Governor Doug Ducey ceremonially signs Senate Bill 1441 on May 1, 2015. The bill was spearheaded by Copper Creek Elementary students and made into law during the regular legislative session. Listen:
Gov. Doug Ducey recently spent the day in Southern Arizona. During his trip he met with K-12 students in Oro Valley and talked with local business leaders.
In a sit down interview with Arizona Public Media, Ducey defended the tight budget the legislature passed and he signed. He said the state must “stop spending money we don’t have.”
The cuts enacted by the state budget put a larger financial burden on local governments. Pima County officials have criticized Ducey for those cuts saying it makes them raises taxes when the governor did not have the political will to do the same.
Ducey said he understands the frustration, but he is not forcing any government entity to raise taxes.
"I know our budget will require other leaders in our local communities, schools and universities to also make their own decisions and in many cases they also may not be popular," Ducey said. "But I fundamentally believe that as leaders, we need to leave this state and this country in a better place for our children than we found it."
The interview with Gov. Ducey originally aired on Arizona Week
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