Students FIRST (Fair and Immediate Resources for Students Today) was enacted July 9, 1998. This paper will focus on (1) the facts and direct rationale behind the payment for K-12 school construction from a pool of current general fund dollars, as mandated in the Students FIRST provisions; and (2) the implications and logical consequences of bonding versus paying for capital improvements with cash on an annual basis. 'Track 1' designates the status quo strategy of cash payment for capital improvements, while 'Track 2' represents a strategy for bonding that distributes the costs of the projects to taxpayers over the course of their useful life.

This report provides an assessment for fiscal year (FY) 2013 of the economic contribution of Arizona State University (ASU) to the city of Phoenix, Arizona. Estimates are presented for the jobs and incomes that are supported in the Phoenix economy by the spending of the university and its employees and students. The economic contribution to Phoenix of the spending by the university, its employees, and its students, in FY 2013 totaled more than 24,000 jobs, $1.1 billion in labor income, and nearly $1.8 billion in gross product.

This brief report provides conceptual perspectives on public investment using debt financing. Empirical evidence of the relationship between public investment and economic activity is provided, showing that moderate levels of debt do not impair economic growth and may provide a stimulus to growth. Arizona's public debt currently is low relative to national standards. Related to this low debt, public investment in infrastructure has fallen behind the state's population and economic growth over the last 15 years. Because of low interest rates and a construction slump that will reduce construction costs, current conditions are ideal for public investment using debt financing.

The initial $1.4 billion construction investment results in an immediate addition of $828 million to GSP and $700 million in labor income after controlling for resource and material acquisition from out-of-state sources. The in-state activity induces additional GSP generation of $1.1 billion and $711 million in labor income as the direct effects ripple through the Arizona economy.