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

For many undocumented students, the only realistic hope of becoming legal U.S. residents is Congress passing legislation dubbed the DREAM Act, short for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors. As proposed last year, the act would offer undocumented students without criminal records a path to citizenship if they complete two years of post-secondary education or military service.

Carina Montes, an A-grade high school student and JROTC member, would normally have good chances as she applies for college scholarships. But Proposition 300, a voter-approved law that requires students who can’t prove citizenship to pay out-of-state tuition and denies them access to state and federal financial aid, is preventing even some of the most qualified students from getting access to a college education.

When this reactor at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station is operating, no one is allowed into this viewing area overlooking its core. But when Unit 2′s reactor is having its fuel rods replaced, plant officials are using the opportunity to show how Palo Verde is different from the Japanese nuclear power plant that was leaking radiation after a devastating earthquake and tsunami.

Relying on federal officials to certify that proposed transmission lines and power plants meet environmental requirements would help the Arizona Corporation Commission consider such projects faster, a state lawmaker contends.

In the event of an emergency at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, plant officials and government leaders will now have access to a $13.5 million center that will help them respond and share information with the public.

A statewide rail plan that would start by linking Tucson and Phoenix is a step toward giving Arizona residents a transportation option that would relieve traffic congestion and improve air quality, an interest group contends.

Maricopa County has added more people – almost a million – than any other U.S. county in the past decade, but that growth has slowed substantially since the economy soured, according Census Bureau estimates released Monday.

Arizona’s budget crisis makes it important for the state to stand behind Wisconsin’s governor in his battle with public employee unions, a lawmaker contends.

Dave Rodgers often journeys from his home in Surprise to explore remnants of the Vulture Mine: a tree where those who stole gold were hung, machinery that crushed ore to remove gold and even clothes and shoes that miners wore.

A state lawmaker wants to limit how unions can protest during labor disputes, offering a bill to ban picketing intended to coerce a company or its employees and to help employers bring defamation suits when workers spread untrue information.