Six Chambers Representing the Arizona Communities of Avondale,
Buckeye, El Mirage, Glendale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Peoria, Surprise,
Sun City, Sun City West, Tolleson, Wickenburg and Youngtown

2008
Legislative Agenda
&
Public Policy
Principles

Economic Development

The Alliance supports enhancing Arizona’s global competitiveness
by ensuring employers have ready access to a:
- highly skilled and productive workforce;
- modern and dependable physical infrastructure;
- capital for all stages of business development;
 - consistent and predictable state budgetary, tax, and
regulatory processes; and
-  world-class research and development

The Alliance supports local, regional and state efforts to promote
the expansion of existing businesses and relocation of new
businesses to the state through economic development tools that
keep Arizona globally competitive.

The Alliance supports continuation and broadening of job training
and workforce development efforts including greater access
to job training funds for small business and vocational training
and skilled worker programs customized to the needs of
Arizona’s employers.

Education
The Alliance supports rigorous statewide performance and
accountability standards for instructors and students to ensure
that a high school diploma carries an appropriate baseline of
knowledge including requiring all Arizona high school students
to complete at least three years of science and four years of
mathematics coursework to graduate.
The Alliance supports efforts to reform Arizona’s public school
financing system in a way that better allocates resources,
improves educational achievement and keeps pace with population
growth.
The Alliance supports Arizona’s continued leadership in offering
educational choices to parents and children by making options
available through traditional district and charter public schools,
private schools, distance learning and home schooling.

Environmental Stewardship
The Alliance supports environmental policies that are responsive
to Arizona’s unique needs based on sound science and clear
statutory authority, while respecting the rights of the regulated
community and not placing an undue burden on the successful
operation of business.

The Alliance supports good stewardship of our air, water, State
Trust Lands, forests, minerals, wildlife and other natural
resources, including vigilant defense of Arizona’s rights in the
Colorado River.

The Alliance supports State Trust Land reform efforts that are
fiscally responsible, provide adequate funding for planning
and management of trust lands and provide regulatory
accountability.

Government Reform & Operations
The Alliance supports constitutional and statutory reforms that
increase transparency and prevent abuses of Arizona’s initiative
and referendum processes.

The Alliance supports a state budgeting process that is transparent,
fiscally responsible, allows legislative flexibility and maintains
dedicated funds for their intended purposes, especially in
the cases of job training programs funded by an unemployment
insurance surcharge, the Water Quality Assurance Revolving
Fund Program (WQARF) and the Highway User Revenue Fund
(HURF).

The Alliance supports adequately funding the Arizona Office of
Tourism and the Arizona Department of Commerce to foster
tourism and economic development within Arizona.
The Alliance opposes changes in the formula that would reduce
the percentage of state shared revenues payable to cities and
towns.  

Health Care
The Alliance supports innovative and non-coercive measures to
assist small businesses in providing health care coverage for
their employees. The Alliance supports efforts to reduce the
number of uninsured Arizonans, increase access to health care
and resist further health insurance benefit mandates that result
in increased employer liability and costs.

Military Facilities & Infrastructure
The Alliance supports land use and zoning around military
installations in Arizona that advances the mission of those facilities,
especially the mission of Luke Air Force Base to train the
world's best pilots, maintainers and support personnel.
The Alliance supports appropriate action to ensure an adequate
supply of, necessary infrastructure for and transmission of gasoline,
electricity, natural gas, water and other critical resources
for the state at all times, without placing any disproportionate
burden on business.

Regulation & Business Practices
The Alliance supports the further development of a competitive
labor environment that is adaptable to the needs of employers,
respectful of the rights of employees and allows employers to
establish their own workplace policies.

The Alliance supports maintaining Arizona’s right to work status,
which helps retain existing jobs and attract new jobs to our
state.

The Alliance supports the sound management and appropriate
reforms to our workers’ compensation and unemployment
compensation systems so premiums do not put Arizona businesses
at a competitive disadvantage.

The Alliance supports immediate congressional action to secure
our international borders, establish a workable guest worker
program and create a tamper-proof employment verification
system so states and localities do not feel compelled to pursue
piecemeal approaches to addressing our nation’s illegal immigration
crisis.

The Alliance supports enhanced legislative review and oversight
to ensure that state regulatory agency rules and policies are consistent
with statute and legislative intent.
The Alliance supports efforts to curb civil lawsuit abuse though
litigation reform that reduces the costs of litigation and promotes
certainty, fairness, prompt resolution of disputes.

Taxation
The Alliance supports an equitable, globally competitive and
broad-based taxation system with low rates on:
-  Income – support reductions in the corporate income
tax rate and the individual income tax rate paid by
small businesses;
-  Property – support continued reductions in the
business property tax assessment ratio, the permanent
elimination of the state equalization rate, lowering the
tax burden on business personal property and efforts to
reform the property tax system to remove disparities
between classes of taxpayer; and
-  Sales -- support the reduction of disparities in the
transaction privilege tax system, thereby reducing
unnecessary compliance issues and regulatory
burdens.

Transportation
The Alliance supports the further development, funding and
implementation of a multi-modal transportation system
designed to connect employees and goods to job centers and
stimulate economic growth throughout the Valley and state.
The Alliance encourages the development of a strategic and
comprehensive statewide transportation plan that would accelerate
and expand current plans.

The Alliance supports measures by the Legislature to encourage
our congressional delegation to fight for Arizona’s fair share of
federal transportation dollars during the debate on the reauthorization
of the federal surface transportation program.

Buckeye Valley Chamber of Commerce - Glendale Chamber of Commerce - Peoria Chamber of Commerce - Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce
Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce - Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce