Debbie Lesko

PROTECTING OUR 1ST AMENDMENT RIGHTS:

Debbie Lesko — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:56:03 +0000

My legislation that protects Arizona citizens 1st amendment rights has passed out of the Arizona House of Representatives and Senate Judiciary Committee. Unfortunately, the ACLU and its cohorts are spreading around all kinds of misinformation and some in the media are repeating it.

HB2625 allows employers to opt out of a current government mandate that forces them to cover abortion-inducing drugs and other items related to contraception in their insurance benefits….even if they must violate their religious beliefs to do so. The employer can opt out, IF and only IF, they have a religious objection. I doubt many employers will do this. But I imagine that some faith-based charity organizations, like St. Vincent De Paul, or some mom and pop employers might because providing them is against their religious beliefs.

HB2625 does NOT authorize employers to ask or know about employees contraceptive use.

HB2625 does NOT authorize employers to fire employees for using contraceptives.

HB2625 DOES allow employees who work at the few employers that will actually opt out, to purchase contraceptives outside of their insurance plan. Walmart sells generic contraceptives for $9/month, which is probably cheaper than most insurance co-pays to begin with.

Ironically, most of the controversy surrounding my legislation focuses on language already in Arizona law, that was not even introduced by me. It allows women who work for a religious employer to still get the prescriptions paid for through insurance if they are used for a purpose other than contraception. In those cases, the insurance company, NOT the employer would know this information. The ironic thing, is that language has been in Arizona law for 10 years and was not introduced by me. In fact, whether my legislation passes or not, that will still be Arizona law.

My legislation is supported by the Catholic church and other faith-based organizations. It was written with the help of a national legal organization that fights for religious freedoms…The Alliance Defense Fund.

Government should not be mandating people to do something against their religious beliefs. That violates their 1st Amendment rights and is Un-American. We must protect our 1st amendment right to freedom of religion. The future of America is at stake.

Memorial Day 2011 and Rosie the Riveters

Debbie Lesko — Mon, 30 May 2011 22:20:44 +0000

I hope all of you had a good Memorial Day. I was honored to have shared part of the day with Veterans, Active Duty Military, and families of fallen soldiers when I was asked to speak at the Resthaven Cemetery’s service in Glendale. I was very moved by Chaplain Butler’s speech which included episodes of war. He really embraced the meaning of Memorial Day. It was difficult not to shed a tear.

On May 28th I also had the honor of being invited to Rosie the Riveter Day in Sun City. What a great group of ladies! These women worked in factories and munitions plants while the men were fighting in WWII. This group of ladies has a spirit about them that you just can’t compare! One after the other shared memories and then they broke into song….singing a Rosie the Riveter tune. The women wore Rosie the Riveter Shirts with a picture of a woman wearing a red bandana flexing her biceps. Over the picture, the motto “We Can Do It” said it all.

“WE CAN DO IT”…That is the spirit of America. That is the spirit of the men and women who have given their lives and who fight for our Country. That is the spirit of Rosie the Riveters. That is the spirit that I grew up with and that is the spirit I want to pass down to my children.

I wish all of you God’s Blessings today and every day and may God continue to Bless the United States of America.

May, 2011 Legislative Update

Debbie Lesko — Mon, 02 May 2011 23:19:15 +0000

We finished this year’s legislative session in record time on April 20th at 5:25am. We had many challenges and got much accomplished. We passed a “Jobs Bill” to bring high paying jobs into Arizona, we balanced the budget without adding new debt, and we passed major pension reforms that will make our public pension systems more sustainable. I am proud to have been part of the leadership team that helped accomplish these goals.

Balancing our state budget was the biggest challenge we faced. While the federal government was arguing over cutting less than 1% of their budget, Arizona closed a gap of over 12%. The decisions were not easy, but ones that had to be made.

