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Issue: budget

100 days of session and no end in sight

Senate President Karen Fann is pursuing what a fellow Republican lawmaker calls “the impossible dream” – a truly bipartisan budget with spending priorities that reflect Republican and Democratic priorities. Senate...

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22,000 Arizona children could lose health care

Health care for more than 22,000 Arizona youngsters is in jeopardy because of congressional inaction. The federal budget year expired Sept. 30 without lawmakers taking action to fund the Children’s...

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ADOT may be illegally charging repealed fee

Deposit Photo More than 166,000 Arizona motorists who are now renewing their vehicle registrations are being hit up for a $32 fee that the agency may...

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Arizona governor signs stripped-down $11.8 billion budget

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a stripped-down emergency state budget Saturday that contains $50 million in spending to help tenants, homeowners and small businesses weather the coronavirus crisis. The $11.8...

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Arizona lawmakers propose increase in base education funding

  The proposed state budget released today marks some strides forward for public education funding, including a 0.9% increase in base level funding.  But Democrats and public...

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Arizona public schools find ways to adapt to funding cuts

Students in Tucson’s Amphitheater district receive Chromebooks paid for by the nonprofit Amphi Foundation to help them learn. The foundation funds programs the district would not...

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Arizona top teachers unload on Legislature

Three current and former teachers of the year lashed out Monday at lawmakers for failing to properly fund schools — and salaries — but were more forgiving of local school...

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Arizonans deserve better budget after difficult year

Passing a balanced state budget is the most important responsibility we have as legislators. Hence, we owe it to our constituents and our state to tread carefully. We have a...

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Bill bans mask mandates in public schools

Angela Black, right, with her brother Luke Black at their home, pose for a photo Tuesday, May 11, 2021, in Mesa, Ariz. The students, a third...

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Boyer gives caucus price for vote on budget

In this April 16, 2016, photo, Rep. Paul Boyer, R-Glendale, attends a panel discussion hosted by the Center for Political Thought and Leadership at Arizona State...

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Budget calls for school districts to divvy up pay increase

Rebuffing last-minute protests by educators picketing the Capitol, Republican lawmakers took the first steps Monday to providing a 9 percent raise this coming year for teachers. But not necessarily all...

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Budget impasse triggers talk of shutdown

If Arizona’s government were ever to shut down, 2021 would be the year.   Budget impasses have pushed the state near the breaking point before, including a long summer night 12...

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Budget includes property tax increase for some school districts

Gov. Doug Ducey (Photo by Katie Campbell/Arizona Capitol Times)douhg Homeowners in more than a dozen Arizona school districts will pay additional property taxes after lawmakers approved...

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Budget proposal killed in House committee

Two Republicans joined Democrats Wednesday to kill a scaled-down state budget proposal.   Reps. Michelle Udall, R-Mesa, and Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, joined all five Democrats on the House Appropriations...

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Budget talks stall, lawmakers consider scaled-down option

Deposit Photo Legislative leadership is considering a “skinny budget” this year after struggling to get consensus on big projects.  This would be a continuation of the...

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Circumstances sweep away some of Ducey’s agenda

Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, middle, pauses as he gives his state of the state address as he is flanked by House Speaker J.D. Mesnard, left,...

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Corrections asks for more money to help prisoners re-enter society

The Arizona Department of Corrections wants 102 new positions and more than $13 million to fuel re-entry and recidivism reduction programs, but prisoner rights advocates aren’t convinced the request signals...

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Ducey aides defend $1.5B cut in tax collections

Top aides to Gov. Doug Ducey are defending the $1.5 billion cut in tax collections and bailout of the most wealthy as “modest and responsible.” In a briefing with media...

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Ducey courts school districts with more K-12 money

Gov. Doug Ducey (Photo by Katie Campbell/Arizona Capitol Times) Looking for a scapegoat a year ago, Gov. Doug Ducey accused school officials for the woes of...

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Ducey draws line in sand on rainy-day fund

Calling an economic downturn “inevitable,” Gov. Doug Ducey is pushing back against demands by lawmakers from his own Republican Party to use an unexpected cash windfall to pay down debt....

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Ducey goes on veto spree to push teacher plan

Gov. Doug Ducey announces a plan to give teachers a 20 percent raise over the next three fiscal years. (Photo by Katie Campbell/Arizona Capitol Times) Gov....

