State will emerge even stronger

Arizona faced extraordinary challenges in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic brought loss and hardship to every corner of our state. No community was spared from this virus.

Unfortunately, when the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1, these challenges didn’t vanish. The battle continues. But I’m optimistic that 2021 will look a lot different because we have a new, powerful weapon in our arsenal that will save lives: the vaccine.

Since the first shot was administered last month, we’ve vaccinated more than 350,000 Arizonans — and we’re just getting started. We opened the state’s first 24/7 vaccine site at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 11, and a second site will open at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Feb. 1.

Thanks to this effort, we’ve been able to supplement the efforts at the county level, distributing nearly 60,000 doses of the vaccine in just over a week. Getting the vaccine out is critical, and we’re going to continue to look for ways to improve the distribution processes to achieve that.

The pandemic has shown that telemedicine has become more important than ever — not only for COVID-19, but for everyday health needs. Our rural communities especially benefit from the expanded health care access that telemedicine provides.

This session, our Legislature should permanently expand access to telemedicine for all Arizonans and allow doctors outside our state to provide telehealth care to patients in Arizona.

There is no aspect of our daily lives that COVID-19 hasn’t impacted. Just look at what it’s done to our schools.

The pandemic has kept students out of their classrooms and forced them to miss out on key childhood experiences. While roughly $1.9 billion of strategic federal and state funding has been pumped into the education system to support remote learning, a laptop is no substitute for a well-rounded education.

And for our kids who don’t have access to Wi-Fi, a laptop is useless. These kids are falling behind.

Addressing this issue means directing resources to help Arizona’s kids catch up before the end of the school year, so they can start school next fall at their grade level.

I’m calling for an investment of nearly $400 million immediately to help catch Arizona kids up. On top of this, we aim to increase our overall investment in K-12 education by an additional $250 million for the coming year.

We’re using every tool available to close the achievement gap in our schools: high-impact learning tools like tutoring, summer school and one-oneone instruction. In total, we’re putting $389 million behind these efforts to prevent any additional loss in learning.

And for our most vulnerable students who need extra support, we’re providing an additional $4 million to scale our most innovative learning programs.

The economy our kids inherit must be another top priority for Arizona in 2021.

Because of our fiscally responsible decisions and a growing economy, we’re in a better position than many other states to help hard-working Arizonans. My budget sets aside $200 million for tax relief for everyday Arizonans and small businesses who have really been impacted this past year. When completed, this will be the single largest individual tax cut in state history.

Arizona’s economy also needs strong infrastructure to reach its full potential. That’s why we’re proposing an investment of $33 million to fund a major expansion of the Interstate 40 West broadband corridor from Flagstaff to the

California border, in addition to $40 million in federal funding to connect broadband along I-17 connecting Phoenix to Flagstaff and I-19 from Tucson to Nogales.

My budget also adds $10 million to renew and bolster the Rural Broadband Grant Program, accelerating the enhancement of broadband infrastructure to all corners of our state.

Our quality of life in Arizona is closely linked to our precious natural resources. Last year, more land burned in Arizona than in both 2018 and 2019 combined. It’s time for Arizona to prioritize reducing wildfire risk by investing in healthy forests and expanding forest restoration and wildland firefighting crews.

Confronting the problems of today while planning for tomorrow is at the heart of our 2021 budget. Targeted investments, a measured approach and wide availability of the COVID-19 vaccine will help Arizona emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever.

Arizonans are resilient. We have every capability to make this a year of action, of shared purpose and of greater opportunity for everyone who calls this state home. Let’s work together and get these things done.