Summary of Spending Reductions as a percentage of their total funding:

1. AHCCCS (free healthcare): 20.7%
2. Dept. of Health Services: 9.1%
3. Community Colleges: 6.1%
4. Universities: 4.7%
5. K-12 Education: 2.1%
6. Dept. of Economic Security: 1.3%

It is important to note several factors:
-1 out of every 5 Arizonans are on AHCCCS. It is more generous than 44 other states.
-AHCCCS reductions will be made through attrition, fraud reduction, and co-pays.
-42% of our state budget is spent on K-12 education, much more than any other agency.
-K-12 education reductions were made in non-classroom areas
-48% of ASU students attend school for free. According to a Board of Regents statement, 40% of a students tuition goes to subsidize other students tuition. I don’t know about you, but I think all students should pay something toward their tuition. That way, other students wouldn’t have to pay so much and tuition probably wouldn’t have to be raised.

I welcome your input and suggestions and I am willing to meet with you or give you a legislative tour. In fact, I just gave a tour to a great group of Red Hat Ladies from our district. In addition, I’d love to speak to your group. I have spoken to school groups, Rotary clubs, Elks clubs, etc. I hope to hear from you soon.

March 2011 Legislative Update

Debbie Lesko — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:13:08 +0000

I’m so thankful to all of you that are involved in our community and continue to provide me input on issues that affect the entire state. Working together I know we can protect the principles that have made this nation great! Here’s an update on what’s going on:

I’m happy to report that my legislation which ensures that “government lives within its means” has passed out of the House of Representatives and the Senate Appropriations Committee. Not only will this legislation prevent our state from getting into the same financial mess that we are currently in, but it provides a mechanism to pay back our state debt. I am hopeful that the bill passes out of the senate and gets signed by the Governor. This will be a very positive step for our state.

I am also happy to report that one of my other bills was inserted into the Jobs Bill and has been signed by the Governor. The Jobs Bill is designed to bring high-paying jobs into the state and has already started to work.

My legislation to help constituents in Sun City has passed out of the House of Representatives and is awaiting a vote in the Senate. This legislation will prevent charter schools from operating in retirement communities and will help solve a problem that emerged in Sun City last year when a charter school owner tried to move his charter school into the retirement community. The charter school association supports the bill. None of us can figure out why a school would want to move into a retirement community where children aren’t allowed to live.

In addition to those bills, my legislation that will provide more educational choice for students and provide more tools for teachers is progressing well. Plus, my pro-life legislation should get a vote in the senate soon.

The House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Governor’s office continue to negotiate a budget and I am hoping we will reach a compromise soon. The state is $2 Billion short and there are no easy solutions. We want to balance the budget without raising taxes and without adding on more debt. This is a very challenging task, but I am convinced that we can do it to save the future of our state.

As always, I welcome your input and ideas. Feel free to contact me anytime at 602-926-5413 or DLesko@azleg.gov

Feb. 2011 Legislative Update

Debbie Lesko — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:18:31 +0000

The legislative session started on January 10th. Since then there has been a whirlwind of activity at the State Capitol. We have been discussing and voting on bills in committees, updating legislators on the budget situation, and working on details of legislation that will increase jobs in Arizona. In my new leadership position as Majority Whip, I am responsible for making sure we have enough votes for important legislation, like the bill that will balance our state budget. I enjoy mentoring the new legislators and have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them better.
This legislative session, I have introduced legislation that will save our state between $20-$100 Million, legislation that will pay down our state debt and prevent our state from spending more than it has coming in, and legislation that provides more educational choice for students and their parents.
I have enjoyed speaking to groups throughout our community and I would love to speak to your group or have you come down to the State Capitol for a tour. In fact, I just had a wonderful group of students from Peoria High School come down to the Capitol for a tour.
As always, please contact me if you have any comments or questions at 602-926-5413. I’d love to hear from you.

The Governor’s Budget Proposal:

Debbie Lesko — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 00:33:57 +0000

The Governor has shown courage in an impossible situation. The state budget is about $2 Billion short for the next two fiscal years. The options to solve the problem are to raise taxes or cut spending. The Governor and Republican-led legislature are not going to raise taxes. Voters decided that by electing us in November. The state spends most of its money on education and healthcare. To solve the problem, one or both of these areas have to be cut. Even if every other agency besides prisons were eliminated, it wouldn’t solve the problem. The Governor’s budget proposal protects K-12 grade education. The major cuts are to healthcare. Arizona allows more people to be covered for free or reduced healthcare than almost every other state. Arizona now covers 1 out of every 5 people on AHCCCS. Because of this, the Governor has proposed that we reduce the number of people that qualify for AHCCCS to a level comparable to other states. We are down to two options: cut healthcare to a level comparable to other states or make huge cuts to education. I think the Governor has made the right decision.