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Ducey mulls gambling to help fund teacher raises

Gov. Doug Ducey (Photo by Katie Campbell/Arizona Capitol Times) Gov. Doug Ducey hopes to fund part of his teacher pay package through a new form of...

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Ducey offers teachers 20% pay raise by 2020

Arizona teachers march in protest of their low pay and school funding in front of a local radio station waiting for Republican Gov. Doug Ducey to...

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Ducey open to working with Dems on budget

Gov. Doug Ducey, third from left, helps cut a ribbon Wednesday for the formal opening of the new U.S. headquarters of CP Technologies in Prescott. Ducey...

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Ducey pay plan puts Democrats in catch-22

Democratic lawmakers face a political conundrum: Vote in favor of Ducey’s proposed 20 percent teacher pay increase and give the governor a political win or fall back on a campaign...

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Ducey proposes $12.3B state budget

Gov. Doug Ducey is proposing a $12.3 billion spending plan that still won’t restore state aid to education to where it was in 2008. On paper, the plan unveiled Friday...

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Ducey takes on budget risk to fund teacher pay hike

Gov. Doug Ducey announces a plan to give teachers a 20 percent raise over the next three fiscal years. (Photo by Katie Campbell/Arizona Capitol Times) As...

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Ducey wants $100M for wildfires

The Telegraph Fire burns Thursday, June 10, 2021 in Globe, Ariz. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has called a special session of the Legislature to boost wildfire...

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Ducey, legislative leaders arrive at teacher pay deal

Gov. Doug Ducey announces a plan to give teachers a 20 percent raise over the next three fiscal years. (Photo by Katie Campbell/Arizona Capitol Times) Arizona...

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Education groups not satisfied with Ducey’s budget increases

Education groups are luke-warm to Gov. Doug Ducey’s proposed spending on public education for the 2021 fiscal-year. More than half of Ducey’s proposed $12.3 billion budget, which he unveiled January...

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Fiscal responsibility guiding AZ through tough times

I recently had the opportunity to hear from Richard Stavneak, director of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, followed by revered economist Jim Rounds at the Arizona Tax Research Association’s highly...

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Flat-rate tax plan would have bipartisan support

Arizona’s taxation system is structurally imbalanced as the demand for government spending continues to far exceed tax revenue collections. Prior to this Covid recession, there was bipartisan agreement that additional...

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GOP lawmakers ready budget to send to Hobbs

Legislative Republicans are gearing up to send a budget to Gov. Katie Hobbs soon, which will likely be met with a hasty veto.   Speaker Ben Toma, R-Peoria, said on Monday...

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Governor’s budget ‘tantrum’ miffs lawmakers

In starting Memorial Day weekend by vetoing every bill on his desk, Gov. Doug Ducey aimed to prod reluctant lawmakers to end their vacation and return to pass his tax cut...

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Grab bag of laws voided by Supreme Court

When the Arizona Supreme Court slapped down how lawmakers approve “budget reconciliation” bills on November 2, they quashed more than the ban on schools requiring masks of faculty and students.  With its three-sentence order,...

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Hiring school counselors can’t wait

Nine hundred and three to one. That is the ratio of students to public school counselors in Arizona public schools. The national average is half that rate. That disparity represents...

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Hobbs wants bigger budget – doesn’t ask nicely

Katie Hobbs Secretary of State Katie Hobbs wants to nearly double her office’s funding next year because of new burdens imposed by Republican legislators.  In a scathing...

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House Dems torpedo GOP efforts to pass budget

Efforts to enact a new $12.8 billion budget and tax cuts sputtered Tuesday as House Democrats refused to come to the floor, leaving the Republican-controlled chamber short of a quorum....

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House Dems walk out stalls GOP budget

House Republicans’ hopes of passing a budget Tuesday were dashed when the Democrats boycotted the morning’s floor session.  Without the constitutionally required majority of members present in the building to...

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House flounders bid to pass tax bills

Rep. David Cook argues against a proposal by Republican leaders which would limit the amount of income taxes paid by the most wealthy. (Screengrab by Capitol...

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House GOP bill requires lessons on evils of communism

Rep. Quang Nguyen (Capitol Media Services 2021 file photo by Howard Fischer) Republican lawmakers voted Friday to require that students be exposed to the stories of...

