Russell Pearce (R-AZ-6)

Russell Pearce Congressional Candidate Arizona District 6

Biography of Russell Pearce, information provided by Pearce For Arizona

Russell Pearce is one of 13 children (a blended family) and Wife, Luanne is one of 7 children. They have five children and 14 grandchildren.

As a state legislator, He has written and sponsored some of most impacting legislation in the nation and have helped change the debate in Washington D.C., including SB1070, Employer Sanctions toughest law in the nation going after illegal employers (just upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 5 to 3 decision), Proposition 200 to stop voter fraud and welfare fraud, Proposition 107 to eliminate Affirmative Action in Arizona, Freedom to Carry Act making Arizona #1 in the nation in 2nd Amendment freedom and many more.

Statement by Phoenix Law Enforcement Association: “Since SB1070, Phoenix has experienced a 30-year low crime rate. 600 police vacancies, budget cuts, and old policing strategies didn’t bring about these falling crime rates. SB1070 did. When hard-working rank-and-file Phoenix Police Officers were given access to the tool of SB1070, the deterrence factor this legislation brought about was clearly instrumental in our unprecedented drop in crime. And all of this without a single civil rights, racial profiling, or biased policing complaint. To ignore the positive impact of SB1070 in the City of Phoenix is to ignore the huge elephant in the middle of the room.”

He is a fifth generation Arizonan. He spent 23 years with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, achieving the rank of Chief Deputy.

Served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from 1967 to 1969

He honorably served in the Arizona Army National Guard, from 1965 to 1972.

He was shot and critically wounded in the line of duty, nominated Deputy of the Year five times, recipient of the Medal of Valor (highest award given in law enforcement for exceptional bravery); Chief Deputy of the fourth largest Sheriff’s office and county jail in the nation, responsible for many innovations including the “Tent City” for prisoners that continues to save taxpayers millions of dollars in construction costs and makes sure the “NO Vacancy” never goes up, moving to a “no” smoking jail, removing all questionable sexually and violent content material from the jails, etc.

Positions and Awards:

As Director of Arizona’s Motor Vehicle Division, he eliminated more than 3 million annual transactions, and reduced waiting time from over two hours to less than 20 minutes (saved over $10 million annually in admin costs), and did this with no budget increase. Developed and implemented “Service Arizona” an online and telephone service delivery for renewal transactions, making MVD services available from your home 24/7 and saving taxpayers millions of dollars and saving time and money for the customer.
North Mesa Justice of the Peace. Set up and ran the court as its first Justice of the Peace.
Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety for Governor Fife Symington.
As a State legislator was recognized by the Goldwater Institute as the #1 legislator who “proved to be the strongest ally…against government encroachment on liberty.”
Recognized by the Arizona Taxpayers Association as the #1 Friend of the Taxpayer and consistently ranks as one of the top supporters of the taxpayer.
In 2004 he 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.
Recipient of the Friend of the Family award since its inception.
Currently chairman of the Senate’s Appropriations Committee and he proudly states “I am the gate keeper not the gift giver, money comes from the labor of Dads and Moms who have an inherent right to keep their earnings.”
One of Arizona’s (the nation’s) most outspoken advocates for stopping the illegal invasion, securing our borders and enforcing our laws.

Notable Background

His son Sean Pearce, a Deputy Sheriff, was also shot in the line of duty, by an illegal alien while serving a homicide warrant on an illegal alien on Dec. 16, 2004. He was shot in the chest and stomach. He was critically wounded, but has recovered and has been released back to work full time.

What made this so unusual was that Representative Pearce was at the Brookings Institute talking about our nation’s failed immigration policies in Washington D.C. at the podium when he was handed a note, stating, “There is an emergency at home, call immediately.” He stepped off the stage, found a phone and called home to find that our son had been critically shot and was being Air-Evacuated to a hospital.

Educational background includes a 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; and the Arizona Judicial College, Supreme Court of Arizona.

His Record

He has a record of standing up for the Tax Payer, Families and Efficient Government, for having the courage to take on the tough issues and defend the Rule of Law and put Arizona/America First. In his 35 years in the Criminal Justice System, he has always been fair, honest, efficient, effective, innovative, passionate, assertive and loyal to the citizens and taxpayers he serves.

