Regulation

As our nation’s capital continues to expand its power at an alarming rate, many conservatives (including me) are seeking shelter in the power of the states to protect the liberty of their citizens, on issues ranging from health insurance to the right of a secret ballot in deciding whether to form unions.

The nationwide call for state autonomy has grown so passionate that some are attempting to hijack it for wicked purposes.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Corporation Commission has over-stepped its constitutional boundaries by making rules and regulations in areas our state founders never intended it to control, according to a new report from the Goldwater Institute.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Arizona Corporation Commission was established through the state constitution to regulate corporations, public utilities, securities, and other investments. But in an unprecedented move, the Arizona Corporation Commission sought to single-handedly determine alternative energy policy in Arizona with a bold and unconstitutional energy mandate in 2006. This mandate forced energy producers to embrace state-favored alternatives instead of deciding for themselves which options are most attractive in Arizona.

Last week, Governor Jan Brewer signed into law Senate Bill 1398, which mandates that local governments enforce their “coordination rights” against federal agencies. This new law enlists Arizona cities, counties and special districts in the fight against an overreaching federal government.

GILBERT, Ariz. -- A Maricopa County Superior Court judge began hearing a lawsuit Monday on whether the Arizona Board of Cosmetology can ban the practice of using toothless carp to remove dead skin during pedicures at one Gilbert salon.

A lawsuit filed by the independent government watchdog group the Goldwater Institute on behalf of salon owner Cindy Vong challenges whether the state can ban Vong from using Garra rufa fish, a 2-inch carp that doesn't have teeth.

The Arizona House Natural Resources and Rural Affairs Committee is considering an amendment to Senate Bill 1224 that would transfer the Arizona Office of Pest Management to the state Department of Agriculture. The amendment is based on a recommendation that came from the state Auditor General after that office was asked whether or not the Office of Pest Management should be moved. But, the Auditor General wasn’t asked the right question; the question really is: should the pest management office continue to exist?

The Goldwater Institute's Clint Bolick argued before a judge in the latest hearing on Goldwater's suit against the Board of Cosmetology for overstepping its authority and shutting down a spa owner for a giving fish pedicures.

Watch it here

Goldwater Institute attorney Carrie Ann Sitren was live on KTVK Channel 3 to explain two new lawsuits filed by the Goldwater Institute--one against the City of Tempe and one against the Arizona Board of Cosmetology.

Watch it here