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

The state has finally paid off the last of the money it had to borrow to pay unemployment benefits to workers during the recession.

In the first four months under House Speaker David Gowan’s leadership, the cost of running the chamber has increased 29 percent year-over-year, according to a budget summary provided by the chamber.

The surprisingly strong showing in state revenue collections in April promptly revived questions surrounding the wisdom of rushing the budget’s passage earlier this year.

Lawmakers made broad claims about education spending this year, from Gov. Doug Ducey’s administration promoting a “classrooms first” theme on social media to frequent boasts of spending more on education than at any time in Arizona’s history.

Gov. Doug Ducey and Republican legislative leadership’s quest for swift passage of their first budget was aided by unusually lackluster opposition from Democratic lawmakers and GOP critics.

Gov. Doug Ducey said Thursday he intends to approve legislation cutting millions more in taxes even as he signed a budget that cuts millions of dollars from education and social programs.

Many school district officials and education leaders say Gov. Doug Ducey’s “Classrooms First” slogan and the oft-repeated boast that Arizona will spend more than ever on K-12 education next year are misleading and don’t reflect how budget cuts will affect schools in 2016.

Gov. Doug Ducey noted with pride that less than two months after he took office, legislators approved a budget that he considers 99 percent of what he asked for, passing it out of both chambers in record time.

Three key votes swung the budget in Republicans’ favor in the Arizona Senate, but none was more crucial than that of Democratic Sen. Carlyle Begay.

For political insiders, crafting the state’s spending plan is a spectacle – a final meeting of the minds after a period of high drama, backroom wheeling and dealing, and rushing to put together the final pieces of a $9 billion jigsaw puzzle.