Doug Ducey

“That’s a Certainty!” Governor’s Support For Protecting Arizonans With Pre-Existing Conditions Disappears With Bill Signing

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“Health insurance companies should cover people with pre-existing conditions. That’s a certainty!” That was Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s no-mincing-words statement in the weeks leading up to his re-election last fall. Yesterday, the Governor signed into law SB1109, erasing the pre-election certainty. Now, short term health insurance policies will be offered to some Arizonans which contain … Read more

TOMORROW: Senate Judiciary Committee To Question Mike Liburdi For Judgeship; Trump Nomination Bypassed Arizona Senators

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Mike Liburdi will have his hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow morning. Liburdi was nominated last month by Presdient Donald Trump to fill one of the two judicial vacancies on Arizona’s U.S. District Court bench.

Liburdi was Governor Doug Ducey’s General Counsel between 2015-2018. He applied for the lifetime appointment in August of last year by going directly to the Department of Justice. In 2016-17, he had not been considered by a judicial selection committee that had been set up by Arizona’s two Senators.

Typically, the Senators recommend individuals to the Administration for such nominations in their home states – particularly when the Senators and the President are of the same party. For example, the other pending judicial nomination from Arizona was vetted and recommended by McCain and Flake in early 2017.

Hon. Bridget Bade’s nomination for a position on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee last week on a remarkably bipartisan vote of 17-5. Her nomination is now ready to be voted on by the entire Senate.

The differing pathways for the Bade and Liburdi nominations was set forth in their written submissions to the Committee, and lays bare some of the tension that existed between Trump, McCain and Flake.

Bade is an uncontroversial pick both because of her judicial experience as a U.S. Magistrate

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Education Priorities for 2019: Perspective from Save Our Schools Arizona

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Education is a major priority of both political parties and school organizations in 2019. One organization looking to promote the interests of public schools in Arizona is Save Our Schools Arizona (SOS). Their mission, articulated on their website (https://sosarizona.org/), is to: • Educate communities about the value of public education • Empower parents, teachers, and … Read more

Allen Sales Tax Plan to help fund Education is deemed “regressive” by many Democrats.

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Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman said work needs to be done to “find sustainable and dedicated revenue streams to fund our schools.”

Education funding after last years Red for Ed Movement will continue to dominate discussions in Arizona Political and Economic Circles this year and next.

While the 20 percent raises for instructors and staff over two years and other increases in education funding  (like extending Proposition 301) passed by the legislature are certainly helpful, it still does not fully address the funding shortfall of public schools in Arizona in 2019. For that matter, it does not rectify the funding shortfall at 2008 levels.

What is to be done to bring public school funding up to 2019 levels?

Governors Ducey’s 2019 budget, according to Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman is a step in the right direction but work must be done to “find sustainable and dedicated revenue streams to fund our schools.”

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