[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6089907,"mediaKeyId","2870865-f309a75c3443b8356df81bc94da74942","parentId",2870865,"title","Senate committee recommends Paul Brierley for Arizona Department of Agriculture after contentious questions on bird flu, eggs and outreach","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",3600000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2870865-f309a75c3443b8356df81bc94da74942&start=3600&end=3600","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2870865-f309a75c3443b8356df81bc94da74942/thumbnail_3600000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6089907/Arizona/Senate-committee-recommends-Paul-Brierley-for-Arizona-Department-of-Agriculture-after-contentious-questions-on-bird-flu-eggs-and-outreach","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6089907-24ed3c8f8f18c40604ffe56595706aef/orig.mp4?Expires=1771019324&Signature=HiWP60O6GED0ShBpXXd~t2Bb7z28Szwgz39liYcBu-c6o~F4EISF0qCL5wWe3isqRltZalqEKAwTk~PGrEp3IAWnnuuFtjSdgEcXfl8AoCdmYD2a6CLNlNdhwQWpHCa2fAmvTWTGYp6iwEXtbCDtKqasS6glMGPa~MzGIlQWQLjRzLTWyUFAToRjdHdUilF5BgJVLIQcLZlgwetZ0GrNLeF0zIKmtVmBgcjFQEFNcRfnGXMt7EIk0fXH7kMaufombH9Vn-5RKVaw0O9yaWc7nHyIJuN9FFB79qec~rMLqtJ~ChtHFCfCvj3qsjRfYS9v1pu1i3RLY4QKf7cImpDqzg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Arizona Legislature","date","2025-04-03T00:00:00Z","article","Paul Brierley, the governor’s nominee to lead the Arizona Department of Agriculture, won a narrow recommendation from the Arizona Senate Committee on Director Nominations after a hearing that covered agency modernization, the state response to avian influenza, the egg supply and a contentious line of questioning about solicitations for nomination support and past political commentary.

The committee recommended Brierley to the full Senate by a 3-2 roll call. Senator Jake Hoffman chaired the hearing; Senators raised questions about the department’s organizational restructuring, its approach to biosecurity and disease response, IT and licensing modernization, weights-and-measures enforcement, and an implementation plan for the state veterinarian and livestock inspectors. Aggressive questioning from some members focused on Brierley’s past political statements and whether he had asked regulated parties for letters of support during his confirmation process.

Why it matters: The director of the Department of Agriculture oversees food safety inspections, animal- and plant-health programs, producer licensing and licensing systems, and emergency response to outbreaks. Recent supply shocks — especially widespread avian influenza outbreaks and their impact on egg availability and price — mean department decisions can have near-term effects on retail prices and on producers’ operations.

Opening statement and background
Brierley summarized his background in production agriculture, leadership at the Arizona Farm Bureau and as the inaugural executive director of the Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture (YCEDA). He told the committee he grew up on a family farm and later applied an engineering and computer-science background to agricultural innovation; he described Yuma as \"Arizona's crown jewel\" for winter leafy-green production. He asked the committee for a favorable recommendation.

Reorganization and modernization priorities
Brierley described a department reorganization that consolidated program work into three regulatory divisions (animal services, plant and produce services, environmental and consumer protection) plus a non-regulatory \"Agriculture and Food Systems Support Division\" for proactive training and grant-making. He emphasized one priority budget ask: licensing-system modernization. The department issues roughly 200,000 licenses a year and Brierley said legacy systems create security and performance issues; he said licensing modernization is the administration’s leading IT priority.

Avian influenza, eggs and cage-free rule
Brierley explained the department’s response to recent avian influenza outbreaks and the steps taken to protect consumers and producers. He said the department worked with USDA and tribal partners to depopulate infected facilities and implement biosecurity measures; he noted pasteurization keeps the milk supply safe in dairy incidents and that a quarantined dairy had been identified. On eggs, he said a single large affected poultry facility removed roughly one million hens from the supply chain, contributing to higher retail egg prices. To ease sourcing pressures, the department delayed implementation of a state cage-free egg rule; Brierley said the delay was intended to allow greater sourcing flexibility during the outbreak and to avoid further disrupting the market.

