Court perfect at the plate in 2010 – 5 of 5 bills signed

To say the 2010 regular legislative session was different than the 2009 session would be an understatement of epic proportions.

Gone was the Senate’s 2009 moratorium on hearing bills until after the budget work was completed. Gone, too, was the combative relationship between legislative leaders and Gov. Jan Brewer.

Both of those things, along with a seasoning of the freshman lawmakers who were now in their second term, led to a more than 50-percent increase in the number of bills signed into law. While 2009 saw only 213 bills clear both the House and Senate and win final approval from Brewer, this year 338 bills were signed into law.

Rep. Nancy Barto, a Phoenix Republican, led the way in the House with 14 of her 25 bills clearing every legislative obstacle. As chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee, Barto played a lead role in passing new laws regarding chiropractors, physicians assistants and foster parents.

Rep. Rick Murphy, a Peoria Republican, Rep. Adam Driggs, a Phoenix Republican, and Rep. Michele Reagan, a Scottsdale Republican, were the only other lawmakers to reach double digits on the number of bills signed. Driggs, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, had 11 become law, while Murphy, chairman of Ways and Means, got 14. Reagan, meanwhile, saw 10 of her bills signed.

Only eight House Democrats were able to navigate a bill into law this year: Chris Deschene, Matt Heinz, Barbara McGuire, Lynne Pancrazi, David Schapira, Kyrsten Sinema, Rae Waters and Nancy Young Wright. Only Heinz, a Tucson physician, McGuire, who lives in Kearny, and Schapira, from Tempe, managed to get more than one bill into the statute books. McGuire got three, while Heinz and Schapira each managed two.

The most efficient House legislator this year was a freshman, Rep. Steve Court, a Republican from Mesa. Court saw each of his five bills become law, including H2725 (Laws 2010, Chapter 332), a 91-page education omnibus bill.

Introduced Passed BA
Ed Ableser D 26 0 0.0%
Kirk Adams R 2 1 50.0%
Cecil Ash R 14 4 28.6%
Ray Barnes R 7 2 28.6%
Nancy Barto R 25 14 56.0%
Andy Biggs R 22 7 31.8%
Tom Boone R 17 7 41.2%
David Bradley D 5 0 0.0%
Jack Brown D 0 0 0.0%
Judy Burges R 9 3 33.3%
Olivia Cajero Bedford D 0 0 0.0%
Chad Campbell D 11 0 0.0%
Cloves Campbell D 0 0 0.0%
Tom Chabin D 8 0 0.0%
Steve Court R 5 5 100.0%
Rich Crandall R 12 7 58.3%
Sam Crump R 18 3 16.7%
Chris Deschene D 7 1 14.3%
Adam Driggs R 23 11 47.8%
Steve Farley D 7 0 0.0%
Patricia Fleming D 7 0 0.0%
Martha Garcia D 3 0 0.0%
Doris Goodale R 14 4 28.6%
David Gowan R 24 9 37.5%
Matt Heinz D 17 2 11.8%
Laurin Hendrix R 24 7 29.2%
Russell Jones R 14 6 42.9%
John Kavanagh R 18 5 27.8%
Bill Konopnicki R 29 10 34.5%
Debbie Lesko R 6 2 33.3%
Phil Lopes D 1 0 0.0%
David Lujan D 12 0 0.0%
Lucy Mason R 32 4 12.5%
John McComish R 9 3 33.3%
Barbara McGuire D 16 3 18.8%
Nancy McLain R 15 9 60.0%
Eric Meyer D 2 0 0.0%
Robert Meza D 1 0 0.0%
Ben Miranda D 9 0 0.0%
Steve Montenegro R 19 9 47.4%
Rick Murphy R 35 14 40.0%
Warde Nichols R 13 6 46.2%
Lynne Pancrazi D 9 1 11.1%
Daniel Patterson D 14 0 0.0%
Frank Pratt R 10 7 70.0%
Doug Quelland R 6 0 0.0%
Michele Reagan R 20 10 50.0%
Amanda Reeve* R 0 0 0.0%
David Schapira D 13 2 15.4%
Carl Seel R 43 0 0.0%
Kyrsten Sinema D 18 1 5.6%
David Stevens R 8 2 25.0%
Andy Tobin R 24 9 37.5%
Anna Tovar D 6 0 0.0%
Ted Vogt** R 0 0 0.0%
Rae Waters D 5 1 20.0%
Jim Weiers R 6 1 16.7%
Jerry Weiers R 25 7 28.0%
Vic Williams R 2 1 50.0%
Steve Yarbrough R 4 3 75.0%
Nancy Young Wright D 9 1 11.1%