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Lawmakers looking at AZ solar industry after Solyndra bust
The Solyndra collapse and its subsequent Washington investigation have re-ignited the national debate over whether the solar industry should be subsidized by the government, and some state legislators are calling for a re-examination of Arizona’s own solar incentives.
Wide-open race for state treasurer’s job
Three current or former Arizona lawmakers, a former presidential adviser and a business executive are among the candidates in Tuesday's primary election for state treasurer.
Breaking the Bank: Treasurer candidates raising more money than ever before
State treasurer isn’t the political plum that other executive offices have been for ambitious politicians, but some of this year’s candidates are raising and spending money like the office is the first step toward the Ninth Floor, Congress and beyond.
Texting ban squeaks through in Senate debate
No legislation is ever dead - not while lawmakers are in session. The dictum proved true on March 4, when a Republican senator from Tucson managed to revive a bill that would ban texting while driving.
Texting ban fails in Senate debate
Another attempt to ban texting while driving faltered during a Senate debate on March 2. Senators were split on the issue - literally.
Senate kills texting while driving ban
For the second year in a row, the Arizona Senate on March 2 shot down an attempt to ban texting while driving amid concerns about imposing too much government regulation.
Senate tackles Clean Elections during busy floor session
From gutting Clean Elections to creating a lieutenant governor, Arizona senators made a big push March 1 to complete work on bills that had yet to be transmitted to the House.
Lawmakers’ first duty: Show up and vote
Here’s the simple mathematics of representative government: Arizona taxpayers pay for lawmakers to show up and vote on every bill in the Legislature. Now here’s the flaw in that equation: Lawmakers get paid whether they show up or not. Unfortunately, many Arizona residents were underrepresented at the Capitol during last year’s regular legislative session.
Lobbyist, lawmaker to resume Clean Elections clash
The Citizens Clean Elections Commission has renewed a $6,500-per-month contract with lobbyist Mike Williams, setting up another battle over the fate of the public campaign-funding system. Todd Lang, director of the Clean Elections Commission, said hiring a lobbyist was necessary to protect a system he credits with increasing political participation of the public and encouraging people to run fo[...]
DHS hearing focuses on child care; lawmaker blasts First Things First
A joint legislative panel approved a recommendation on Nov. 9 to extend the Department of Health Services, which was the subject of a sunset review, for another decade. That was the easy part.
2008 Leaders: Where are they now?
To say that much has occurred since the 2008 Leaders of the Year in Public Policy Awards event is quite an understatement. An economic meltdown leading to a near-depression, the election of the first African-American to the U.S. presidency, a changing of the guard in the Executive Tower and chaos in the Legislature while attempting to deal with Arizona's worst budget deficit ever are just a few of[...]
A third of Senate to say goodbye in 2010
A controversial constitutional amendment that limits the length of time that lawmakers can stay in office will force more than one-third of the senators out of their chamber by the end of next year, a massive revamp unprecedented in recent years.
