Governor Doug Ducey gave his third State of the State address yesterday to open the 2017 Legislative Session. Addressing both the House and Senate and their newly-elected leaders — Senate President Steve Yarbrough and Speaker Javan Mesnard — including 24 freshman legislators, Ducey laid out his plan for the year.

Much of the focus of the speech was dedicated to his plan to increase funding for public education. In terms of business issues, the governor announced the opening of a new website dedicated to reducing red tape and called on Arizona businesses to help the state find hidden job-killing regulations. He committed staff to research all of the suggestions submitted through the website with the goal of repealing 500 regulations by the end of the year. He also called on the Legislature to continue repealing onerous laws and eliminating unnecessary licensing requirements and outdated boards and commissions.

As the details of governor’s plan and the budget become available, Western Growers will continue to work to ensure that members’ interests are protected on issues that affect them.

For more information, contact AnnaMarie Knorr at (602) 451-0658.