This week’s most outstanding quips, jibes and utterances.

Supporters of a controversial proposal that would allow any employer with a religious objection to deny contraception coverage to workers successfully revived the legislation a day after critics defeated it in the Senate.

The Senate today approved legislation that could make it more difficult for voters to remove lawmakers from office. The measure stems from the defeat of then-Sen. Russell Pearce, the architect of SB1070 and major anti-illegal immigration laws in Arizona, following a successful recall effort last year.


The Senate on Thursday approved a proposal to prohibit homeowner associations from regulating public roadways that are owned by a government entity. But both Democratic and Republican legislators also opposed it, which showed that issues dealing with homeowners associations often transcend political boundaries.

Two bills last week took one more step down the path to bolstering our state’s reputation for enjoying a legal environment that is welcoming to business. One bill got the headlines, but they’re both an important component of Arizona’s ongoing civil justice reform efforts.

Republican anger against the Arizona Supreme Court over its ruling in last year’s redistricting case is fierce, but wasn’t enough to push through a trio of bills that sought to retaliate against the judiciary, including the perennial conservative goal of forcing the direct election of judges.

Despite stiff opposition from teachers and health advocates, the Republican-led Senate is pushing ahead with a bill that would give schools the ability to opt out of the federal school lunch program, which provides free or reduced-price meals to low-income pupils.

A joint legislative panel today refused to recommend a proposal that would require insurance companies to cover programs to help people stop smoking.

Despite a vow to do so, the head of the Arizona Democratic Party has not filed recall petitions against four senators who voted to remove the chairwoman of the state’s redistricting committee.

The Democratic Party today said it plans on recalling four moderate Republican senators if they vote to remove any of the commissioners. The four senators told our reporter this afternoon they weren’t concerned.