Sign In
Free Newsletter
Burns plugging holes as senators resign to run for Congress
Faced with the resignations of Jim Waring and Jonathan Paton, Senate President Bob Burns may have to appoint freshmen committee chairs or pick from the veteran lawmakers who are on his naughty list. Burns has other options as well, but none of them are ideal.
Pierce replaces Gorman on Senate Finance Committee
Sen. Pamela Gorman’s resignation of her Senate seat on Jan. 25 created a vacancy in the Senate Finance Committee, where she served as member.
End of GOP budget fight? Seriously?
For the first time in at least six years, the annual release of budget plans by the Arizona Legislature and the governor didn't result in bickering. Of course, it helps that the legislative Republican majority didn't put out anything even closely resembling a budget plan this year.
Senate panel approves bill to overturn term limits
A proposal to ask voters to overturn term limits has overcome the first of many hurdles after a Senate panel approved it on Jan. 19. The committee voted 4-2 to send the bill to the Senate floor for a vote by the entire body.
GOP leader hopes to persuade, not ‘twist arms’
Bob Burns' first year as Senate president was trouble-ridden, to put it mildly. His task was to balance a budget that was billions of dollars in the red by rounding up 16 votes for a spending plan that nobody was going to like.
Capitol Quotes 1/15/10
"I have the ultrasound on the wall of my office, and there's no doubt the baby is positioned to the far right." - Rep. Laurin Hendrix, a Republican from Gilbert, speaking in a Jan. 11 floor speech about his soon-to-be-born grandchild.
Media coverage at Capitol gets more difficult
A room that for the past 30 years has hummed with the staccato typing on keyboards as reporters scurried to meet deadlines has been refurbished and hollowed out to accommodate rows of chairs and a large conference table. And the room is no longer a media headquarters; instead it be used by Senate Republicans to hold caucus meetings.
Burns removes two from Senate Approps
Senate President Bob Burns has reduced the size of the Senate Appropriations Committee to 9 from 11 members, removing Sen. John Huppenthal and Sen. Albert Hale. Huppenthal, a Chandler Republican, was appointed temporarily to the committee last year to replace Sen. Pamela Gorman. He requested to be removed for the 2010 session.
Burns plans ‘parallel tracks’ on budget
Senate President Bob Burns wants Republicans and Democrats to simultaneously craft budget plans with the idea of combining them at a later date.
Brewer reaches out to GOP, infuriates Dems
Democrats blasted Gov. Jan Brewer’s State of the State speech as campaign posturing, while Republicans said there is no choice but to follow up on some of the ideas she outlined.
Top four lawmakers present budget arguments at Chamber lunch
Everyone at the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry's annual legislative luncheon agreed: Arizona's budget needs to be the top priority, and the state needs to change its course.
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.
