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Budget delay could stall referral for months
Gov. Jan Brewer is hoping to get her temporary tax increase on the ballot for November's election, but if lawmakers don't act soon, the vote may have to wait until January.
Free extension policy muddles APS rate case
Opponents of a policy that forces landowners, not APS, to foot the bill for extending power lines to their property have spent nearly a year drumming up support for their cause. Now, they will get a chance to plead their case to the Arizona Corporation Commission.
Pearce: No support for ousting Gray
Sen. Russell Pearce said he has not seen any move in the Senate aimed at removing majority leader Chuck Gray from his leadership post, despite reports that he may suffer the same fate as recently ousted majority whip Pamela Gorman.
Far from over: Next steps in Quelland saga
A struggle that began weeks after the November elections moved into the courtroom on Aug. 6 when Rep. Doug Quelland petitioned an administrative law judge to undo a state agency’s order that could force him from office. Quelland has appealed to the Office of Administrative Hearings in hopes of keeping his seat as a District 10 representative.
Clean Elections lawyer tells judge Quelland ‘cheated’ the system
The appeal of a May order to remove Rep. Doug Quelland from office started Aug. 6 as attorneys for the Citizens Clean Elections Commission and the Phoenix lawmaker squared off in front of an administrative law judge. Peter Limperis, an attorney hired by the commission, began opening arguments with a stark reminder that Quelland once stood as a strong supporter of Arizona's publicly funded elect[...]
Two reasons Sen. Harper flipped on budget
Two recent developments persuaded a conservative Republican senator to switch his stance from opposition to support for a budget package that has stalled in his chamber for weeks. One was an e-mail from the Americans for Tax Reforms, a national anti-tax group that administers the No New Taxes Pledge.
A failure to rehabilitate
Arizona spent $121 million on drug- and alcohol-treatment programs in 2008, but a report by the Arizona Auditor General’s Office indicates the programs have failed to change the behavior of most substance-abusing patients. Nearly half of the patients who began substance-abuse treatment during the past three years dropped out before finishing the programs.
No action on budget; Legislature to return Friday
The Legislature is set to meet on Friday, Aug. 7 in another push to pass a budget in time to get Gov. Jan Brewer's sales tax referral on the ballot this November.
Senate GOP picks Pierce to fill in as whip
Senate Republicans have postponed a vote to permanently replace Senate Majority Whip Pamela Gorman, who resigned her leadership position earlier in the day. But they did choose a temporary replacement: freshman Sen. Steve Pierce.
Gorman resigns as whip
Sen. Pamela Gorman has resigned her position as majority whip. "I believe our ideological and philosophical differences on important issues like taxes and spending make it necessary for me to resign my position," Gorman wrote in a letter to Senate President Bob Burns that was first obtained by the Yellow Sheet Report.
Brewer’s bill signings overshadowed by tax plan?
Considering the internecine warfare that has been the hallmark of Jan Brewer’s tenure as governor, some Republicans may have been tempted to forget why they were so happy when Janet Napolitano left. But one look at the scores of conservative bills Brewer signed may be enough to jog their memories.
Senate meets today, budget vote iffy
The Senate will meet today (Aug. 4), but it’s unclear how many senators will show up. Gov. Jan Brewer has been working the phones in the past few days to lobby lawmakers for their vote on an agreement that she and Republican legislative leaders reached last month.