He was the architect of the immigration initiative Proposition 200, known as Protect Arizona NOW, and was Co-Chair of the “Yes on Proposition 200” Committee.
He wrote the Employer Sanctions legislation, the toughest worksite enforcement bill in the nation, “The Fair and Legal Employment Act”.
He authored Proposition 100 in ’06, a Constitutional Amendment to refuse bond to any illegal alien who commits a serious crime in Arizona (passed by 78% of Arizona voters).
He authored Proposition 102 to require that any illegal alien who sues a Citizen cannot receive ANY punitive damages.
Authored Prop. 103, making English the Official Language of Arizona.
Author of TABOR, Arizona’s Taxpayers Bill of Rights (several years in a row)
Prime sponsor of Proposition 102 the Marriage Amendment
Prime sponsor on legislation to honor, respect and protect life of the unborn children
Prime sponsor of legislation to protect private property rights
Prime sponsor of legislation to protect 2nd Amendment rights
Prime sponsor of tax reduction legislation (largest tax relief package in state history)
Prime sponsor of regulatory reduction measures for business
Prime sponsor of a Taxpayers Bill of Rights
Prime sponsor of legislation to eliminate Affirmative Action by government (All government discrimination)

DEFENDING FAITH, FAMILY AND FREEDOM ABOVE ALL ELSE.

“The character of its people measures the greatness of our nation. We live in a Constitutional Republic based on moral law, freedom and personal responsibility, and this includes limited government. The best thing we can do for our families is reducing the burden of government and protect the traditions of families and parental rights.”

Employment History:

11 years in the Arizona legislature, serving as President of the Arizona Senate;
23 years as a Maricopa County Deputy Sheriff;
North Mesa Justice of the Peace;
Chief Deputy Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office;
Pro-Tem Judge for Maricopa County Justice Courts;
Director Governors Office of Highway Safety;
Director Arizona State Motor Vehicle Division;

Educational Background:

B.A. Management, 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;
Arizona Judicial College, Supreme Court of Arizona;
Additional over 2000 house of specialty training and Executive and advanced training.

As a State legislator R-18, Mesa:

Recognized as a national leader and speaker on immigration enforcement, states rights and states inherent authority under the Constitution.
As President of the Senate, he produced a balanced budget (no borrowing or gimmicks) in record time, the first balanced budget in years
Brought about the strongest bill on transparency in government ever produced in Arizona
Worked with Governor Brewer in the largest “jobs” bill in Arizona History to bring jobs to Arizona
Sponsored the largest tax reduction bill in State history in Arizona
Recognized by the NFIB the largest business group in Arizona as the top legislator in promoting business and jobs in Arizona
2009 legislator of the year by Americans for Prosperity
He was recognized as the top (#1) legislator by the Americans for Prosperity as Hero of the Taxpayer.
He has been consistently rated in the top every year that he has been in the legislature
He was recognized by the Goldwater Institute as the #1 legislator who “proved to be the strongest ally…against government encroachment on liberty”
He was rated the #1 legislator by the Pachyderm’s Coalition, a Reagan Republican Coalition
He 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
One most outspoken advocates for stopping the illegal invasion, securing our borders and enforcing our laws

