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

Battling national laws and attitudes that outdoor parks don’t need to prioritize accessibility for people with disabilities, the Arizona State Parks department has begun to take steps toward universal access.

The idea of budgeting additional money for newly created committees, which the commission did not have before, led Commissioner Bob Burns to dissent from the commission’s budget request, a rare move meant to register his discontent with the program.

The Department of Economic Security has requested more than $3 million in general fund appropriations to match wage increases, without which they say services for individuals with disabilities may be severely limited.

Dozens of workers from the Carpenters Union of Arizona attended the commission’s meeting on September 21, where they demanded the resignation of Chairman Dale Schultz, and the firing of Bill Warren, the director of the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety.

Gov. Doug Ducey is looking for good policies and savings. But requests for money from the general fund, the state’s all-purpose kitty, are tougher to justify than those that come from other sources, like grants and fees.

The Arizona Department of Corrections wants 102 new positions and more than $13 million to fuel re-entry and recidivism reduction programs, but prisoner rights advocates aren’t convinced the request signals a turn in the department’s philosophy.

Gov. Doug Ducey’s requirement that people give their personal information to a state database when they pick up a life-saving drug for opioid overdoses at a pharmacy may actually jeopardize lives, say those who help people with drug addiction recover.

The Arizona Attorney General’s Office claims state officials don’t know how to respond to a judge’s order to adjust contribution rates to a retirement fund for the judiciary and elected officials.

The 4-1 vote by the Arizona Corporation Commission came after the majority rejected a bid by Bob Burns to delay the rate case until his lawsuit with APS and his fellow commissioners is resolved.

The former director of the Arizona Department of Economic Security denied the conclusions of a state audit, which found the agency amassed an excessive and poorly secured stockpile of ammunition under his watch.