Thank You!

Debbie Lesko — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:36:37 +0000

I am honored and blessed to have been re-elected as your State Representative. To those of you that voted for me, I greatly appreciate your support.
In addition to my re-election by the voters, I am also humbled that my legislative peers elected me as House Majority Whip. The main responsibility of this leadership position is to ensure that the House of Representatives has the number of votes needed to pass important legislation. All State Legislative bills, including the budget bill, need 31 votes to pass out of the House of Representatives, 16 out of the Senate, and the Governor’s signature to become law. As you can imagine, this will be a challenging job.
The voters of Arizona have spoken loud and clear that they want State Legislators that will be financially responsible, protect the rights of U.S. Citizens, and promote freedom and liberty, instead of over-reaching government control. That is why voters overwhelmingly elected Republicans throughout the State.
I am very excited about the make-up of our House and Senate. The Legislators are full of energy, excitement, and a quest to make a difference in our state and nation. Unlike what some may believe, legislators run for office because they are passionate about helping Arizona and the Nation, much like other advocates who are passionate about a cause. Many give up careers and time for this $24,000/year job because they are concerned about the future of our state and nation and no longer want to sit on the sidelines. Instead, they have chosen to get in the game.
The next few years will be difficult. Tough decisions will have to be made. Unlike the Federal Government that can print more money, our State government must balance our budget. Our state is over $800 million short for this fiscal year and over $1 billion short for the next. When money was flowing in and times were good, past legislators, past Governors, and the voters, through propositions, added permanent spending programs that we can no longer sustain.
As we start a new legislative session in January, there will be tough challenges. But with these challenges, come opportunities. Our state has an opportunity to get its financial house in order and pass legislation that helps prevent future crises like we have today.
As always, feel free to contact me at 602-926-5413 or DLesko@azleg.gov if you have questions, comments, or suggestions to help. I always look forward to hearing from you.

May you have a Blessed Thanksgiving Holiday!

Obamacare costs AZ Billions:

Debbie Lesko — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 02:31:53 +0000

“ObamaCare” will cost our State General Fund $11.6 Billion from 2011-2020 according to AHCCCS, our State’s Medicaid agency that provides healthcare to the poor. This is money the state simply does not have. If the Feds force AZ to cover this extra cost, we will have no option but to dramatically cut other vital services or dramatically raise taxes, both of which I oppose.

It is because of this and ObamaCare’s mandates that take away our freedoms, that I co-sponsored legislation that allowed our state to sue the federal government, joined the Goldwater Institute in a separate lawsuit against the Feds, and co-sponsored legislation to place Proposition 106 “The Arizona Health Care Freedom Act” on the November ballot.

In 2000, voters approved Proposition 204, which increased the number of people that could qualify for AHCCCS from 33% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) to 100%, making AZ one of the most generous Medicaid eligibility states. Most other states remained at 33%. The voters were told that the extra cost would be covered by tobacco settlement money. This is not the case and state taxpayer money has had to kick in the majority of the extra cost which will total $1 Billion in Fiscal Year 2012 alone.

20% of Arizona’s population is now on AHCCCS. In an effort to address our budget shortfall, the Governor and Legislature voted to roll back the eligibility of childless adults covered by Proposition 204 to a level that could be solely supported by the tobacco settlement money. This would have saved the state $1 Billion/year. ObamaCare stopped that.

With the signing of ObamaCare, Arizona has been told it can NOT lower its coverage and to make matters worse, AZ is being penalized for having higher coverage to begin with. According to the Feds, they will cover the extra cost to expand from the 33% of federal poverty rate coverage that most other states provide, to the 133% now required under ObamaCare. But since Arizona already was covering people at 100%, federal money will only cover the difference from 100-133% in our state.

I can’t over-emphasize how devastating “ObamaCare” is to our state and nation. Not only is it taking away individual freedoms and robbing $500 Billion from Medicare, but it now will cost our state $11.6 Billion that we simply do not have.

