I suspect this violates the equal protection clause of the arizona constitution which is Article 2 Section 13 and says "No law shall be enacted granting to any citizen, class of citizens, or corporation other than municipal, privileges or immunities which, upon the same terms, shall not equally belong to all citizens or corporations."

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0326veterans0326.html

Military lounge set for Sky Harbor

Ginger D. Richardson The Arizona Republic Mar. 26, 2006 12:00 AM

Active-duty and retired military veterans could soon pass the time waiting for flights at Sky Harbor International Airport in a lounge that caters solely to them.

Plans call for the new "hospitality room" to open as early as June, in the old U.S. Airways Executive Lounge, which is adjacent to Terminal 2's main lobby.

"This room would just show some camaraderie and give the military people just a sense of having a little something special," said David Williams, a Glendale resident who retired from the Air Force in 1996. "Airports have all of those VIP lounges, but this would be just for them."

Military lounges are hardly a new idea, but most are run by the United Service Organizations, commonly known as the USO, and located in airports that are considered hubs for military personnel heading to and from deployments.

The Phoenix project would follow the same premise of giving military personnel their own place to relax and unwind but would be privately managed and operated. It is the brainchild of the Phoenix Military Veterans Commission, which was created in September 2004 by Mayor Phil Gordon.

Plans call for it to be a "first-class" facility, commission members said. They are trying to raise $50,000 to purchase a big-screen television, computers, stereo equipment, video games, furniture and a refrigerator.

The $30,000 annual lease payment for the 1,800-square-foot lounge is being paid for by the 23 airlines that operate out of Sky Harbor, airport spokeswoman Deborah Ostreicher said.

Hours for the lounge have not been determined, officials said.

But the Phoenix hospitality room would be run much like a military lounge now in place at the Tucson Airport.

That room is staffed by soldiers from Fort Huachuca and funded by the Veterans Affairs Committee of Tucson. It is open from 8:30 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Saturday.

As many as 500 active-duty and military veterans use the lounge each month, Army Staff Sgt. Susan Letendre said.

"They come down here, hang out before a flight or while they are waiting to pick someone up," said Letendre, who is in charge of the lounge. "Sometimes we'll order pizzas if we have a whole bunch of people here."

The lounge features a television, some movies, a Foosball table and some light refreshments such as soda and coffee.

Williams, the retired Air Force veteran, said he found such rooms to be a welcome sight when he was in the military.

"I used them all the time," he said. "Sometimes you just really need a place where you can go, check your bags, take a nap or watch TV and unwind before you leave."

Reach the reporter at ginger.richardson@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-2474.


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