In ’04 He 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 that 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. Gov. 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
He 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 legal citizens of Arizona; just upheld by the U..S. Supreme Court as Constitutional and Proper by a 5 to 3 decision.
In ’06 he authored Proposition 100, a Constitutional Amendment to refuse bond to any illegal alien who commits a serious crime in Arizona (passed by 78%)
In ’06 he authored Proposition 102 to require that any illegal alien who sues an American Citizen cannot receive ANY punitive damages (passed by 75%)
In ’06 he authored Prop. 103 making English the Official Language of Arizona (passed by 72%)
In ’10, SB1070: he sponsored the toughest immigration enforcement legislation in the nation, SB1070 Arizona’s Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhood Act.
1. The new Arizona law actually codifies federal law into state law, which already requires aliens (non-citizens) to register and carry their documents with them (8 USC 1304(e) and 8 USC 1306(a)). The new Arizona law simply states that violating federal immigration law is now a state crime as well.
2. Because illegal immigrants are by definition in violation of federal immigration laws, they can now be arrested by local law enforcement in Arizona.
3. The law only allows police to ask about immigration status in the normal course of “lawful contact” with a person, such as a traffic stop or if they have committed a crime. Federal law does not provide this additional protection to civil liberties.
4. Estimates from the federal government indicate that more than 80 percent of illegal immigrants come from Latin America. Thus; there is concern that police may target only Hispanics for enforcement.
5. Before asking a person about immigration status, law enforcement officials are required by the law to have a lawful contact/a violation of law and “a reasonable suspicion” that a person is an illegal immigrant. The concept of “reasonable suspicion” is well established by court rulings. Since Arizona does not issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, having a valid license creates a presumption of legal status. Examples of reasonable suspicion include:
  1. A driver stopped for a traffic violation has no license, or record of a driver’s license or other form of federal or state identification, or a Matricular card, that its only constituency are illegal aliens, anyone legally in the U.S can get state issued ID.
  2. A police officer observes someone buying fraudulent identity documents or crossing the border illegally.
  3. A police officer recognizes a gang member back on the street who he knows has been previously deported by the federal government.
  4. The law specifically states that police, “may not consider race, color or national origin” when implementing SB 1070. Again, a restraint not in federal law and an additional protection to one’s civil liberties.
  5. When Arizona’s governor signed the new law, she also issued an executive order requiring the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board to provide local police with additional training on what does and what does not constitute “reasonable suspicion.” By the way that has been part of law enforcements training from the beginning of their career.

Other Bills and related

He authored TABOR, Arizona’s Taxpayers Bill of Rights
He sponsored Proposition 102 the Marriage Amendment
He sponsored legislation to honor, respect and protect life of the unborn
He authored legislation to protect private property rights
He authored legislation to protect 2nd Amendment rights (A+ by the NRA and top ranked by the Arizona Citizens Defense League
He sponsored tax reduction legislation (largest tax relief package in state history)
He sponsored regulatory protection measures for business from organized labor
He sponsored SB1108 Freedom to Carry/Constitutional Carry which allows law abiding citizens their Constitutional right to carry, open or concealed
He sponsored the Constitutional Amendment to eliminate Affirmative Action by government (All government discrimination) SCR 1031 which passed overwhelmingly in 2010 by the voters of Arizona.
A+ rating from NRA.
100% voting record on pro life legislation
“Friend of the Family” by AZ Family Project in every single year
Introduced a “Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment” to require Truth in Budgeting, transparency for taxpayers, stopping gimmicks and requiring government to not spend more money than it takes in.
Expanded Arizona’s Gang & Immigration Task Force (GIITEM) by over 200 officers and broadened their mission.

MVD Director

600,000 fewer drivers license issued due to the first state in the Nation to implement; “Extended Drivers License”
500,000 fewer annual registration renewals due to, “Biennial Registration”
225,000 trailers not registered annually due to “Lifetime Registration of small trailers”
1,100,000 3rd party “Privatized Transactions”
140,000 tax reports eliminated “major tax reform in reporting, and weight and Distance elimination
200,000 fewer licenses issued annually by requiring “Legal Presence in U.S.” to get an Arizona Drivers License (he wrote and passed legislation to require legal presence in the U.S.).
200 permanent fleets (3 or more vehicles) for a total of 60,000 vehicles
250,000+ Out of State Driver Testing Eliminated
Created Service Arizona: The first state in the Nation to develop multi-channel alternatives for registration of vehicles and other transactions “on line” over the Internet or telephone. A partnership with IBM that saves the taxpayers millions of dollars annually and allows for the conducting of certain transactions 24 hours 7 days a week right out of their home. (Over 2 million annual transactions)
Over 3 year period ’96,’97 & ’98 generated over $175 million additional/accelerated revenue above forecast directly related to MVD special projects.
Increased office hours to customer by over 20% (opened 7a – 6p weekdays and Saturday hours at selected offices)
No increase in MVD’s appropriated budget for the last 5 years with 65% growth in initial transactions and yet reduced wait times by over 400%.
Implemented a “National Motor Vehicle Title Information System” (NMVTIS) for law enforcement and consumer protection that will track a vehicle from manufacturer to crush to eliminate consumer fraud and auto theft.
Motor Carrier Tax Reform implemented reducing administrative requirements ($20 million savings for industry)
Successfully implemented the state’s largest merger by incorporating Maricopa County Auto License Department into the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division.
Reduced wait times over 50 % during the first 18 months as Director of the Motor Vehicle Division.
Reduced the Administrative cost of MVD by $10 million annually
Through improved regulatory compliance, They registered approx. 584,402 vehicles in fiscal year 1998 resulting in additional revenues of $9,627,264.
IBM presented MVD with their “e-business” international award recognizing the Division for leadership for introducing “Service Arizona” electronic services for customer convenience.
Established on-line system for law enforcement “Watch your Car” campaign to add citizens in auto prevention program.
First state in the nation to offer electronic registration renewals of vehicles over multiple channels (Internet and phone).
First in the nation to design and market vehicle value calculation of software to dealerships
First in the nation to be year 2000 compliant with the title and registration system (estimated cost millions of dollars by ADOA, we did it without an additional appropriation through my MVD special projects team.
MVD’s Competitive Government Program that he initiated is recognized as a national model by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.
MVD’s enhanced Vehicle Inspection Program on vehicles in 1997 resulted in approximately 1200 stolen vehicles recovered (first year).
Introduced, plate and fee to owner concept to the legislature, passed after he left MVD. MVD just received Governors top award for the program along with the “Service Arizona” program.
Along with many other initiative programs to reduce the size of government and to make it more efficient and effective.

