Gov. Brewer Signs Two Arizona Chamber Priority Bills
May 11, 2010Governor signs bills improving regulatory process, raising bar for courtroom science
PHOENIX - Gov. Jan Brewer on Monday signed two priority bills of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, both of which make Arizona a better place to do business.
House Bill 2260 institutes sweeping reforms to Arizona's regulatory environment. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Andy Tobin (R-Paulden), further strengthens rulemaking improvements that Gov. Brewer put in place when she took office last year.
"We applaud Gov. Brewer for acting decisively to make Arizona's regulatory environment more competitive," Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice President of Government Relations Allison Bell said. "With her signature, the governor modernized Arizona's rulemaking process, cut red tape and helped to ensure that a rule's costs and benefits are clearly understood before it takes effect. We also extend our thanks to Rep. Tobin, who demonstrated tremendous leadership in shepherding this important bill from introduction to the governor's desk."
Gov. Brewer further advanced the state's business environment by signing SB 1189. Sponsored by Sen. Barbara Leff (R-Paradise Valley), this bill raises the threshold by which so-called expert testimony can be considered in court cases by moving the state to the Daubert standard.
Under Daubert, which is the standard for considering evidence in federal courts and in 37 other states, scientific evidence that hasn't been subject to peer review or that isn't the product of reliable principles and methods cannot be submitted.
"By moving our state to the Daubert standard, Gov. Brewer has helped to eliminate junk science in Arizona courtrooms," Bell said. "We thank the governor and Sen. Leff for working to create a legal environment that discourages fishing expedition lawsuits based on flimsy science."
# # #
back
