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Court’s exit spurs race for majority leader
House Majority Leader Steve Court’s announcement that he won’t be seeking re-election quickly fueled the Republican rumor mill over who might take his leadership spot.
Speculation over who would be jockeying for the position began even before the news this week of Court’s exit, as the Mesa Republican was facing a tough primary battle.
Legislative 11: Hot match-ups in 2012
Lawmakers from across the state are gearing up to take on incumbents and members of their own party in the August primaries.
What’s more, some incumbents are expected to square-off in the November general election, as well.
Andy Tobin: Federal cuts, uncertainty over ‘Obamacare’ forced tough choices
With his first full session as speaker of the House under his belt, Andy Tobin is feeling pretty pleased with the way things turned out: a balanced budget, money in the “rainy day” fund, and a second economic development package all signed by the governor.
Chad Campbell: Democrats label session as ‘a lot of missed opportunities’
House Minority Leader Chad Campbell was a little more hopeful this session. The state had some money to spend, and the Legislature wasn’t going to have to do as much budget-slashing as they had in previous years. Maybe now, he thought, they could start restoring some funding that had been cut.
Lawmaker participation ranks high 3rd year in a row
Once again, voting and attendance records from this year demonstrate that as long as the legislative session is kept close to the 100 days prescribed by legislative rules, lawmakers’ participation remains high.
As new Senate president, rancher Pierce deftly stepped through political minefields
Senate President Steve Pierce, a rancher from Prescott, has a habit of walking into difficult situations.
He did it once three years ago, when he became the de facto majority whip, and he did it again last year, when he vied for the position and became Senate president after Russell Pearce was ousted in a special recall election in November.
Andy Tobin’s leadership lessons learned the hard way
Andy Tobin was elected speaker of the House just days after Kirk Adams’ resigned to run for Congress at the end of the 2011 legislative session.
While his seven or so months as speaker during the interim could hardly prepare him for the rigors of leading a chamber during a regular session, it’s clear that he learned some lessons for the task ahead. As is often the case, some of thos[...]
Hard-pressed: Reporters find increasing number of roadblocks to legislative access during 50th
During the two sessions of the 50th Legislature, members of the press increasingly had to think twice about where they were and were not allowed to go.
GOLDWATER-ed down: Think tank’s issues generate big splash, few ripples
The Goldwater Institute, a think tank known for its dogged pursuit of conservative ideals, laid down an ambitious — and combative — agenda at the state Capitol this year.
Arizona Commerce Authority transparency criticized by PIRG
The Arizona Public Interest Research Group yesterday released a report critiquing the Arizona Commerce Authority’s transparency practices, calling on the agency to make more information about subsidy programs available online and to fight for legislative change in areas where the ACA is prohibited by law from disclosing information.
Last-minute amendments make big changes to tax bill
The last bill that the Legislature approved before adjourning for the year underwent major changes in the waning hours of the session that could be worth as much as $30 million in tax credits to some companies.
Governor, Legislature score big wins for business 2nd year in a row
If Yogi Berra were a political analyst, he might describe the May 3 passage of HB2815 as the second consecutive year that the Legislature passed a once-in-a-generation competitiveness package.
