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

Sen. Jack Harper stood up during a discussion on the Senate floor to explain that it was a mistake for President Obama to advocate for changes to the "Don't ask, don't tell" directive that has kept gays and lesbians from serving openly in the U.S. military.

Sen. Jack Harper said he intended to craft a law that would stop "activist judges" from taking children away from heterosexual couples and giving custody to gay people. But the measure he is sponsoring would have a much broader impact on Arizona's adoption laws.

Secret plotting to balance Arizona's wildly out-of-whack budget got started in an east Phoenix restaurant best described as a hole-in-the- wall. What better place than a hole-in-the-wall to work on a budget full of holes?

Residents of Legislative District 6 will have to wait for a few more days before they will find out who their next state senator will be.

UPDATE: 4:14 p.m. The House will not be debating or voting on the other four special session bills today. Instead, they will do so next week.

After shooting down five straight ballot propositions to give state lawmakers a raise, Arizona voters may get a chance to give them pay cut instead.

The Republican primary election in a rural Arizona district is shaping up to be an exciting one, as a term-limited member of the House has announced he will challenge the district's incumbent Republican senator.

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a ballot measure Feb. 2 that will ask voters to repeal a state constitutional amendment limiting lawmakers' ability to amend voter-mandated spending.

UPDATE: 4:35 p.m. Senate President Bob Burns acknowledged it took a significant effort by Republicans and Democrats to pass all six special session budget bills out of his chamber, even though he wouldn’t “put it in the fiscally responsible plan category.”

The Republican precinct committee from District 6 has nominated their district chairman, a party activist and a veteran committeeman to fill the Senate seat left vacant when Pamela Gorman resigned last week.