Sign In
Free Newsletter
Recent Articles from Luige del Puerto
Anti-union bills expose lack of worker solidarity
While the slew of measures targeting public unions appeared to have re-energized organized labor in Arizona, it also exposed their inability to fully unite amid a sustained attack from foes. The discord over tactics was palpable on March 1, when hundreds of union members and their supporters protested at the state Capitol, but many public unions stayed away.
Senate narrowly passes anti-bullying bill
Senators on Thursday narrowly approved a proposal that more comprehensively defines bullying and also requires charter schools to adopt anti-bullying policies.
Senate votes down Amazon sales tax bill
The Senate today rebuffed a proposal to require online retailing giant Amazon.com to collect taxes on products it sells to Arizona residents. The measure, SB1338, was defeated by a vote of 8 to 20.
Statewide photo-radar ban fails a 2nd time
A ballot measure that would outlaw the use of photo radar in the state failed a second time in the Senate today, spurring the sponsor to declare the proposal most likely dead this session.
Klein’s HOA: We didn’t target senator
The firm that manages Sen. Lori Klein’s homeowners’ association denied targeting the lawmaker, who has received three letters notifying her of allegedly violating the community’s rules.
Klein: My HOA is ‘targeting me’
A first-term Republican lawmaker is claiming she’s being targeted by her homeowners association because of anti-HOA measures she has introduced.
Senate OKs recall elections overhaul
The Senate today approved legislation that could make it more difficult for voters to remove lawmakers from office. The measure stems from the defeat of then-Sen. Russell Pearce, the architect of SB1070 and major anti-illegal immigration laws in Arizona, following a successful recall effort last year.
Brewer, lawmakers end budget stall, reopen talks
The Governor’s Office and legislative leaders have reopened lines of communications involving the state budget, signaling a thaw over how to craft the state’s spending plan in the next few years. Gov. Jan Brewer, Senate President Steve Pierce and House Speaker Andy Tobin met Thursday. After the meeting, Pierce said staffers from both sides could start working together as soon as this weeken[...]
Dem lawmakers protest border-security speaker, call him anti-Semitic
Two Democratic senators walked out of a border security panel this morning after its chairwoman invited an activist who is described by a civil rights group as a “vitriolic Mexican-basher.”
Volunteer strike force on border gets Senate OK
A senator who believes Middle-Eastern terrorist groups are active in Mexico and Central America persuaded her colleagues to advance a proposal that would create an armed volunteer force to help apprehend criminals who illegally enter the United States.
The Senate passed the measure today by a vote of 20-10.
Universities: Guns-on-campus measure would have multimillion-dollar impact
Universities are offering one more reason to oppose a measure to allow guns on campuses — it would cost millions of dollars to implement.
Unions planning big rally at state Capitol
Unions from across Arizona are planning to bring hundreds of workers to the state Capitol on Thursday, two days after the Senate advanced a second bill that targets public unions.
They also want to send a clear message that they’re opposing Gov. Jan Brewer’s proposal to overhaul the state personnel system and make it easier to hire and fire workers.
