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Recent Articles from Jim Small
New House member Reeve a conservative, but not an ideologue
Arizona's newest state legislator said she sees beauty in the Socratic Method, by which opposing views on an issue submit to questions and debate ideas.
Rep. Amanda Reeve, a Phoenix Republican, said she doesn't subscribe to the my-way-or-the-highway style of politics.
‘Sanctuary cities’ bill ready for debate on House floor
A sweeping illegal immigration bill is set for debate on the House floor after receiving approval from a committee along a party-line vote Feb. 24.
Bill would restrict political activity of government employees
Teachers who gathered at the Arizona Capitol last year to protest budget cuts wouldn’t be able to do so again unless they took a vacation day under a bill approved by a House committee Feb. 23.
Panel OKs bill to track illegal immigrant students
A House panel has approved a bill that would require schools to annually report how many illegal immigrants are enrolled and how much it costs to educate them.
House panel OKs bill to link AIMS, passing 3rd grade
A bill that would link passage of third grade to a student’s performance on the AIMS test has been approved by the House Education Committee.
Authorless budget proposal aired by Approps Committee
Members of legislative budget committees on Feb. 18 saw how a secretive budget proposal that has been circulated around the Capitol in recent weeks stacks up to the budget plan offered by Gov. Jan Brewer, but much of the discussion focused on who drafted the authorless spending plan.
Supreme Court could be forced to weigh in on employer sanctions
It's looking more and more likely that the U.S. Supreme Court will have to weigh in on the matter of employer sanctions. Although there has been a school of thought in the couple of years since the law went on the books here that the High Court wouldn't necessarily want to weigh in on the matter, it may be compelled to.
Lawmakers seek audit of Sports and Tourism Authority
The Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority may face a special audit to uncover how much Major League Baseball teams have spent on new spring training stadiums in recent years and whether the authority will be able to pay off its debt.
Bill targeting child prostitution advances
A House committee unanimously approved legislation that would carve out a lesser crime for men who unknowingly solicit child prostitutes, while still retaining tougher penalties for those who knowingly pay children for sex.
Surcharges for new Cubs stadium clear hurdle
An effort to finance a new Spring Training stadium in Mesa for the Chicago Cubs through surcharges on rental cars and baseball tickets cleared its first hurdle today and won approval from a House panel, despite opposition from every other baseball team in the Cactus League and Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig.
Changes to lawmaker-replacement process shot down
An effort to give rural areas more control over filling vacancies in the Arizona Legislature was stymied by a House panel after lawmakers raised concerns that it would create more problems than it would solve.
UpClose with Adam Driggs
Adam Driggs grew up in a world where high-profile Arizona political figures were family friends. When Driggs was a child, his father was mayor of Phoenix, his family went on vacations with Sandra Day O'Connor, and Sen. Barry Goldwater frequently wrote letters to his family. Also, astronaut Buzz Aldrin is his uncle.
