When Jim Griset proposed to build a small, boutique hotel in downtown Prescott, Ariz.’s historic district, the project met every requirement in the city’s code. But a city commission repeatedly rejected Jim’s project anyway, not based on objective rules but on subjective and constantly changing standards. That’s illegal, so the Goldwater Institute stepped in.
Goldwater attorneys highlighted the city’s obligations under Arizona’s Permit Freedom Act, a Goldwater Institute law that ensures cities use clear, objective, and pre-existing rules when deciding permit applications. After an independent reviewer confirmed that there was no legal basis for denying Jim’s permit, the Prescott City Council reversed the commission’s decision and greenlighted the project.
The Goldwater Institute helped pass the Permit Freedom Act precisely because property owners like Jim deserve rules that are fair, objective, and consistently applied.
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Before entering politics, Michigan state Rep. Jamie Thompson spent years as a nurse caring for people who were fighting for their lives. That’s why Thompson is now fighting in the Michigan Legislature to pass the Right to Try for Individualized Treatment Act, legislation that would allow rare-disease patients to access medicine made just for them based on their genetics, even if it hasn’t been approved yet by the FDA.
With the help of the Goldwater Institute, Thompson took to the pages of the Detroit News this week, explaining that “for too many patients, especially those facing some of the world’s most deadly illnesses, the greatest obstacle isn’t their illness, but the regulatory system standing in their way.”
The Right to Try for Individualized Treatments Act, or Right to Try 2.0, builds on the success of Goldwater’s original Right to Try Act, which was passed in 41 states before it was signed into federal law in 2018. Already, 16 states have taken the next step to ensure that patients with rare diseases are not denied access to potentially life-saving treatments because of bureaucratic obstacles.
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If a state leader plans to spend tens of thousands of public dollars suing local businesses for allegedly engaging in an illegal scheme, shouldn’t taxpayers be entitled to know if anyone has even complained about the purported conspiracy? Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes apparently doesn’t think so.
This week, the Goldwater Institute sued Mayes to compel her to comply with Arizona’s Public Record Law and to release documents detailing the number of complaints her office received before filing a lawsuit last year against nine residential landlords and RealPage, a property-management software company. Mayes accused the landlords and RealPage of colluding to artificially raise rents. But when the Goldwater Institute filed a records request for the number of complaints her office received—no names, no private information, just the number—Mayes denied the request, claiming that even the number is confidential.
Taxpayers have a right to know how the government is spending their money and pursuing justice in their name. That’s why the Goldwater Institute will continue to demand transparency and to hold the government accountable.
Read more here.
On Nov. 21, the Goldwater Institute’s Timothy Sandefur will sit down with Dr. Mark Skousen for a live webinar to discuss The Greatest American, his new book on Benjamin Franklin. They will discuss Franklin’s views on trade, slavery, and the Constitution, as well as his timeless legacy.
It’s not too late for you to sign up to join the discussion! Register here to reserve your spot.
