The wear and tear of the 2009 session was visible on the faces of virtually every legislator, lobbyist and staffer at the Capitol, leaving little doubt that this year will be etched into the memories of those who watched it.
Read More »UpClose with House Speaker Kirk Adams 
Kirk Adams was elected speaker of the House after campaigning on a platform of opening up the budget process to make it more transparent to lawmakers and the public. How well that was achieved has been debated throughout the session at the Capitol, but Adams maintains the Legislature is moving toward that goal.
Read More »Lawmakers whiff as fewer bills pass 
Lawmakers saw little success in 2009 when it came to getting legislation approved. Much like the mighty Casey of baseball lore, representatives and senators were sent back to the dugout with little to show for their turn at bat.
Read More »Tired of waiting, House passes budget 
The House of Representatives has given its approval to a budget deal that was hammered out with the governor earlier this week, but it is unknown when the Senate will take up the matter as it isn’t clear if they have the votes needed to pass it.
Read More »New deal lacks votes; lawmakers adjourn 
Republican leaders and Gov. Jan Brewer may have reached a tentative budget agreement, but they don’t have the votes to get it out of the Legislature.
Read More »AZ readies for selloff of Capitol buildings, state park 
State lawmakers are looking to mortgage dozens of prisons, government buildings and one of the world's most unique cave systems in order to close a $2.5 billion deficit.
Read More »Republicans prepare for budget vote 
Democrats have accused Republicans of breaking off budget negotiations June 28 and breaking a promise that they wouldn’t use the bipartisan talks to leverage a deal with the governor.
Read More »Poll: Voters support sales tax increase
A new poll shows strong support among voters for Gov. Jan Brewer's plan to raise the state's sales tax by a penny to pay for education during the economic downturn.
Read More »Brewer reminds high court that budget was tardy
In an unsolicited and unusual court filing, Gov. Jan Brewer has fired the latest salvo in a public conflict with Republican lawmakers over this year's state budget.
Read More »Lawmakers could have avoided line-item vetoes 
When Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a large portion of the budget approved by lawmakers earlier this month, she sent the Legislature back to square one. Now Republican leaders are working with Democrats instead of the governor to craft a spending plan, and the state still faces a $2.5 billion deficit a month after the fiscal deadline.
Read More »