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CAP’s Letter to the Bisbee City Council

Posted in Marriage & Family on: April 2nd, 2013
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Bisbee City Attorney
The City of Bisbee
118 Arizona St.
Bisbee, AZ 85603

R.E.: Bisbee does not have authority under Arizona law to authorize civil unions

Dear Bisbee City Attorney:

I write as a representative of Center for Arizona Policy[1] to express my legal opinion concerning the Bisbee City Council’s announced intention to issue civil union certificates. In sum, Bisbee does not have the authority to do this under Arizona law. Rather, this action will be illegal under Arizona law and will result in unnecessary legal expenses for your city. (more…)

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Why it’s called the Bathroom Bill

Posted in Marriage & Family, Religious Liberty on: February 22nd, 2013
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Under the guise of “prohibiting discrimination” against people on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, The Phoenix City Council is considering an ordinance riddled with devastating legal and ethical consequences.

The Bathroom Bill presents a thinly veiled attack on Phoenix businesses. Fundamentally, the ordinance is a poorly crafted measure that promotes a “sue first and ask questions later” environment inevitably subjecting untold numbers of businesses to frivolous lawsuits, regardless of their stance on homosexuality. In other cities across the country with similar laws, the Bathroom Bill has forced businesses to allow a man dressed as a woman into their women’s restroom.

The exemption for churches within the Bathroom Bill is weak at best and would not protect churches from being forced to hire a homosexual or transgender individual in non-pastoral roles. Also, the ordinance indirectly attempts to muzzle the pulpit, allowing transgender individuals to sue should they vaguely sense “a direct or indirect” implication that they might be “unwelcome.”

Look no further than Olympia, Washington to discover the consequences of laws like the Bathroom Bill. Late last year, when one Washington family complained that a 45-year-old male college student was permitted to enter a girls’ locker room and expose himself in front of their 17-year-old daughter, authorities informed them the man was allowed to be there because he claimed to be transgender.

“The locker room at Evergreen College in Olympia, Wash., is shared with the Capital High School swim club and a children’s swim academy, along with the students at Evergreen,” according to ABC News. Other parents noted that even 6-year-old children use the locker room on occasion and yet, compliance with state law similar to the Bathroom Bill prevents the college from addressing the situation.

Despite his commitment to transparency, Mayor Greg Stanton is rushing the Bathroom Bill through the process, and the vote is one week from today! Contact these members of the Phoenix City Council and tell them to vote no on the Bathroom Bill:

Thelda Williams: council.district.1@phoenix.gov, 602-262-7444
Vice Mayor Bill Gates: council.district.3@phoenix.gov, 602-262-7441
Daniel Valenzuela: council.district.5@phoenix.gov, 602-262-7446
Michael Nowakowski: council.district.7@phoenix.gov, 602-262-7492
Michael Johnson: council.district.8@phoenix.gov, 602-262-7493

Continue reading Why it’s called the Bathroom Bill

How do you respond?

Posted in Life, Marriage & Family, News on: January 25th, 2013
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It’s impossible to properly commemorate the loss of 50 million lives to abortion. There is simply no way to capture the grief, confusion, pain, and shock at the reality of so many lost lives, and so many people scarred from the procedure.

This week was filled with events, blog posts, news articles, and proclamations in recognition of this solemn anniversary. Today is the March for Life in Washington, D.C.

There are too many newsworthy items to share, but I wanted to highlight some of what we saw in Arizona and across the web this week in response to the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

  • Arizona Life Coalition Rally – More than 800 people from across the state rallied together on Tuesday to “Commemorate. Support. Believe.” We kicked off the event with 40 bells to signify the 40 years, and ended on a high note as we celebrated recent successes, and our belief that we will see an end to abortion in our lifetime. You can view pictures from the rally here. You can also read some of the coverage from the rally:
  • We can stop Roe in our lifetime – Read my editorial on azcentral.com about how the pro-life community has made progress to protect women and preborn children from the dangerous and deadly practices of the abortion industry.
  • Which legislators signed the pro-life proclamation? The Arizona House and Senate, along with Governor Brewer issued pro-life proclamations Tuesday in respect of those lives lost and harmed by abortion. See the list of those state legislators that signed onto the proclamation.
  • Abortion Promises Unfulfilled – Before Roe, abortion advocates made a number of promises about the societal benefits of abortion on-demand. But as the Witherspoon Institute highlights, those promises never came true.
  • Pastor John Piper on the humanity of the preborn – If you need to brush-up on your pro-life apologetics, this is a great place to start.
  • 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Jane Roe – The Gospel Coalition’s Justin Taylor explains how “Jane Roe” was lured into our nation’s most notorious litigation.
  • The pro-abortion response – In an all-time-low for abortion proponents, the Center for Reproductive Rights released a video mocking the loss of millions of preborn lives.

News Hits

Continue reading How do you respond?

Arizona’s Newest Tuition Tax Credit

Posted in Marriage & Family on: December 7th, 2012
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As Arizona continues to be a national leader in providing parents with meaningful educational choices, we all have a new opportunity to contribute to the scholarship tax credit program, which provides money for students to attend private schools chosen by their parents.  Every year, the program gives scholarships to around 25,000 kids, but many families are still waiting and hoping that this will be the year that they can choose the best school for them.  (more…)

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Helping Arizona Families through Tax Credit Programs

Posted in Marriage & Family on: December 7th, 2012
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Center for Arizona Policy encourages Arizona taxpayers to consider four state income tax credits that help Arizona families. To take advantage of these credits, all you have to do is make a donation to a school tuition organization, a charity that serves low income citizens, and a public school district. Then, you can receive dollar-for-dollar credits on your state tax return for each of your donations.

Here is more information on each program:

Individual Tax Credits

l) Individual scholarship tax credit
Individuals may receive a tax credit of up to $503 and married couples may receive a credit of up to $1006 for donations to school tuition organizations (“STOs”). The STOs award scholarships to students whose parents have chosen to send them to a private school. Last year, this program provided over 25,000 scholarships to Arizona children.

CAP recommends Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization or TOPS for Kids.
(more…)

Continue reading Helping Arizona Families through Tax Credit Programs