Recent Articles from Luige del Puerto
Kavanagh bill targets ASBA’s district fees, politicking
Rep. John Kavanagh, who backed this year's ballot measure to sweep hundreds of millions of dollars from a childhood development agency, has a message for an education group that opposed the effort: You don’t kick a hornet’s nest without risking a sting.
Senate hires House analyst as rules attorney
The Senate has hired a House staffer to become the chamber’s new rules attorney.
Recount confirms defeat of Proposition 112
A recount has confirmed that Arizona’s Proposition 112 failed by the slimmest margin in state history.
UpClose with Andrew Morrill: Teachers union chief says he’s not a liberal, takes balanced approach
Andrew Morrill took over as president of the Arizona Education Association, the state’s biggest teachers union, early this year. It’s a job no one would envy.
GOP tax plan good for business, bad for homeowners
Republican lawmakers and the governor are moving ahead with a tax-reduction plan they say would enable Arizona to attract more businesses and jobs to the state, even though the likely result would be a heavier tax burden for homeowners.
Business tax incentive debate indicates division in GOP
As debate looms in the Arizona Legislature regarding the best tax policy to foster job growth, a conservative, pro-market group is warning lawmakers against enacting incentives that benefit only certain companies.
Panel recommends extending tax credits for working poor
Despite "no" votes by Sen. Ron Gould and Rep.-elect Jack Harper, a panel of lawmakers recommended extending tax credits that benefit the working poor and charities.
Williams wants spotlight on state debt, says legislation is needed
An alcoholic’s first step toward recovery is to admit being powerless to stop drinking even though it’s making life unmanageable.
Now a Tucson lawmaker wants to use the same approach to the state’s addiction to borrowing.
Rep. Vic Williams, a Republican from Tucson, said he plans to introduce a bill that would require the state to report annually all borrowing, as we[...]
Commerce Authority plans shift 24 employees to OSPB
More than two-dozen employees will transfer to the governor's budget office from the Department of Commerce before the end of the year as part of a larger move to shift economic development responsibilities to a public-private organization.
Burns vacates office, reflects on career
Few sights say more about the end of a political career than a politician vacating his office. On Dec. 8, one of Arizona's longest-serving lawmakers packed his belongings in cardboard boxes, descended the stairs of the Senate and loaded them onto his car. But Senate President Bob Burns' departure reveals something more.
Bill to restore transplant coverage filed
The first very first bill filed for next legislative session seeks to restore transplant coverage that was restricted, a decision that highlighted the severity of the state's budget crisis but also put Arizona once again on the national spotlight.
Arizona gets ‘D’ for transparency of business subsidies
Even as Arizona’s politicians are contemplating a slew of tax breaks to attract or retain companies, they might also want to ratchet up their efforts when it comes to disclosing the incentives the state gives to businesses.