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Burns Strikes Back
Senate President Bob Burns has sent a message to Senate Republicans: Fall in line or get out of the way.
Confusion, delays, frustration dominate special session No. 5
After a shaky start, the Senate finally passed a $200 million spending reduction plan just as the sun was setting in Arizona. The work, however, is not over.
Day 1: Tracking the fifth special session
The Legislature has begun the fifth special session of the year. Check back for up-to-the-minute updates on the action in the House and Senate.
Capitol Quotes 12/11
"I think that this most recent move, this RICO case against members of the judiciary, is maybe his Waterloo." - Phoenix attorney Michael C. Manning, on a lawsuit Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and Sheriff Joe Arpaio have filed against the Board of Supervisors and several judges and attorneys, alleging that they blocked the pair's investigation into the new Superior Court tower.
Burns dissolves Gould’s committee
Senate President Bob Burns terminated a committee chaired by Sen. Ron Gould, a Republican from Lake Havasu City, on Dec. 10. Gould later told the Arizona Capitol Times he has been stripped of his committee chairmanship. Gould has been chairman of the Senate Retirement and Rural Development Committee.
Burns says strategy worked, but he won’t block non-budget bills in 2010
Senate President Bob Burns has decided to avoid the failed budget-first strategy that locked up his chamber last session and led to an unhinged, last-minute push to pass hundreds of non-budget bills. What he has in mind for the 2010 session is, in some ways, back to the basics. Most committees, for instance, will be free to debate and vote on legislation unrelated to the budget.
Preparation for special session No. 5 underway
Legislative leaders have started asking individual members when they would be available to meet again in December, the Arizona Capitol Times has learned. They are eyeing a special session that would begin Dec. 15 or 16. It would be the fifth special session of the year.
Brewer, lawmakers blast League on illegal immigration; League says they missed the point
Before Gov. Jan Brewer and legislative leadership can settle their most recent legal dispute with the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, the sides may have to agree on exactly what they're fighting about.
When the offer’s off
After the bills passed, Sen. Albert Hale complained that he and the Republicans were in the middle of negotiations when leadership decided to go ahead and vote the bill out, presumably since they already had Sen. Thayer Verschoor's vote. The move doesn't bode well for future negotiations, Hale said.
Brewer hails passage of cuts, says it’s a good day
Gov. Jan Brewer, flanked by Senate President Bob Burns and House Speaker Kirk Adams, signed the special session bills just hours after they passed the House.
Will legislative PACs be used to corral votes?
A pair of political committees created by top legislative Republicans will raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend in next year's elections, which is causing some to wonder if it's appropriate for them to wield that kind of power.
Verschoor breaks silence, explains why he skipped out
Sen. Thayer Verschoor broke his silence Nov. 20, saying he skipped the third day of the Legislature’s special session because he was still trying to negotiate a deal on the package of legislation with the House and the governor.
