Arizona residents may soon be paying a whole lot more for health care under the Affordable Care Act.

Arizona Association for Economic Development’s (AAED) 2016 policy priorities to expand economic development to make Arizona more competitive is well underway, AAED Executive Director Joyce Grossman recently told Arizona Business Daily.

As was the case with many state economies, the 2008 recession hit Arizona hard. Since then, however, the state has made a strong comeback.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) participated in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week to discuss his reintroduction of the Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency bill, or the FACT Act, with a focus on looking to further improve privacy issues of patients while still providing a “long overdue transparency” of asbestos trust funds.

The 107th Arizona town hall meeting, held in Mesa in November, focused on “keeping Arizona's water glass full” and addressed the last 15 years of drought, increasing population growth, federal regulatory oversight and growing environmental concerns.

Arizona State Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Glendale) plans to continue her efforts to protect homeowners from deceptive and misleading solar panel leases by introducing a follow-up bill to S.B. 1465 aimed at requiring clearer language in advertising and lease agreements.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey recently signed an executive order creating the Governor's Council on the Sharing Economy, which would welcome businesses such as Uber and AirBnB into the state with less debilitating regulations and a more nurturing environment for innovation.

Drawing off of the plethora of sunny days to power homes and businesses through solar power has been a success in Arizona, which is drawing more scrutiny from other states aiming to implement their own solar strategies. 

The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), which functions in an executive, legislative and judicial capacity within the state, is staying focused on its work despite recent controversies swirling about the public office.

Like a lot of state economies, the 2008 recession hit Arizona pretty hard. Since then, Arizona has made a strong comeback, and there is considerable business growth that creates a promising environment for more businesses in various industries to turn their heads toward the state.