#AZGOP Budget Has Flat Tax & Tax Breaks But Lacks Votes (video)

Posted on by Pamela Powers Hannley

The House Appropriations Committee was debating the budget as I drove to the Capitol on Tuesday morning. The Republicans started the budget process by introducing the 11 bills that make up the coming fiscal year’s budget on Monday, May 24. Except for leaked documents and rumors, this was the first time the Democrats and the public were able to see the whole proposal (available here).

Rumors have been swirling around the Capitol for weeks about the massive tax cut — biggest ever in Arizona history — and the flat tax proposal that the Republicans were planning. The rumor mill also said they didn’t have the votes to pass it. Republicans need ALL of their members to get in line on the budget, since the flat tax and other shortcomings make their budget a non-starter with Democrats, who make up 48% of the Arizona Legislature.

Continue reading #AZGOP Budget Has Flat Tax & Tax Breaks But Lacks Votes (video)

#AZHouse Adjourns with No Budget. Et Tu, #AZSenate? (video)

Posted on by Pamela Powers Hannley
Still Red for Ed

UPDATE:

On the afternoon of May 27, 2021, the Arizona Senate adjourned until June 10 because the Republicans don’t have the votes to pass their budget, which was created behind closed doors by a handful of their members.

ORIGINAL POST from earlier that day:

As I reported yesterday, some Arizona Republicans are feeling the heat from constituents on their horrible budget, the $1.5 bullion in tax cuts (primarily benefiting the wealthy), and the flat tax. What do they expect when an extremist budget crafted behind closed doors by handful of Republicans is revealed to the media and the voters? Of course, people will be outraged. Republicans have their tax cut blinders on. They are ignoring so many needs that could be funded with the money we now have.

On May 26, the House adjourned until June 10 because the Republicans did not have the votes to cram the budget through both houses in the middle of the night (standard operating procedure for Arizona Republicans). This is historic! Stopping the budget process because Republicans are in disarray has not happened in years.

Continue reading #AZHouse Adjourns with No Budget. Et Tu, #AZSenate? (video)

#AZGOP Budget: $0 for Housing Trust Fund, Teacher Pay or Maternal & Child Health (video)

Posted on by Pamela Powers Hannley
homelessness

Besides the flat tax, practically every tax giveaway that’s been defeated in the last five years is stuck into the Republican budget.

What’s that? You didn’t want more tax giveaways?

You wanted the state to Invest in Education and to pay teacher’s a fair wage? Forget about it. Arizona Republicans pride themselves in syphoning off public education funds and giving them to for-profit diploma mills, private schools and religious schools.

You thought it would be a good idea to restore the full $40 million in funding to the Housing Trust Fund to tackle the housing affordability and eviction problems in Arizona? Nope. Republicans are doing tax breaks for developers instead.

What about tackling Adverse Childhood Experiences, like food, housing and financial insecurity? No, Republicans like being worst in the nation for child wellbeing.

Continue reading #AZGOP Budget: $0 for Housing Trust Fund, Teacher Pay or Maternal & Child Health (video)

#AZLeg Budget Update: What’s in Store for the 54th Legislature (video)

Posted on by Pamela Powers Hannley
budget update

Unlike many years, the Arizona Legislature will have money to spend when it convenes the 54th Legislative Session on opening day, January 14, 2019. We have an unexpected $900 million in one-time funding due to unexpectedly high sales tax returns and personal income tax returns.(Gosh, could the minimum wage have played a role in this?) We also have $200 million in the structural budget (money that should be available for three years).In addition, there’s tax conformity and review of the tax giveaways.

 

Trump’s Shutdown Hurts Workers & Our Economy (video)

Posted on by Pamela Powers Hannley
Make America great again?

President Trump refused to sign a bipartisan budget bill in December 2018 and started what will soon be the longest government shutdown in US history. Millions of workers been furloughed and are not being paid. Other federal workers are working for free. It’s time to open the government and put people back to work.