Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business

Long in the minority in the Arizona Legislature and with little chance of getting any of their priorities passed, Democrats keep soldiering on.

A House Committee advanced a bill Thursday that would allow elected officials to more easily launch campaigns for another office without triggering Arizona's "Resign to Run" law.

It's early on in the Arizona legislative session, but so far the proposals described by one top Republican as "esoteric" and criticized by Democrats as unconstitutional have dominated the headlines — despite promises from GOP leaders to focus on top-tier issues such as balancing the state budget and improving education.

Economists who advise Arizona's independent legislative budget analysts said Thursday that residents who have hunkered down through years of tough economic times may finally have reason to be a little more perky this year, but the economy won't meet Gov. Jan Brewer's expectations.

Lottery winners in Arizona would be able to keep their anonymity under a bill being pushed in the state House of Representatives by a Republican lawmaker who says players shouldn't face safety risks just because they're lucky enough to win big.