Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill Tuesday making it easier for elected officials to seek new offices without violating the state’s resign-to-run law.

From lobbyists to lawmakers to advocacy groups, reactions to flaws in Arizona lobbying reports reflect an image of a system that needs to be improved.



Some proposals for how to improve the system have emerged, but any agreement on the solutions, not to mention the political will to enact them, still eludes lawmakers two years after the Fiesta Bowl lobbying scandal roped in dozens of politicians, top bowl officials and a handful of lobbyists.

Bonuses given to state workers who didn’t surrender protections

Raises for rank-and-file state employees came with a choice last year: Become an at-will employee in exchange for a 5-percent pay bump, or keep those protections and receive the same salaries they’d had since 2007.



The amount of money the deal directed toward political appointees and top staff, who are among the highest paid state employees, wasn’t widely discussed.

The federal government has told Arizona that it will not be able to continue cuts to its Medicaid program beyond the end of the year if it hopes to receive federal funding for a voter-approved expansion of the program.

Arizona’s city, county and state governments are handing out billions in economic development incentives to attract business — but not without resistance from critics who dispute their necessity.

When it comes bringing color and fragrance into the lives of Arizona’s lawmakers, nobody does it better than Jessica Pacheco.

Buying lawmakers a meal or a drink is one of the most common ways lobbyists form relationships with lawmakers, and some lawmakers take more advantage of the free meals than others.

Travel and lodging account for 12 percent of the money spent in lobbyist expenditure reports that include a beneficiary name from 2011 to 2012.

a small number of lobbyists spend much more money on lawmakers than the rest. And a select set of lawmakers attract more lobbying attention than others. Lobbying records required by state law hint at who these power brokers are, and give a peek into a small network of lobbyists, their clients and lawmakers who wield extra influence.

So-called hell week, the annual spate of fundraisers before the start of the legislative session, may get more hellish for lobbyists because of new campaign finance rules that allow contributors to give far more money.