cherished value by pronouncing that LGBT Arizonans can be singled out and denied goods and services at public businesses. But this decision doesn’t only affect the LGBT community. It also opens the door to racial and religious discrimination. As a result of this decision, a bigoted website designer can refuse to create a website for a Catholic couple and an antisemitic artist can refuse to create invitations to a Bar Mitzvah. As Democrats, we stand with the vast majority of Arizonans who believe in equality for all." Co-Chair Patty Contreras, House Member from Phoenix (District 12): "This decision by the Supreme Court is an ominous step backwards on civil rights for our country, which has been a beacon of freedom for the rest of the world. In its zeal to deny equal rights to the LGBTQ community, the extremists who pursued this lawsuit have opened the door to create a religious right to discriminate against protected classes, and even other religions, under the ironic guise of free speech. Where does it end? This will embolden businesses that want to discriminate, and their discrimination won't just be limited to our community. Gay marriage is legal in our country. If you are open for business, you should be open for business for all. Taking away hard-won civil rights is a terrible message to send to the world as we celebrate our Independence Day."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 29, 2023 PHOENIX – House Democrats spoke out against today's "misguided" United States Supreme Court ruling gutting affirmative action in college admissions. Assistant Democratic Leader Oscar De Los Santos said: "Talent is equally distributed in our communities and in our society, but opportunity is not. That is a historic fact and a generational wrong that affirmative action has sought for decades to correct in our country, with many success -- Justice Clarence Thomas among them. Now, a rightward ideological shift that has occurred in the Supreme Court (but not in our country) seeks to undo that progress. It is simply wrong for this Court to deliberately hamstring successful and impactful efforts by colleges and universities to create opportunities for qualified, but disadvantaged, students of color while leaving legacy and donor-influenced admissions intact. That only widens the disparity. As a child of immigrants, my life has been immeasurably impacted for the better by education. We cannot let this decision be used to deny that same opportunity to the next generation. Democrats are as committed as ever to ending discrimination and providing equal opportunity for all Americans, and this misguided decision only deepens our resolve." Rep. Quantá Crews, who chairs the Legislature's Black Caucus, added: "I find it disheartening that 59 years after the ratification of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 we find ourselves revisiting affirmative action. One generation is simply not enough to rectify the many injustices that institutional racism has wrought against black and brown communities worldwide. Yes, our communities have made progress; a major player in those successes is affirmative action. American institutions didn’t wake up and choose to do the right thing by admitting qualified students of color. They were forced to by the very policy the Supreme Court has overturned. Those ideologies and ignorant ways of thinking are still informing education admissions and employment decisions. Racism has yet to die. This is evidenced by the recent viral video released of a teacher calling a high school student the n-word. That is just one, we have countless recent examples. Discrimination runs rampant in every corner of American life. Progress doesn’t mean racism is eradicated and we won’t stop fighting until justice for all is a reality. The dream was great but it simply won’t do." -30-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 21, 2023 PHOENIX, AZ— House Democrats today elected Rep. Lupe Contreras of Avondale to serve as Leader of the 29-member caucus. Contreras had been serving as Assistant Democratic Leader until Leader Andrés Cano stepped down recently in preparation for graduate school. Two first-year Representatives have also been elected to the Leadership team with Oscar De Los Santos of Phoenix as Assistant Leader and Nancy Gutierrez of Tucson as Whip. Representative Melody Hernandez of Tempe remains as Whip. Leader Lupe Contreras served first in the House in 2013, and then served as a Senator from 2015 until his election again to the House in 2022 to serve District 22. He grew up in Cashion, Arizona. He and his wife have proudly called the West Valley home, along with their six children. Since entering public service he has become an active member of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO.) In his years at the Legislature, Contreras has consistently been a Caucus leader, serving as the Assistant Democratic Leader in both the Senate and the House. Assistant Leader Oscar De Los Santos was elected in 2022 to represent the people of District 11 in the Arizona House of Representatives. A Rhodes Scholar and former public-school teacher in South Phoenix, he was born to working-class immigrant parents. Before working on public policy in Arizona, he served in the Obama White House. De Los Santos holds a master's degree in Christian Ethics from