Arizona
Voter’s guide language for Arizona Abortion Access Act lands in court
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The first hearing for what could be many court challenges to Arizona’s abortion initiative was held in Phoenix this afternoon.
The hearing concerns language which will appear in the Arizona Voter’s Guide. It will be sent to all voters in the state explaining all the initiatives, referendums, and candidates.
At a meeting of the Arizona Legislative Council, the language for the Arizona Abortion Access Act, seemed the most contentious.
“I propose that we, on page one line two, strike unborn human being and insert the word fetus,” said Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, a Democrat from Tucson’s District 21.
That proposal that was voted down by the Republican majority legislative committee by a voice vote.
In this case the Republicans want to use the language “unborn human being” in the voter’s guide, but the Democrats want to strike “unborn human being” and replace it with the word “fetus”.
Stahl Hamilton pressed Speaker Ben Toma, a Republican and chair of the committee, on why not use fetus which is the medical term.
“Mister Speaker you can support the medically accurate term, yes?” she asked.
“I’m not a doctor Representative Stahl Hamilton, I don’t care what the medically accurate term is,” he said.
It’s an example of how heated the debate has become over the use of words to affect voter’s opinions.
Which language will appear on the guide will now, apparently, work its way through the courts.
“The law requires that the description be as neutral as possible,” said Chris Love, a spokesperson for the Arizona for Abortion Access organization which gathered the petition signatures. “Using the term unborn human being or any form of that is actually quite politically tinged.”
But on the other hand, one Republican lawmaker who opposes the initiative said the word fetus is more politically biased.
“My opinion is that it’s an unborn baby, it’s an unborn child and not a fetus,” said Teresa Martinez, a Republican from District 16.
Still, the Republicans argued it will use both terms in the voter guide so that makes if fair. It will use unborn human being early in the explanation and fetus later.
But it’s an argument the Democrats said fails because only one term is legally and medically sound, and that’s fetus.
“The way I interpret that, would be to use the medically accurate language,” Stahl Hamilton said. “That has nothing to do with politics, has absolutely nothing to do with bias. They are the clinical terms.”
The abortion initiative was able to gather more than 830,000 signatures, a record number. That should be more than enough to get the 383,000 valid signatures needed to get it on the ballot.
Even if the language issue is settled quickly, there are more legal battles looming.
“Our initiative process is rife with challenges, legal challenges especially to language or signatures,” Love said. “But this is the first thing that’s happening in a series of things that may happen over the summer.”
And with such a contentious issue, it promises to be a long hot summer.
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Arizona
NAU launches first-of-its-kind engineering degree to fast-track Arizona’s future workforce – The NAU Review
As Arizona’s semiconductor and advanced manufacturing industries continue to grow at a rapid pace, Northern Arizona University’s Steve Sanghi College of Engineering is launching a new degree program designed to help meet the state’s workforce needs.
Beginning this fall, NAU will offer a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Engineering Technology, a flexible, workforce-focused degree pathway that prepares students for careers in microelectronics, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing in as little as three years. The 90-credit bachelor’s degree creates a more accessible pathway into engineering careers through a hands-on, applied curriculum and a streamlined transfer model with Arizona community colleges.
The program follows a 45-45 completion structure, allowing students to complete 45 credits at a community college and 45 credits through NAU. Courses will be delivered through synchronous remote instruction at NAU’s North Valley campus in Phoenix and at Pima Community College in Tucson, increasing access for statewide students.
Addressing Arizona’s growing semiconductor workforce
Designed with workforce readiness in mind, the program emphasizes practical engineering application, systems implementation, testing, quality control, systems analysis, manufacturing, fabrication, process control and project management. Students will gain technical and problem-solving skills aligned with the needs of Arizona’s rapidly evolving manufacturing economy.
“This new bachelor’s degree empowers students to identify real-world engineering challenges and develop practical solutions,” said James Palmer, associate dean for academic affairs at the Steve Sanghi College of Engineering. “We are creating a more accessible pathway into engineering careers while preparing graduates to support Arizona’s growing microelectronics and semiconductor industry.”