North/Mesa Justice Court

Appointed by Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to set up and run a brand new Justice Court; North Mesa Justice Court in April, 1991. Rated by the Courts as one of the most efficient courts in Maricopa County.

Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office; Chief Deputy:

He was nominated 5 times as Deputy of the Year, received the very highest honor in law enforcement, “The Medal of Valor” for exceptional bravery while critically shot and pursuing gang members that shot me. Also he has two sons in law enforcement and Sean with the Sheriff’s Office also received “The Medal of Valor”, and he believes they are the only Father and Son in Arizona to have both received this award, which is the highest award given in law enforcement.
Authored, Created and developed “Tent City” while Chief Deputy for Maricopa County Sheriff’s office, which received local and national attention and awards and saved millions of dollars in new jail construction cost.
Sponsor of the initiative for constitutional amendment on victims’ rights.
Created the Sheriff’s Youth Assistance Foundation to create positive interaction between youth and law enforcement and raised over ½ million dollars and helped thousands of youth in its first year.
Wrote and lobbied Arizona Automated Fingerprint Identification (AFIS), hailed as one of the best and innovative law enforcement tools for catching criminals and paid for this through surcharges on fees and fines from bad guys.
Created a self funding system to off-set the taxpayers cost to housing inmates in county jails, – millions of dollars to County Sheriff’s from commissary sales and charge a call phone system to offset prisoner expense.
Created the Arizona Auto Theft Authority, multi jurisdictional task force, vertical prosecution and community based programs to reduce auto theft, without additional tax dollars, funded by insurance companies. This year (’06), it just received a national award for being the most effective program of its kind in the nation.
Implemented “no smoking” jails in Maricopa County.
Instituted community oriented policing through Maricopa County Sheriff’s office jurisdiction.
Assisted in authoring statutes covering DUI, pawn shops, K-9, and prisoner reimbursement to save taxpayers dollars.
Helped develop the first Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Citizens Academy.
Implemented program budgeting for Sheriff’s office, modified zero based budgeting.
Authored and lobbied the first watercraft statutes, including Operating Under the Influence.
Wrote the emergency response manuals for Palo Verde Nuclear Plant.
Wrote most of ARS Title 11 legislation including Sheriff’s Reserve and Posse to function with authority and protection under A.R.S.
Developed the first aviation (helicopter) program for Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
Developed first bicycle patrol in Maricopa County.
Responsible for creation of Sheriff’s office and FBI “Desert Hawk Fugitive Task Force” one of the most successful in the nation.

Other:

Helped write and implement some of the toughest DUI legislation in the nation.
Director of The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety:
- Expanded DUI Task Force into statewide effort.
- Promoted alcohol “Zero Tolerance” for youth under 21 – statewide campaign.
Received national recognition and a national award for an Hispanic outreach program to reduce alcohol abuse among Hispanics