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Recent Articles from Luige del Puerto
Birthright bills won’t be heard this week
The birthright legislation has taken a backseat after lawmakers convened in a special session Monday to tackle a bill that aims to cut taxes as a way to attract businesses to Arizona.
Birthright bills bring out the best in debate
Those who watched the public hearing on the birthright bills in the Judiciary Committee on Feb. 7 were treated to a brilliant exposition of the 14th Amendment, its meaning and its history.
Casino survives, but opposition group’s clout undiminished
On the surface, the outcome of the Legislature’s voting looked like a defeat for the Center for Arizona Policy, a faith-based advocacy lobby that has been winning at the state Capitol for most of the last decade.
Constitutional obstacle course: the challenges facing the birthright citizenship bill backers
Frustrated by the federal government's refusal to solve illegal immigration, some lawmakers want the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve who exactly is an American citizen.
In trying to define citizenship, birthright busters will have to navigate not only through the U.S. Supreme Court, but the U.S. Senate, other states and even their own caucus.
Capitol Insiders February 11, 2011
Even without controversial blunt wraps provision, tobacco bill still fails in Senate
At first, Sen. Michele Reagan, R-Scottsdale, thought her fake ID and "blunt wrap" bill would sail through the Senate. But that second part landed the bill in the middle of an ugly feud between a national group of cigar manufacturers and one of its members.
Blendu files paperwork for House run in 2012
Former state Sen. Robert Blendu, a Republican from Litchfield Park, said he will run in 2012 for a seat in the Arizona House.
Senate confirms gubernatorial appointees, passes several bills
On a day of heavy lifting, Arizona senators hunkered down to confirm gubernatorial appointees and pass more than a dozen bills dealing with such diverse topics as road behavior, immigration and taxes.
Stung by setback, supporters of birthright bills change tactics; bills assigned to Appropriations
After Monday's setback, backers of the birthright bills are changing their strategy.
Birthright bills run into trouble
Backers of proposals that aim to ultimately deny U.S. citizenship to children born to illegal immigrants suffered a setback on Monday when the chairman of the Arizona Senate committee that tackled the bills concluded he did not have the votes to approve them.
Birthright citizenship debate, a preview
When lawmakers today tackle a proposal that is aimed at ultimately challenging the citizenship of American-born children of illegal immigrants, the debate probably will focus on the meaning of a phrase of the 14th Amendment: Who exactly is “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States?
Democrats’ tax-credit legislation makes Republicans squirm
Grossly outnumbered, Democrats in the Arizona House have discovered a way to place the Republican majority in an uncomfortable position on tax legislation.
Believe it: Tuition hike is coming
When pressed about whether cuts to higher education would lead to higher tuition, the Governor’s Office hedged, but the heads of Arizona’s community colleges said the reduction is so steep they will have little choice but to propose that students pay more.
