Arizona Gov. Ducey to deliver his final State of the State on Monday

PHOENIX – Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey will deliver his final State of the State address Monday as a “swing for the fences” legislative session kicks off.

Ducey will speak from the House of Representatives in downtown Phoenix starting at 2 p.m. He can be heard live on KTAR News 92.3 FM, our app or online.

It will be his eighth State of the State address, a rare occurrence for Arizona governors. He will be the first governor since Bruce Babbitt, who served from 1978-1987, to deliver the annual address that many times.

Ducey said last week he planned to focus the speech on education, border security and water.

“This is going to be a swing for the fences session,” Ducey told The Associated Press. “It’s a big policy agenda.”

Ducey took office in 2015 with a pledge to cut taxes every year and get income taxes as close to zero as possible. He’s largely succeeded, culminating with his signing last year of a bill cutting taxes to 2.5% for everyone — a small cut for people with low incomes and a big boon for the wealthiest taxpayers.

That nearly $2 billion tax cut is on hold after critics collected enough signatures to give voters a chance to eliminate it later this year. To get around that, lawmakers are considering repealing it and replacing it with a new, potentially larger tax cut.

On top of taxes, the legislative session is likely to be dominated by a handful of topics including elections, education and water.

Majority Republican lawmakers who baselessly question the legitimacy of President Joe Biden’s presidency are eager to impose new rules and restrictions around voting, which Democrats fear will disenfranchise voters.

On education, Ducey has already said he wants to rein in the power of local school boards, and he’s spoken about the need to get children back on track after coronavirus school shutdowns. The school system also faces a major funding crisis due to a constitutional spending limit, which the state is projected to hit this spring.

With the state in a prolonged drought and a shortage of Colorado River water forcing cutbacks, Ducey is likely to unveil plans to try to address that issue. Lawmakers are also slated to consider spending big to shore up supplies, including potential new infrastructure.

Stay tuned after the speech for reaction with KTAR News Gaydos & Chad and Mike Broomhead. Listen online.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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