Union Theological Seminary and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Oxford. A tireless protector of Arizona’s constitution and democracy, he serves on the Municipal Oversight & Elections Committee, as well as Natural Resources, Energy & Water. Whip Nancy Gutierrez was elected in 2022 to serve District 18 in Tucson. She is a lifelong teacher who started her career in Phoenix in 1994 and moved to Tucson in 2007 where she and her husband are raising two girls. Gutierrez has since taught preschool, elementary, high school, community college mathematics, and is currently a yoga teacher at Tucson High School. As part of the Democratic Teacher Caucus, Gutierrez is a determined public school advocate and serves as Ranking Member of Regulatory Affairs and on the Education Committee. Whip Melody Hernandez was elected in 2020 to serve District 8 in Tempe. She quickly rose in leadership within her first term becoming the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee. Hernandez is passionate about criminal justice reform and works full-time as a paramedic. She has taken care of countless gun violence injuries and deaths, and most recently volunteered in a reproductive healthcare clinic. She grew up in the southeast valley to a first-generation Mexican American family and served as the first Latina Democratic Chair for the previous Legislative District 26. -30-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 14, 2023 PHOENIX – Senator Catherine Miranda is excited to welcome newly appointed LD26 Representative Quanta Crews to the legislature and to work with her as new Chair as the Arizona State Legislative Black Caucus. “I was honored to have taken our Black caucus under my wing to support our communities in our districts. I want to thank all who supported this effort especially the National Black Caucus for State Legislators (NBCSL),” Senator Miranda stated. “Nobody should ever feel left out, no matter what the make up in the legislature is. I am honored to handover the Black Caucus torch to our newly appointed Representative Quanta Crews! I will continue to support our Black Caucus and Representative Crews as she leads moving forward.” Representative Crews also added, “I am deeply honored by the opportunity to lead the Black Caucus. We have amazing talent, and a rich legacy of innovation and championing justice. We’ve had amazing community leaders called to this space before me: Ethel Reed Maynard, Carolyn Walker, Sandra Kennedy, Herschella Horton, Leah Landrum Taylor, Geraldine Peten, Hayzel Burton Daniels, Carl Sims, Doc Fitzgerald Benson, Gilbert Gray Sr, Jordan D. Holmes, Cloves Colbert Campbell Sr., Elishia Leon Thompson Sr., Horace Eddy Owens, Arthur M. Hamilton, Rev. Dr. George Benjamin Brooks, Sr., David S. Armstead, Cloves Colbert Campbell Jr, Reginald Bolding Jr, and David Marshall Sr. We aren’t new to this, we are true to this. Our leaders lead every day in their respective industries, faith groups and neighborhoods every day. It’s time for us to move our Arizona family forward, working across the aisle to find opportunities for us to shine and thrive. A special thank you to Senator Catherine Miranda for facilitating the transition of the caucus back into the hands of the African American community.” Prioritizing investments in our young people, keeping people in secure and affordable housing, and addressing our ongoing natural resource crisis: An increase in K-12 education funding to keep up with inflation. Increased funding for the Housing Trust Fund to deal with the housing affordability crisis. Immediate funding to address the homelessness crisis and invest in intervention services. Basic funding for our state agencies. Ongoing funding to raise healthcare providers to competitive salaries. Funding for our rural fire districts so they have the equipment and personnel they need. Ongoing funding to our state universities to help offset the high cost of tuition. Eyeglasses for low-income Arizonans on AHCCCS. Salary increases for providers servingArizonans with developmental disabilities. The current budget only partly addresses – or ignores – these issues. The reality is due to irresponsible tax cuts, our state revenue is not keeping up with our growth and economy. No responsible lawmaker from either party should be willing to bankrupt our state, neglect the homeless, let our rural areas run out of water and fail to raise teacher salaries or even keep public school funding on pace with inflation in order to give wealthy families in the richest zip codes a government subsidy to reduce their children's private school tuition. Republicans 23 years ago acted quickly to address the Alt-Fuels fiasco, anothermisguided subsidy for the purchaseof SUVs and luxury vehicles.That program quickly grew out of control and was halted when the projected cost to the state grew to nearly $700 million. A Republican Governor and Legislature wisely approved a moratorium and imposed new eligibility requirements to reduce the state's expense. Alt-Fuels, like the Republican’s Alt-Schools ESA voucher program was supposed to cost a tiny fraction of what it actually cost. Governor Hobbs has long been a strong advocate for our state and is working to make positive change under a broken Republican framework. That starts with creating a budget that puts everyday Arizonans first.”