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House GOP policy plan covers old ground, unfinished battles

Republican leadership in the House of Representatives released a general framework of policy and spending goals for the upcoming legislative session on January 9, laying out a broad-stroke vision for...

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House passes budget package, Senate goes home

  (Photo by Ellen O’Brien/Arizona Capitol Times) Just a few hours after saying she was “bound and determined” to pass a budget Friday night, Senate President...

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House Republican threatens vote against budget

Saying the budget agreement crafted by GOP legislative leaders and Gov. Doug Ducey is “not a conservative budget,” Rep. Tony Rivero, R-Peoria, vowed to vote against it Thursday unless his...

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House, Senate GOP leaders bring in budget holdouts

The Legislature may start debating and voting on the FY22 budget as early as Tuesday after striking a deal with Republican holdouts that slows down the implementation of tax cuts and pays...

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House, Senate leaders cut budget deal with Arizona governor

Republican leaders who control the majority in the Arizona Legislature said Sunday they’ve reached a deal with GOP Gov. Doug Ducey on a spending plan for the budget year that...

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Lawmakers approve wording for 2018 ballot measures

(AP Photo/Matt York) A Republican-dominated legislative committee decided Wednesday that voters don’t need to be told that if they approve a business-backed tax-limiting measure the state...

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Lawmakers can call bluff with slim margin

House Republican leaders bent on passing a flat tax and succeeding with threadbare majorities where past Republican supermajorities had failed hatched a plan last week: put the tax bills up for a...

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Lawmakers consider break to negotiate budget

Lawmakers could take a break in the legislative session due to budget holdouts, according to Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Republicans from both chambers...

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Lawmakers to start 2024 session with massive budget deficit

State lawmakers return to the Capitol Monday with an overflowing list of major issues that need to be addressed, from water to housing to the economy. But first they’re going...

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Legislature 2020: How to spend surplus of money

Winged Victory atop the Arizona Capitol Building (Photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr) State lawmakers return to the Capitol Monday to deal with something they appear to have...

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Legislature to pass bare-bones budget this week

Sen. Lupe Contreras confers Monday with Senate President Karen Fann as lawmakers determine what needs to be done immediately to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak. (Capitol...

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Legislature to start work on budget

House and Senate Republicans plan to introduce their budget bills Monday, Senate President Karen Fann and House Speaker Rusty Bowers said. Their comments Thursday came as several Republican senators continued...

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More Republican senators threaten vote against budget

Plans for a Republican-crafted budget blew up Thursday when a second GOP lawmaker said she won’t vote for a spending plan unless and until the state gives victims of childhood...

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New spending less than meets the eye

On paper, that $11.8 billion budget signed Friday by Gov. Doug Ducey is a somewhere north of 11 percent higher than what was adopted a year ago. But there’s less...

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No time to relax, competitive forces fiercer than ever

The most difficult time to accept a new challenge and embrace change is when things are going well. At the start of a new decade, people who live in Arizona...

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Panels advance budget bills, GOP holdouts seek compromise

Budget bills cleared their first hurdle Tuesday after a day of arm-twisting and political maneuvering, but problems getting it passed persist.   One Republican in the House voted against every budget bill, while a fiscal hawk...

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Passing $12.8B budget means appeasing several Republicans

GOP leaders in the House and Senate introduced a $12.8 billion spending plan Monday afternoon with high hopes of passing it by Wednesday — but finding the votes to pass it...

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Pay raise gives political boost to teachers, Ducey

Striking teachers silently cheer using their hands to follow decorum on not clapping or verbally reacting from the Senate gallery while senators meet in Senate chambers...

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Preliminary Senate budget defies Ducey’s priorities

A budget proposal from Senate Republican leaders woefully fails to meet Gov. Doug Ducey’s biggest spending and saving priorities, and has isolated some rank-and-file GOP senators who’ve vowed to vote...

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Public education advocates bemoan school money still not enough

Education issues captured much of the attention this legislative session, but public school advocates say they’re disappointed with the outcome. It’s hard to argue the budget doesn’t focus on education...

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Rep. Cook looks out for LD8 cities, towns

David Cook Dear Editor: In 1972, mayors from all over Arizona struck a deal with leaders at the state Capitol that helped our economy grow, kept taxes...

