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Arizona GOP lawmakers take aim at feds once again
Three proposals show the Republican-controlled Arizona Legislature's penchant for wagging its finger at the federal government is far from satisfied despite rebukes from federal courts on the state's efforts to control immigration reform and push the limits of abortion restrictions.
Business groups push for shorter legislative sessions
Arizona’s legislative sessions, which routinely run far past the 100-day mark, sometimes make a mockery of the term “part-time legislature,” and some of the state’s most influential business groups are looking to change that.
Lawmakers look into legislative replacement process
Vacant political seats attract would-be politicians like manure attracts flies. Arizona lawmakers are stepping into a big pile of statutes governing how to deal with vacant seats with a pair of bills approved by a House committee last week.
Backyard chickens an appropriate topic for legislature
I’m so glad to see that the state of Arizona might take a stab at this issue! Why didn’t I know about this story (“Backyard fowl bill filed by Mesa lawmaker,” Jan. 24) a few years ago? I’ve been following “chicken fights” across the country since 2009. I chronicled many of the more humorous and poignant ones in a guide to backyard chicken keeping called, “The Backyard Chicken Fight[...]
Senator tries again to ban tickets from lobbyists
Against the odds, a new bill has been introduced to ban free tickets from lobbyists for sporting and entertainment events.
Senate panel advances spending bills, including $6.86 million for child welfare
The bulk of the funding, $6.86 million, would be used to hire caseworkers and other child welfare aids in an effort to resolve the backlog of 6,554 cases that went uninvestigated by Child Protective Service, a gross oversight that caused Gov. Jan Brewer to abolish the agency at the outset of the 2014 Legislative Session in favor of a new department that reports directly to the Ninth Floor.
McComish won’t seek re-election, will support Dial for Senate seat
The Arizona Senate GOP’s second in command won’t seek re-election this fall. Senate Majority Leader John McComish announced Monday afternoon he’ll leave the state Legislature when his term expires in January 2015.
Lawmakers navigate maze of legal questions with proposed election law repeal
Faced with the threat of voters turning out in droves to rebuke them, Republican lawmakers who drafted and approved the election reform law HB2305 are preparing to repeal the controversial measure before the voters have a chance to repeal it themselves in the November election.
Legislature questions Brewer’s budget director
The Arizona Legislature's appropriations committees got their first chance Tuesday to question Gov. Jan Brewer's budget director about details of her proposed $9.36 billion budget, with members raising concerns about a plan to take money from schools to pay for bringing high-speed broadband service.
Legislature needs to make assisting the unemployed a top priority
While we rightly have concern over the welfare of children in the more than 6,000 cases that Child Protective Services failed to investigate, imagine what the reaction would be if 150,000 people in Arizona went missing and there was no investigation.
Medical marijuana businesses worry about legalization legislation
Phoenix Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego’s proposed legislation to legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona has some in the medical marijuana industry worried about losing their businesses.
Republican candidates could benefit from their support of Medicaid
When asked how his vote for Medicaid expansion could threaten his chances at another term in the Arizona Legislature, Senate Majority Leader John McComish points to an Arizona Capitol Times newspaper hanging in a frame behind his desk “The risk of defiance,” the headline reads. “What will GOP senators’ ‘no’ votes on immigration bills cost them?”
