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By Gloria Gomez | Arizona Mirror
Democrats urged their Republican colleagues to support legislation that would ensure paid family and medical leave and greater access to affordable housing Tuesday morning at a press conference in front of the state Capitol.
Rep. Reginald Bolding, the Democratic House Minority Leader, called on the governor and Republican lawmakers to invest in Arizonans.
“Our state’s potential is unlimited. The future of Arizona can be one where everyone has equal opportunity to thrive,” he said.
Bolding recalled the uneven impact of the pandemic. Frontline workers were the most affected by COVID-19 because they were unable to switch to a remote model and were more likely to be people of color, he said. The funding to remedy this inequality and better protect all Arizonans is available in the estimated $2.1 billion dollar legislative surplus and billions of federal pandemic aid from the American Rescue Plan that the state hasn’t yet spent.
Senate Minority Leader Rebecca Rios said that Republican proposals have so far failed to meet the needs of Arizonan workers.
“We know that healthy communities and empowered workers are the backbone of Arizona’s economy. That’s why it is so important that, as Democrats, we prioritize investments in Arizona’s communities,” she said.
Rios criticized what she called “irresponsible budgetary proposals” from Republicans that harmed the state’s economy, and said recent efforts from fellow Democrats are meeting the real needs of Arizonans.
Sen. Raquel Terán, D-Phoenix, proposed a measure that would give every Arizonan 24 weeks of paid family and medical leave a year. Senate Bill 1644 is the second attempt to guarantee these benefits.
