I love our state and nation, I’m concerned about our future, and I want to make a difference.

That is why I am proud to have co-sponsored and voted yes on Senate Bill 1070, the legislation recently signed by our Governor that provides law enforcement with another tool to fight illegal immigration.  This bill is a positive step toward protecting the rights and resources of U.S. Citizens.

As you have seen on the local and national news, not everyone agrees with my stance.  While legislators, like myself, are voting on laws inside, protesters are beating on drums and yelling on loud speakers, police are trying to keep the peace, sharp shooters are on the roof, and the media is all too happy to show the world.  

No one ever said my job would be easy.  Doing the right thing rarely is.

Although critics argue that this legislation is unconstitutional, I disagree.  In fact, the bill was written with the help of Kris Kobach, former counsel to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and Harvard, Oxford, and Yale graduate.

According to Kobach, “The bill basically makes it a penalty under state law to do what is already a crime under federal law.”  Further, the bill contains language that specifically says state and local law-enforcement officers “may not solely consider race, color or national origin” in implementing the law “except to the extent permitted by the United States or Arizona Constitution.”

Rest assured that I am working hard for the residents in our district and state.  One of my favorite parts of the job is meeting and helping constituents.  Please feel free to contact me at 602-926-5413 or DLesko@azleg.gov about this issue or any others.  I’d love to hear from you.

Together, we can make a difference.

I’ve introduced House Bill 2701 to save utility customers money.

Did you know that in 2010 alone utility customers will pay over $120 million in tariffs added to their utility bills caused by unreasonable mandates imposed by the Corporation Commission?

WHAT MY BILL DOES:

1.  Gives the legislature exclusive authority over setting renewable energy policy.  The legislature can set a statewide energy policy that is good for AZ and for utility customers.  This will streamline our state’s energy policy by keeping it within one body, as opposed to two entities with separate agendas and will make sure that the citizens have more say in setting energy policy since they can contact their elected representatives.

2.  Adds nuclear and hydro-electric to the mix of clean energy sources that can be used to reach a 15% clean energy goal.

WHY I’M INTRODUCING THE BILL:

1.  The renewable energy mandates imposed on the utility companies by the Corporation Commission are costing utility customers MILLIONS of extra dollars every year.  To give you an example:
·    APS and Tucson Electric are forced to charge their customers over $120 Million this year to pay for the mandates.
·    Sun City Recreation Centers paid over $52,000 in these extra tariffs in 2009 alone.
·     In these economic times, it is not right to ask hard-working Arizonans, Senior Citizens, and businesses to shoulder these extra costs

2.    The AZ Constitution gives the Corp. Commission authority over rate-making only.  The legislature has authority over setting policy, not the Corporation Commission.

3.  The Corporation Commission mandates LIMIT clean energy sources that can be used to satisfy their mandates to wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass.  Although these are good options that will continue to be pursued, AZ needs a diverse mix of energy sources that can produce base load (not intermittent) energy and not force more expensive and less-reliable energy onto consumers.  After all, solar energy costs between .13-.16 per Kwh, whereas nuclear costs .02 cents.

HISTORY:
1.  In 2006, the Corp. Commission mandated that all electric utilities (except SRP since they are a govt entity) get 15% of their energy from wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass by 2025 (each year up to 2025 they have to reach a certain %)
2.  In addition, the Corp. Commission mandated that of that 15%, 30% has to come from distributed energy (example:  solar panels on the roof) by 2012.
3.  In addition, the Corp. Commission mandated that of that 30% of distributed energy, half has to come from commercial and half from residential.
4.  Penalties can be imposed by the Corporation Commission.
5.  The Corporation Commission mandated that the utilities charge all the utility customers a tariff on their bills to pay for incentives and compliance costs to meet the mandates.  THIS TARIFF AMOUNTS TO MILLIONS IN COSTS TO UTILITY CUSTOMERS EACH YEAR.  (For example:  APS  will charge their customers $81 million over and above their energy usage this year.  Tucson Electric will charge $40 Million)
5.  To date, the utilities have not been able to reach the distributed energy portion of the mandates because it relies on individual homeowners being able to afford expensive solar panels.
6.  In order to meet the mandates, the utilities have to give huge incentives to customers to install solar panels on their roof.  One of the lobbyists has $54,000 solar panels on his roof.  After federal, state, and utility rebates and credits, he paid $14,000 out of pocket.  That means the taxpayers and other ratepayers subsidized his solar panels 74%.

ANSWER TO CONCERNS:

1.    Some of the solar companies will say they are opposed to my bill even though I have reached out to them and offered compromises to address their concerns.  Let’s face it…they have a good deal going on:  The Corporation Commission mandates force the utility companies to buy electricity from them no matter what the cost or the reliability of the electricity….of course they like the current deal.  Unfortunately, the tariffs that pay for the subsidies going to them are being forced upon hard-working Arizonans and businesses, many of which can not even afford to buy solar panels themselves, but have to pay for someone else’s.

