Update on Frank Pratt's recovery since the Christmas afternoon attack

Thanks to all of you for their kind words. Frank has received literally hundreds of emails and telephone calls.  Please do not feel obligated to send flowers or gifts, your wonderful wishes and prayers are enough! 

I would like to apologize for not coming earlier to the website to post an update, but as you might imagine, I have spent a lot of time at the hospital in Phoenix with Frank. 

St. Joseph's Hospital was great and so were (are) the Casa Grande Police and EMTs.  Thank you great professionals for helping my husband in his time of need.

Posted above is a picture of Frank that I snapped Christmas morning before the family came over for breakfast and about 8 hours before the incident.  Frank is reading the paper at the new table that he built incorporating a piece of Italian marble handed down to me by my grandmother.  Like many of you, our front room was a "formal living room" or a "shrine" that was seldom used.  We think it has more utility as his home office.  Now when Frank speaks with you from home you will  know where he is seated.  (What does this have to do with Frank's recovery?  Well, I want to remind everyone that this is what Frank will look like after he heals up.)

Frank came home from St. Joe's this afternoon. Unless something shows up later there are no major internal problems.  His ribs are very tender, he has two black eyes, a broken nose, a lip that had to stitched up in several places and big blocks of bruising all over his face.  The beating left a scary appearance which will fade with time. Frank is making great improvements daily and wants to meet his appointments as soon as possible.  He may feel well enough to be able to make calls tomorrow. 

Please forgive me if I am a bit slow on the email responses for the next couple of days as I will have to play nurse for awhile and can't Blackberry all day.  Once more, Frank (and I) want you to know how honored and touched we are for your outpouring of love and support.

Regards,
Janice

Arizona Algae Farming as an Energy Resource

"Anytime we can utilize arid land or utilize an area where we have some low-quality water and we can get production out of it, it's certainly worth looking into," Pratt said.

"They (Phyco Biosciences) may be pioneers, if they can perfect this technology and get it to where it's economical and they can produce energy," he said

******

For more about this new technology read. http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2010/10/07/arizona-firm-banks-on-farm-troughs-for-commercializing-algae/

NRA Endorsements

State Representative Frank Pratt was endorsed by the NRA but the other two legislators endorsed from LD23 were not Republicans.  Why would the NRA choose Frank but not John or Steve? 

Some may be puzzled by the NRA endorsements for 2010. We can all be sure, however, that all our Republican LD23 candidates - John Fillmore, Steve Smith and Frank Pratt - fervently support the 2nd Amendment. This article may shed some light.


ARTICLE SOURCE: HTTP://WWW.NATIONALREVIEW.COM/ARTICLES/247820/STAYING-TARGET-JIM-GERAGHTY?PAGE=2


ENDORSEMENTS SOURCE: http://www.nrapvf.org/grades-endorsements/2010/arizona.aspx

Eloy Fiestas Patrias Parade

State Representative Frank Pratt will be riding in the Eloy Fiestas Patrias Parade on Saturday, September 18 in Eloy, Arizona.  The parade starts at 9:00 a.m.  "Eloy has a wonderful, rich culture and is strategically positioned at the intersection of I-10 and I-8 in Arizona.  We should expect to see Eloy capturing many new businesses to our State in the future.  I was glad I could be of assistance when Santa Cruz Union High School needed help with a legislative matter and I look forward to seeing you at the festival tomorrow."

Lawmaker praised for his 100 percent, pro-small business voting record

PHOENIX, Ariz., July 7, 2010 – The political action committee of Arizona’s leading small business association today announced its endorsement of State Rep. Frank Pratt for re-election to his Legislative District 23 seat in the Arizona House of Representatives.

“Representative Pratt has a fundamental appreciation of the fact that small businesses are not smaller versions of big businesses, but instead have distinctively different difficulties in remaining solvent,” said Farrell Quinlan, NFIB/Arizona state director, who listed taxes (more than 80 percent of small business owners are single filers, meaning personal, not corporate, tax rates matter more to them), healthcare (less than half of small business owners in America can afford it), and regulations (small business owners pay almost twice as much to comply with the same regulation as big businesses do) as the three biggest differences.

“Every legislator claims to be a friend of small business, but when it comes time to vote on issues vital to Main Street, mom-and-pop enterprises, Frank Pratt has been a man of his word time and time again. We are honored to have him as an ally and thank him for his perfect 100-percent, pro-small business record in the last session of the Legislature.”

Endorsements of incumbents were based on 15 votes taken during the 2009-2010 Regular Session of the Arizona Legislature that NFIB supported or opposed. NFIB/Arizona represents 7,500 member businesses.

The political clout of small business is more influential than most people know:

In April, the Pew Research Center released a study on the negative and positive views people hold on various American institutions. Small business came out first, 39 percentage points higher than labor unions, 46 points higher than large corporations, and 49 points higher than banks and financial institutions.

Small business owners comprise 15 percent of all registered voters in the U.S., by comparison union voters make up 11.9 percent. When small business employees are added, the small business voting bloc swells to 43 percent.

The most common public affairs and political activities in which small employers engage, according to the NFIB Research Foundation, include initiating discussions with employees regarding the impact of a policy issue on the firm.

Voters prefer candidates supported by small business by a margin of 3 to 1 over those supported by organized labor, according to the Winston Group.
 
