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Changes to landlord laws challenged by tenant groups
Three proposed changes to landlord-tenant laws — one of which has already passed — have drawn the support of landlord attorneys and the ire of tenants’ rights groups.
Smith vows to push more immigration bills, despite limited success
Sen. Steve Smith said he doesn’t care how Arizona lawmakers try to stop illegal immigration, and that he supports any action taken to stop it. “Any attention to securing our borders and fighting illegal immigration is good,” Smith said. “I’ve introduced bills to do both. I will continue to introduce bills that do both... I’m going to continue on both fronts as long as I’m here.”
Militia bill cruising, but objections are many
Sen. Sylvia Allen says she’s sick and tired of excuses when it comes to solving the illegal immigration problem. “Everybody just wants to sit around and gripe about it, complain about it, blame the federal government for it,” Allen said. “But when it comes to saying, ‘What can we do as a state to really try to solve the problem?’ Now it’s all the reasons why we can’t solve this [...]
Border Bound: Immigration hawks take battle south — push for fence, militia
During the past several years, the Republican-led Legislature has passed some of the county’s toughest laws aimed at driving illegal immigrants from the state and deterring them from entering it.
For the most part, those laws have focused on enforcement within the state’s boundaries.
Now the strategy has shifted, and immigration hawks in the Legislature are taking their fight dir[...]
Key lawmakers scaling back tax cut measure to avoid veto
An ambitious economic development bill meant to be a follow-up to the 2011 Arizona Competitiveness Package will jettison some of its more contentious provisions due to the Ninth Floor’s concerns that it will cost too much money.
But lawmakers and business groups pushing the bill say they’re optimistic that an agreement will be reached with Gov. Jan Brewer to cut state taxes on capital g[...]
AG criminal division chief Keppel abruptly resigns
James Keppel, the head of the criminal division of the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, resigned his post after more than a year with the office.
Bill protecting college instructors from religious, political discrimination advances
The Senate on March 28 approved a proposal that would prohibit colleges and universities from hiring, firing or granting tenure to faculty members based on their religious or political beliefs.
Following court defeat, hospital group drops lawsuit against state
Arizona’s largest hospital group announced today it is dropping a lawsuit that seeks to undo the state’s decision to cut reimbursement rates to Medicaid providers, a move that comes just days after a federal judge upheld the cuts.
Patterson calls ethics investigation ‘fishing expedition,’ then leaves town
Rep. Daniel Patterson on Wednesday afternoon filed his formal response to the ethics investigation into allegations that he beat his ex-girlfriend, maintaining that the probe is warrantless and calling for the charges to be dropped.
Around the same time Patterson’s assistant turned the formal response over to the House Chief Clerk’s office, he had state police drive him to the airpor[...]
Advocates of contraception opt-out revive bill
Supporters of a controversial proposal that would allow any employer with a religious objection to deny contraception coverage to workers successfully revived the legislation a day after critics defeated it in the Senate.
Hospital group to announce plans over lawsuit it filed against state
The CEO of the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association is holding a press briefing with Senate President Steve Pierce today about the lawsuit it filed against the state over cuts in reimbursements to health providers.
Brewer vetoes electronic billboard law
Saying she doesn’t want to put the state’s astronomy industry in jeopardy, Gov. Jan Brewer today vetoed a bill to legalize electronic billboards along highways.
