On May 25, the Arizona Legislature introduced a series of budget and tax bills that reflects a deal between the Governor’s Office and House and Senate Republican leadership. This deal includes robust investments in state government as well as a flat tax reform to be phased in over the next four years.

Late Thursday night, Senate negotiations on the US Innovation and Competitiveness Act, also known as the Endless Frontier Act, stalled over partisan disagreements on how to manage the nearly 500 amendments that were filed to the bill.

On Friday, the White House released its Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Proposal with robust investments in education, research, and public health. The proposal combines President Biden’s American Jobs Plan, a massive infrastructure revitalization effort, and the American Families Plan, which has significant support for Minority Serving Institutions and would provide the largest one time increase to the Pell Grant. 

This month Senior Vice President Levi Esquerra organized and delivered PPE to the White Mountain Apache Tribe and the Yavapai Apache Nation in Camp Verde.  

The Arizona legislature referred to the voters a measure that would make undocumented students who graduate from Arizona high schools eligible for in-state tuition.

Last week Senator Mark Kelly introduced the Arizona Experiment Station Land Conveyance Act, co-sponsored by Senator Kyrsten Sinema, that would transfer Forest Service land to the University of Arizona in an effort to ensure that the V-V Ranch, a livestock research ranch operated by the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, can continue its important educational mission.