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GOP senators skittish about Fiesta Bowl reforms
A year after a scandal involving gifts and out-of-state trips to sporting events rocked the state Capitol, no legislation has advanced to tackle the subject and a Phoenix Democrat said he believes his colleagues are deliberately avoiding it.
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[...]
Contraception bill defeated – but battle far from over
In a startling turn of events, state senators today rejected a proposal to allow employers with religious objections to deny contraception coverage to their workers.
The measure was defeated by a close margin – 13-17. But the battle isn’t over yet.
Patterson ethics proceedings delayed
A report by special investigators into the ethics charges against a Tucson Democrat accused of beating his ex-girlfriend will be delayed until at least Friday, but the investigation and future hearings are expected to continue after that.
Bivens ends Senate campaign
Faced with an uphill campaign against a primary opponent handpicked by the president and backed by the national Democratic establishment, Don Bivens on Wednesday dropped out of the U.S. Senate race, clearing the field for former Surgeon General Richard Carmona.
Worsley: Decision to scrub immigration criticisms ‘probably backfired’
Mesa Republican Bob Worsley admitted today that he likely made a mistake when he deleted his written criticisms of the state’s illegal immigration laws shortly after announcing he was running for the state Senate. But far from back-peddling, Worsley, who is running against former senator and immigration hawk Russell Pearce, said he believes the state suffers from immigration fatigue and should r[...]
Birth-Controlled: Pro-life activists push for greater restrictions on abortion, contraception
Pro-life advocates are taking advantage of Republicans’ unparalleled dominance at the state Capitol, pushing for their most ambitious agenda yet in their fight to restrict abortion and birth control.
If enacted, the slew of bills would give pro-life advocates their biggest gains in years.
But the controversial measures also mean Republicans are wading deeper into a cultural war tha[...]
Pierce wary of Tobin’s planned redistricting lawsuit
Senate President Steve Pierce said today that he has serious concerns about spending public money to sue the state’s redistricting commission – and even if lawmakers could be convinced to do that, he’s not sure it would be legal.
Parker kicks off CD9 campaign
Vernon Parker kicked off his campaign for Arizona’s 9th Congressional District with the aura of a frontrunner. In a race for a competitive but Democratic-leaning district, Parker is the only big name in the GOP primary so far. Heavyweights who were expected to get into the race such as Hugh Hallman, Steve Moak, Gary Pierce and Don Stapley have all opted out.
House speaker proposes first lawsuit against redistricting map
House Speaker Andy Tobin is planning to ask lawmakers to sue the state’s redistricting commission over the constitutionality of the legislative map the panel crafted.
