Sign In
Free Newsletter
Fiscal Fright: Budget storm clouds could put state ‘under water’ in 2014
Arizona has weathered its share of economic storms in recent years. Stopgap measures, a temporary tax increase and incessant budget slashing allowed the state to precariously stay afloat.
But the horizon promises no relief yet. In fact, many budget decisions drawn up by state leaders have actually put Arizona on a course toward troubled waters.
Capitol Quotes: September 2, 2011
This week’s most outstanding utterances, gibes and quips.
Goldwater Institute ‘lobbies’ against registering more lobbyists
The Goldwater Institute is among the most powerful public-policy groups in Arizona.
The organization’s employees draft legislation, regularly meet with lawmakers and testify before committee hearings at the state Capitol. The group even advocated for the call of a 2010 special session in which lawmakers sought to give workers the right to a secret ballot in union elections.
[...]
Cash war: State’s projected surplus will bring new budget skirmishes
For a state that has been grappling with a multibillion-dollar deficit for four years, news of a potential revenue surplus is like a few drops of rain after a long drought.
Arizona can’t afford to be a ‘C’ student any longer
As a place to do business and in matters related to public policy, personal freedom and taxation, Arizona is a solid “C” student. But can it afford to stay that way?
GOP-led Legislature focused on ‘sideshows,’ not mainstream agenda
If this unfortunate legislative session has to be remembered in years to come, it will be recalled as a time that politicians put sideshows ahead of seriousness. Birther bills, birthright citizenship, and tea party license plates are great at getting partisan activists riled up.
Cronyism fueled merit system, but modern concerns may take precedence
More than four decades ago, Republicans led the charge to create the state employee merit system they now hope to overturn. It was implemented in 1969 in response to cronyism and patronage in state government, according to former state officials who dealt with personnel issues.
A balanced budget… for now: Threat of lawsuits could undo spending cuts
Fiscally conservative Republicans won the argument when the governor agreed to forego borrowing and other budget gimmicks to help shore up the state’s sagging revenues, and the budget-slashing proposal was also a vindication for legislators who saw themselves as lone voices in the wilderness, warning for many years that politicians’ appetite for spending would one day come back to haunt them. [...]
Bills seek to make more government financial reports publicly available
Requiring local governments to post audited comprehensive financial reports or the equivalent information on their websites would make it easier for citizens to see how tax dollars are spent, a state lawmaker said.
Toll roads still years away
The journey to privatized toll roads and pay-to-drive lanes in Arizona is a lot more like driving on a winding, mountain road than a sleek, open highway – slow and cautious, with an eye toward the pitfalls ahead.
Senate panel OKs bill to flatten state income tax
A "flat tax" bill to rewrite the state individual income tax is nearing the finish line at the Legislature, setting the stage for changes that would have the Arizona's wealthiest taxpayers paying less while nearly nine of every 10 Arizonans pay more.
Time out for Antenori’s ‘not-a-TIF’ bill
Sen. Frank Antenori is going to bat for a proposal that could help cities retain spring training baseball and spur economic development, but to get it through the Legislature he must overcome the skepticism of a powerful committee chairman, the ghosts of a much-maligned project in Tucson and the state’s historic hostility toward tax increment financing.