Questions on weights-and-measures, enforcement and staffing
Committee members pressed Brierley about weights-and-measures inspections and the frequency of consumer overcharges reported in a media review. Brierley described risk-based targeting of inspections and efforts to work with retailers and trade associations before enforcement actions. He also said staffing for livestock inspectors had declined from about 74 to 17 positions over time and told the committee that current staffing levels do not meet demand; he asked for additional inspectors and for investments in the state veterinarian’s office after noting the department had been thin during concurrent disease responses.

Contentious exchanges and committee concerns
Several senators criticized Brierley for soliciting letters of support from people and groups in his agricultural network; Brierley said he sent one general email to contacts and did not follow up or pressure recipients. Questions also highlighted a 2020 public post in which Brierley criticized national political leadership; Brierley said the statement was years old, that he has since tried to be more apolitical in his public role and that he currently works to build cooperative federal relationships with USDA and federal partners.

Formal action
A motion to recommend confirmation passed after roll call: Senator Bravo — Aye; Senator Kavanaugh — No; Senator Ortiz — Pass (not voting); Vice Chair Schoel — Aye; Senator Schoep — Aye; Senator Bowman — No. The committee recorded 3 ayes and 2 nays and recommended the nomination to the full Senate.

What’s next
The nomination is forwarded to the full Senate for confirmation. Committee members who voted no cited concerns about judgment, outreach to regulated entities and past public commentary; members who voted yes cited Brierley’s industry experience, leadership network and modernization priorities.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","04/03/2025 - Senate Director Nominations","oneSentenceSummary","The Arizona Senate Committee on Director Nominations recommended Paul Brierley to the full Senate by a 3-2 vote. The hearing covered agency reorganization, responses to avian influenza, egg supply and the delayed cage-free rule, plus concerns about outreach to regulated entities and past political statements.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature Arizona, Arizona","taxId",78572,"location","Arizona","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6089912,"Senate committee recommends confirmation of Gaetano John Testini as Industrial Commission director",3456,124000,3580000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2870865-f309a75c3443b8356df81bc94da74942&start=124&end=3580","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2870865-f309a75c3443b8356df81bc94da74942/thumbnail_124000.jpg","/articles/6089912/Arizona/Senate-committee-recommends-confirmation-of-Gaetano-John-Testini-as-Industrial-Commission-director","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6089912-d9b3110472cf54c6a921463be4c66b19/orig.mp4?Expires=1771019324&Signature=ZlKhpbj0XbjhSl16rtA4Q4l6FkX7sSQTLTIR3Z0Av~dIZ4Aej57NfZQ0WmnrGwFreCZZ133sc9p5HxaE5OHMgUaTK-9MJVdFZGShpPZsyugbn32CIJtSu1f9d0I35VqY1wa22mPjU9MTP~NCrXjfqXCD-sa-THcatN17BooiPNm5nUbRPhMX2fpCrowghPi7RN1bXMAZ~uA~F9YfNrIwHBSH4R3mz60xm4HTFYJ8nn8LA~uCM-fDbhI9XyKj95zDeNyZavgfwS0jVVO1FM2XmMPBpIy~6wXHBXwEMgRJ4i1p2ZNe5A6e~JPNw7dfNnGLsup0-E~Sv5sPsb4O6WvF8g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Gaetano John Testini, the chief legal counsel–turned–acting director at the Industrial Commission of Arizona, received a unanimous recommendation from the Arizona Senate Committee on Director Nominations to be confirmed as director of the commission.

