PHOENIX, ARIZ. (February 1, 2024) — The Arizona Association for Economic Development (AAED) recently presented its 2023 Economic Development Champions Awards, recognizing legislators for their efforts in sponsoring legislation aimed to benefit economic development efforts throughout Arizona. Receiving the awards were Representative Michael Carbone (R – Buckeye), Representative Marcelino Quiñonez (D – Phoenix), Senator Ken Bennett (R — Prescott), Senator Eva Burch (D – Mesa).
The awards were presented at AAED’s annual Policy Impact Celebration, sponsored by SRP and held at the Greater Phoenix Economic Council’s offices. Since 2014, AAED has honored legislators with its Economic Development Champion Award, celebrating elected officials who have championed bills and causes that are important to Arizona’s economy.
Below is a summary of why each representative was selected for the honor:
Representative Michael Carbone served as the primary sponsor of last year’s infrastructure bill (HB 2809), an important piece of legislation designed to encourage the development of infrastructure to attract major advanced manufacturing investments.
As the House Minority Whip, Representative Marcelino Quiñonez secured votes for the reauthorization of the Maricopa County Regional Transportation Tax, legislation critical to funding street and highway projects, along with public transportation. Through her efforts, the legislation heads to voters this November as Prop 479 and asks them to extend the transportation tax for two decades.
A respected healthcare and public education advocate, Senator Eva Burch took over as Minority Whip during her freshman year as an Arizona Legislator and has since introduced a number of bills focused on improving healthcare and school safety.
As the Senate Education Committee Chair, Senator Ken Bennet led the effort to include STEM education funding into the state budget, an essential investment in workforce development needed to support the continued growth of Arizona.
The awards were presented by Skip Becker, president of AAED and Becker Development and Consulting, AAED Government Affairs Committee Chair Mark Mitchell, and Fareed Bailey, Senior Representative of Government Affairs for SRP.
About the Arizona Association for Economic Development
AAED, founded in 1974, has a mission to serve as Arizona’s unified voice for responsible economic development through professional education, public policy, and collaboration. For more information on AAED, visit www.aaed.com or call (602) 240-2233.