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Recent Articles from Luige del Puerto
Pearce looking to force employer sanctions law prosecutions on counties
Buoyed by the successful defense of the employer sanctions law in court, its architect is considering upping the ante by hitting counties that don’t enforce the law where it would hurt the most — their financial bottom line.
Committee formed to counter recall effort against Pearce
A counter-effort has been launched against the highly publicized effort to recall Senate President Russell Pearce.
Group submits 18,000 signatures to recall Pearce
Saying they have defied doomsayers and skeptics, a group filed Tuesday more than 18,000 signatures to recall Senate President Russell Pearce, a conservative lawmaker from Mesa who is nationally known for his anti-illegal immigration legislation.
Supreme Court OKs sanctions law — is SB1070 next?
The nation’s highest court has determined there is room for states to enforce federal immigration laws regarding employment, a ruling that proponents and critics are now parsing for any indication on how the Supreme Court will view SB1070.
Nogales-based businessmen to legislators: Please help convince feds to put more resources on Arizona ports
Arguing that ports of entry have been overlooked as the federal government beefs up security along the US-Mexico border, Nogales-based businessmen pressed Arizona legislators on May 25 for help in persuading the federal government to provide more funding to ease congestion at the states’ legal gateways.
In an extremely busy year, Senate passes more bills than House
When Senate leaders boast that this is the most fruitful session in years, they have the hard evidence to back up their claim.
Despite being half the size of the House of Representatives, the Senate approved 117 more pieces of legislation than the House sent to them.
UpClose with David Schapira: Found some success at blocking legislation with ‘watchdog’ approach
The Senate minority announced an audacious goal this year — to put the spotlight on Republicans and their legislation. That task fell to a young father to articulate his party’s positions in a year when Republicans, who are control both chambers, don’t even need a single Democratic vote to pass emergency legislation.
The immediate challenge for Senate Minority Leader David Schapir[...]
UpClose with Russell Pearce: Recognizes he’s not ‘a party of one,’ can’t do whatever he wants
If you’re looking for proof of how much more conservative the Senate emerged after last year’s election, look no further than the selection of Sen. Russell Pearce, a Republican from Mesa, as the chamber’s leader.
Pearce is often perceived as unmovable, uncompromising, even single-minded — traits that may be good or bad, depending on which side of the aisle you’re sitting. Many[...]
Distractions? Yes. Distracted? Probably not too much
Every circus has its sideshows. And this year, the state Capitol was crawling with them.
For the first time in more than a decade, lawmakers wrapped up their work in 100 days. And they did so in spite of distractions that came in the form of a roadside fracas that cost a Republican leader his post, a college football scandal that ensnared more than a dozen elected officials and a trag[...]
Tea Party Influence: New GOP legislators pushed ideological needle to the right
Friendly to faith-based legislation and deeply rooted in a small-government and fiscally disciplined philosophy, Arizona’s new legislators helped define and successfully push a conservative agenda at the Capitol.
Biggs, as Senate majority leader, less vocal in opposing bills
On several occasions, the Senate majority leader voted with the losing side — and against the majority in his caucus.
Those occasions are a stark reminder that the man Republicans picked as caucus leader is a fiscal conservative with a libertarian streak, who backs or supports measures depending on how they hew to or diverge from his reading of the U.S. Constitution.
Plight of the minority: Was self-assigned ‘watchdog’ role a success for the Democrats?
Lacking the numbers to block Republican-backed bills, Democratic legislators billed themselves as watchdogs whose main task at the Capitol was to highlight legislation they considered to be harmful to the state.