2.    I believe the solar company concerns are over-dramatic.  I have spoken to all the utility companies including APS and SRP.  They have all said they will continue to pursue solar and other alternative energy sources no matter if my bill passes or not.  The momentum for solar is already moving ahead and the support for it is evident by the various solar tax incentives the legislature has already passed.  The legislature is not going to put the solar companies out of business. In fact, I believe the legislature is a much friendlier environment for enacting a state wide energy policy.

3.    The Corporation Commission is threatened by my bill because it takes away some of their authority.  I have spoken to several of the Corporation Commissioners and share many of their visions for energy in our state.  However, I believe it is clear that the legislature, not the Corporation Commission, has authority over setting policy in this state and that the Corporation Commission over-stepped their constitutional authority.

My bill is a first step in the process of setting up a statewide comprehensive energy policy in our state that is not only diverse, but also affordable to our citizens.

For the benefit of the entire state, I sincerely hope that my Democratic counterparts in the State Legislature will step up to the plate and start to help solve the state’s budget crisis.
Up until now they have been voting against every proposal to balance the state budget and I can’t help but believe they are doing so for political gain.  After all, when election time rolls around they can conveniently sit back, blame the Republicans, and state that they didn’t vote for any spending cuts.

It’s frustrating to me and it should be frustrating to you to know that we could have balanced the budget back on June 30th if at least one Democratic legislator would have voted yes.  Instead, not one single Democratic legislator voted for the budget package that included both modest spending reductions and a chance for an increase in revenues, something the Democrats claim they want.

Democratic legislators say they want to work with Republicans, but I just don’t see any proof of it yet.   They say they would vote for a budget fix that includes both revenue enhancements (tax increases) and spending cuts.  Yet when they had the chance to do so on June 30th, not one of them did.

Since none of the Democrats will help, Republicans have been forced to get the required number of votes from within their own ranks.  Many of us have had to make very difficult decisions and compromises.  Quite frankly, there are things in the budget bill that I simply don’t like.  But I realize that the future of our State is more important than my personal beliefs.

The Democrats latest proposal is to raise taxes permanently by over $2 Billion per year.  They want to raise property taxes another $730 Million/year and expand sales tax to services, so you’d even have to pay sales tax when you visited your doctor or hairdresser.  They know the Republicans are opposed to this, they know they don’t have the votes to pass it, and I would hope they know the public can’t afford it, but it gives them the opportunity to claim they have an alternative plan.

I, like many of my fellow Republican legislators, have been making hard decisions because we know the future of our State is at stake.  I sincerely hope that my Democratic friends will soon join in the cause.

It was indeed an honor to participate in several Veteran’s Day events.

I was honored to speak at the Glendale Veteran’s Day Event at Westgate City Center on Saturday, November 7th. Pictured to the right in an Uncle Sam outfit is WWII veteran Ray Mills. Ray and his wife, Betty, now continue their service to our country by volunteering with Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge. They partner with teachers and teach students about the principles on which our country was founded. Ray was recently inducted into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame. Pictured to the left is Al Morton. Al served two tours in the Vietnam War and received a Purple Heart. Al continues to serve our country by helping other veterans and serving as Vice Commander of the Sandy Coor VFW Post 1433 in Glendale.

Sun City’s Veteran’s Day celebration at Sunland Memorial Cemetery on November 11th was indeed a great tribute to our Veterans. Many veterans from all branches of the military, plus women who served as “Rosie the Riveters” in WWII, joined in the event. I was very impressed.

Later in the day, I was again honored to speak at a Veteran’s Day/Tea Party event at the State Capitol. I shared a personal story of my father’s service in WWII and asked participants to continue to fight for the freedoms that our Veterans fought so hard to defend.

One of the main reasons I ran for legislature is because I am concerned about the future of our nation and I want to make a difference. Please join me in making a difference. Together we can protect the principles that have made this nation great.

My job as your state legislator is challenging, but very rewarding. Since I shared with you the budget challenges in previous columns, today I’d like to share with you some of the things I really like about my job.

The best part of my job is meeting and helping people. There are so many good people out there doing so many positive things for our nation, state, and community that I can’t help but feel encouraged about our future.

Recently, at a local American Legion Post I met with veterans and several active duty military on leave. They were on their way to the middle of the Mojave Desert to help fight for the preservation of a WWI memorial that is being threatened by a lawsuit from the ACLU. These men and women have sacrificed themselves for our country and now continue to fight for our country and its values everyday. I was honored to meet them and share in their commitment to our great nation.