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Republican lawmakers propose flat tax, $12.8B budget

House and Senate leaders and Gov. Doug Ducey have agreed on a roughly $12.8 billion spending plan, including the state’s largest tax cut in recent memory – but the budget lacks the Republican votes...

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Rosy state revenues belie need for recovery package

The COVID-19 virus might not have dissipated over the summer, but the specter of a billion-dollar deficit and draconian budget cuts not seen since the Great Recession certainly did. The...

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Scaled-down budget possible to break impasse

The Arizona House ended the week seemingly no closer to passing a budget than it had been before, after a single Republican joined with the Democrats on June 7 to kill the...

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School facilities agency accepts auditors’ recommendations

Arizona’s state board responsible for helping school districts keep their facilities up to par says it’ll heed state auditors’ recommendations for improvements in its own operations. A response by School...

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Sen. Boyer gives Senate ultimatum on sex abuse bill

Sen. Paul Boyer said he’ll refuse to vote for a budget unless lawmakers agree to expand opportunities for victims of child rape and sex abuse to sue their abusers. The...

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Senate near on budget deal with holdout lawmaker

Two Republican holdouts on a proposed Arizona state budget, Senators Paul Boyer, left, and J.D. Mesnard confer on the Senate floor during a break in the...

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Senate plans to start budget talks around Labor Day

Republicans in the state Senate — and possibly the House — plan to start drafting next year’s budget shortly after Labor Day and have a proposal ready by the end...

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Senate Republicans introduce budget bills

Deposit Photos The Senate completed the first step towards passing a budget on Monday while the House hit a snag.   Republican leaders in the Senate...

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Senate stalls on budget again

Black and white chess knights standing face to face over white background Senate President Karen Fann could pass an $11.8 billion spending plan — perhaps even...

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Session Wrap with Rusty Bowers

Rusty Bowers Even after a taxing 134-day session, House Speaker Rusty Bowers remains patently himself when he sits down with the Arizona Capitol Times – reflective,...

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Sine finally die!

Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, looks over the printed budget prior to a vote on the Arizona budget at the Arizona Capitol Thursday, June 24,...

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Some lawmakers question need for special session

A bill moratorium and a budget stalemate meant the House and Senate weren’t conducting any real business before Gov. Doug Ducey called a special session – so why call one?  ...

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Spending put on hold for programs, grants

A handful of one-time allocations spanning grants, lawmaker pet projects and other programs included in the 2024 budget are being put on pause in the third quarter, according to a...

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Teachers end short-lived strike

Arizona Educators United organizer Noah Karvelis addresses reporters and Red for Ed demonstrators after calling teachers back to their classrooms beginning on May 3 – if...

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Top Republicans meet to work out deal on teacher pay

Top Republicans are huddling to see if they can reach an accord over the issue of teacher pay ahead of Thursday’s strike deadline, potentially forestalling or at least undermining the...

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Tucking policy in budget to get tested in court

Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, looks over the printed budget prior to a vote on the Arizona budget at the Arizona Capitol Thursday, June 24,...

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Voices of the Red for Ed movement

A crowd of red-clad teachers, students and Red for Ed supporters could be seen from the top of a parking garage near Chase Field as they...

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Voucher expansion proposal puts Udall, John on the spot

The Senate’s passage of a massive voucher expansion will test the resolve of two Republican House members who killed the expansion earlier this year.   In the Arizona Legislature, there’s a...

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Wrap up with Doug Ducey

Gov. Doug Ducey (Photo by Katie Campbell/Arizona Capitol Times) Gov. Doug Ducey faced a new conundrum this legislative session: Where to best spend available state dollars....

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Wrap up with J.D. Mesnard

Speaker of the House, J.D. Mesnard (Photo by Luige del Puerto/Arizona Capitol Times) In his first year as speaker of the House, J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, spent...

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Wrap up with Rebecca Rios

House Minority Leader Rebecca Rios (D-Phoenix) (Photo by Rachel Leingang/Arizona Capitol Times) In her first year as House Democratic leader, Rebecca Rios, D-Phoenix, a longtime lawmaker,...

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Wrap up with Steve Yarbrough

Senate President Steve Yarbrough (R-Chandler) (Photo by Katie Campbell/Arizona Capitol Times) After 16 years as an Arizona state representative, then senator, Senate President Steve Yarbrough is...

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