Recent Articles from Luige del Puerto
Supreme Court ruling allows 126K Arizonans to retain health insurance subsidies
In a major victory for the Obama administration, the U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that the Affordable Care Act allows federal exchanges to offer subsidies, thereby preserving the insurance coverage of roughly 6.4 million Americans, including 126,000 Arizonans.
Ducey’s options would be limited if Supreme Court rules against Obamacare
Gov. Doug Ducey is guarded about what his administration plans to do, if anything, once the U.S. Supreme Court rules on whether subsidies may be legally offered on the federal exchanges.
Stump deleted public phone records, discarded phone belonging to Corporation Commission
Energy regulator Bob Stump routinely deleted text messages on his cellphones, including public records that cannot be retrieved, the Arizona Corporation Commission disclosed.
Beneath the rhetoric: Numbers show decline in state support for education
Arizona’s policymakers often proclaim education as a priority, but a review of years of fiscal data shows that the rhetoric doesn’t match up to the reality.
Corporation Commission responds to critics
The Arizona Corporation Commission is pushing back against the narrative that energy regulators are beholden to the utilities.
AHCCCS will renew bid to seek premiums, copays for Medicaid enrollees
Lawmakers have been trying to impose premiums and copays on Arizona’s Medicaid enrollees starting next January, but that decision is ultimately up to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. And if past experiences were a guide, it’s going to be a tough sell.
Double lives: Dreamers exemplify struggle to find answers to illegal immigration
For a dozen years, Belen Sisa kept a secret even from her closest friends. To them, she was Belen the excellent student, the varsity cheerleader, the homecoming queen. In fact, Sisa sits on the edge of America’s dizzying immigration system – she and her parents are in the country illegally.
ADE says cuts to charter schools higher than previously estimated
Cuts to one component of charter schools’ funding are higher than what lawmakers had assumed when they phased out additional support for small schools, the Arizona Education Department announced today.
Surprisingly strong gains reported in state tax revenues
The good news is that state revenues surged in April. The catch is that budget analysts aren’t sure if the gains will last.
Business wins big with Ducey, 2015 legislative session
Members of Arizona’s business community count Gov. Doug Ducey as one of their own, and the governor did not disappoint them in his first few months in office.
Veteran Senate secretary retires to the hills of Kentucky
Few people can claim they know the legislative process as intimately as Charmion Billington, the longtime secretary of the Arizona Senate.
Upcoming Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage could leave more legal questions
Many expect the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down state bans on gay marriage as unconstitutional, but even with such a monumental victory, gays in Arizona might still face legal and political hurdles.