Is there a ‘millennial’ way to make laws? Arizona legislators form under-40 caucus

Don’t expect them to talk about their dislike of breakfast cereal — or love of overpriced avocado toast. They would, however, like to talk about how best to regulate Uber, tax digital currencies and restore civility in American politics.

Meet the Arizona Future Caucus, the Arizona Capitol’s first caucus specifically for millennials.

They’re younger than 40, they remember a time before Facebook and they come from both sides of the political aisle in the Arizona Legislature. The caucus held a press conference Wednesday morning to announce their launch. Reps. T.J. Shope, R-Coolidge, and Mark Cardenas, D-Phoenix, will lead the bipartisan group.

Issues they will focus on

“Forget the divisiveness in (Washington) D.C. Forget the divisiveness in the buildings that are in front of me,” Cardenas said, standing outside the Capitol.

“It’s about coming together to solve the issues, such as digital taxation, such as Airbnb, such as Uber. In the future, we’ll be discussing and grappling with issues such as Blockchain and Bitcoin.”

Cardenas, 31, said caucus meetings will be a relaxed setting for lawmakers to talk about issues concerning to millennials, such as digital regulation. The caucus also plans to talk about clean energy and student loans.

Millennials are typically defined as the generation born between 1981 and 1996, but Arizona’s caucus is for all lawmakers younger than 40.

Lawmakers who turned out for Wednesday’s launch included Reps. Reginald Bolding, D-Phoenix; César Chávez, D-Phoenix; Travis Grantham, R-Gilbert; and Daniel Hernandez, D-Tucson.

Arizona’s millennial caucus is the 25th to be formed in state legislatures around the country. 

Part of a national effort

The effort is led by the Millennial Action Project, a national organization. Founder Steven Olikara said a goal of the project is uniting younger leaders to break partisan gridlock.

“We need this generation right now,” he said, standing alongside Arizona lawmakers.

“We have young leaders who are serving in elected office, who believe in bridging these divides, who believe we can make a more hopeful politics and get over the cynicism.”

The millennials join a growing list of caucuses at the state Legislature. Caucuses are essentially factions of the statehouse who share a common demographic or policy interest.

In 2017, four lawmakers launched the Legislature’s first official LGBTQ Caucus.

The Capitol already has a Women’s Caucus, Latino Caucus, Indigenous Peoples Caucus, African-American Caucus, Veterans Caucus and Rural Caucus.

Is there a ‘millennial’ way to make laws? Arizona legislators form under-40 caucus

CLOSE Don’t expect them to talk about their dislike of breakfast cereal – or love of overpriced avocado toast. They would, however, like to talk about how best to regulate Uber, tax digital currencies and restore civility in American politics. Meet the Arizona Future Caucus, the Arizona Capitol’s first caucus specifically for millennials.