Week in Review: Goldwater’s Latest Win against Government Bullies

Matthew Fabay nearly lost his car to the government, even though he hadn’t done anything to run afoul of the law. But thanks to the Goldwater Institute, Matthew has gotten his car back—and it’s Goldwater’s latest victory against the unfair practice of civil asset forfeiture.

In February of this year, government took away Matthew’s SUV after his sister’s fiancé was arrested while borrowing the truck, planning to forfeit it. But after Matthew sought the help of the Goldwater Institute, government agreed to give him back his vehicle. “Without Goldwater, I don’t think I would ever have gotten my truck back,” Matthew said. This welcome news comes just on the heels of Goldwater’s success in reforming Arizona’s unjust forfeiture law. Earlier this month, Governor Doug Ducey signed Goldwater’s sweeping reform of Arizona’s civil asset forfeiture laws, setting an example for other states to follow.

Matthew is just one of many innocent Americans harmed by civil asset forfeiture laws every year. Under these laws, government can take and hold the property of Americans, even when they haven’t done a thing wrong. Millions of dollars’ worth of property are forfeited this way each year. It’s time we put a stop to these laws—and you can learn more about what the actions the Goldwater Institute is taking to do just that here.

Will Congress Take Action to Help Military Families Get to Work?

For military families, frequent moves from state to state are a fact of life—and that means that many military spouses are constantly having to go through additional time and training in their new state just to do a job they’re already licensed to do. Many states have adopted the Goldwater Institute’s landmark Breaking Down Barriers to Work legislation to make it easier for military spouses to continue in their careers when they move from one state to another. And now, a newly introduced federal bill promises to bring this important reform to all military families across the country.

Senator Mike Lee recently introduced the Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act, a bipartisan federal reform designed to ease the pathway to occupational licensure for military spouses. This legislation would amend the Servicemember Civil Relief Act to ensure that military spouses with valid professional licenses can re-license at a similar level in the state where their spouse is currently serving on military orders. You can read more about this important bill at In Defense of Liberty.

The Goldwater Institute has long advocated for the universal recognition of occupational licenses, developing state-level legislation to benefit military families and skilled professionals alike. Since 2019, more than 15 states have adopted Goldwater’s Breaking Down Barriers to Work legislation. In Arizona alone, more than 3,100 individuals have benefited from the law since it went into effect less than two years ago.

You can learn more about Breaking Down Barriers to Work and the positive impact it’s having here.

TUESDAY: Join Us for a Special Healthcare Innovation Luncheon!

Attention Phoenix friends: We invite you to join us for a special luncheon hosted by the Goldwater Institute and the Pacific Research Institute this Tuesday (May 25) at 11:00am MST on the future of healthcare innovation in America.

Pacific Research Institute President & CEO Sally Pipes and Goldwater Institute Director of Healthcare Policy Naomi Lopez will be discussing real solutions for improving quality, access, and affordability for healthcare—ones that focus on dismantling government obstacles and putting cutting-edge medical discoveries quickly into the hands of doctors and patients. Goldwater has been leading the way in devising solutions like these, and you can read more about our proposals in our recently released blueprint on healthcare reform here.

To learn more about next week’s luncheon and to get your ticket, click here. We hope to see you there!