Home Builders Endorsement

News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, August 28, 2008
CONTACT: Spencer Kamps:(602) 274-6545

Home Builders Association of Central Arizona Endorses District 3 Incumbents

The Home Builders Association of Central Arizona (HBACA) is proud to endorse incumbent Senator Ron Gould, Representative Trish Groe and Representative Nancy McLain for re-election in legislative District 3. Gould, Groe and McLain have all proven to be strong allies of the home building industry, consistent with their commitment to lower taxes and limited government.

Additionally, Gould, Groe and McLain have repeatedly stood up against legislation that would have increased costs and further prolong Arizona's housing recovery. In the face of such uncertain economic times, District 3 is fortunate to have such strong, dedicated leaders at the legislature.

Groe Named Top Champion of the Taxpayer

Groe Note: WOW!!!! After catching your breath and regaining your balance, make sure you check out the complete scorecard. You might be quite surprised at the scores of some fellow republicans.

Arizona’s FY 2008-2009 state budget, which is more than a billion dollars over budget, produced sharp divisions in legislators’ scores on the 24th annual “Friend of the Taxpayer” Legislative Scorecard, sponsored by the Arizona chapter of Americans for Prosperity (AFP), formerly the Arizona Federation of Taxpayers. Legislators voting against the budget bills scored an average of 82 percent, while legislators voting in favor scored an average of 10 percent.

The top award stayed in Lake Havasu City, with Rep. Trish Groe narrowly beating out Sen. Ron Gould, who earned the top spot the last three years in a row. Joining Groe and Gould in the category “Hero of the Taxpayer” were Gilbert Reps. Andy Biggs and Eddie Farnsworth, scoring 90 percent or higher.
To view the complete Scorecard, visit http://www.americansforprosperity.org/includes/filemanager/files/az/2008azlegislativescorecard.pdf.

With their combined high scores, Mohave County legislators Groe, Gould, and McLain made Legislative District 3 the highest-scoring district in the state. In second place was LD 22 (Gilbert), and in third place was LD 9 (Glendale/Peoria/Sun City). The average Republican legislator scored 70 percent (Friend of the Taxpayer), while the average Democratic legislator scored 9 percent (Hero of Big Government). Last year’s Party averages were 65 percent and 32 percent, respectively.

Widening the divide in scores were the failure of the Governor and legislative majorities to prevent a possible $300 million increase in property taxes next year, advance school choice legislation, allow for private enterprise to provide for Arizona’s transportation infrastructure, or enact budget reforms that would help to rein in runaway spending.

For AFP-AZ, the brightest spot in the 2008 Legislative Session was the passage of transparency legislation that will allow Arizona taxpayers to go online and view all state expenditures made to all vendors. AFP-AZ hopes the 2009 Session will extend transparency to the county and city levels.

For the second year in a row, Rep. Steve Farley (R-Tucson) was at the bottom of the scorecard, this time with a score of 3 percent. Farley, who received last year’s Empty Wallet Award, secured his spot at the bottom by casting the lone vote against the transparency legislation.

Contact: Tom Jenney, (602) 478-0146, or Phil Kerpen (202) 349-5796

Catching Up ~ Abeit Briefly

UPDATE: Arizona Federation of Taxpayers also came out against the Mason Solar Tax Credit bill. Mason has decided to hold the bill at this point.

Forgive my lack of posts over the last two days. We are more than knee-deep in garbage here at the Capitol and instead of pressing forward to negotiate a responsible budget we are passing out bills that without question will result in increased taxes.

Two of these bills I am referring to are provisions that were in the now defunct job stimulus package: Lucy Mason's Solar Tax Credit and Pima County's Cactus League~Spring Training Bill. Unfortunately for the taxpayer, both of these bills passed out of committee despite objections from such groups as the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, the D.C. based Taxpayer Foundation, and the Arizona Restaurant Association. The Mason Solar-Energy Tax Credit received a thorough beating during our recent republican caucus so perhaps there is a ray of hope (get it?) that it will go down in flames.

As you have probably read by now, the Senate passed out their horrific budget proposal last night ( or rather, at 5:33 this morning) that includes $2 BILLION DOLLARS IN NEW BORROWING besides the fact that we are currently facing a $2.3 BILLION DOLLAR SHORTFALL! Ugh! Props to my good friend and seatmate, Senator Ron Gould for seriously doing all he could to protect the citizens of Arizona and prevent the Senate from successfully passing the budget. Senator Gould got almost no assistance from his fellow republicans...it is a shame that he has to take heat from his colleagues for taking seriously his oath of office.

Oh, surprise, surprise...house leadership just put the APPALLING Senate Budget Feed Bill (HB 2209) on the "Board of Truth" and the bill passed with the assistance of the following republicans:

Lucy Mason
Jennifer Burns
Michelle Reagan
Pete Hershberger

Without these REPUBLICANS ( though now perhaps, RINOS), the outrageous Senate Budget Feed Bill would not have passed and we would have then had the opportunity to negotiate a more fiscally responsible budget on behalf of the taxpayers.

