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The Arizona Legislature wrapped up its work for the year early Friday morning, making the lightning-fast 81-day 2015 legislative session the shortest since man landed on the moon.

When Gov. Jan Brewer used her 2013 State of the State address to announce she wanted to expand Arizona’s Medicaid program, she kicked off a clash that is still reverberating through the Republican Party.

The special session on the budget and Medicaid expansion was the product of a five-month battle that took more twists and turns than a rattlesnake on a blistering sidewalk.

House and Senate approve Medicaid expansion, ending months of debate

After a bitter and prolonged debate that ripped apart Republican majorities in the House and Senate, Arizona lawmakers approved Gov. Jan Brewer’s Medicaid expansion proposal and sent it to her for her signature.