Just when you thought you could use your personal property for anything you choose, democrats are once again trying to assert their will on you. Representative Warren Petersen, Arizona House Majority Leader, has introduced a 3-page bill to absolve property owners on the international border of the application process for building permits to construct a portion of border fencing.
House Bill 2084, co-sponsored by 15 representatives and 1 senator, does not require a property owner or a non-profit organization to obtain a building or construction permit if three conditions are met:
- A CITY OR TOWN SHALL NOT REQUIRE A NONPROFIT CORPORATION OR PROPERTY OWNER TO OBTAIN A BUILDING OR CONSTRUCTION PERMIT IF ALL OF THE FOLLOWING APPLY:
- THE PERMIT IS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF AN INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY WALL.
- THE PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION IS ON OR ADJACENT TO THE INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY LINE.
- THE LAND OWNER HAS PROVIDED WRITTEN CONSENT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION.
See bill text here: https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/54leg/2R/bills/HB2084P.pdf
The inspiration for HB 2084 comes from the We Build the Wall project chaired by one-time Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Veteran and Purple Heart recipient Brian Kolfage and former Congressional District 3 candidate Steve Ronnebeck.
In a radio interview on 6 January with 550 KFYI personality James T. Harris, Petersen discussed how a town in New Mexico issued a permit to the non-profit and then attempted to revoke the permit only to issue it 2 days later.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/may/28/we-build-wall-construction-stopped-sunland-park-ne/
Petersen is confident the bill will make it through even after hearing concerns of opposition to a physical barrier at the border.
His bill has support and opposition in Southern Arizona. The support comes from property owners and conversely the opposition comes from elected officials who, as Petersen said, “don’t want the wall down here.”
For those who are concerned with safety, Petersen addressed the issue during the interview that once wall construction was completed a private third-party inspector would certify via affidavit the wall met all applicable requirements.
Additionally, in his press release, Petersen addressed the issues of federal requirements to include environmental impact regulations.
In June 2017, Pima County Board of Supervisors issued a resolution in opposition to President Trump and the proposed border security fence:
https://pima.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=M&ID=539385&GUID=BEA2AFCE-4938-4B0B-92D7-EBFD78EF0573
In June 2018, Pima County Board of Supervisors issued a resolution condemning the Trump administration policy of separating children from their undocumented parents:
https://pima.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=M&ID=597996&GUID=ED8B68D2-BD15-4BD3-B7DF-262C27618D0E
In March 2019, Pima County Board of Supervisors issued a resolution supporting the City of Nogales’ demand to remove concertina wire from the international border fence:
https://pima.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=M&ID=644086&GUID=23FE5AF8-125B-436D-86EC-25CFB515B9E1
All three resolutions opposing President Trump and anything relating to border security have originated in District 5 currently represented by Supervisor Richard Elias.
Former Tucson city councilmember and now Mayor Regina Romero has also publicly opposed a physical barrier between the U.S. and Mexico.
https://kjzz.org/content/10693/tucson-pima-county-take-resolutions-opposing-border-wall