Arizona House of Representatives
1700 West Washington Phoenix, Arizona 85007-2844
Phone: (602) 926-3233 FAX: (602) 417-3120
bmarson@azleg.gov www.azhouse.gov
Rep. Michele Reagan (R-8)
News Release
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
House to unveil sweeping jobs package Thursday
(State Capitol, Phoenix) – In a bid to reinvigorate Arizona’s economy for the long term, the House will
unveil a new effort to bring thousands jobs to the state.
The proposal, sponsored by
House Commerce Chairwoman Michele Reagan, focuses on bringing in new
manufacturing jobs, revitalizing urban areas, attracting tourists, maintaining
or expanding the Cactus League and stabilizing the construction market. No
current general fund money would be used for the projects.
The four components include:
- Offering incentives to new businesses
that set up shop in Arizona to manufacture solar energy components in Arizona. Arizona is emerging as a leader in the solar energy field. A new billion-dollar
solar generation facility will open in Gila Bend. This credit would be
given to manufacturers of solar equipment that pay employees 150 percent
of the county’s median wage and offer health care to their employees. It
would lead to 4,000 jobs in the first year alone.
- Giving Pima County voters the chance to approve targeted taxes to pay for improvements to their Cactus
League ballparks. This allows Pima County to retain their current teams
and even attract new teams from Florida.
- Research and development
tax credit. The state already has an R&D tax credit but the
Legislature would expand it with the condition that only new projects
would qualify.
- Revitalizing urban areas
with incentives for redevelopment. To spur progress like the Tempe Town Lake development, areas that fit into certain criteria would be able to offer
exemptions from prime contracting tax classification, sales tax on
construction goods and the city sales tax. However, the .6 cent sales tax
for education would still be collected. This could lead to new employment
centers where blight now exists.
Reagan said Arizona needs to
act now to turn around a moribund economy.
“The main goal in producing
this package is to create a significant number of jobs without costing a taxpayers
any money,” Reagan, R-Scottsdale, said. “Arizona can and should be leading the
way in solar energy production and this bill ensures we get the full economic
impact.”
Reagan will hold an
informational meeting at about 10 a.m. Thursday in House Hearing Room 1.
District 1 Republican Rep.
Andy Tobin, who helped craft the package, said he wants to ensure Arizona’s long-term prospects are solid when the next housing crisis hits.
“The state got hit hard
because we relied on growth to create wealth and sustain our economy,” Tobin
said. “By bringing manufacturing jobs and encouraging redevelopment, Arizona can diversify its economy. We will not sit on our hands and wait for the economy to
return. We need these good jobs now.”
House Speaker Jim Weiers,
R-Phoenix, said he has been working for the last several months to increase our
renewable energy economy. The state has lost several large-scale manufacturers
to other states even though Arizona should be the leader in all things solar.
“The sun is cheap and our
most available resource,” Weiers said. “We need to capitalize on that abundance
of sun light and a population that wants to get back to work.”
###
For further information contact:
Barrett Marson, Director of Communications
Arizona House of Representatives
Office: (602) 926-3233, e-mail: bmarson@azleg.gov