WHAT’S HAPPENING:

Debbie Lesko — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 19:23:40 +0000

Even though the legislature is out of session, I have been busy working with constituents and working on important matters that affect the entire state.
Here are some highlights:
1.   SPECIAL SESSION: We recently completed a three day special session called by the Governor to retain the right to a secret ballot in our state. The Obama Administration and many Democratic members of the U.S. Congress are attempting to pass “Card Check” legislation at the federal level. If passed, employees would no longer have the right to a secret ballot in union elections.   During the special session, the legislature corrected language on the November 2nd ballot measure to ensure that Arizona voters will be able to vote to retain the right to a secret ballot in the Arizona Constitution.
2.   ENERGY MEETINGS: I formed and lead an energy stakeholder meeting every month. The group includes several legislators, all the major utility producers in the state, solar industry representatives, the Corporation Commission which regulates utilities, the Governor’s office, and energy efficiency experts. My goal is to develop a long-range energy plan for Arizona. Last month, APS and SRP presented their energy plans and this month we will be touring a gas-fired electric generating facility.
3.   HELPING CONSTITUENTS: One of the most rewarding parts of my job is helping constituents. My office is contacted on a regular basis by people seeking answers or help. My office works together with legislative staff and other agencies to help resolve their problems. We have helped many constituents. We can’t resolve everyone’s problems, but we sure try. If you have a problem that deals with a state agency, we may be able to help. Call me at 602-926-5413.
4.   DRAFTING LEGISLATION: I recently worked with legislative attorneys to draft legislation that will address a problem raised in Sun City. In addition, I met with other states legislators to vote on, share, and learn about legislation used in other states. If you have ideas for legislation, please contact my office at 602-926-5413. I cannot guarantee that I will introduce all your ideas on legislation, but I am certainly interested in hearing your suggestions.
5.   ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: I recently attended a seminar on illegal immigration conducted by experts in the field. I co-sponsored SB1070 and am interested in sponsoring other legislation that will combat illegal immigration.

Being a state legislator is a challenging and rewarding job. I enjoy meeting people that live in my district and showing constituents what I do. I have given tours to “Red Hat” ladies and business officials. If you are interested in learning more or want to get more involved, give me a call. I’d love to hear from you.

ENERGY:

Debbie Lesko — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:15:07 +0000

What would happen if we turned on our light switch or opened our faucet and nothing happened? Water and Energy may not be making the headlines, like illegal immigration is, but they are vitally important.

That is why I have brought together all the major energy producers in Arizona, solar representatives, staff from the Governor’s office and Corporation Commission, and several other legislators to discuss the long-range plan for energy in Arizona. I want to ensure that Arizona has enough low-cost energy and water for our future needs. I’m excited about our discussions so far and see good things coming from the group.

In an endeavor to learn as much as I can about the subject, I’ve recently attended a meeting with U.S. Senator Jon Kyl and water experts to discuss the necessity of considering water usage when determining energy sources for our future. Some forms of energy generation take more water than others and we need to ensure that our limited water supply is wisely used.

As part of my learning experience, I recently toured Palo Verde Nuclear Plant which employees 3,000, the SRP water shed, a Tessera solar dish facility in Peoria, Solon-a solar panel manufacturing plant in Tucson, looked at a PV Solar system at Davis-Monthan AFB, and will be touring Central Arizona Project’s water delivery system, and both a natural gas and coal generating facility.

It’s important that Arizona continues to produce inexpensive base-load energy that is available at all times of the day. Right now most of that base-load energy is produced with nuclear, coal, and natural gas. If the present federal administration continues its mandates to make coal too expensive to compete, our state must be prepared. Right now the EPA’s threat to the Navajo coal generating plant may not only increase utility prices, but increase our water rates, since its electricity is used to move water into the valley.

When analyzing energy sources we must also look at the cost. Right now nuclear and hydro-electric energy cost the least to produce. Next is coal, then natural gas. Solar costs 15-17 times more than nuclear, but the hope is that competition and technology will reduce the cost.

If you would like to tour Palo Verde Nuclear Plant or talk more about energy issues, please contact me at 602-926-5413.

Energy and Water are vitally important to our state. Let’s work together to ensure Arizona’s prosperous future.