Sign In
Free Newsletter
Let’s get ethical: Dems jockey to fill Ethics Committee vacancy
Departing Arizona Sen. Jack Jackson, Jr., leaves behind a vacancy on a number of committees, including a key seat on the Senate Ethics Committee.
Conservative LD leaders reprimand GOP lawmakers for pro-Medicaid votes; competitive LD leaders say it’s counterproductive
Long before lawmakers took a vote on Medicaid expansion, Republican precinct committeemen across the state issued a warning to GOP legislators: If you vote for expansion, we will do everything we can to take you out in the next primary election.
Voting Rights Act ruling may free 2 laws from limbo
Two laws that have spent several years in limbo may have new life, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that freed Arizona from a key provision of the Voting Rights Act.
Whatever happened to… The fate of the session’s most colorful bills
This year marked a recent low in proposed legislation, with only 1,158 bills introduced and 256 signed into law, compared to 1,395 and 362 respectively last year.
There were also fewer “kooky” bills than in past years, and fewer of Arizona’s proposed laws made fewer national headlines this year than in previous sessions.
Freshmen stand out on issues ranging from Medicaid to sales tax reform
Doug Cole, a longtime lobbyist and veteran of the Capitol, said freshmen used to simply fall in line with leadership and sit on the back bench to learn during a session or two.
Crandall has worst attendance record in Legislature; 19 lawmakers didn’t miss a day
The award for most missed floor votes and most missed days of the session goes to Republican Sen. Rich Crandall of Mesa, who showed up to vote on only 64 percent of the bills that made it to the Senate floor, and was present for only 61 percent of the days the Senate met.
Laws on judicial appointments, elections, Medicaid likely facing legal challenges
A law enacted to give the governor more choices in appointing judges is expected to join Medicaid expansion and an elections package as 2013 legislation that will wind up in court.
Lawmaker resignations down in 2013, but likely to pick up soon
One marked difference in 2013 was the lack of legislative mid-session resignations, particularly following lawmaker scandals.
Majority leader takes the heat for sponsoring Medicaid amendment
Quiet about his thoughts on Gov. Jan Brewer’s Medicaid proposal for most of the session, Senate Majority Leader John McComish emerged late as a key player in the push for AHCCCS expansion in the Senate.
Crossing the Andys: The twisting path to Medicaid expansion
The special session on the budget and Medicaid expansion was the product of a five-month battle that took more twists and turns than a rattlesnake on a blistering sidewalk.
Livingston scores a perfect legislative batting average
The award for best legislative batting average for the session — the calculation of bills introduced versus bills signed into law — goes to Rep. David Livingston, a freshman Republican lawmaker from Peoria who has been vocally critical of the governor.
Up Close with House Speaker Andy Tobin
I didn’t talk to a single person who thought a special session was on the table in the days before it actually happened. Did you see the special session coming at all? You’re always aware that there’s a possibility of a special session. The question is, what triggers a special?
