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The Arizona comeback? Temporary success yields to more financial turmoil
It’s looking less like a great comeback and more like an arduous climb out of Dante’s purgatory. While Gov. Jan Brewer often talks about Arizona’s “success story” and how the state is now among the best places in the nation to do business, the truth is that Arizona is once more in deep fiscal trouble.
Group of lawmakers say they oppose Prop. 480
Senate President Andy Biggs and 26 other Republican lawmakers oppose passage of a $935 million bond to rebuild Maricopa Medical Center and improve the county’s public health system.
Brewer urges lawmakers to compensate schools for inflation
State lawmakers should stop fighting public schools in court and come up with the money they are due to compensate them for inflation, Gov. Jan Brewer said Wednesday.
Senate’s conservative gains could cost Driggs GOP leadership post
Jockeying for Senate leadership positions has begun, and one incumbent member of the Republican’s leadership team may be in jeopardy of losing his post.
Leadership roundup: Gowan says he has votes to be speaker
Away from the media limelight, another political race is shaping up that will have tremendous repercussions for the Legislature’s actions in 2015.
Pre-election victors: 7 lawmakers face zero opposition in 2014, more have limited competition
It may be hours before polls close and votes are counted in Arizona’s 2014 primary elections, but for a handful of candidates, today is just a formality. Five senators and two representatives are running unopposed in both the primary and the November general election, ensuring their place at the Capitol. And election is all but assured for many more candidates who are running on one-party-domina[...]
PSPRS board urges Brewer to call special session
The board that oversees Arizona’s pension system for police, firefighter and other public safety employees voted to urge Gov. Jan Brewer to call a special session to fix funding problems in the state’s public employees’ pension system, though it declined to recommend the only concrete plan proposed so far.
The reason for the rubbernecking
There was a reason why yesterday’s first day of special session got off to a slow start – Biggs and other conservative lawmakers wanted to hold back some of the funding for more staffers until certain benchmarks were met, our reporter was told.
Over objections, Senate gives preliminary approval to new Department of Child Safety
The Senate gave preliminary approval to Gov. Jan Brewer’s proposal to create a new child safety department over objections from some Republican lawmakers who were outraged by the level of new spending being appropriated without the accountability measures they desired.
Session Wrap 2014: UpClose with Senate President Andy Biggs
A year after being rolled by Gov. Jan Brewer and key members of his own caucus, Senate President Andy Biggs found himself in the yes column, voting for a budget that he helped guide through the Legislature by first introducing it himself.
Child welfare session gets off to a slow start before bills introduced
Arizona lawmakers opened a special session to overhaul the state’s child welfare system with a sputter, beginning the session without having finished preparing the bills needed to create a new Department of Child Safety.
Ableser attributes low attendance to family responsibilities
Democratic Sen. Ed Ableser of Tempe regained his title of most absentee lawmaker this year, showing up for only 62 percent of Senate floor sessions, though he voted on 70 percent of all the bills put before the chamber.