FYI, I will list the travesties of the Senate Budget in a later post...must pay attention to the bills as they are voted. Can you believe that I am receiving emails from district 3 AEA members pleading me to vote in favor of this Senate budget? Increased gambling, increased photo radar, increased borrowing...and AEA members believe this is prudent?

Good Friends, Good Times

Senator Gould's oldest son got married a couple weeks ago and these are just some of the beautiful pictures of the wedding held at Calvary Baptist Church here in Lake Havasu. The reception was held at Shugrue's Bridgeview Room which is the same place Frank and I got married. The first photo was taken right outside Shugrue's on their lush lawn, almost under the famous London Bridge. Congratulations to Senator Gould and the entire Gould family!

A Discussion with Senator Gould, Foe of Guest-Worker Bill

Senator Gould, never one to mince words, is featured in today's addition of the Repugnant. He points out some of the numerous flaws with the proposal (HCM 2012) and discusses his amendments.

The following Republicans have signed on as sponsors of this measure:

BURNS J

HERSHBERGER

MASON

FLAKE

O'HALLERAN

CRANDALL

MCLAIN

REAGAN

KONOPNICKI

Catching Up ~ The Calm Before The Storm

Today (Monday) was a short work day. I drove the 3 1/2 hours from Lake Havasu City to Phoenix in order to make it to the floor today at 1:00 pm. We voted on several bills, none of them very controversial, (one bill dealing addressing gun rights and self-defense was held) and then adjourned until tomorrow at 10:00 am. There were nine legislators absent today and I expect that to be typical for the rest of the session.

The activity at the Capitol has slowed to a snail's pace and there just isn't a lot for the rank and file members to work on while leadership formulates a plan of action to address the $2 Billion dollar shortfall so some members choose to stay in their district (if they are out-of-county) and address constituent concerns. Other members put in a little extra time at their paying jobs while all is quite at the Capitol.

Tomorrow, after floor at 10:00 we have a caucus of the House Republicans. I should have a bit more information to share about the timeframe and direction of the budget. I also have been invited to attend a budget meeting with House Majority Leader, Representative Tom Boone and House Whip, John McComish. From all that I have been reading via the Internet (blogs and newspaper) the subject of borrowing will be the topic of discussion. That, in addition a new tax increase being proposed by my colleague Andy Tobin. I do not have the details of his proposal...another colleague of mine just mentioned it to me briefly. As usual, as soon as I am clear on the details, I will post them here,

Wednesday, the Lake Havasu Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Governor's Luncheon at Shugrue's. Representative McLain and I were entertaining with the idea of attending (Gould flat out said no) since the Speaker of the House, Representative (Jim) Weiers mentioned that he would like for us to be there. As much as I like to support our local chamber, I am having second thoughts about attending. I really do not have the patience or fortitude to stomach the Governor's spin/perspective/lies on the state of Arizona, it's economy, and future without having an opportunity at the luncheon to rebut her statements. Having to sit silent while she spins reality into what I have come to know as her parallel universe is about as fun to me as a trip to the dentist. That, coupled with the hope that we could have some movement on the budget this week gives me a valid excuse to skip the lunch. (Yay! Thanks for sticking with me while I worked that decision out as I typed.) I echo the feeling of Senator Gould when I told him about the $30.00 per person cost of the luncheon. He said, "Yikes! You'd have to pay me at least double to listen to her!" Amen Senator Gould!

In closing, please send an email to Senate President Tim Bee respectfully encouraging him to bring to a vote of the Senate the measure that would constitutionally define marriage as a union solely between one man and one woman. Senator Bee's email address is tbee@azleg.gov.

REMINDER: I still need signatures on petitions for my re-election. If you would like to have a petition mailed to you, please call 928-855-5413 and speak to my biggest supporter and #1 fan, my husband, Frank Groe. He will be more than happy to mail you a petition with a stamped return envelope, or, if you live in LHC, he will drop one off at your house. As always, thank you for allowing me to be your conservative voice here at the Capitol!

Budget Talks Break Down

To my surprise and dismay, the budget talks Senator Gould and I have been participating in daily have abruptly ended. I must admit shock and disappointment at House and Senate Leadership's announcement this afternoon that they have other "things" that they need to address therefore we won't be continuing our work together on a solution to the budget crisis we face. After fielding multiple questions on the reasons for their decision to halt these meetings and inquiries on the next/new approach, my colleagues and I sat disheartened and dumbfounded at the staggering turn of events.

Though at the moment I remain under a covenant of silence regarding the specific details of the meetings and cannot provide you with details of the discussions, I look forward to, in the near future, being release from said agreement and plan to share my notes with you, faithful reader. I can tell you that there is good news to be shared and that more progress was made in addressing the $2 Billion dollar shortfall...more progress than was thought possible, more consensus between legislators than expected, perhaps more than ever before. I am attempting to keep this in mind as I frame a healthy perspective.

And..in keeping with that perspective, I am thankful for the extra day off. Although I do not agree that we (the House of Representatives) should be taking a day off at this point and time, I am going to make the most of it by driving home to the district and gathering the 400+ signatures that I still need to get my name on the ballot. Please, if you are at all inclined to assist me in this necessary endeavor,of signature gathering, give me a call or send me an email. I do need your help as I have less than a month to accomplish this task!