The committee recommended Testini to the full Senate by a 5-0 roll call after a hearing in which members questioned the nominee about agency reforms, worker-safety priorities, the newly formed fraud unit and his vetting process. Chairman Jake Hoffman opened the session by describing the confirmation role under state law, citing \"the statutorily required check on executive authority found in ARS 38 dash 2 11.\"

Testini gave a five- to ten-minute opening statement describing his background and his decade at the commission. \"I am a lawyer by trade but came to the practice of law literally by accident,\" he told the committee, recounting earlier work representing injured workers and later employers before joining the commission as an administrative law judge. He reviewed recent agency achievements, including the Ombudsman Office’s expansion, changes in ADOSH (the state OSHA plan), and IT and accounting upgrades.

Why it matters: The Industrial Commission oversees workers' compensation, the state OSHA plan (ADOS/ADOSH) and labor-claims processes; the director shapes how those programs are prioritized, enforced and modernized. Committee exchanges focused on whether the agency is positioned to improve safety outcomes and customer service while meeting enforcement responsibilities.

Key agency reforms and performance details
- Ombudsman expansion: Testini said the Ombudsman Office was reorganized into a separate division with a statutory ombudsman, two deputy ombudsmen and three assistant ombudsmen; the team handled about 8,000 inquiries and closed roughly 95% of them the same day, and now has staff presence in Tucson.
- ADOSH and safety work: Testini described ADOSH changes that added a deputy director of administration, an intake team and a grant manager; he said the consultation team had expanded proactive safety education and the bureau of labor statistics expected improved compliance this year.
- Operational modernization: The MIS division migrated systems to a cloud interface, saving money and improving security. The accounting division implemented an automated workers' compensation assessment system that Testini said raised online payments more than 500%, reducing paper-check processing.
- Medical fee schedule timing: Testini said the Medical Resource Office moved the physicians and pharmaceutical fee-schedule effective date from Oct. 1 to May 1 to align earlier with Medicare/other commercial changes and reduce payer/provider complexity.

Worker-safety priorities and heat
Testini described a five-year strategic plan with goals he listed to the committee: reduce workplace fatalities by 10 percent, reduce injuries by 5 percent, improve customer-satisfaction survey results by 10 percent and increase employee retention by 10 percent (he noted the fifth goal — establishing a heat safety standard — had been altered). On heat-related workplace risk, Testini said the agency convened a stakeholder task force and shifted from pursuing a regulatory heat standard to promoting \"heat safety best practices\" through the non-punitive consultation unit, given uncertainty over federal OSHA rulemaking.

Fraud unit and workers’ compensation enforcement
Testini reviewed the newly established fraud unit created by the 2023 Legislature (Senate Bill 1164). He said implementation required rulemaking and coordination with the Attorney General's office; the agency hired an investigator who began work in January or early February and is currently one investigator within the legal division. Testini said the agency requested 10 FTE in its current budget request and expected to grow the unit over time; he told the committee the intent was to stand up processes before expanding staffing.

Committee questioning and follow-up
Committee members pressed Testini on internal supervision and retention, inspector oversight, and the balance between enforcement and consultation. Senators asked about the vetting process that led to his selection; Testini described interviews with the transition team and a governor’s phone call offering the job.

Formal action
The vice chair moved that the committee recommend the Senate confirm Testini. Secretary roll call: Senator Bravo — Aye; Senator Kavanaugh — Aye; Senator Ortiz — Aye; Senator Scholl — Aye; Senator Bachman — Aye. By a vote of 5 ayes, 0 nays, 0 not voting, the committee recommended confirmation to the full Senate.

What’s next
Testini’s nomination will proceed to a full Senate confirmation vote. The hearing record includes detailed committee exchanges about priorities for hiring, the ADOSH program, the fraud unit’s staffing plans and the agency’s modernization efforts.","The Arizona Senate Committee on Director Nominations voted 5-0 to recommend Gaetano John Testini for Director of the Industrial Commission of Arizona after a hearing that reviewed his agency experience, recent agency reforms, workplace-safety priorities and the new fraud unit.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate committee recommends Paul Brierley for Arizona Department of Agriculture after contentious questions on bird flu, eggs and outreach

Senate committee recommends confirmation of Gaetano John Testini as Industrial Commission director