Rep. Phil Lopes (D-LD27) on the state budget

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Arizona Daily Star's series continues today with Rep. Phil Lopes (D-LD27). Formatted for transcript format. Rep. Phil Lopes, D, District 27

Rep. Phil Lopes (D-LD27)

Committees: Health and Human Services; Public Employees, Retirement and Entitlement Reform

The Arizona Daily Star asked the following questions of each lawmaker:

1) Lawmakers have discretion over only 37 percent of K-12 education. School districts and universities have already taken millions in budget cuts, which affects everything from the economy to demands on government programs.

Should lawmakers continue to cut money to education? What, specifically, would you do?

A: Budgeting during this recession is really about what we want Arizona to look like in the future. The decisions made now about what we want to protect and what to cut reflect what we value and what we want our state to look like in five, 10, 25 years.

Too much damage to education, especially including Adult Basic Education, will result in a loss of opportunity for Arizonans.

I would stop further cuts to K-12, including all-day kindergarten (which Gov. Brewer has slated for total elimination). In return, require that each district develop plans for savings, such as Tucson Unified School District's efforts at merging schools, and require recommendations for an approach to pay for performance to assure the best teachers are in the classroom.

Stop further cuts to the universities and community colleges. In return, require that universities and community colleges stop increasing tuition and not admit any out-of-state students to the medical school ahead of qualified residents.

2) The governor's budget includes $37 million in cuts to services for the seriously mentally ill and the elimination of KidsCare, for a savings of $23 million. It also seeks to ask voters to drop 310,500 people from Medicaid by narrowing the eligibility rules.

That savings would be $382 million. Do you support these cuts? If not, how would you cover that $442 million budget gap?

A: I do not support these Draconian cuts to basic health services for our most needy Arizonans. Arizona has consistently been in the top 10 states in the percentage of uninsured people. We do not want to be higher on the list.

To cover the budget gap, I would retain the Statewide Equalization Tax ($340 million) and reinstitute the Individual Income Tax reduction of 2007 ($163 million).

3) What is your priority for budget cuts? What, specifically, would you cut first, and why?

A: I would: revise the mandatory-sentencing laws to allow for more alternatives to incarceration, including expansion of Home Arrest Program, thus reducing funds for the Department of Corrections; reduce reimbursement rates for AHCCCS providers; transfer Behavioral Health Services from the Department of Health Services to AHCCCS; rescind tax credits for private-school tuition and extracurricular activities in public schools; rescind tax credits that are not benefiting residents commensurate with the amount of the credit, such as the Health Insurance Premium Tax credit.

4) What kind of revenue increases do you support?

A: I would: increase the income tax on the top 1 percent of tax filers by 5 to 6 percentage points to generate approximately $1 billion instead of raising the very regressive sales tax; tax Internet sales; equalize the alcohol tax among beer (16 cents per gallon), wine and hard liquor ($3 per gallon); defer scheduled business tax cuts until 2013; create a better balance among income, sales and property taxes in an attempt to avoid large changes in year-to-year revenue; repeal the accounting credit that is paid to merchants for collecting sales tax; maintain the photo radar program because it reduces speed, which saves lives; raise the cap on rainy-day fund to 15 percent and make "raids" on the fund more difficult; eliminate County Attorney Immigration Enforcement funding; restore/add funding to the Department of Revenue to ensure that taxes owed are collected.