Grand Canyon Institute, ADCRR Predict $325 million in Costs to Arizona taxpayers, unfunded budget burden for taxpayers
PHOENIX — Business, faith and community leaders expressed their strong disappointment at the passage of HCR 2060. Now, more than ever, President Biden must act to protect Arizona’s immigrant families and solve the workforce shortage. The Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Greater Phoenix Leadership, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, Local First Arizona, American Business Immigration Coalition Action, business, elected officials, bipartisan county attorneys from three border counties, law enforcement, diverse faith leaders and advocates previously called on lawmakers to protect Arizona’s future, reputation and taxpayers by stopping this measure from passing.
On Tuesday June 4, the Arizona State House met and approved an unfunded mandate to Arizona’s prison system, and to its local municipalities and counties, while still failing to pass a state budget. The nonpartisan Grand Canyon Institute estimated the cost of the ballot referral at $325 million a year, while the Arizona Department of Corrections Rehabilitation & Reentry (ADCRR) projects “significant operational and fiscal impacts to the agency.” Immigration reform is a federal issue and the state should not be requiring local law enforcement to pick up the tab. This unfunded fiscal policy will harm Arizona taxpayers.
This legislation criminalizes long-term residents with deep roots in Arizona. They are working, paying taxes and have 135,000 U.S.-citizen spouses and children. Arizona currently only has 71 people for every 100 open positions. Immigrants make up 12.6 percent of Arizona’s workforce, and over 60 percent of undocumented immigrants are already participating in the workforce, filling critical positions. Rather than spreading fear among communities and putting up barriers to employment, Arizona should be seeking pathways to solving the labor shortage. It is vital that our elected officials focus on expanding work authorization.
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Bob Worseley, Chairman and CEO of ZenniHome, former Republican State Senator of Arizona and Co-Chair of the American Business Immigration Coalition Action:
“HCR 2060 is detrimental and an attack on the business community. This measure not only undermines the stability and growth of our businesses but also fails to recognize the contributions of long-term, hardworking immigrants. Now, more than ever, we need decisive action to solve this devastation labor shortage. I urge President Biden to use his authority to grant work authorization to these individuals, ensuring they can continue to support our economy and do so out of the shadows. It’s imperative that this issue is brought back under federal oversight to create a fair and consistent approach that benefits both our workforce and the business community at large.”
Adam Goodman, President and CEO of Goodmans:
“It’s rare to find a policy proposal that has as much wrong with it as HCR 2060. Fiscal conservatives won’t like the unfunded mandates imposed on our corrections system. Business people won’t like the damage it would do to Arizona’s reputation. Criminal justice reform advocates won’t like the explosion in our prison population. Libertarians won’t like the idea of using the constitution to burden citizens with virtually unchangeable policy. Immigration reform activists won’t like the precedent of states doing the federal government’s work.”
Neil Giuliano, President and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Leadership:
“Greater Phoenix Leadership (GPL) voices its opposition to HCR 2060, an immigration measure that is an unworkable response to a federal problem with unknown consequences. This measure places an unfunded mandate on local law enforcement to enforce border policy and lacks the infrastructure needed to assume the federal responsibility of apprehension and detention. Further, the ballot referral poses a policy that lacks clarity on how it will be implemented at the border and throughout the state. GPL recognizes that the border crisis presents a variety of public safety concerns to the citizens of Arizona but believes it must be resolved at the federal level. The courts have yet to determine the impact of the Texas model, which has been applied to HCR 2060. To advance something of such consequence is premature, as it would be voter-protected. It poses an unpredictable impact and cannot be legislatively changed.”
Monica Villalobos, President and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce:
“The Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce opposes HCR 2060 as it does not make sense for our state, with its limited resources, to attempt to take on the role of the federal government to enforce immigration laws. We call on the United States Congress, the Senate and the president to propose and implement real solutions to the immigration crisis this country faces in a humane way that benefits Arizona’s citizenry and economy. Our state can ill-afford the costly litigation that will ensue, should this measure pass. And we should not forget the specter of HB 1070 and the stain it left on our state’s economy. E-Verify is already the law of the land and Arizona has robust fraud and other criminal statutes that are currently applicable to the behaviors this referendum purports to address.”
Kimber Lanning, founder and CEO of Local First Arizona:
“The ballot referral includes no money to pay for the demands it makes of local law enforcement agencies. That omission should concern voters. When Arizona tries to take a federal issue into its own hands, the people of Arizona pay the price, whether emotionally or psychologically or economically. Our community deserves better.”
Enrique Sanchez, Intermountain State Director of ABIC Action:
Arizona’s business community, along with faith and community leaders, and law enforcement in border towns, firmly opposes HCR 2060. This bill hurts businesses and everyday Arizonans. We do not need political gamesmanship. At a time of unprecedented labor shortages, we need decisive action that helps to grow the economy. We urge President Biden to use his authority to expand work authorization to solve a problem that HCR 2060 will make worse.
Rev. Gerald P. Richard, Board Member of Arizona Faith Network:
“This legislative proposal not only challenges our societal norms but also the moral principles that unite us in our commitment to justice and human dignity as dictated by our faiths. Our collective faith traditions teach us to affirm the intrinsic worth of every individual.”
Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz of Arizona Jews for Justice:
“This is not a partisan issue; this is not a political issue; this is a faith issue. A faith issue that sees the humanity of every person and stands up for their dignity and rights. A country that is based on fear-mongering that creates the anxiety of unsafety is bad for everyone.”
Tyler Montague, Chairman of Yes on Prop 308:
“When voting on Prop 308, Arizona voters said, ‘Of course, we want good kids who are going through school to have the opportunity to become educated, self-sufficient contributors to our economy and our communities,’ and I think that extends to many other immigrants. Hurting Dreamers and immigrants is not what everyday Arizonans want.”
Arizona Voters Agenda’s new Poll shows 90 percent of Arizonans believe that immigration is important to our country and economy, and 77 percent support a path to citizenship.
BACKGROUND:
Arizona Republic: Arizona prisons chief sounds $252M alarm on Republican-backed immigration ballot measure
- The obligation would not only add millions to the state’s prison spending, but it risks running afoul of a federal court injunction related to the state’s handling of inmate medical care, Thornell said. The state is bound to honor certain health care and “conditions of confinement” requirements, which add up to more staff and operational costs, he said.
- The potential added cost comes as the agency is seeking an extra $74 million this year and a roughly $203 million increase in the budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. Arizona faces a $1.3 billion deficit, split almost evenly between the current year and the coming budget year.
- The measure, over time, will also sap the agency’s ability to provide beds for all inmates, the memo states. Currently, the agency has 8,000 empty beds, or an 18 percent vacancy rate. But there is no staffing to go along with those 8,000 beds, should they fill up.
- The memo then paints a dire scenario, assuming the current rate of incarceration along with 1,500 new border crossers each year: the need for a new prison.
Momentum: AZ CEOs, Pastors, Police, Prison Director Join Forces to Oppose HCR 2060 (May 14, 2024)
Business and Faith Leaders Link Arms, Tell Petersen and Toma to Stop Wasting Money on HCR 2060 (May 8, 2024)
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ABIC Action was created to mobilize the power of American businesses and the general public to promote and advocate for sensible immigration solutions. ABIC Action will develop and advocate for legislation, regulations, and government programs that promote common-sense state and federal immigration reform to benefit the people and economy of our country. ABIC Action operates under federal income tax under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC).