Rep. Greg Stanton addressed East Valley leaders and business community at the Tempe Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 State of the District, providing insight into his work in the federal government supporting workforce development, transportation and more.
Stanton, a Democrat who is up for reelection in November, was the featured speaker at the event April 3 at Rio Salado Community College. Tempe Chamber President and CEO Colin Diaz introduced the representative.
In his remarks, Diaz said Stanton would discuss his work in Washington along with his vision for Congressional District 4, the state and country.
The audience included members of Tempe and Chandler city councils and State District 12 Reps. Stacey Travers and Patty Contreras.
Rio Salado President Kate Smith welcomed Stanton to the event as well, highlighting the school’s value to the community and how the representative’s work with the CHIPS and Science Act has provided it with funding to expand its STEM curriculum.
“We are just so appreciative of your support of our work, of public education as a whole, for community colleges, and the extraordinary work you do to strengthen and unite our communities as our representative,” Smith said.
District updates
Stanton covered a range of pressing issues, talking about Arizona’s economic growth, investments in semiconductor manufacturing and workforce development through the CHIPS Act, water management, transit infrastructure, border security and immigration reform.
“There really is no better place to start or scale a business, work, live, raise a family than right here where we all are,” he said.
Stanton added 2023 was the strongest year for new business applications in Maricopa County, recording 83,000 submitted, which was complemented by historic lows in unemployment and a nearly 6% rise in wages across the state.
In his address, Stanton covered issues such as transportation, workforce development, immigration reform and more.
East Valley leaders and business community members gathered at Rio Salado Community College for the event.
Talking about his own work that contributed to the state’s economic comeback following the COVID-19 pandemic, Stanton pointed to his support of the $52 billion investment in semiconductor manufacturing through CHIPS and Science Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
“Arizona is now leading the entire United States of America in job growth in tech and advanced manufacturing thanks to the investments we made,” he said.
Of the CHIPS Act in particular, Stanton noted nothing has been as transformative for the state’s economy, as the single largest award through the legislation was announced recently, granting $8.5 billion in direct funding to Intel Corp., which has major operations in Chandler, and $11 billion in strategic loans.
What that means for Arizona is 6,000 construction jobs for manufacturing plants, 3,000 permanent factory worker jobs and over 100 CHIPS-related businesses across the state.
Local impacts
On a smaller scale, Stanton touched on local impacts, specifically with the city of Tempe, saying that economic investments are “not worth much” if the basics are not covered and protected.
“A long-term plan to protect Arizona’s water, strong investments in our transportation infrastructure to support a growing economy, and affordable housing so hardworking Arizonans can live where they work,” he said.
Stanton commended Tempe Mayor Corey Woods and Tempe City Council for their support of affordable housing initiatives, noting the federal government has contributed to creating 390 workforce housing units in Tempe, invested $500,000 for shelters and partnered to secure over $1.6 million for 100 affordable housing units in North Tempe.
Addressing the issue of water conservation, Stanton said Arizona has learned to manage water more effectively than anywhere in the county, having invested hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure to handle Colorado River shortages.
“Today, the Arizona Environmental Infrastructure Authority has delivered $45 million to more than 25 projects across the state,” Stanton said.
Projects of note include new wells in Tolleson, aquifer recharge in Maricopa and a new wastewater reclamation plant in the Yavapai-Apache Nation. He discussed his goals for the next year to expand funding by $400 million, supporting projects like the reopening of the Kyrene Water Reclamation Facility in Tempe.
“This project will make sure Tempe can provide residents with a clean and reliable water supply, recycling water to get more out of every job and protecting its water supply for years to come by banking treated water underground,” Stanton said.
In terms of transportation investments, he said Congress plans to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration, updating federal policies to make aviation systems safer and more efficient.
Chamber President and CEO Colin Diaz led a short Q&A following Stanton's remarks.
Independent Newsmedia/Caroline Yu
(Independent Newsmedia/Caroline Yu)
Local transportation highlights included Proposition 479, the expansion of the light rail system, an $80 million investment for Valley Metro to purchase zero-emission buses, investments to expand the Tempe Streetcar and the ongoing work to restore an Amtrak route between Tucson and Phoenix.
Stanton also touched on the need for border security in Arizona, saying a solution needs to be reached to create a safe environment for border communities. Addressing this, he said investments in more personnel and technology have been made to assist in drug searches.
“I believe that there’s opportunity still to pass (a) meaningful bipartisan immigration and border security (bill) — one that solves the crisis at our southern border and finally fixes our deeply broken, outdated immigration system in a way that lifts up our economy,” he said.
On immigration reform, Stanton said Congress needs to streamline the process to allow more highly skilled and educated workers to come into the country to meet the demands in the labor market, specifically in industries like agriculture and healthcare.
“I’m going to try to stay focused on what really matters, creating good jobs, good careers, growing our economy in a lasting sustainable way, making sure Tempe and the entire East Valley remain the best place to put down roots to raise a family,” Stanton said.
Following his address, Stanton and Diaz engaged in a brief Q&A where they discussed issues such as implications of the upcoming election in Arizona, retaining and finding a qualified workforce and the importance of passing Prop. 479.
Reporter Caroline Yu can be reached at cyu@iniusa.org. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Caroline Caroline Yu joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2020 as a summer intern covering Scottsdale. As an intern, she continued her coverage of Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Tempe. After graduating in 2022, Caroline became a full-time reporter for Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. She is currently reporting for the Tempe market.
Community: She is a supporter of the environment and tries to get involved with related community events.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications, with a minor in French.
Random Fact: She used to be a ballet dancer for 10 years.
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here