PHOENIX — The Maricopa Board of Supervisors appointed Quantá Crews on Monday to fill the vacant House seat left open after Flavio Bravo was appointed to the Senate. Crews is an experienced Real and Personal Property Appraiser who has spent most of her years in the government administration industry. She is a mother to three boys who attend public school in Phoenix. Crews is also an ordained associate minister for the Historic Tanner Chapel A.M.E Church. She graduated from Grand Canyon University with a Bachelor of Arts in History. Crews released the following statement following her appointment. “This is a tremendous honor. I am deeply grateful to my family, friends, and fellow precinct committeemen for their unwavering support and trust, and to Supervisor Gallardo and the County Board of Supervisors for making this decision. I am committed to champion the issues that matter most to our community. One of the pressing concerns we face is affordable housing. Access to safe and affordable homes is a fundamental right, and I will work tirelessly to ensure that every individual and family in LD26 has access to affordable housing options that meet their needs. I will also passionately advocate for reproductive freedom. Everyone deserves the right to make informed decisions about their own bodies, healthcare, and reproductive choices. I will work diligently to protect and expand reproductive rights, ensuring that individuals have the freedom to make the best choices for themselves and their families. Supporting public education is of utmost importance to me. Our children deserve access to high-quality education that prepares them for success. I will collaborate with educators, parents, and community stakeholders to strengthen our public school system, advocate for equitable funding, and promote policies that empower our students and educators. Furthermore, water rights are a vital concern in our region. I recognize the importance of sustainable water management and will strive to protect our water resources while ensuring fair and equitable access for all. I will engage in constructive dialogue, seeking innovative solutions that balance the needs of our community and the preservation of this precious resource. I am excited about the opportunity to work alongside the state legislature and Governor to enact meaningful change and make Arizona a place where everyone can thrive. I pledge to be accessible and responsive to your concerns, and I welcome your ideas and input as we navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.” House Democratic Leader Andrés Cano added, "Representative Crews joins the Democratic Caucus at a critical time. She is a strong and well-prepared advocate for our shared Democratic values at a moment when MAGA Republicans consistently demonstrate how out of touch they are with everyday Arizonans. While the GOP advances election conspiracy theories, attacks reproductive rights and foments hate against our LGBTQ+ communities, Representative Crews will prioritize equal rights and a strong economy for the people of District 26. Together we'll work to fully fund our public schools, increase affordable housing and secure our state's water future." -30-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 2, 2023 PHOENIX – This week Governor Hobbs and Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke announced a study that shows the Phoenix Metropolitan Area faces a 4 percent groundwater shortfall over the next 100 years. As a result, new 100-year Assured Water Supply certificates for new residential construction projects in the Phoenix Active Management Area that rely on groundwater will be paused as policy makers work on strategies to close the gap. Democratic Senator Priya Sundareshan and Representative Stacey Travers, who both serve on the Governor's Water Policy Council, released the following statements regarding the news. “Although there’s a desire to reassure everyone that we have enough water for existing uses and planned growth, we must accept that our groundwater laws need changes in order to make them even stronger and close the gaps that remained from the 1980 GMA,” Sundareshan stated. “The new model shows 4.9 million acre-feet (MAF) of unmet demand over 100 years in the Phoenix Active Management Area (AMA). Now is the time to prioritize our most efficient uses of water and retire inefficient uses to bring the AMA into balance. Realistically, this model does not yet account for reduced inflows from the Colorado River, which we know will be reduced in some significant way soon. As members on the Governor’s Water Policy Council, and in particular on the Assured Water Supply Committee, we will propose and evaluate ideas that will further strengthen our groundwater laws. We deserve secure and sustainable groundwater everywhere in Arizona.” "We appreciate the Governor's forthright and transparent response to this long-term shortfall," Travers said. "Here is the bottom line: Because of excessive groundwater pumping and sustained drought caused by climate change, the demand for groundwater is expected to exceed supply, which will present a formidable challenge for continued growth in certain areas on the outskirts of the Phoenix metro area. It is imperative that we continue this administration’s vigilance to ensure Arizona's continued growth and prosperity in a thoughtful and responsible manner. Bringing focus to the issue now, releasing the facts and being honest with the state before it becomes an acute and harder-to solve crisis, is all the motivation policymakers and stakeholders should need to work together on solutions to ensure that Arizonans in all corners of the state can have peace of mind that our water future is secure.” ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 9, 2023 PHOENIX-- Senate Democratic LeaderMitzi Epstein and House Democratic LeaderAndrés Cano released the following statement on current version of state budget bills being heard in Legislative Appropriations Committees today. “Arizona Senate and House Democrats have consistently stood by our commitment to a budget for all Arizonans that creates lasting change on issues most important to our state:Increased investment in K- 12 education, housing and solutions to address homelessness, and our water crisis. But decades of reckless tax cuts and a hollowing out of state government by Republican leaders have created deep- seeded problemsand a state sorely short on revenue. Further limiting our ability to fund these priorities is the exponential growth of the Republican’s out-of-control universal private-school voucher expansion otherwise known as the ESA expansion program, which was sold as a $33 million program but is now projected to cost the state $600 million through June 2024. Our caucus is committed to three things: (1) Delivering a budget negotiated in good faith that invests in our state’s long-termsuccess in a realistic timeline; (2) Creating a funding structure that protects the ongoing needs of our most dedicated public servants; and (3) Avoiding bankrupting the state with responsible limits on the Republican voucher expansion. Wecontinue to work to ensure these priorities cross the finish line and have made tremendous progress over the past severalweeks that is reflected in the current bills. But we have also proposed solutions to create a management trigger or at least get a handle on the dangerous exponential growth of ESA vouchers. Those negotiations should continue, not a rushed process and unfinished plan. Our budget priorities are and have always been about putting Arizona on a better path. We believe your tax dollars should work for you and the future of our state.We are prioritizing investments in our young people, keeping people in secure and affordable housing, and addressing our ongoing natural resource crisis: • An increase in K-12 education funding to keep up with inflation. • Increased funding for the HousingTrust Fund to deal with the housing affordability crisis. • Immediate funding to address the homelessness crisis and invest in intervention services. • Basic funding for our state agencies. • Ongoing funding to raise healthcare providers to competitive salaries. • Funding for our rural fire districts so they have the equipment and personnel they need. • Ongoing funding to our state universities to help offset the high cost of tuition. • Eyeglasses for low-income Arizonans on AHCCCS. • Salary increases for providers servingArizonans with developmental disabilities. The current budget only partly addresses – or ignores – these issues. The reality is due to irresponsible tax cuts, our state revenue is not keeping up with our growth and economy. No responsible lawmaker from either party should be willing to bankrupt our state, neglect the homeless, let our rural areas run out of water and fail to raise teacher salaries or even keep public school funding on pace with inflation in order to give wealthy families in the richest zip codes a government subsidy to reduce their children's private school tuition. Republicans 23 years ago acted quickly to address the Alt-Fuels fiasco, another misguided subsidy for the purchase of SUVs and luxury vehicles.That program quickly grew out of control and was halted when the projected cost to the state grew to nearly $700 million. A Republican Governor and Legislature wisely approved a moratorium and imposed new eligibility requirements to reduce the state's expense. Alt-Fuels, like the Republican’s Alt-Schools ESA voucher program was supposed to cost a tiny fraction of what it actually cost. Governor Hobbs has long been a strong advocate for our state and is working to make positive change under a broken Republican framework. That starts with creating a budget that puts everyday Arizonans first.” -30-

PHOENIX – House Democratic leadership released the following statement regarding the veto of House Bill 2509 and GOP calls for a veto override: "House Democrats will not override the veto of House Bill 2509. We will work with our legislative colleagues on improved policy that will support Arizona’s small business owners and cottage food entrepreneurs—and we’d like to get this done this session. Last year, three Republican bills with broad bipartisan support were vetoed by the former governor — including one that was unanimously supported by the House and Senate. Not once did House Republicans seek to vilify Doug Ducey as they have Governor Hobbs since she took office in January. If the GOP is serious about the work ahead, we invite them to join us to develop common-sense policy solutions that will show Arizonans we can rise above partisan distractions.” -30-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 12, 2023 PHOENIX – House Democratic Leader Andrés Cano released the following statement regarding today's vote to expel Representative Liz Harris. “This is a sad day for our institution. But it is a necessary day. There has been real damage done to the lives and reputations of people who did not deserve it. Most importantly, the integrity of this House has been jeopardized. Misinformation, lies, and conspiracies are not harmless, and it's not just politics. The defamatory allegations that Representative Harris' invited her guest speaker to make are patently absurd, but there are many people who believe them. They believe the lies, and they continue to threaten retribution because we dispute them. They believe those lies because a State Representative, Liz Harris, platformed and legitimized them in a televised legislative hearing – where they were immediately picked up by partisan media and social media influencers -- and then she congratulated her guest speaker as 'brave' for her presentation. The integrity of our institution was damaged in that moment. That damage continues to accumulate, and for that there must be accountability. I want to thank the House Ethics Committee for taking this matter seriously, and for upholding their duty to gather facts and evidence. That evidence is clear – a member of this House plotted, and then repeatedly lied to advance false and defamatory allegations in a televised legislative hearing. She lied about her role in this effort to mainstream a conspiracy that a federal judge had already labeled as 'delusional.' Representative Harris's actions were reckless and unbecoming of any elected official -- and the repercussions of this behavior are beyond comprehension. I hope that this action will help restore integrity and honor to this Chamber." -30-