Incoming Arizona House Speaker Steve Montenegro lays out priorities for next session
Nov 25, 2024, 4:45 AM
Steve Montenegro will be the next Arizona House Speaker. (Facebook Photo/Steve Montenegro)
(Facebook Photo/Steve Montenegro)
PHOENIX — There’s more than a month until the next legislative session kicks off, but incoming Arizona House Speaker Steve Montenegro already has his list of priorities.
Montenegro, who represents District 29 in the far West Valley as a Republican, told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Friday that he has three sticking points for the session.
“First of all, it’s protecting the American dream,” Montenegro said. “We want to make sure that we’re passing policies that help every Arizonan be prosperous and successful.”
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For Montenegro, that means passing a balanced budget that is focused on being economically friendly and creating jobs.
Arizona lawmakers passed a $16.1 billion state budget for fiscal year 2025 in June.
“It starts by making sure we have a sound budget,” Montenegro said. “The number one thing that the constitution has for us to do is to pass a balanced budget.”
What else does Steve Montenegro want to tackle in legislative session?
Montenegro, who replaces Ben Toma as speaker, said his second focus will be on public safety, specifically mentioning the border.
The legislature sent Proposition 314, which makes it a state crime to enter Arizona from Mexico outside a legal port of entry, to the ballot in November. The measure passed easily.
“We’ve got an issue where as a border state, from the moment you exit your door, you should be able to be safe from your front door to the border in a border state,” Montenegro said. “So that means your children being able to play safely in your front yard and your neighborhood communities. That’s law enforcement. We want to make sure we focus on it.”
Finally, Montenegro wants to look into how the legislature can protect individual rights and liberties.
“That’s something that Americans have spoken about time and again,” Montenegro said. “Government, stay out of our lives, stay out of my kitchen, my living room.
“We want to make sure we’re protecting parental rights, property rights, medical freedoms and school choice, allowing the best education for our kids.”
