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

Tension among Republicans in the Senate this morning nearly boiled over during a caucus meeting regarding legislation to create new tax credits for the film industry. Some oppose the proposal, and at least one Republican tried to keep the bill from advancing to the floor by invoking an informal rule to block the bill’s progress.

A legislator who sponsored a vetoed bill to legalize electronic billboards in Arizona says agreement has been reached on a compromise to allow the outdoor advertising.

The public will have a chance to chime in on a proposed high-voltage power line that would run through New Mexico and Arizona. The Bureau of Land Management has scheduled a series of open house meetings in both states on an electrical transmission line that could provide up to 2,500 megawatts of electricity.

Phoenix officials are eyeing Northern California as a possible source of new jobs for Arizona's largest city.

The fight over whether a Southern Arizona tribe can build a massive casino near Glendale’s entertainment district moved to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Monday. The city is contesting a trial court’s decision to uphold the Department of Interior’s decision to create reservation land out of 54 acres of unincorporated land near 95th and Northern avenues. The Tohono O’odham tribe wants to turn the parcel into reservation land under the Gila Bend Indian Reservation Lands Replacement Act, a 1986 federal law that allowed the tribe to replace nearly 10,000 acres of land that was destroyed by flooding from the federally-built Painted Rock Dam.

A year ago, the Arizona Legislature was just days away from adjournment of its annual legislative session, having already approved a state budget that included painful cuts to state services. But while lawmakers missed their self-imposed 2011 adjournment target of 100 days by just five hours, there's little chance the Legislature will come near as close this year.

American Traffic Solutions will be the next Arizona to company to cut its ties the American Legislative Exchange Council.

Doug Ducey brought 13 years of experience running a business in the private sector, including time as CEO of Cold Stone Creamery, to his post as Arizona state treasurer. Now, as he and his staff are responsible for managing the state’s $11.4 billion portfolio of taxpayer money on a daily basis, he shares what the state is — and is not — doing effectively in recovering from the Great Recession.

Arizona has collected $744,000 in taxes for online purchases in the first three months of the year just by adding a line to state income tax forms. But the new use-tax declaration line is set to go away if the Senate passes a bill approved by the House on Thursday and Gov. Jan Brewer signs it into law.

The Arizona Senate is rejecting a series of ethics measures proposed in the wake of the 2011 Fiesta Bowl scandal.