Last month I visited Faith House, one of the Northwest Valley’s domestic abuse shelters, and was so impressed with the staff and volunteers and their mission to help women and children that I joined their advisory council and am honored to serve in any way I can.

In addition to meeting and helping people, I really enjoy learning new things that enable me to make better decisions in my job. I’ve attended countless workshops and seminars and toured everything from the brain research center in Sun City to the Child Support check processing center downtown.

The most unnerving and memorable experience I’ve had has to be my recent tour of the prisons in Florence. There I visited minimum, medium, maximum, and super-maximum prison units and was able to walk in the living quarters of the inmates. I walked through a death row cellblock and saw the gas chamber and lethal injection room. This was very sobering and something I will never forget.

Next month, I hope to share with you some progress on the state budget. On the positive side, we’ve whittled down the budget shortfall from $3.5 Billion to $1.5 Billion, but we still have many challenges ahead. I recently met with the Governor and her budget staff and have offered to help in any way I can. We are in for some very challenging times, but I know that working together we will make it through.

Today, I had the honor to meet young men on leave from the Iraq war and Veterans from across the valley at the American Legion Post 107 in Phoenix. These men took time away from their military leave to ride by motorcycle and car with Veterans from across the country to protect a 1934 war memorial in the middle of the Mojave Desert that is being threatened with extinction by the ACLU. For more information, please visit  www.DontTearMeDown.com

I was so honored to be with men and women who continue to make sacrifices for our great nation. They truly are making a difference!

The Governor’s recent reversal of necessary spending cuts defies logic and I simply don’t understand it. I’ve known Governor Brewer for a long time and I’ve always liked her. That is why it is so difficult for me to understand this recent action that simply makes no economic sense. Meanwhile, Democrat legislators are putting politics over helping the state.

Our state is over $3 billion short and is spending more than it has coming in every single day. Simply put, we are paying for things we can’t afford. So the fiscally responsible Republican legislators made the difficult, but necessary, decision to make modest spending cuts and passed a balanced budget, without a tax increase, three times. Unfortunately, the Governor has vetoed it or threatened to veto it all three times. If she didn’t, the budget could have been balanced on June 4th.

The Governor’s most recent vetoes have increased spending by $714 million/year and increased property taxes by $250 million/year. This action adds to the already huge gap between spending and revenues instead of decreasing it and increases the tax burden on the public at a time when individuals and businesses are struggling to stay afloat. This is obviously the wrong direction we should be moving in.

What’s next? I don’t know. The Democrat legislators don’t want to help. They would rather see the Republicans crash and burn instead of helping the state balance its budget. Why would they take on the responsibility of having to make cuts when they can just let the Republicans take all the blame? Not one of them voted for the three balanced budget packages. The Republicans can try once again to re-negotiate with the Governor, but she has the final and ultimate vote.

State Democrat Legislators attempted to expand sales tax to services in the House Appropriations Committee on August 17, 2009, but hardly anyone in the public seems to know about it since most of the media didn’t even mention it.  The democrat proposed amendment even includes taxing educational services including public university tuition.  In fact, the only services excluded from the sales tax expansion are mortuary/funeral services and computer, business management, trade and technical schools.  After much debate, all the democrat legislators in the House Appropriations Committee voted for the expansion of sales tax to services and none of the republican legislators voted for it, thus defeating the amendment.

I’m amazed that the Arizona Republic, whose reporter was present at the Appropriations meeting, published a large article about the appropriations hearing, but never mentioned once that the democrat legislators wanted to expand sales tax to services.

I recently watched a re-run of the Saturday Night Live spoof where Steve Martin and his character wife are reading a pamphlet entitled “Don’t buy stuff you can’t afford.” The couple are so used to being in debt that this simple concept completely eludes them. The comedy is hilarious because unfortunately it’s true. Just like individuals, the government has gone on a spending spree. National debt has reached $11.5 trillion and is expanding by $1 trillion every year. Even if paid off today, each citizen (including kids) would have to chip in $38,000. Similarly our state is over $3 billion short and we just learned that our state has spent $100 million more than last year at this same time. This insanity has got to stop. I believe there are some people in government addicted to OPM (Other People’s Money). They don’t understand that the dollars the government is spending is your money, not theirs. I’m one of your state legislators who believe we need to live within our means and stop spending more than we have coming in. The concept is simple, but just like the spoof on Saturday Night Live not all people seem to get it.

U.S. Senator John McCain’s Town Hall is Tuesday August 25th  at 11am

Located at Grace Bible Church on 99th Ave. north of Union Hills in Sun City.

U.S. Congressman Trent Frank’s Town Hall is Tuesday August 25th starting at 5pm.

Located at Community Church of Joy at the NW corner of 75th Ave. and Loop 101.

Hope to see you there!