Recent Articles from Luige del Puerto
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.
Bill to deny public housing to illegals advances
With a bill that seeks to deny undocumented aliens from getting public housing assistance, Arizona Republican lawmakers are positioning to wade deeper into a battle with the federal government over immigration.
Michael Crow: ASU tuition hike coming
Arizona State University President Michael Crow told lawmakers Tuesday his administration will ask for a tuition fee increase to help offset the governor’s proposed higher-education budget reductions.
Bill allowing military veterans to pay in-state tuition advances in committee
A Senate panel on Tuesday approved a bill to automatically qualify honorably discharged military veterans for a program that allows them to pay in-state tuition in colleges and universities.
On the Brink: School districts fear largest ever payment deferral will mean financial ruin
As they grapple with an unrelenting fiscal crisis for the third year in a row, Arizona’s policymakers have increasingly turned to an accounting maneuver to stave off crippling cuts to education.
Birthright-law foes want Pearce tossed from office
Critics of the birthright legislation, which aims to challenge the interpretation that children of undocumented aliens are American citizens, upped the ante this week by starting an effort to remove from office the state’s most ardent foe of illegal immigration.
Birthright proposal not on the majority agenda
For the most powerful man in the Senate, denying American citizenship to children born to undocumented aliens is the next step in the Arizona-led crusade to confront illegal immigration in the country. But a majority of Senate President Russell Pearce’s colleagues don’t see it as a priority, and they may not go along if the so-called birthright citizenship bill is voted on before the Legislatu[...]
A ‘cigar wrapper’ by any other name
A Senate panel on Wednesday waded into an ugly fight between a trade association of cigar manufacturers and one of its members over “blunt wraps.”
Lawmakers pass anti-casino bill, but it’s not exactly a win for proponents
Lawmakers on Wednesday approved a bill aimed at stopping the Tohono O’odham tribe from building a casino in Glendale. But the bill, which barely squeaked through in the Senate, lost its emergency provision. That means it would take effect 90 days after the session ends.