Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business

Gov. Jan Brewer is anxious to call a special session to ask voters to approve a temporary sales tax increase to help bridge the state's deficit, Senate President Bob Burns said during a meeting of Republican lawmakers on Jan. 26.

A loophole in Arizona's law against incest handcuffs officials wanting to crack down on polygamists who marry relatives under age 18, according to two state lawmakers.

The Senate has hired a former TV executive as its new communications adviser. Mike Philipsen replaced Laura Devany, who joined the Senate during the tenure of former Senate President Tim Bee.

Two-dozen people who came to the Capitol Jan. 25 to oppose a bill that would allow payday lenders to continue doing business in Arizona left without saying a word. The bill didn’t last long enough in committee for them to testify.

A handful of bills aimed at easing restrictions on weapons were approved by a Senate committee on Jan. 25. One of the bills, S1021, would justify deadly force if a person shoots someone who is threatening physical violence. Last year, ...

A House panel on Jan. 25 forwarded a measure to the floor aimed at spurring job growth through incentives to large corporations and tax cuts, where it is scheduled to be debated by the entire body.

Sen. Pamela Gorman, who represented District 6 in the Senate since 2007, has resigned her seat to run for Congress.

Rep. Jerry Weiers is fed up with fellow lawmakers who skip floor votes. His solution: Dock their pay and list their names on the Web.

Lawmakers are not the only ones who are prone to explain why they didn't like a bill but approve it anyway.

Political insiders said voters are naïve to object to the practice of a lawmaker voting for a bill that he or she actually opposes.