Gov. Ducey State Of The State: Prison Closure, Tax-Free Veterans

PHOENIX — At his State of the State address Monday, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey made a slew of announcements, affecting everything from veterans’ pension taxes to shutting down a state prison, equipping every state trooper with body-worn cameras, “project rocket” funding for underperforming schools, changing the name of Arizona’s Corrections Department and cutting three regulations when a new one is invoked. Several key points and topics included:

• Veterans’ state income taxes are gone: Effective for tax year 2020, no state income taxes will be taken from veterans’ military pensions. This is estimated to save each of the state’s 50,000 veterans about $900 per year.
• Florence prison is closing: Arguably the best-known prison in Arizona, the Florence prison will be shut down, saving taxpayers an estimated $247 million during the next three years. Current Florence prison staff will be transferred to jobs at Eyman Prison about 3 miles away, while the Florence prisoners will be moved to either county corrections facilities or to third-party operators.
• All state troopers are getting body-worn cameras: The governor announced funding provision for 1,267 body-worn cameras from the Executive Budget. Sworn law enforcement and other staff working on DPS task forces will be suited with the cameras, to provide more transparency to the public and increase trooper safety and agency efficiency.
• “Project Rocket” expanded to further help raise AzMERIT scores: The program to provide additional funding and strategies to aid underperforming schools in raising test outcomes will be expanded. It has been used at the Avondale Elementary, Deer Valley Unified and Wickenburg Unified school districts within the past three years and has improved Avondale ESD’s AzMERIT scores by 18 percent in Math and 13 percent in English Language Arts. Meanwhile, the average improvement in the state elsewhere is 6 percent in Math and 7 percent in English.
• More state funding given to Arizona’s public universities: Additional state funding to NAU, U of A and ASU aims to help raise post-secondary education opportunities and generate more graduates “in critical high-demand industries such as engineering and healthcare,” according to a governor’s office release.
• Second-chance opportunities expanded: Second Chance Centers help those who have completed their prison terms to transition back more smoothly into society as they come close to their release dates. Such preparation includes resources and training related to job skills, interview preparation and resume writing, health-care enrollment, on-site job fairs and transportation services. “This year we are doubling down on this successful model, investing in more educational programming so more individuals can get their opportunity at a better choice and a better life,” Ducey said at the address. Additional state funding from the governor’s Executive Budget will provide more staff to help with the existing inmate waiting list for special education classes or mandatory literacy training. The funding also increases textbook availability and braille transcription resources for visually impaired inmates.
• The Department of Corrections is getting a name change: It will be called the "Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry." Ducey explained at the address, “The new Director, David Shinn, a Marine turned public servant. He’s dedicated his life to this noble cause, and he’s building on these efforts to transform our corrections system. And change how we think — and speak.”
• For every new regulation, three existing regulations have to be cut: “We’ve been on a blitz to wipe out needless regulations. 2,289. Gone [since 2015]. That’s the equivalent of a $134 million tax cut without impacting the general fund one penny. But we’re not done yet,” Ducey said. The governor’s new 1-for-3 policy means fewer regulations. Agencies can request an exception in cases of protecting public health, for economic development or job creation or cutting government waste or burdens, the governor’s office reported.
• Funding for rural area broadband: “We need to connect all parts of our growing state. Rural areas still lack high-speed internet. Let’s triple our investment in rural broadband grants, and also invest $50 million in smart highway corridors to install broadband along our rural interstates,” the governor announced at the address. “This will make our highways safer and smarter than ever before and pave the way to get all of rural Arizona logged on.” Areas to be invested in are: I-17 between Flagstaff and Sunset Point, I-40 between the Arizona-California and Arizona-New Mexico borders, and I-19 between Nogales and Tucson.
• A six-lane Gila River bridge will be built between Tucson and Phoenix on the I-10: The fourth-of-a-mile bridge will be funded at $78 million. “The Phoenix-Tucson corridor is an economic artery for our state, and it needs expanding. It’s time to accelerate completion of I-10’s widening, in both directions, between our two largest cities,” Ducey said. Construction is expected to start in fiscal year 2021.
• Funding for debt-free Arizona Teachers Academy program expanded: An additional $15 million is going to expand the Teachers Academy, which results in debt-free teaching degrees for students committed to taking Arizona public school teaching positions after graduation.

To read the full speech, access Governor Doug Ducey’s website.