How NAIOP, Phoenix Chamber, Tech Council stand on political issues

NAIOP Arizona announces positions on 4 ballot propositions for Nov. 8 general election

The Arizona Chapter of NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, has announced its positions on four ballot propositions appearing on the November 8 Arizona general election ballot. These ballot propositions deal with the topic of initiative reform, which has been a public policy priority for NAIOP for the past several years.

NAIOP Arizona is supporting

Prop 128: Allows the Legislature to correct illegal or unconstitutional language in ballot propositions.

Groups putting initiatives onto the ballot sometimes make drafting errors or otherwise include language that is later found by the courts to be unconstitutional or illegal. When this occurs, the court is faced with the difficult determination of whether to strike down the entire proposition.

“With Prop 128, the Legislature could make limited corrections to the proposition that either remove the illegal or unconstitutional language or redraft it in a way that is lawful,” said NAIOP Arizona President and CEO Suzanne Kinney. “This is a simple solution that protects the will of the voters and improves the initiative process.”

Prop 129: Furthers the intent of the initiative process by ensuring that each ballot proposition addresses only one issue.

If an initiative addresses multiple issues, it would need to be separated into two or more separate measures. It also aligns the initiative process with the long-standing legislative process which requires bills to address a single subject.

“Over the years, voters have repeatedly been faced with false choices. They’ve had to make a choice to support or oppose an initiative in its entirely even when they may favor some parts but have serious concerns with others. It is only right that Arizonans be able to vote for or against important policy issues one at a time,” Kinney said.

Prop 132: Protects taxpayers.

Under current law, a ballot proposition requires only a simple majority to raise taxes or create a new tax. Prop 132 would require that ballot propositions which create or raise taxes be passed by at least 60 percent of voters.

“Several tax raising propositions in recent elections have barely met the simple majority threshold, at times singling out certain groups of taxpayers for higher taxation than others,” Kinney said. “The state senators and representatives who we elect to represent us do not even hold this much power. In fact, for the Legislature to increase taxes, both the House of Representatives and the State Senate must approve the tax by a two-thirds vote; that’s about 67 percent of all legislators,”

NAIOP Arizona is opposing

“Arizonans for Free & Fair Elections Act”: This lengthy and misnamed initiative, funded by out-of-state special interests, would open up Arizona’s election process to potential manipulation.

This Act would allow ballot harvesting, the ability for one person to turn in another person’s early ballot.

“Any U.S. citizen who has lived in Arizona for a single day could be counted as a resident of our state and allowed to vote in our elections. It would further allow someone to vote on the same day they register, increasing the potential for ineligible people to vote,” Kinney said.

“This Act would limit legal reviews of initiative petitions, making it more likely that fraudulent or misleading measures could make it onto the ballot. It would also make it easier for paid petition circulators to avoid complying with the law on how, where, and when signatures must be collected. This would make it more likely that petitions with forged signatures, multiple signatures from the same person, or other problems would be accepted,” Kinney said.

This initiative would increase government funding to candidates. As the cost of financing a campaign goes up, individual donors would be allowed to contribute less, pushing more candidates into a government financed election scheme.

Greater Phoenix Chamber supports in-state tuition for the Dreamers initiative

The Greater Phoenix Chamber urges Arizona voters to vote “yes” in support of Proposition 308, which would allow non-citizen students, except those considered to be “nonresident aliens” under federal law, to receive in-state college tuition when they attend school for at least two years and graduate from a public school, private school or homeschool in the state of Arizona.

The previous policy prohibited undocumented residents from receiving publicly funded services, including financial aid and college tuition. Due to this, Dreamers must pay 150% of in-state tuition and almost four times per credit hour to attend Arizona public community colleges.

The newly proposed referral would repeal provisions of Proposition 300 and allow non-citizen Dreamers to receive in-state college tuition, making the state’s economic future much more secure. It is estimated that Arizona has a $660,000 return for every single college graduate. Nearly 2,000 Dreamers graduate from Arizona high schools each year, many leaving the state to pursue more affordable higher education.

“There is no question that allowing Dreamers to receive in-state tuition is vital for a healthy future for the state of Arizona,” said Todd Sanders, Greater Phoenix Chamber President & CEO. “Not only is this essential for the health of our economy, but we also firmly believe that all Arizonans should be met with dignity, respect, and opportunity.”

