Arizona Sen. Russell Pearce (R)

Phone: (602) 926-5760

Fax: (602) 417-3118

Office Address:
Room
1700 W. Washington
Phoenix, AZ 85007

I am a fifth generation Arizonan. I come from a blended family of 13 children. My wife, Luanne is one of seven children. We have five children and 13 grandchildren. I am currently a State Senator from Legislative District 18.
I was a Chief Deputy for 23 years with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the fourth largest Sheriff’s office in the nation, and was responsible for many innovations including "Tent City" for inmates that saved taxpayers millions of dollars in construction costs. I was shot and critically wounded in the line of duty and was the recipient of the Medal of Valor (highest award given in law enforcement for exceptional bravery). I was also nominated Deputy of the Year five times. I established no smoking jails which included removal of explicit magazines, and removal of PG-13 and R rated movies from the county jail.
I have two sons in law enforcement, Colten with the Gilbert Police Department and Sean with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. My son, Sean was shot and critically wounded while serving a homicide warrant on an illegal alien on Dec. 16, 2004. What made this so unusual was that I was at the Brookings Institute talking about the nation’s failed immigration policies in Washington D.C. when I was handed a note, stating, "There is an emergency at home, call immediately." I stepped off the stage, found a phone and called home to find that my son had been critically injured and was being air-evacuated to a hospital.
I was the Director of Arizona’s Motor Vehicle Division where I eliminated more than three million annual transactions, and reduced waiting time from over two hours to less than 20 minutes, which saved over $10 million annually in administrative costs. I authored “Service Arizona” to renew vehicle registrations and other transactions twenty four hours a day from a home computer to save taxpayers time and money.
I was the first North Mesa Justice of the Peace.
I was the Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.
In 2009 I was recognized as the number one legislator, “Hero of the Taxpayer” by the Americans for Prosperity, a taxpayer’s watchdog group. I have been consistently rated in the very top every year I have been in the legislature.
As a State legislator I was recognized by the Goldwater Institute as the number one legislator who proved to be the strongest ally against government encroachment on liberty.
I was one of only seven legislators in the nation and the only one in Arizona to receive the "Hero of the Taxpayer" award by the American Tax Reform Association, a national taxpayer and limited government association.
I am currently Chairman of the Arizona Senate's Appropriations Committee and proudly state that, “I am the gatekeeper, not the gift giver. Taxpayer money comes from the hard labor of Dads and Moms."
I am Arizona’s, and the nation’s, most outspoken advocate for stopping the illegal invasion, securing our borders and enforcing our laws.
In 2004 I was the architect of The Citizen’s Initiative known as Proposition 200, also known as Protect Arizona NOW (Arizona's Citizens and Taxpayers Protection Act), to require:
Proof of citizenship to register to vote
. The U.S. Constitution established more than 200 years ago that only citizens may vote. The initiative requires everyone equally to prove eligibility. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 requires states to strengthen the integrity of their voter rolls, as does Title 7, Section 12 of the Arizona Constitution.
Photo I.D. when voting
. Photo I.D. Is required to cash a check, apply for welfare, sign a lease, or get a rental card at a video store. Governor Napolitano vetoed the photo I.D. bill, stating it was illegal. Yet 11 states already have laws requiring I.D. when voting. Some laws have been on the books for decades.
Proof of eligibility to receive non-federal mandated public benefits
. This is already on the books. The initiative would require everyone to provide proof of eligibility equally. The Urban Institute studied this extensively in 1994, the University of Arizona in 2001, and estimated such costs to vary widely in the tens of millions of dollars.
I authored
:
Arizona’s Fair and Legal Employment Act; Arizona’s Employer Sanctions legislation, the toughest worksite enforcement bill in the nation to stop illegal employers and to protect jobs for Arizonans.
Proposition 100 in 2006, a Constitutional Amendment to refuse bond to any illegal alien who commits a serious crime in Arizona (passed by 78%).
Proposition 102 to require that an illegal alien who sues an American citizen cannot receive ANY punitive damages (passed by 75%).
Prop. 103 making English the Official Language of Arizona (passed by 72%).
TABOR, Arizona's Taxpayers Bill of Rights
Legislation to protect private property rights
Legislation to protect 2nd Amendment rights (A+ by the NRA and top ranked by the Arizona Citizens Defense League).
I sponsored
:
Proposition 102 the Marriage Amendment
Legislation to honor, respect and protect the life of the unborn
Tax reduction legislation (largest tax relief package in state history)
Regulatory reduction measures for business
Legislation to eliminate Affirmative Action by government (all government discrimination) SCR 1031 which will be on the November 2010 ballot
Educational background includes: BA in Management at the University of Phoenix; Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government; Motor Vehicle Legal and Law College; Advanced Executive Development, Arizona State University; Budget and Appropriations, University of Arizona; the Arizona Judicial College, Supreme Court of Arizona and over 2,000 hours of law enforcement training and executive and management training.
Address: P.O. Box 31987, Mesa, AZ 85275