Measure would let officers enforce immigration laws

Here is an AZCentral article about the press conference that Senator Gould and I participated in along with Sheriff Joe, Representative Russell Pearce, Don Goldwater, Chris Simcox, and many others in order to urge Speaker Jim Weiers into scheduling this Illegal Immigration Legislation for Third Read in the House of Representatives.

Catching Up

Dear Republican Friends,

Session is winding down & for the most part the majority of bills have been voted on & sent to the Governor. The House & Senate bodies continue to meet each day to Third & Final read a handful of bills that could probably be voted on in one or two days but the bills are being spaced out over the remainder of the session in order to have business to address when we convene each day. The House and Senate are not meeting tomorrow so the majority of members have the day off...most of them will get an extra day to work at their "regular" job or spend time gathering signatures for re-election. I will not have this luxury, though I cannot complain as I am doing what I love...assisting in the creation of a potentially conservative budget. Is that laughter I hear? No, don't laugh...it helps to have hope (and a strong dose of faith) with this job.

As I have mentioned before, Senator Gould & I are participating in lengthy daily budget meetings to create an acceptable, responsible solution to address the $2 Billion Dollar shortfall. The other participants (all Republicans) include House & Senate Leadership, the appropriations chairmen, & a variety of rank & file members who represent various ideological views. We have made some progress in the meetings, making slight cuts in a variety of government programs, attempting to stem the bleeding but unfortunately the bloodletting is still to come. Trimming $1 Million here or $13 Million there hardly makes a dent in this fiscal crisis. At this point though, personalities have taken a backseat to policy & for that I am thankful.

In other news, the Governor & her Regulatory Review Council have overstepped their authority by requiring automobiles in Arizona to meet new standards for greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2011. Besides the fact the Governor & her council have side-stepped the legislature (& therefore, the people) once again, she has followed California in this endeavor & The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has so far refused to give California the power to enact its own greenhouse gas emission standards. Many of the Phoenix area papers have written articles detailing this decision so check out my "reading room" feature for more information.

Republican meetings could lead to AZ budget

Senator Gould and I are participating in these meetings after persistently voicing our dissatisfaction of being left out of the process. To my way of thinking, I have to have a seat at the table so that you, my constituents, have a seat at the table. If I am shut out of the process, you have no voice. KTAR has some of the details...

Regarding My "NO" Vote on the FY08 Budget Bill

From an April 18 article in the Capitol Times:

“If I voted yes on this budget,” said Lake Havasu City Republican Rep. Trish Groe, “I’d basically be endorsing the unrestrained growth of government in the past, especially since I’ve been down here.”

Similarly, Sen. Ron Gould, also a Republican from Lake Havasu City, said the budget fix employed too many accounting gimmicks, including delaying some school funding from one fiscal year to the next. “What you are doing here today is fiscally irresponsible,” he said. “I did not come down here for smoke-and-mirror solutions. I came down here to balance the budget.”

Kingman Daily Miner - Public defender cuts red tape, govt. spending

Senator Gould and I sponsored this bill that the Governor recently signed into law. Though it is a fairly innocuous bill, the practice should make a small difference and save some money. That is what we are all about!

Letter from Americans for Prosperity Director Tom Jenny

April 16, 2008

Dear Legislative District 3 Taxpayer:

The bad news is that Gov. Janet Napolitano’s veto today of House Bill 2220 will likely result in the return of a $250 million property tax, for an average property tax increase of $100 per year for the Arizona homeowner. Combined with likely increases by city, county, and local special taxing districts, the Governor’s tax increase may contribute to significant increases in the overall property tax bills of home and business owners.

The silver lining in the cloud created by Napolitano is that there is still a small chance of repealing the $250 million state-imposed education equalization property tax, as a part of budget negotiations later in the legislative session.

And the really good news is that all of your LD 3 Legislators—Sen. Ron Gould, Rep. Trish Groe, and Rep. Nancy McLain—are part of the slim majority in the Arizona Senate that wants to help Arizona property taxpayers by repealing the tax.

In the House in March, 32 Arizona Representatives (31 Republicans and 1 Democrat) voted for the HB 2220 property tax relief bill. We have listed the names and districts of the House Good Guys here:
http://www.americansforprosperity.org/includes/filemanager/files/az/goodguyshb2220.pdf

At the same time, 28 Representatives (26 Democrats and 2 Republicans) voted against HB 2220. We have listed the names and districts of the House Bad Guys here: http://www.americansforprosperity.org/includes/filemanager/files/az/badguyshb2220.pdf

Last week, 16 Arizona Representatives (15 Republicans and 1 Democrat) voted for HB 2220. 14 Arizona Representatives (12 Democrats and 2 Republicans) failed to vote to protect property taxpayers. Here is the list of Good Guys and Bad Guys for the Senate:
http://includes/filemanager/files/az/hb2220senategoodbad.pdf

Stay tuned—we will keep you posted on property tax reforms and other taxpayer-related action as the legislative session goes on.

Tom Jenney
Arizona Director
Americans for Prosperity
http://www.aztaxpayers.org/
tjenney@afphq.org