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

More than $11 million in the governor’s budget proposal would address fire alarm systems in the state’s buildings and prisons that are getting old, outdated and in various stages of failure.

One of the largest chunks of funding in Gov. Doug Ducey’s budget proposal would send additional dollars to high-performing schools, a plan that critics say is counterintuitive.

Gov. Doug Ducey’s proposed $5 million to bring high-speed internet to Arizona schools — most of them rural — will only serve one-fifth of the schools.

Amid uproar over a small proposed teacher pay raise in Gov. Doug Ducey’s budget, Republican lawmakers have consistently pointed to the billions of dollars provided by Prop. 123 as a source for salary increases.

It’s still too early to know exactly what impact House subcommittees will have on the budget process, but the reviews from House members are, thus far, positive.

Gov. Doug Ducey announced several plans aimed at the state’s most vulnerable, from the very poor to people suffering from addiction.

Moderate. Centrist. Pragmatic. Even Democratic. The words being used by some observers to describe Doug Ducey’s third State of the State address.

Financing the state’s freeway needs could mean Arizona motorists will pay higher gasoline taxes, an entirely new sales tax on fuel on top of that and find it’s even more expensive to register their vehicles.

Lawmakers are debating a proposed $9.58 billion budget, which for the first time in years, makes significant increases in a handful of key areas.

Last year, lawmakers approved a state budget in record-breaking time and adjourned the shortest legislative session since 1968. But this year, the process is going much slower.