Source:  http://www.nfib.com/arizona/nfib-in-my-state-content?cmsid=5203

Frank Pratt Receives Award from Arizona League of Cities and Towns

The Arizona League of Cities and Towns presented State Representative Frank Pratt with the “2010 Friend of Cities and Towns” in recognition of service and dedication to the Arizona Cities and Towns.
You can see the copy of the award by clicking this
link: Frank Pratt 2010 Award League Of Cities And Towns

The Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona are proud to endorse Frank Pratt

PROFESSIONAL FIRE FIGHTERS of Arizona
61 E. Columbus Avenue,
Phoenix, AZ 8501


Honorable Representative Frank Pratt
Dear Representative Pratt,
The Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona are proud to endorse Frank Pratt for the House in Arizona legislative District 23. Frank Pratt understands the need for core government services like public safety, education and health care. He has demonstrated his ability to deal with difficult problems and arrive at the best solution possible.
We need more people like Frank Pratt in the Arizona State Legislature.

Tim Hill
President, Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona
Representing Over 6,000 Professional Fire Fighters and E.M.S. Providers Throughout Arizona

You can see the copy of the award by clicking this
link: Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona

The Arizona Highway Patrol Association Endorses Representative Frank Pratt

In their endorsement of State Representative Frank Pratt they write:

We look forward to working closely with you in preserving one of the main functions of government: public safety.

The Arizona Highway Patrol Association is the only group that represents only Department of Public Safety employees. We are proud to be able to have positive relationships with those that have influence over DPS, both administratively and financially.

Please use this endorsement as you see fit in your campaign.

Sincerely,
Jimmy Chavez
President

www.ahpa.com

Frank Pratt represents Arizona at major educational conference

State Representative Frank Pratt represented the State of Arizona at the The Education Commission of the States in Portland, August 18-20, 2010.

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty ECS Chair 2008-10 wrote: "For 45 years, ECS has been a leader in state education policy and practice. Each year, the ECS National Forum on Education Policy brings together a wide range of education policymakers — governors, legislators, chief state school officers, higher education officials— to exchange ideas and hear from the country’s foremost education experts."

Among the presentations at the conference were:

• WHAT STATE LEADERS CAN LEARN FROM HIGHER EDUCATION REFORMS IN OTHER COUNTRIES
• DOES RACE TO THE TOP PROVIDE A TEMPLATE FOR THE ESEA OF THE FUTURE
• COMMON CORE STANDARDS
• THE LUMINA FOUNDATION'S BIG GOAL TO INCREASE THE PERCENTAGE OF AMERICANS WITH HIGH QUALITY DEGREES AND CREDENTIALS BY 60% BY THE YEAR 2025

Frank Pratt endorsed by Arizona Right to Life

Arizona Right to Life announced their endorsements for the Arizona August 24 Primary.  Frank Pratt was endorsed by this important organization.

Arizona Technology Council

Frank Pratt (R) is a current Representative for LD-23. He believes that quality education is the beginning of our economic recovery; better prepare children to succeed, improves quality of life, and provides displaced workers development opportunities. He believes strongly that economic growth occurs when government is less intrusive. He is a strong supporter of the technology agenda.

Letter from ACOVA

ACOVA

July 26,2010

Dear Rep. Pratt,

The members of ACOVA, the Association for Career and Technical Education Administrators, would like to thank you for your support of Career and Technical Education during the recent budget crisis. Your timely response to this emergency saved the opportunity for over 100,000 Arizona high school students to participate in quality Career and Technical Education programs. The 38 million dollars combined state and federal funds provides resources for our students to engage in rigorous and relevant learning.

The leadership and personal development skills combined with the classroom and laboratory based instruction prepare our students for continuing education and Arizona's workforce. Career and Technical Education continues to be the premier delivery system for learning.

We thank you once again for supporting the Career and Technical Education students of Arizona.

Sincerely,
Cathie Raymond and members of ACOVA
President

Memorial Day

The Memorial Day ceremony in Casa Grande was great. Please remember to keep the spirit of patriotism throughout the year. Freedom isn't free.
Tonight the annual sunset ceremony will be held in Avondale at the amphitheater. It will be a beautiful night.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Peace Officers' Memorial Service

Peace Officers' Memorial May 6, 2010   State Representative Frank Pratt attended the 2010 service in Florence.  Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu did a nice job planning and executing this very respectful event. Nice job, Paul! 

Representative of the Year Award-May 5, 2010

Frank Pratt was recognized as the legislative "Representative of the Year" at the awards luncheon of the Arizona Manufacturers Council held at the Phoenix Hyatt Regency Hotel on Wednesday, May 5, 2010. 

The first principle of the Arizona Manufacturers Council is: "Ensure that Arizona provides a globally competitive environment for the manufacturing sector that promotes innovation and furthers investment in research and development."  More information about this organization can be found at http://www.azchamber.com/amc/index.cfm?ID=20

Kearny Pioneer Days Parade

On Saturday, Kearny celebrated its Pioneer Days with a parade and carnival. It was a gorgeous day with the mountain scenery and the spring wildflowers in bloom. Janice and I had an opportunity to ride in the parade and I got to stop along the route to hand out candy to "kids" of all ages. Congratulations Kearny on another great event!

NRA Scholarship Dinner

I attended the NRA dinner held at the Pinal County Fairgrounds last night.  This organization, which has done an outstanding job raising scholarship funds for gun safety classes and college grants, is recognized annually among the top 10 clubs in the United States.  Congratulations Pinal NRA – best wishes for many more years of continued success.