State Representative Announces Arizona Will Not Enforce Taxpayer-Funded Homeless Hotel Plan

Arizona State Representative Matt Gress (R-Scottsdale) announced Wednesday that the Arizona Department of Housing will not enforce a provision in its contract with the City of Scottsdale that allows the city to pay for hotels for homeless people.

Scottsdale tried to utilize state funds to pay a hotel along Pima and Indian Bend Roads to house homeless persons from “the zone” in downtown Phoenix and foreign nationals who would have otherwise been kicked out under Title 42, which President Joe Biden allowed to expire in May.

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State Representative Matt Gress Joins Arizona Department of Education School Safety Task Force

State Representative Matt Gress (R-Scottsdale) is joining the new School Safety Task Force recently established by the Arizona Department of Education.

This follows Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne inviting Gress to join the task force which evaluates funding gaps and statutory limitations as well as makes recommendations to build upon the integrity of the Arizona Department of Education’s school safety program.

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Republican State Representative Applauds Increased Access to Childcare Coming to Arizona

Arizona State Representative Matt Gress (R-Phoenix) released a statement Friday applauding the new executive rulemaking from Governor Katie Hobbs (D) that aims to increase access to childcare services in the state.

“This policy is designed to expand opportunities for Arizona’s working families and provide more options for their children when they are not in school,” Gress said. “Given the lack of providers for school-age children, it is crucial that we increase the supply of childcare centers to better serve our communities. For parents that qualify for federal subsidy, this effort will help ensure that parents can continue to work and provide for their families. I applaud the Governor for taking action on this important issue.”

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Education Superintendent Tom Horne Blasts Opposition to Teacher Pay Increase Bill

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R) released a statement Tuesday blasting opposition from Democrats and the state’s teacher union to House Bill (HB) 2800, sponsored by Representative Matt Gress (R-Phoenix).

“Shockingly, the Arizona teacher’s union and a number of Democrats in the legislature, oppose the bill. All we can think of is that they are opposed to it because it is a Republican bill. These kinds of questions should be bipartisan, and people should not oppose a good bill, just because [a] Republican introduced it,” Horne said.

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GOP State Representatives Question Arizona School District over Apparent Audit Failures

State Representatives Matt Gress (R-Phoenix) and Beverly Pingerelli (R-Peoria) announced Wednesday that they are seeking answers from the Gadsden Elementary School District (GESD) after it did not implement some financial accountability measures.

“Allowing this practice to continue some 30 months after they were caught is troubling,” said Gress and Pingerelli in a joint statement. “The audits from the Arizona Auditor General are consequential reviews and are not to be mocked with inaction. These audits are one of the few independent tools the Legislature has to measure efficiency, effectiveness, and legal compliance in the state’s largest annual investment, K-12 education. The Legislature, and the public, are due answers from Gadsden Elementary.”

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State Representative Applauds New Executive Order Banning TikTok on Arizona Agency Devices

Arizona State Representative Matt Gress (R-Phoenix) released a statement Thursday praising the newest Executive Order from Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) banning the social media app TikTok on state agency devices. Gress has a bill moving through the Legislature to achieve a similar result.

“I applaud the Governor for taking action to address the security and data collection threats posed by TikTok and similar apps. The Legislature still needs to act, and the Governor should sign HB 2416, a comprehensive plan to keep the state’s critical information secure and strengthen public safety. It would expand on the Governor’s order, codifying it permanently into state law, and apply to all government entities, employees, and contractors,” Gress said.

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Arizona State Senator Blasts Gov. Katie Hobbs Following Veto of Vaccine Religious Exemption Bill

Arizona State Senator Janae Shamp (R-Surprise) released a statement Thursday stating her disappointment with Gov. Katie Hobbs (D), who vetoed her Senate Bill (SB) aiming to ensure health professionals can get religious exemption from taking a vaccine.

“I spent my entire career as a nurse, being an advocate for my patients and ensuring that their beliefs are respected and protected,” said Shamp. “The reason I’m here at the Senate, is because I was fired from my job as a nurse after refusing to get the experimental COVID-19 vaccine. My top priority is this bill because during the pandemic, Americans’ medical freedoms were taken from them, myself included. For me, the Governor’s veto is personal.”

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Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction: More Money to Classrooms Means Better Results

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne released a study Tuesday demonstrating that school districts that put a higher percentage of their budget into the classroom and teacher salaries perform better academically.

“No school can be better than the quality of the teachers in the classroom,” Horne stated. “The surrounding states pay more, and we lose good teachers to those states. We cannot afford to let this go on.”

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