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Recent Articles from Ben Giles
Lawyer hired to investigate House sexual harassment allegations
Attorney Craig Morgan was retained by the Arizona House to conduct an investigation of multiple allegations of sexual harassment in the chamber.
House Speaker open to ‘grand bargain’ over Voter Protection Act
A top Arizona legislator said he would be open to making it easier for the state’s voters to circumvent the Legislature and pass laws by way of the ballot in exchange for easing restrictions that prevent the Legislature from tweaking those same laws.
House begins probes into sexual harassment claims against Rep. Shooter
“Multiple investigations” are underway at the Arizona House as Speaker J.D. Mesnard and staff members respond to a growing list of sexual harassment accusations lodged against GOP Rep. Don Shooter.
Alston goes under the knife – of Friese
Arizona Rep. Lela Alston’s homecoming celebration at the University of Arizona was cut short by appendicitis.
Steve Voeller: Key player for several Arizona congressmen
Name a prominent Arizona congressman, and Steve Voeller’s probably worked for him. After his most high-profile client, U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, announced he won’t seek re-election in 2018, Voeller reflected on his time with Flake and his own experiences from working in the nation’s capital.
Rules, enforcement lacking to prevent sexual harassment among lawmakers
Arizona lawmakers had little in the way of guidance for how to deal with sexual harassment until a state representative shared her own experience of being harassed by her fellow legislators at the Capitol.
Investigator: No accountability for SOS elections blunder
An investigation has found the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office broke state law when it failed to mail publicity pamphlets on deadline to hundreds of thousands of voters during a 2016 special election, but did not act criminally.
Ousted DES director, top security aide, claim state libeled them
Tim Jeffries, who was forced to resign from DES in November, and Charles Loftus, who was simultaneously fired as the agency’s chief law enforcement officer, filed the complaint in Maricopa County Superior Court.
AG rules Bisbee bag ban illegal
The finding is the latest loss for Bisbee, which prohibited local retailers from providing single-use plastic bags to customers in 2014. State lawmakers then banned such local ordinances the following year, and now the attorney general has weighed in following a complaint from Sen. Warren Petersen, a Gilbert Republican.
Teachers union takes Ducey to task for pay raises for aides
Arizona’s teachers union called for a 20 percent pay raise for all educators in the state, arguing that if it’s good enough for Gov. Doug Ducey’s deputies, it’s good enough for teachers.
Scottsdale lawmaker recounts years of sexual harassment in state House
Arizona Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, said she’s been sexually harassed at the state Capitol since her first year in office.
Moderate GOP lawmakers exist in name only, study finds
So-called “moderate” Republican state legislators in Arizona aren’t so moderate after all. Only a handful of Republican senators and representatives vote alike with a few Democrats in their respective chambers, according to an analysis by the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.
