On March 7th, AASRA and Delta Kappa Gamma members came together on Zoom to learn about this year’s legislative session. We heard from Representative Kevin Volk (D) who is a first term legislator from southern Arizona. He talked about his experiences in his first session at the Capitol and some of his goals for this session.
Senator Mitzi Epstein (D) from the southeast Valley, spoke about the budget process and what she would like to achieve this session. Representative Matt Gress (R), from northeast Phoenix and Scottsdale, talked about his goals for increasing teachers’ salaries and renewing Prop 123.
John Moody, AASRA legislative consultant, provided an overview of the current legislative session and provided some insights into what he believes this session will accomplish. Daniella Smith, lobbyist and coordinator for the Arizona Retirement Security Coalition, detailed the work of the Coalition to protect the Arizona State Retirement System and briefly discussed ways that our members can become involved in the legislative process.
Our keynote speaker, Michelle Udall, associate superintendent at the Arizona Department of Education and former AASRA Legislator of the Year in 2019, outlined the work of her department to help schools and districts improve their students’ achievement. Be sure to mark your calendars for next year’s Legislative Awareness Day. If you have not signed up to receive our informational emails, you can do so by emailing our Executive Director Kristi Koziol at kkoziol22@yahoo.com .
Joe Carter, Legislative Liaison
