Michiel "Mike" Montiel

I believe good policymaking begins with evidence before ideology and requires decision makers to actively seek out expertise, including perspectives that challenge their assumptions.

As a legislator, I would support stronger, routine connections between the Legislature and Arizona’s universities, community colleges, scientific institutions, Tribal governments, professional associations, and researchers working directly in our communities. For major policy proposals involving areas such as water, public health, education, energy, wildfire, emerging technologies, or environmental management, I would seek input from relevant subject-matter experts early in the legislative process, not after legislation has already been written. I also support greater use of nonpartisan research staff, scientific advisory panels, public expert testimony, and legislative working groups that bring researchers together with community members, practitioners, businesses, and affected stakeholders.

Just as importantly, we should evaluate policies after they are implemented. Whenever practical, legislation should establish measurable outcomes, appropriate data collection, and opportunities for periodic review so we can determine whether a policy is actually accomplishing its intended purpose.

Science should not be partisan. Evidence cannot make every value judgment for elected officials, but it should clearly inform the choices before us. When credible new evidence shows that an existing policy is ineffective, I believe policymakers should be willing to change course.

Federal science funding is one of the most powerful ways we can turn research into new industries, better jobs, and practical solutions to Arizona’s challenges. As a state legislator, I would work to make Arizona more competitive for those investments and ensure their benefits reach communities across the state.

I support strengthening partnerships among Arizona’s universities, community colleges, Tribal governments, national laboratories, local governments, nonprofits, and private employers to pursue federal research, demonstration, and innovation grants. The state can help by providing strategic matching funds, technical assistance for grant applications, and infrastructure investments that make Arizona projects more competitive. I would particularly prioritize research and commercialization in areas where Arizona has both significant challenges and opportunities: water conservation and reuse, wildfire and forest restoration, drought-resilient agriculture, semiconductor and advanced manufacturing, renewable and nuclear energy technologies, mining remediation, public health, biotechnology, and responsible artificial intelligence.

Federal investment should also create opportunities beyond the laboratory. I want research funding connected to apprenticeships, internships, community college credentials, small business development, and pathways that allow Arizona students and workers to participate in the industries that research creates.

Finally, I would advocate strongly with Arizona’s congressional delegation for sustained federal investment in basic and applied science. Scientific discovery is a long term investment, but when we connect research, education, entrepreneurship, and workforce development, those dollars can produce benefits for Arizona communities for generations.

Arizona’s environmental challenges are interconnected, so our response should be as well. I support policies that improve water security, reduce extreme-heat risks, restore damaged lands, and require major industries to account for the resources they consume.

On water, I support stronger conservation standards, expanded reuse and recharge, watershed restoration, forest-health projects that protect our headwaters, and better groundwater monitoring and planning. New high water use developments, including data centers, should demonstrate that they have a sustainable water strategy and should not be allowed to undermine the long term water security of surrounding communities.

For extreme heat, I support investments in urban shade, trees, cooling infrastructure, heat-resilient buildings, emergency-response planning, and protections for workers exposed to dangerous temperatures.

Arizona also has a responsibility to address the legacy of mining. I support stronger reclamation requirements, enforcement of cleanup obligations, remediation of abandoned and contaminated sites, and investment in technologies that can reduce waste and recover useful materials where that can be done safely. I also believe environmental investment can create economic opportunity. Watershed restoration, wildfire mitigation, mine remediation, water infrastructure, and clean energy projects can support skilled jobs and workforce training throughout rural Arizona.

Economic development and environmental stewardship should not be competing goals. Arizona can pursue both by requiring responsible resource use, measuring outcomes, and ensuring that growth leaves communities stronger rather than passing environmental costs on to future generations.

Yes. Arizona should treat infectious disease prevention as basic public infrastructure. Our goal should be to prevent outbreaks when possible, identify them quickly when they occur, and give communities reliable information and resources to respond.

I support maintaining strong disease-surveillance systems, adequately funding state and county public-health departments, improving communication between healthcare providers and public agencies, and ensuring access to rapid testing, contact tracing, and outbreak response capacity, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

Vaccination remains one of our most effective tools for preventing diseases such as measles. I support evidence based immunization policies while placing strong emphasis on access, education, and public trust. Families should be able to easily obtain accurate information, speak with qualified healthcare professionals, and access recommended vaccines regardless of income or geography.

We also need to communicate better. Public health officials should explain not only what they recommend, but why, what evidence supports the recommendation, what uncertainties exist, and how individual decisions affect vulnerable members of the community. Trust is built through transparency and conversation, not simply instructions.

Finally, Arizona should regularly evaluate outbreak responses and use the resulting data to improve preparedness. Public health works best when scientists, healthcare professionals, schools, families, and community leaders are working together before a crisis occurs, not meeting for the first time during a public health emergency.

Yes. I support reasonable, age appropriate safeguards for young people using social media, particularly around data privacy, targeted advertising, addictive design features, and greater transparency about how algorithms promote content. However, regulation should not be developed only by adults talking about young people. Young people should be included in the conversation. They understand how these platforms are actually used, where misinformation spreads, what pressures they experience online, and which approaches are likely to gain their trust and participation.

I would support creating opportunities for students, educators, parents, researchers, mental health professionals, and technology experts to work collaboratively on recommendations for Arizona. That should include stronger digital and media literacy education so students learn how to evaluate sources, distinguish evidence from opinion, understand how algorithms shape what they see, and recognize misleading scientific or policy claims.

I am cautious about government becoming an arbiter of acceptable political or scientific speech. The goal should be to give young people better tools, greater protections, and more transparency, not to shield them from every disagreement or controversial idea.

Ultimately, policies affecting young people will work better when we educate them, listen to them, and involve them in developing solutions. Collaboration creates understanding and, importantly, the buy in necessary for those solutions to succeed.

Arizona is not investing enough in its public schools, and the consequences are visible in teacher shortages, large class sizes, outdated facilities, and uneven student outcomes. I support substantially increasing the share of education funding that reaches classrooms, especially for teacher pay, proven instructional tools, career and technical education, and student support services. I also believe we need stronger accountability for how education dollars are spent. Public investment should be tied to measurable outcomes, transparency, and evidence about what actually improves student achievement.

Science should play a central role in K-12 education. Students should learn established scientific principles, but just as importantly, they should learn how science and inquiry works: how to ask questions, evaluate evidence, test hypotheses, distinguish reliable sources from misinformation, and revise conclusions when new evidence emerges.

I would like to see science education connected more directly to Arizona itself. Students can learn through real-world challenges involving water, agriculture, wildfire, energy, public health, technology, mining, and environmental restoration. Partnerships with universities, community colleges, employers, and research organizations can also create internships, certifications, and career pathways.

A strong public education system should prepare students not only to pass exams, but to think critically, participate thoughtfully in democracy, pursue meaningful careers, and help solve the problems their communities will face.