For the second week in a row, the Legislature has taken a break from session as leaders resumed crunching numbers for a state budget.
The House and Senate have passed competing budget versions, which they are now working to reconcile.
Lawmakers will only say publicly that progress is being made on smaller issues and that the negotiations have been civil and cordial, with the two sides coming to the table with the mindset to resolve differences.
The Legislature adjourned on June 4 and resumed a floor session on June 7. Senators and representatives had also suspended all floor and committee work for a day during the last week of May to focus on budget negotiations.
The arrangement appeared to suit those who are from out of town, although lawmakers have expressed at various times that their wish is for the session to wrap up so they could go back to their families and jobs or businesses.
“I’m actually fine with it because I’d rather go home and run my business,” said Sen. Ron Gould, R-3, told the Arizona Capitol Times after the two-day break was announced.
“I’m an air-conditioning contractor and with the weather warming up we’ve got a lot to do, and it’s easier for me to handle it there than it is down here, so I’m fine with going home and coming back on Thursday,” said the senator from Lake Havasu City.
Not all were happy with the decision, however. One senator from Maricopa County commented that those who live the farthest arrived at the Capitol only to find they were not going to do much.
In fact, senators were supposed to vote on two bills on June 4. But eight members were absent and so they skipped third reading altogether. A supporter of one of the bills said there were not enough votes to get the measure through.
Senate President Tim Bee said this might be the Senate’s new routine — that is, to adjourn for a few days while leaders work on the budget.
Breaks add up to lots of travel time for some
Sen. Amanda Aguirre, D-24, who is from Yuma, drives three hours on the average to get to Phoenix.
While on the road her biggest consideration is the rising price of gasoline. While at the Capitol, her concern is the cost of maintaining two residences, one in Phoenix and one in her hometown.
Aguirre said she is glad she would get to go home but that the going back and forth so often is disruptive.
“It takes me three hours to get back home. And so that’s a long time on a road,” she said.
Arizona adheres to the idea of a “citizen legislature,” meaning the Legislature is part-time. Legislators receive $24,000 a year; those from Maricopa County receive an additional $35 a day; those from outside the county get $60 a day as per diem.
The per diem, however, is drastically cut after the 120th day of session, presumably to encourage senators and representatives to wrap up their work early. For some, it’s also a penalty for staying too long in session. As of June 8, the session had run 152 days.
Lawmakers such as Aguirre and Gould now get only $20 a day as per diem.
Many lawmakers have urged leaders and colleagues to finish their work. Gould, for one, has begun a “countdown” to July 1, when the government theoretically stops, assuming lawmakers are still in session and no budget is yet sent to the governor.