According to current economic projections, the state is not nearly equipped with the workforce needed for the rapidly growing Arizona economy. Without this initiative, the health of Arizona’s economy could be in jeopardy. Members from both political parties and numerous business and community leaders in Arizona agree with this newly proposed referral. We look forward to working with partners such as the Chicanos Por La Causa Action Fund to inform voters between now and November about the economic benefits of passing Proposition 308.

Arizona Technology Council Announces State Legislature Candidate Endorsements

To offer guidance to voters in the 2022 elections, the Arizona Technology Council has released its endorsements of Arizona Legislature candidates who support the technology industry’s agenda. Recommendations are based on several factors, including the most recent two-year voting records of incumbents, written responses to a survey and interviews of new candidates.

“Our state’s technology industry has been one of the fastest growing in the nation and a main contributor to Arizona’s economy,” said Steven G. Zylstra, the Council’s president and CEO. “Furthermore, technology will continue to be a cornerstone of our growth. The state legislators we endorse represent those who understand and advocate our industry’s success, as well as the betterment of our overall economy.”

The Council’s Public Policy Committee thoroughly researched candidates for the state Senate and House of Representatives to determine whether they provided ongoing support of the technology agenda. The issues most heavily weighted in the Committee’s recommendations included the legislative priorities outlined in Council’s 2022 Public Policy Guide. Priorities included cultivating a diverse, equitable and statewide science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) ecosystem; funding the state’s P-20 education system, including pre-K, K-12, career and technical education district (CTED), postsecondary programs; supporting efforts to positively impact the diversity, equity and inclusion of the workforce and its leadership; and advancing energy policy that encourages demand-side adoption of efficiency, prioritizes clean and renewable energy use, invests in electric vehicle infrastructure development, and supports innovation in the industry.

The endorsements focus on candidates for the state Legislature in Arizona’s 2022 elections. Because the Council backs only candidates who support a technology agenda and those who either have a voting record or participated in our endorsement process, some districts have no recommendations. The Council does not provide recommendations on other statewide or congressional races.

To provide transparency on selections, the Council soon will publish its 2022 Vote TechSmart, a biennial voters’ guide that will offer details of its official endorsements.

The Council’s legislative candidate endorsements are:

Arizona Senate:

District 2: Steve Kaiser (R)
District 3: John Kavanagh (R)
District 4: Christine Marsh (D)
District 5: Lela Alston (D)
District 6: Theresa Hatathlie (D)
District 9: Tyler Pace (R)
District 10: Rusty Bowers (R)
District 12: David Richardson (R)
District 13: J.D. Mesnard (R)
District 16: TJ Shope (R)
District 17: Vince Leach (R)
District 18: Morgan Abraham (D)
District 19: David Gowan (R)
District 21: Rosanna Gabaldón (D)
District 22: Diego Espinoza (D)
District 23: Brian Fernandez (D)
District 24: Cesar Chavez (D)
District 25: Sine Kerr (R)
District 28: Frank Carroll (R)
District 29: Joanne Osborne (R)
District 30: Sonny Borrelli (R)

Arizona House of Representatives:

District 1: Quang Nguyen (R)
District 2: Justin Wilmeth (R)
District 3: Nicole Cantelme (R)
District 4: Matt Gress (R), Maria Syms (R)
District 5: Jennifer Longdon (D), Dr. Amish Shah (D)
District 6: Myron Tsosie (D)
District 7: David Cook (R)
District 9: Lorena Austin (D), Seth Blattman (D)
District 11: Marcelino Quiñonez (D), Wesley Leasy (D)
District 12: James Chaston (R), Ajlan Kurdoglu (D), Stacey Travers (D)
District 13: Ron Hardin (R), Jennifer Pawlik (D)
District 15: Neal Carter (R)
District 16: Teresa Martinez (R)
District 18: Christopher Mathis (D), Nathan Davis (D)
District 20: Andres Cano (D), Alma Hernandez (D)
District 21: Consuelo Hernandez (D), Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (D)
District 22: Lupe Contreras (D), Lorenzo Sierra (D)
District 25: Tim Dunn (R), Joel John (R)
District 26: Flavio Bravo (D)
District 27: Kevin Payne (R), Ben Toma (R)
District 28: David Livingston (R)
District 29: Trey Terry (R)
District 30: Leo Biasiucci (R)

To stay current on politics and policies affecting the state’s technology industry, visit the Technology Advocacy & Technology Public Policy page on the Council’s website at aztechcouncil.org/promoting-public-policy.