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Recent Articles from Hank Stephenson
130 years: Rare confluence of events will cost Legislature more than a lifetime of experience as veterans depart
For reasons ranging from political ambition to frustration with “crazy bills,’’ many of the state’s elder statesmen are leaving the Capitol.
House establishes new travel policy in wake of Capitol Times report
The Arizona House of Representatives created a new travel policy after an Arizona Capitol Times story revealed that a handful of House Republican leaders and top staffers drove more than 36,000 miles in state vehicles in 2015, sometimes for political or personal purposes.
Reports show House travel spending more than doubled
The House is required to report its spending to the Arizona Department of Administration’s General Accounting Office. Although those records don’t detail which lawmakers or staff the chamber’s travel expenses were on behalf of, they offer a glimpse of the chamber’s spending on travel in the past year.
Montenegro repays ALEC for travel stipend
House Majority Leader Steve Montenegro has repaid the American Legislative Exchange Council for a travel stipend he received for attending the organization’s July 2015 conference in San Diego, which he drove to at no personal cost while using a state fleet vehicle.
House postpones action on vouchers bill
The Arizona House of Representatives has postponed a debate on a bill to massively expand the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program. Several Republicans said the measure, which passed the Senate on Monday, doesn’t have the votes in the lower chamber.
Gowan repaid House $12K for erroneous travel, per diem payments
Arizona House Speaker David Gowan last month repaid the state more than $12,000 for mileage reimbursements he claimed for trips that he took in state vehicles and for days he claimed to work but did not.
Bill milling: Lobbyists draft bills, then openly roam Capitol seeking sponsors
In the first few weeks of the legislative session, lobbyists clutching blue and brown folders crowd the entrances of the capitol, trying to catching lawmakers on the fly.
Rep. Matt Kopec: He’s the new kid on the block
As Democratic Rep. Matt Kopec was being sworn in as the newest member of the Arizona House of Representatives on Jan. 20, his fellow Tucson Democrats jokingly suggested that the 27-year-old had his entire life ahead of him, and shouldn’t throw it away as a Democrat in the Republican-controlled Arizona Legislature.
Lawmakers worry they will be bit players in budget process
As Gov. Doug Ducey begins the push to approve his budget proposal, some lawmakers worry they once again may be left behind.
Republicans see problems with JTED cuts, prison spending
Lawmakers at the joint Appropriations Committee briefing on Gov. Doug Ducey’s budget proposal Jan. 19 were only allotted time for one question each following the budget presentation, but the questions they asked were telling.
Q&A with House Minority Leader Eric Meyer
After eight years fighting – usually unsuccessfully – against Republican-backed policies and budgets, House Minority Leader Eric Meyer is heading into his final year in the House hoping Democrats will fare better.
Q&A with Speaker of the House David Gowan
When House Speaker David Gowan first came to the Legislature in 2009, the state budget was more than $3 billion in the hole. Seven years later, as Gowan prepares to enter his final year at the Capitol, the budget is nearly balanced and the state has a surplus and money in the rainy day fund.
