Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business

Judy Lowe talked her way into her first job in real estate in 1979. The homemaker convinced the owner of a Tucson real estate company she could help him develop his business and took a job at the front desk. It wasn't long before she was in charge of business operations.

The 2009 legislative session started out slowly in terms of bill advancement, but it ended in a flurry that left even some lawmakers wondering what all they had voted on. When the Legislature adjourned sine die on July 1, lawmakers had sponsored 1,133 bills during the 2009 regular session. A total of 213 made the cut and were passed by the Legislature. And 191 bills were signed into law.

Just because it's unsellable doesn't mean it's inconsumable. Far from it, judging by the life work of John van Hengel. Van Hengel spent the last 38 years of his life proving this concept again and again. His efforts sprouted a global food-supply network that serves those most in need. And it has its roots right here in Phoenix.

Arizona lawmakers sent more than 100 bills to Gov. Jan Brewer for her approval or veto earlier this month, but a few measures they passed don't need the governor to sign off - including one that asks Congress to reconsider a measure that would pull the United States out of the United Nations.

Rep. Olivia Cajero Bedford, a Democrat from Tucson, was selected to participate in the 2009 session of the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program conducted at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.