The following column originally .

There is a concerted effort underway in Washington to undermine and overturn the very policies that have made states like ours economic leaders.

One of our states, Texas, does not have an income tax, while Arizona just a low flat income tax. Our states’ regulatory burdens are light, education innovation is encouraged, and parents have choices where they send their kids to school. We are also right-to-work states, meaning labor union membership is strictly voluntary.

That our states embrace policies like these makes it no coincidence that we regularly show up on lists of the country’s fastest-growing states or states that offer the best business environments.

But some officials on Capitol Hill and within the Biden administration have spent the past several months attempting to put handcuffs on our pro-growth strategy.

When the American Rescue Plan Act passed in March, Treasury officials told states they better not think about cutting taxes. The administration later that states could extend relief to their taxpayers under certain circumstances, which were laid out in a Treasury that makes its point in a brisk 150 pages.

Congress got in on the micromanagement act and added a dose of fealty to anti-school-choice special interests with buried in an appropriations bill that says public charter schools shouldn’t be able to contract with private sector entities like school lunch providers or back-office help if they want to maintain access to federal funds. Some schools might be forced to shut down and their students would be left in the lurch, but maybe that’s the point. Not surprisingly, the bill says nothing about educational quality or student performance.

Congress and the administration come together in bigfooting the states on the Protecting the Right to Organize, or , which would eliminate voluntary union membership and states’ right to work laws. The bill has and Senate Majority Leader (D-N.Y.) says he’ll bring his chamber’s version of the bill to a vote if he can convince a few more Democratic holdouts to come on board.

Not only does the PRO Act crowbar union-backed labor policy into states’ workplace laws, but it eviscerates labor mobility and worker choice.

Want to be an independent contractor? Not so fast, says the PRO Act, which attempts to bring California’s unpopular AB 5 law — which voters there amended last November after app-based gig workers protested — to the rest of the country, making it much harder to be an independent contractor. Fewer independent contractors means more potential union members.

These heavy-handed top-down approaches to lawmaking not only turn federalism on its ear, but they also create a drag on the post-pandemic economic recovery at the very moment we should be incentivizing creative thinking to spark job growth. Instead, Congress and the administration have embraced the tedious sort of policies that have caused millions of Americans to pull up stakes and move to more welcoming economic climates like ours.

Arizona and Texas have proven that if given the opportunity to innovate in our laboratories of democracy that we can help cultivate environments that encourage and accelerate job growth. If you’re looking for examples on how to bounce back after more than a year of pandemic-induced disruptions, look to our states.

Our states are moving quickly. We don’t expect that Washington will take a lesson from us, but it shouldn’t force us to adopt policies that will only slow us down.

Danny Seiden is the president and CEO of the Arizona ˿����Ƶ of Commerce & Industry. Glenn Hamer is the president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business.

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Glenn Hamer, who has served the Arizona ˿����Ƶ of Commerce & Industry as president and CEO since 2006 and who led the organization’s ascendence to become the state’s most influential business advocacy group, announced he will be departing his position to become the next president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business. 

Hamer’s 14-year tenure has been marked by tremendous growth for the ˿����Ƶ and dozens of public policy victories that have dramatically enhanced Arizona’s competitive standing, including the passage of two major economic development packages that resulted in a reduction in the state’s corporate income tax rate, lowered the commercial property tax assessment ratio, encouraged capital investment and more. 

Other policy accomplishments have included major reforms in education, health care, civil justice, the regulatory environment, water stewardship, and labor. 

Arizona now appears regularly on top-tier lists ranking state economies. 

TAB Board Chairman G. Brint Ryan, president and CEO of Ryan, an award-winning global tax services and software provider, says TAB is excited to welcome Hamer to lead the association’s efforts to bolster Texas’ reputation for having a welcoming business environment.

“As TAB Chairman for 2021, I’m very excited to work with our new CEO this year. Glenn brings a proven track record of success and I’m confident that he can lead us to a bigger, better, and more successful TAB,” Ryan said. “Texas needs and deserves a strong state chamber, and this is the first step we’re taking to make that happen.”

Throughout his time at the Arizona ˿����Ƶ, Hamer focused on elevating the state’s international profile, and was the state’s most vocal advocate for the passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, the successor agreement to NAFTA. He also has been a consistent proponent at a state and federal level for repairing and reforming the nation’s immigration system. 

“We have been so fortunate to have had Glenn at the helm of the ˿����Ƶ for the last 14 years. The Arizona business community could not have asked for a more talented, dedicated advocate,” Arizona ˿����Ƶ Chair Dawn Grove of Karsten Manufacturing said. “The entire membership of the ˿����Ƶ has had a friend in Glenn. We will miss him greatly, but we wish him only the best as he moves on to champion free enterprise and American competitiveness for businesses in another leading southwestern state. Texas’ job creators are lucky to have him.” 

The ˿����Ƶ’s membership ranks expanded greatly under Hamer’s leadership, and included the 2008 merger with the Arizona Association of Industries, now organized as the Arizona Manufacturers Council under the ˿����Ƶ umbrella. 

“It is no coincidence that Arizona’s manufacturing environment has experienced a significant expansion during Glenn’s tenure,” AMC Chair Mark Gaspers of Boeing Co. said. “Arizona is now a manufacturing hotspot for product sectors ranging from semiconductors to aerospace and defense, next generation cars and trucks, appliances, foods and beverages, and much more. Glenn’s combination of policy expertise, advocacy, and strategic organizational skills are second to none. Arizona’s manufacturers thank Glenn for all he’s accomplished and for leaving our state better than he found it.” 

Hamer credited the Arizona ˿����Ƶ’s members for the organization’s success.

“Leading the Arizona ˿����Ƶ of Commerce & Industry has been the honor of a lifetime,” Hamer said. “Even in the face of a global pandemic, the ˿����Ƶ is stronger today than it ever has been, and that’s because of our members. The board members and business leaders I’ve had the privilege to work with stood shoulder to shoulder with me as together we shaped the ˿����Ƶ into the influential voice for job creators it is today. I’ve also been blessed to have some incredible coworkers over the years who were absolutely essential to the ˿����Ƶ’s success.” 

Hamer’s accomplishments in Arizona earned him nationwide recognition. He chairs the U.S. ˿����Ƶ of Commerce’s Committee of 100, an assembly of the nation’s leading chambers. 

The Texas Association of Business, headquartered in Austin, is Texas’ state chamber of commerce, representing the business community at the state Capitol and before the Texas congressional delegation. 

“I am moving from one of the country’s top states for economic growth to another state with a strong, expanding and diverse economy,” Hamer said. “While I’m looking forward to this new challenge, leaving Arizona is not easy. I also thank my wife, Tali, for her support and contributions to the ˿����Ƶ’s success over the past 14 years. Together, we have been blessed by the mentorship and friendship of so many great Arizonans, and we could not ask for a better place to work and raise our young family. I know this state has only bright days ahead.” 

Hamer will remain in his current role until February 18, at which time an interim president and CEO will be named by the ˿����Ƶ board of directors while a nationwide search is conducted for a successor.

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