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Two recent developments persuaded a conservative Republican senator to switch his stance from opposition to support for a budget package that has stalled in his chamber for weeks. One was an e-mail from the Americans for Tax Reforms, a national anti-tax group that administers the No New Taxes Pledge.

Three proposals to amend the Arizona Constitution will be heading to the 2010 ballot for voter consideration after gaining final approval from Republican lawmakers during a session dominated by the state's financial crisis.

The Citizens Clean Elections Commission’s decision to remove Rep. Doug Quelland from office will be contested this week before an administrative law judge. On Aug. 3, attorneys representing the commission and Quelland filed a list of witnesses and exhibits they ...

Senate Republicans have postponed a vote to permanently replace Senate Majority Whip Pamela Gorman, who resigned her leadership position earlier in the day. But they did choose a temporary replacement: freshman Sen. Steve Pierce.

From: Pamela Gorman [mailto:pgorman@azleg.gov] Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 10:18 AM To: Robert Burns Cc: .SREPMEMS Subject: Dear President Burns, I’m writing today to tender my resignation as Senate Majority Whip. I believe our ideological and philosophical differences on important ...

Sen. Pamela Gorman has resigned her position as majority whip. "I believe our ideological and philosophical differences on important issues like taxes and spending make it necessary for me to resign my position," Gorman wrote in a letter to Senate President Bob Burns that was first obtained by the Yellow Sheet Report.

Considering the internecine warfare that has been the hallmark of Jan Brewer’s tenure as governor, some Republicans may have been tempted to forget why they were so happy when Janet Napolitano left. But one look at the scores of conservative bills Brewer signed may be enough to jog their memories.

The 2009 legislative session started out slowly in terms of bill advancement, but it ended in a flurry that left even some lawmakers wondering what all they had voted on. When the Legislature adjourned sine die on July 1, lawmakers had sponsored 1,133 bills during the 2009 regular session. A total of 213 made the cut and were passed by the Legislature. And 191 bills were signed into law.

The Senate will meet today (Aug. 4), but it’s unclear how many senators will show up. Gov. Jan Brewer has been working the phones in the past few days to lobby lawmakers for their vote on an agreement that she and Republican legislative leaders reached last month.

Nearly one-fifth of the state’s general fund revenues eroded in the 2009 fiscal year, the largest decline on record since World War II. New revenue figures show the state was short nearly $479 million in fiscal 2009, which ended June 30.