Arizona has emerged as one of the nation’s fastest-growing semiconductor hubs, with more than $200 billion in semiconductor-related investments announced in the Greater Phoenix region since 2020, including expansions from Intel, TSMC and Amkor Technology. TSMC alone has committed up to $165 billion toward Arizona operations, including multiple fabrication plants and advanced packaging facilities expected to create thousands of technical and manufacturing jobs.
Industry demand continues to grow for professionals with applied engineering and advanced manufacturing skills in areas such as process engineering, manufacturing systems, equipment operations and yield enhancement. NAU’s new degree program was developed to help students quickly enter these high-demand career fields while supporting Arizona’s long-term economic growth and domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity.
The program also aligns with NAU’s strategic commitment to expanding access to affordable, student-centered educational opportunities that prepare graduates for meaningful careers and long-term success.
Students interested in learning more about the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Engineering Technology program should contact SCE@nau.edu.
PHOENIX (AP) — The two Republican congressmen running for Arizona governor pitched themselves at a debate Wednesday as the only candidate with broad enough voter appeal to unseat Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs amid the state’s affordability struggles.
U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, who is the GOP primary’s frontrunner and has the endorsement of President Donald Trump, portrayed himself as being able to cross party lines and having the right experience to be the state’s chief executive.
“There’s not a doubt in my mind, if you look at the polling data that you’re going to find, I am the most competitive with Katie Hobbs of anybody on this stage in any Republican in the state,” Biggs said.
U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, who has survived three tough Democratic challenges in recent years, believes his focus on government finances and his drive to bring new business to the state make him the singular Republican candidate.
“These are wonderful people, but they’ve never actually been in the great battle,” Schweikert said of Biggs and two other Republican opponents.
Businessman Scott Neely, who ran an unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign in 2022, said after the debate that if Biggs wins the primary, Republicans will lose the election.
The winner of the July 21 primary will face Hobbs, who’s running unopposed in the primary.
Biggs has served five terms in the U.S. House, representing a heavily GOP district in the eastern Phoenix suburbs and serving at one time as chairman of the ultra-right U.S. House Freedom Caucus.
Before that, Biggs served in the Arizona Legislature from 2003 through 2016, including four years as president of the state Senate. He battled with then-Republican Gov. Jan Brewer on a Medicaid expansion in 2013 and pushed school choice measures and bills targeting abortion providers.
Biggs is one of Trump’s top defenders in Congress and supported Trump’s false claims the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.
Schweikert, a budget hawk known for railing against government debt, has represented an affluent district that includes parts of northeast Phoenix and Scottsdale for eight terms. He served in the Arizona House in the 1990s and as Maricopa County’s treasurer in the 2000s.
Schweikert has focused his congressional career on sounding the alarm about the federal budget deficit and the ballooning U.S. debt, often in late-night speeches to a nearly empty House chamber and bleary-eyed C-SPAN viewers. Schweikert has praised Trump’s 2017 tax cuts but has called for more spending cuts to reduce federal borrowing.
His reputation was tarnished by ethics scandals. In 2022, he received a $125,000 fine by the Federal Election Commission for misappropriating campaign funds. Two years prior, he agreed to pay a $50,000 fine and accept 11 campaign finance violations after an investigation by the U.S. House Committee on Ethics. In his last three general campaigns for Congress, Schweikert staved off challenges from Democrats. Biggs voiced support for Arizona’s recent passage of a three-year moratorium on tax incentives for new data centers – a move Hobbs also has touted. “They shouldn’t be given a break,” Biggs said, noting the large amounts of power and water that data centers use.
Schweikert bemoaned Arizona’s unfavorable affordability rankings as “pretty miserable,” but said consumer prices don’t come down magically. He vowed to aggressively recruit businesses to Arizona and push for wage growth.
Both congressmen were asked about the expired healthcare subsidies for those getting coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
“We’re going to have to deal with the reality of subsidization of everything in the economy is not going to work,” Schweikert said.
Biggs said he introduced legislation in Congress to bring down healthcare costs and also voiced support for Trump’s proposal to send money directly to Americans for health savings accounts so they can handle insurance and health costs as they see fit.
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