Arizona cannot delay education finance reform much longer
Arizonans went to the polls earlier this month to elect a new governor and decide who would represent them in many state offices and the United States Congress. Of the 35 legislative candidates that the Chamber’s Political Action Committee endorsed in the General Election, 34 won their races and will join or re-join the Arizona Legislature when the session begins in January. These candidates are[...]
A man with a plan: David Gowan defies the odds to become speaker of the House
There were many long nights back in their first months as Arizona lawmakers when two ambitious southern Arizona Republicans – seatmates who were first sent to the Capitol in 2008 – would share their grandest hopes and dreams in the modest setting of their rented Scottsdale trailer.
Arizona e-cigarette tax could bring in $6M a year
The Arizona Legislature's budget analysts say a tax on electronic cigarettes could bring $6 million a year in new revenue into the state's coffers.
Burgeoning beer business seeks lifeline from Legislature
There’s a battle brewing over microbreweries. For Arizona’s two largest craft beer brewing companies, business is booming. In fact, Four Peaks and San Tan brewing companies are producing so much beer that they’re pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a microbrewery. They’re brushing up against state-imposed caps on the amount of beer a microbrewery can brew.
Incoming lawmaker’s warrant quashed after friend pays fines
After getting a little help from her friend, Democratic Rep.-elect Ceci Velasquez is no longer wanted by police for a bench warrant from unpaid fines stemming from a trio of traffic tickets in 2010.
New faces are headed for budget negotiating table
Lawmakers get a fresh start in budget negotiations come January, when the next legislative session kicks off with new blood in two of three key leadership posts at the Capitol.
Schools, lawmakers argue in court over repayment of illegal budget cuts
Calling it fiscally “impossible,” an attorney for lawmakers told a judge on Monday she should reject a bid by schools to get back the money the state illegally withheld from them for years.
Only a few legislative districts in play as election nears
Although all 90 seats in the Arizona Legislature are up for election Nov. 4, in reality, the partisan makeup of the Legislature isn’t likely to change much. Only a handful of legislative races are actually competitive.
Surgeon who helped save Giffords’ life challenges Republican Orr in Tucson’s LD9
In their quest to oust Republican Rep. Ethan Orr from one of the two House seats in the Democratic-leaning Legislative District 9, Tucson Democrats found their dream candidate in Randall Friese, a man with a bio that’s hard to criticize.
Allen, O’Halleran compete to return to Legislature
No matter who wins the Senate race in Arizona’s Legislative District 6, the victor will be making a homecoming to the Capitol. Republican Sylvia Allen, 67, whose name will be printed on ballots in place of the deceased Sen. Chester Crandell, last served in the Senate in 2012. Her lone challenger, independent Tom O’Halleran, 68, was also once a senator, most recently in 2008.
The Comeback Caucus: Former lawmakers poised to regain seats in the Legislature
Just call them the “comeback kids.”
A handful of former lawmakers are poised to regain seats in the Legislature in the upcoming election, bringing with them experience and knowledge that they gained in their previous years of service.
US Supreme Court takes up Arizona’s redistricting case
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed this morning to decide who can legally draw Arizona’s congressional districts.
In a brief order, the justices said they will consider whether the U.S. Constitution requires the boundaries to be drawn by the elected Legislature – and only the Legislature.