Senate president indicates he will allow Medicaid vote
State Senate President Andy Biggs strongly indicated today he will allow a vote on Gov. Jan Brewer’s Medicaid expansion plan even though he’s adamantly opposed to it.
Four counties jump on board, support Brewer Medicaid expansion
After Yavapai County jumped on board, three other county governments officially backed Gov. Jan Brewer’s proposal to expand Medicaid.
Montgomery rejects dismissal for Horne case, hearing is back on
A May 7 evidentiary hearing in Attorney General Tom Horne’s campaign finance case is back on after Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery officially rejected an administrative law judge’s recommendation that the case be dismissed.
Recall petition filed against Kavanagh
Republican state Rep. John Kavanagh of Fountain Hills is the third public official in the state facing a possible recall campaign, as opponents filed a recall petition against him today citing “attacks on students, LGBTQ individuals and attempts to thwart legitimate recall efforts.”
Students, Goldwater Institute, oppose ASA lawsuit over fees
A group of Arizona university students, including Rep. Paul Boyer, R-Phoenix, filed a motion in federal court this week asking to intervene in a lawsuit to reinstate a fee on students to support a non-profit group. The five intervening students are represented by the Goldwater Institute in Phoenix.
LaFaro says he hopes his “Judas’’ comment taught governor a lesson
The comments by Maricopa County Republican Party chairman A.J. LaFaro equating Gov. Jan Brewer to Judas Iscariot for pushing Medicaid expansion have created a firestorm and led to calls for his resignation.
Two early voting bills get uncertain new life
Two controversial early voting reform bills have been cleared for a vote in the House, but their future remains uncertain. The bills advocated by county elections officials had been going nowhere, held up in the House Government Committee.
Brewer tells Biggs to slow down the pace
Little progress has been made on Gov. Jan Brewer’s agenda for the legislative session, and she’s sending a clear signal that she wants to see some movement on her priorities before she deals with theirs. But the Ninth Floor says Brewer isn’t threatening to dust off the veto stamp.
Public notice bill comes back to life while another dies
The battle over who gets to print public notices continued in the House on Monday, as a bill that had been killed was revived and passed, and another bill went down in flames.
Senate approves bill to arm teachers and administrators
The Arizona Senate approved a bill Monday that could arm teachers and administrators in rural schools.
The bill passed the Senate on a 17-11 party line vote, and now moves to the House. If approved by both chambers, the measure would allow certain school employees to carry concealed firearms in schools with fewer than 600 students that are more than 30 minutes and 20 miles from the nearest[...]
Cash-strapped Arpaio recall effort nixes paid circulators
The recall effort against Maricopa County Attorney Joe Arpaio decided over the weekend to stop using paid signature gatherers due to a lack of funds, an ominous sign for a campaign that faces an uphill battle in collecting hundreds of thousands of signatures.
Carmona won’t run for governor
The biggest name in Democratic politics in Arizona won’t jump into the fray for the 2014 governor’s race. Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona told KPNX-TV (Channel 12) reporter Brahm Resnik in a Sunday interview that he won’t seek the Democratic nomination for governor.