Arizona-Mexico Commission

Revision Date: 
Wednesday, September 2, 2020

AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

Arizona-Mexico Commission

Authority

The Arizona Mexico West Coast Trade Commission was established by Governor Fannin in 1959 to form a partnership around shared goals for the region. The Commission was restructured in 1972 by Governor Williams and renamed the Arizona-Mexico Commission.

State law outlines requirements for a number of state agencies to work cooperatively with the Commission to collect data and conduct special projects. Those agencies and relevant statutory citations are listed below.

Function

The AMC was formed with the goal to support international relationships and foster partnerships between two states and countries. In 1972, Governor Williams modified the original commission, created by Governor Fannin in 1959, and appointed business leaders, educators and others who had an interest in working with Mexico as the AMC Board of Directors.

The AMC is a cross-border, nonprofit organization with the goal of building a comprehensive community of professionals representing many industries. The AMC serves in an advocacy role working with policymakers on both sides of the border; supports trade, tourism and special projects; fosters relationships and networking; and partners with subject matter experts to collect data and conduct research to develop policy and programs. See AMC website www.azmc.org)

Arizona Revised Statute authorizes several state agencies to cooperate with the Arizona-Mexico Commission, to collect data and to conduct special projects in order to assess and enhance Arizona’s economic stance in the Arizona-Mexico region. A list of agencies and statutory authority follows:

  • Arizona Department of Agriculture - A.R.S. §3-107
  • Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System - A.R.S. §36-2903.06
  • Commerce Authority - A.R.S. §41-1502
  • Community college district governing boards - A.R.S. §15-1444
  • Department of Corrections - A.R.S. §41-1604
  • Department of Economic Security - A.R.S. §41-1954
  • Office of Economic Opportunity - A.R.S. §41-5303
  • Board of Education - A.R.S. §15-203
  • Department of Environmental Quality - A.R.S. §49-104
  • Game and Fish Commission - A.R.S. §17-231
  • Department of Health Services - A.R.S. §36-104
  • Department of Public Safety - A.R.S. §41-1713
  • Office of Sonora - A.R.S. §41-107
  • Department of Transportation - A.R.S. §28-363 and A.R.S. §28-6547
  • Board of Regents - A.R.S. §15-1626
  • Office of Tourism - A.R.S. §41-2305

History

Governor Fannin created the Arizona Mexico West Trade Commission in 1959. Governor Williams restructured and renamed the organization as the Arizona-Mexico Commission in 1972.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), was an agreement among the United States, Mexico and Canada that lifted tariffs on many goods produced by the participating nations. It went into effect on January 1, 1994 and addressed many topics related to investments and the movement of goods and services among the three countries. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) a new free trade agreement among the three countries, replaced NAFTA and addressed a number of issues including dairy, automobiles, labor and intellectual property. The USMCA became effective on July 1, 2020.

Session Laws

Laws 1993, Chapter 119 established the Office of Sonora within the office of the Governor to facilitate communication and the exchange of information among parties and to promote common interests between Sonora, Mexico and Arizona. Among its powers and duties is the requirement to assist the Arizona-Mexico Commission. The measure included an appropriation of $66,000 from the state general fund to pay the Arizona-Mexico Commission for obligations incurred during fiscal year 1992-1993 for the Arizona office in Sonora.

Laws 1994, Chapter 141 required the AMC to implement a border volunteer corps program to address issues related to health, the environment, education, public safety and other human services in Arizona border communities as part of implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The measure was modified the next year by Laws 1995, Chapter 106.

Laws 2001, Chapter 231 increased the number of state agencies required to cooperate with the AMC on issues within the scope of the agency’s duties. The measure also expanded the area of jurisdiction from the state of Sonora, Mexico to the Arizona-Mexico region. Prior to the enactment of the 2001 measure, nine state agencies had been statutorily authorized to cooperate with the Arizona-Mexico Commission in order to assess the economic competitiveness within the Arizona-Sonora region. The measure expanded the charge to include assessing and enhancing the economic competitiveness of the state and applied that requirement to several additional agencies, for a total of 16. For example, researchers at Arizona’s universities collect data and conduct special projects in order to assess and enhance Arizona’s economic stance in the Arizona-Mexico region and the Office of Economic Opportunity provides analytical support to the Commerce Authority, to AMC and to the Office of Tourism for state marketing strategies. Additionally, the Department of Transportation is authorized to enter an agreement with AMC to collect transportation and trade data in the U.S. and Mexico and to allocate monies from the Safety Enforcement and Transportation Infrastructure Fund to the AMC for these purposes.

Sources

  • Arizona Revised Statutes
  • Session Laws
    • Laws 1993, Chapter 119
    • Laws 1994, Chapter 141
    • Laws 2001, Chapter 231

Arizona Mexico Commission www.azmc.org