A heartbeat away: Pro-life movement considers tough anti-abortion bill
Arizona’s pro-life movement is considering a proposal to outlaw abortion once a heartbeat is detected in a fetus, an idea that is designed to directly confront Roe v. Wade, the landmark court ruling that ensures a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy.
Judge: IRC can’t be investigated for open meeting law violations
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has dealt the Independent Redistricting Commission a sweeping victory by declaring that the agency is not bound by state open meeting laws or subject to investigations into the contested hiring of a mapping consultant.
Déjà vu: Brewer expresses possible support for another K-12 tax hike
A coalition seeking a voter-approved tax hike for education may have an ally in Gov. Jan Brewer, who gave her strongest signals yet that she may support the group’s proposed ballot measure.
Republican, Democratic leaders show partisan split on redistricting
The partisan legislative maneuvering over Arizona’s redistricting process may be over for now, but the arguments lived on as Republican and Democratic leaders spent more than two hours on Wednesday making their cases to the remapping commission.
Arizona slogs toward economic rebound
The good news is the prospects for Arizona’s economy remain strong.
The bad news is when compared to previous recoveries it will take quite a long time to get there.
Appeals court upholds state Medicaid cuts
The Arizona Court of Appeals upheld massive cuts to the state’s Medicaid program, keeping Arizona’s precariously balanced budget intact and dealing a severe blow to advocates who said the partial enrollment freeze violated voter mandates.
GOP commissioner seeks to dismantle competitive district, make changes to congressional map
A major overhaul of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission’s congressional map would eliminate Maricopa County’s centerpiece district and drastically shift the lines in rural Arizona.
Ethics Committee hires ex-federal prosecutor in Bundgaard case
The Senate Ethics Committee has hired a former federal prosecutor to investigate whether Sen. Scott Bundgaard broke ethics rules in a roadside scuffle with his ex-girlfriend.
And the attorney, Kory Langhofer, appears to be aggressively pursuing the case: He said he will likely call witnesses to testify in the ethics trial next month, including alleged victim Aubry Ballard, police officers[...]
IRC maps on agenda for final OK
Agendas for the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission’s meetings for the week now include the possible approval of its new maps, and the final vote could come within the next few weeks.
Aguirre exploring run for Grijalva’s U.S. House seat
In 2010, U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva narrowly staved off a challenge from a Republican upstart.
Next year, Grijalva’s fight may begin in the primary, as a former Democratic state senator says she is mulling a run against the five-term incumbent.
Self preservation: Lawmakers lament recall process, want to make it more difficult
Still shaken from the successful recall of Senate President Russell Pearce, some lawmakers are seeking to make it more difficult for voters to oust politicians from office.
One Pearce ally plans to sponsor legislation that would require recall organizers to obtain signatures from a majority of registered voters in a district — an unprecedented proposal that would far exceed signature [...]
Federal money for health exchange puts Brewer in bind
The $30 million that Arizona received this week from the Obama administration will help the state develop and design a health insurance exchange website that can seamlessly interact with Medicaid.
But the pot of money, particularly given its size, potentially poses legal and political complications for Gov. Jan Brewer, who is against the federal health care overhaul and led Arizona in sui[...]