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Recent Articles from Luige del Puerto
Legislature poised to challenge Brewer on federal money
The Senate gave its preliminary approval on Monday to a bill that seeks to wrestle control over federal funds from the governor.
Watered down ‘birther’ bill advances
Legislation requiring presidential candidates to submit proof of citizenship before appearing on the Arizona ballot is advancing in the Senate, though it has been stripped of its most controversial provision and has been substantially tweaked since the original version died in committee in February.
The Art of Budgeting: Spending bills often include issues beyond money — like policy changes
It may be free from gimmicks and other accounting maneuvers, but the Senate’s budget could not escape the perennial inclusion of policy changes whose ties to actual budgeting are, at best, tenuous.
With defeat of immigration measures, some supporters threaten to go the ballot
Critics defeated five controversial immigration measures at the Capitol this month. But their legislative victory might have only spawned a bigger, more public battle. Some of the bills’ supporters are now threatening to bring the fight to the ballot box.
The risks of defiance: What will GOP senators’ ‘no’ votes on immigration bills cost them?
Advocates of stricter state-level immigration laws hinted at dire political repercussions for the 12 Republicans who voted against some or all of five controversial immigration measures on March 17.
Senate panel OKs bill to flatten state income tax
A "flat tax" bill to rewrite the state individual income tax is nearing the finish line at the Legislature, setting the stage for changes that would have the Arizona's wealthiest taxpayers paying less while nearly nine of every 10 Arizonans pay more.
Bill giving sheriffs more control over budget fails again in Senate
Another attempt to give county elected officials more control over their budgets was once again rejected by the Senate today.
Democrats: Klein’s letter-reading offensive, ignorant
Latino Democrats today said a Republican senator made an “offensive and ignorant” decision when she read a racially tinged letter on the Senate floor during the debate of an immigration bill last week.
Senate approves measure restricting Spanish-language voting information
The Senate approved legislation on Monday mandating that government documents, including all voting materials except the actual ballot, be published in English.
Immigration bills are ‘dead’ — for now
Supporters of the five controversial immigration measures that the Senate killed on Thursday made no attempt to revive the measures on Monday.
As a result, the bills are dead — but the ideas may still be resurrected.
Senate approves bill prohibiting sex-selection abortions
The Senate passed legislation on Monday to prohibit abortion based on the sex or race of the fetus, or the race of a parent – but not until amending it to criminalize violations.
Budget and immigration, an inseparable diptych?
Senate President Russell Pearce, Arizona’s most prominent anti-illegal immigration firebrand, has always argued that illegal immigration and the state’s budget woes are inseparable. But the two issues may have formed a diptych in ways that many, including Pearce, probably did not anticipate.
