Arizona Voters Vote Today on Whether to Go from 9th Highest Combined Sales Tax to 3rd Highest
Tax Foundation: “Arizona’s combined 7.92% sales tax is the 9th highest now, and if the rate goes up a point, it will become the 3rd highest.”
Defending Arizona’s Anti-Ethnic Studies Law
[Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom] Horne is quoted as saying that he opposes courses that ‘promote the overthrow of the U.S. government,’ teach that ‘Republicans hate Latinos,’ and generally incite ethnic division through books with titles like Occupied America: A History of Chicanos.”
Arizona Govenor Signs Anti-ethnic Studies Law
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed House Bill 2281, the so called anti-ethnic studies school law. The new law will become effective on December 31, 2010. The new law begins with this statement:
“The legislature finds and declares that public school pupils should be taught to treat and value each other as individuals and not be taught to resent or hate other races or classes of people.”
The new law was advocated by Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne.
New Arizona Revised Statutes Section 15-112.A reads:
A school district or charter school in this state shall not include in its program of instruction any courses or classes that include any of the following:
1. Promote the overthrow of the United States government.
2. Promote resentment toward a race or class of people.
3. Are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group.
4. Advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.
See “Does TUSD’s ethnic studies program violate Arizona’s new law?” See also a story in the New York Times called “Citing Individualism, Arizona Tries to Rein in Ethnic Studies in School.” Superintendent Horne said,
“They are teaching a radical ideology in Raza, including that Arizona and other states were stolen from Mexico and should be given back,”
Status of Bills Passed by the 2010 Arizona Legislature
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s summary of the 283 bills passed by the Arizona 2010 legislature and signed into law by the Governor.
Arizona to Regulate Reverse Mortgages
Arizona Business Gazette: “Gov. Jan Brewer has signed legislation to create Arizona’s first-ever oversight of reverse mortgages.” See the text of House Bill 2242, which will become law on July 29, 2010.