As the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission continues to rack up legal bills, House Speaker Andy Tobin is seeking a full audit of the commission’s finances.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, who is wrapping up an eight-month investigation into the Fiesta Bowl scandal, will ask lawmakers to overhaul the state’s lobbying laws, saying financial reporting requirements are confusing and out of touch with what he believes the public demands of its elected officials.

“If it’s too much of a burden for an elected official to keep the public informed … they shouldn’t be in office,” the county’s top prosecutor told the Arizona Capitol Times. “If you don’t want to do this, then go do something else.”

A Maricopa County Superior Court judge upheld a partial enrollment freeze for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, rejecting a liberal advocacy group’s claims that the cuts violated a voter mandate.

The lesson learned from Arizona’s brief flirtation with photo radar is that it’s better to be popular than effective.

The statewide photo-enforcement program will end July 15. Shortly after taking office in January, Gov. Jan Brewer said of the program: “I hate it.”

President Obama hosted Gov. Jan Brewer at the White House June 3 for what Brewer termed a “very cordial discussion” on Arizona’s new anti-illegal immigration law, in which Obama promised to send top White House officials to the state in advance of a new influx of border troops.

RELATED: Brewer, Obama look for upper hand on immigration

Sen. Russell Pearce was the driving force behind the immigration reform package that has once again put Arizona in the national spotlight. But he wouldn’t have been able to get it passed without the help of several people who either supported S1070 or moved out of its way.

Women who seek an abortion will have to wait at least 24 hours between the time they speak to a doctor about terminating a pregnancy and the actual procedure, under legislation adopted by a Senate committee June 10. The legislation also requires the doctor who will perform the abortion procedure to speak with the woman in person to [...]

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted June 9 to advance two proposals aimed at allowing residents to review exactly how local governments spend their tax dollars. Republicans on the committee, such as Sen. Al Melvin of Tucson and Sen. Russell Pearce of Mesa, spoke of sunshine and transparency. Democrats, meanwhile, said the legislation would burden local [...]

As the Senate shifts to cranking out non-budget measures in the final weeks of session, some lawmakers are raising concerns that the rush will lead to defective laws that they would have to correct later. One veteran lawmaker called it an “incredibly dangerous” period, during which legislation not fully understood or vetted could get through. [...]

Dozens of unrelated bills tacked onto budget measure