Week in Review: Open for Opportunity in Arizona

Maricopa County, Arizona, attracted more than 81,000 new residents this year—more than any other county in the country. The Grand Canyon State is a place where people want to make their homes, pursue their careers, and build their lives—and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey credits the efforts of the Goldwater Institute for helping to make the state such an attractive place to live and work.

In a new video, Governor Ducey says the Goldwater Institute has been a leader for the fight for freedom in Arizona. “The Goldwater Institute is focused on individual liberty and limited government, and that’s two of the principles that have made Arizona a better state, a more productive state, where people from all across the country are flocking to.”

Arizona’s state legislative session just ended earlier this week, and among the session’s biggest accomplishments was the passage of two laws—with Goldwater Institute support—that make it easier for people to earn a living. In April, Arizona became the first state in the nation to recognize occupational licenses from other states. In every other state, a worker who holds a license in one state and then moves to another is forced to go through more time-consuming and costly study and training just to be able to do their same job in their new home. Now, new Arizona residents won’t have to deal with the same high barriers in order to be able to continue their careers.

Then, just days later, Arizona freed blow-dry salon workers from unnecessary regulation. Blow-dry salon workers—stylists who dry and style hair, but do not cut, perm, or permanently alter hair—now no longer need to obtain a cosmetology license in order to do their job. Arizona is just the second state in the country—after Virginia—not to require such a license for blow-dry stylists. (Learn more about how this law is helping one Arizona blow-dry salon owner in a Goldwater Institute video here.)

As Goldwater Institute President and CEO Victor Riches recently wrote in the Daily Caller, Arizona is “an example for the nation—and a roadmap for other states to follow.” The Goldwater Institute’s efforts to develop legislation that expands opportunities for workers has helped to make Arizona a leader among states—with policies that truly benefit its workforce. That’s a route that other states would do well to take.

Leaders in Liberty Come Together in Scottsdale at Heritage Foundation Resource Bank

Joining the @Heritage #ResourceBank today to speak about how reforms like universal licensing recognition are making sure Arizona is #OpenForOpportunity pic.twitter.com/JczQruYEne

— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) May 29, 2019

Arizona’s economic success — and the Goldwater Institute’s leadership — took center stage in Scottsdale last week when Gov. Doug Ducey and Goldwater President and CEO Victor Riches spoke at the Heritage Foundation’s Resource Bank, an annual meeting of leaders in the conservative movement who come together to network, learn, and engage in meaningful debates about fostering opportunity and prosperity for all Americans. The Goldwater Institute was proud to participate and welcome attendees to Arizona.