Andy Nichols - U.S. Public Health Service with Assignment to Peace Corps, Peru
Andy Nichols - U.S. Public Health Service with Assignment to Peace Corps, Peru
Arizona State Legislature Candidate
House - District 13
Andrew W. Nichols - Democrat
Background
Andy Nichols is a 44 year Arizona resident and professor of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. A physician, he is also the director of the University's Rural Health Office and the Arizona Area Health Education Center System. Nichols has a long history of community involvement, having served as president of the Arizona Public Health Association and the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Association, among others. He has chaired the editorial boards of the Journal of Rural Health and the National AHEC Bulletin. He has been, and is, on the board of numerous other organizations, including Habitat for Humanity and the Arizona-Mexico Commission.
Education
High School: Tempe, AZ A.B. (Honors): Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA M.D. (Medicine): Stanford Medical School, Stanford, CA M.P.H. (Health Services Administration): Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
Public Service, Community Involvement and Career Highlights:
Legislator, District 13, Arizona House of Representatives 1992 - Present Physician and Professor of Family and Community Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine Rural Health Office, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Director Former Congressional Fellow -- with Sen. Jacob Javits (R) and Rep. Andrew McGuire (D) -- U.S. Congress Arizona Public Health Association, Former President Public Health Committee, Arizona-Mexico Commission, Chairperson U.S.-Mexico Border Health Association, Former President First Christian Church, Elder, Trustee and Former Moderator Christian Church in Arizona, Former Moderator Leadership Tucson, Tucson Chamber of Commerce, Graduate Flecha Caida Homeowners Association, Former President Habitat for Humanity, Tucson, Former Board Member Sierra Club, Member Common Cause, Member U.S. Public Health Service with Assignment to Peace Corps, Peru, Commissioned Officer Community Organization for Drug Abuse Control, Former Board Member El Rio Neighborhood Health Center, Former Board Member
Legislative Committee Assignments Highlights
Andy Nichols has Served on the Following Standing Committees:
Education Environment Health Economic Development, International Trade and Tourism States' Rights and Mandates
Andy Nichols has Served on the Following Other Committees:
House Select Committee on Health Care Reform House Interim Rural Health Care Task Force Joint Study Committee on Avoidance of Ozone Violations Joint Legislative Committee on Energy Saving Devices and Services Arizona Task Force on the Reduction of Tobacco Purchases by Minors House Interim Committee on Bicycle Safety and Racing Wheelchairs Joint Legislative Study Committee on the Constitutional Regulation of Private Real Property Advisory Council on Perinatal Substance Abuse Study Committee on State Administration of Clean Water Act Permit Programs Environmental Education Curriculum Review Committee Tobacco Use Prevention Advisory Committee Joint Legislative Audit Committee Joint Legislative Committee on the Tobacco Tax and Health Care Fund International Trade and Tourism Advisory Board
home page: http://www.azstarnet.com/~Nichols Major Issues Faced
The major issues of the 1996 legislative campaign are related to education, health care and the environment, and how we generate the revenue properly to address these issues. My approach to public school funding and environmental issues is contained in response to the three common candidate questions which follow.
With regard to health care, every effort must be made to assure that more Arizonans have heath care insurance coverage. We also must insist that there be increased access to health services, using systems that are already in place, while ensuring quality and choice. Finally, there must be stronger behavioral and preventative health services provided through community health centers geared toward specialized needs of different neighborhoods and regional areas.
Other important issues include economic development and crime prevention. Sustained economic development must be addressed through increased financial support of small businesses, full tax equity for Pima County, increased consumer protection and homeowner tax relief.
Crime prevention must be closely addressed with neighborhood preservation, as the two are intimately associated. The most effective solution to crime focuses on prevention before incarceration; we need to concentrate on curbing criminal behavior before it begins. This can be successfully aided by increasing support for drug and alcohol abuse prevention and treatment programs, encouraging neighborhood participation in self-protection programs, and by funding education and public awareness campaigns. How do you propose to resolve the public school funding problems now facing Arizona
There are two basic public school funding problems in Arizona. The first problem is inequitable support of capital, and to a lesser extent, operating needs of our public schools. That is, we have too many "poor districts" along side more adequately funded districts, as reflected in both buildings and programs. To date, the legislature has only made a partial correction of the capital funding disparity, as required by the Arizona Supreme Court. It has done little or nothing to resolve the issue of program (maintenance and operation) disparity, which may require a realignment of the tax structure to correct.
The second major problem facing public school funding in Arizona is the simple fact that we underfund our schools. Until Arizona realizes that education is its best investment in the future, both for economic development and quality of life, we will forever be behind the curve. While no problem in government, including education, can be solved by simply "throwing money" at it, neither can an adequate education system be built without adequate financing. This is true for all levels of educational funding: K-12, community college and university. It is time Arizona reaffirm its traditional commitment to excellence in education and provide equivalent support. What are the most important environmental issues facing Arizona?
The most important environmental issues facing Arizona today are clean air; clean water, particularly ground water; adequate means for disposal of solid wastes; and the control of hazardous wastes. We can continue to face issue such as air pollution incrementally by using more highly refined fossil fuels and removing polluting vehicles from our streets, but we must also address more fundamental solutions. These include, but are not limited to, increased use of solar energy and alternative fuels.
As the ranking minority member of the House Environment committee and a long-time member of the recently de-funded (by veto of the governor) Arizona Commission on the Environment, I am deeply concerned about and involved in environmental issues. Last year I played a leading role in stopping the "Polluter Protection Bill" and the "Environmental Pits Bill," which together and in their original form, would have immunized polluters, institutionalized secrecy and transferred obligation for clean-up of toxic wastes to the public. I am pleased to say that these bills did not pass as introduced and reasonable alternatives are now being considered or have been passed in their place.
In addition to stopping bad legislation, I have exercised leadership in the promotion of solar energy and clean air. With respect to solar energy, I have been responsible for preservation of state funds for the Solar Village ("Civano"), reinstitution of a tax credit for the installation of solar energy devices and the preservation of the sales tax exemption for solar equipment. With respect to clean air, I have been an active proponent of alternative fuels legislation and continue to work on ways to assure reduction of the "brown cloud" that hangs over our cities. Moreover, I have actively defended and fought for clean water, including my successful opposition to previously mentioned legislation. What would you recommend to guarantee equity and fairness in the State's revenue package?
State revenue comes primarily from individual (income tax), property and corporate taxes. This historic mix of revenue sources should be retained, but the burden must be more equitably distributed. I have been a consistent opponent of a tax system which fails to treat fairly the entire population. Any tax cuts should be equitably distributed and not unduly favor the wealthiest of our citizens. When a tax cut proposal provides a Lexus for the wealthy and a lawnmower for the poor, it is a bad tax cut.
I have supported and voted for tax reductions in the past, but believe that these should be placed in context with educational, health and other social needs in our community. With reference to property tax cuts, I have spoken and written forcefully that these should be directed first and foremost to the homeowner and secondarily to small businesses. The shift in tax-burden from the wealthiest individuals and the largest corporations to the middle class wage earner and the homeowner, which has been so pronounced in the past few years, must be stopped and the process reversed.
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