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The protracted fight for Medicaid expansion likely won’t end with Gov. Jan Brewer’s signing of the historic legislation.
Read More »Roadblocks remain for Medicaid expansion 
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Roadblocks remain for Medicaid expansion
Arizona Senate passes election overhaul bill
The Arizona Senate revived an election omnibus bill Thursday that could limit early voting participation after Republican leaders pressured their caucus to pass the measure in the final hours of the 2013 legislative session.
Read More »Brewer, coalition called off plan to oust GOP leaders
Gov. Jan Brewer confirmed that she and the legislative members of her pro-Medicaid expansion coalition crafted a plan to oust Senate President Andy Biggs and House Speaker Andy Tobin from their leadership positions when lawmakers went into special session.
Read More »13 apply for redistricting panel vacancy
Thirteen people have applied to fill a vacant Democratic seat on the state’s five-person redistricting commission to replace a commissioner who suddenly resigned in May.
Read More »Brewer celebrates end of Prop. 100 tax hike
Arizona consumers will benefit from a substantial tax cut on June 1 as Proposition 100, the temporary sales tax increase approved by voters in 2010, expires.
Read More »Medicaid debate should remain focused on the merits of expansion
Senate approval of the governor’s Medicaid expansion bill clearly reflects the will of the people. Senate Majority Leader John McComish led the charge, breaking rank from Republican colleagues who opposed the bill.
Read More »Action lacking despite opportunities to improve Arizona’s lobbyist reporting system
From lobbyists to lawmakers to advocacy groups, reactions to flaws in Arizona lobbying reports reflect an image of a system that needs to be improved.
Some proposals for how to improve the system have emerged, but any agreement on the solutions, not to mention the political will to enact them, still eludes lawmakers two years after the Fiesta Bowl lobbying scandal roped in dozens of politicians, top bowl officials and a handful of lobbyists.
Money without merit
Bonuses given to state workers who didn’t surrender protections
Raises for rank-and-file state employees came with a choice last year: Become an at-will employee in exchange for a 5-percent pay bump, or keep those protections and receive the same salaries they’d had since 2007.The amount of money the deal directed toward political appointees and top staff, who are among the highest paid state employees, wasn't widely discussed. Read More »
Senate president vows to block Medicaid expansion plan
Senate President Andy Biggs said Tuesday he would do “everything I can” to prevent Gov. Jan Brewer’s proposal to expand Medicaid from reaching the Senate floor for a vote.
Read More »Food and beverages: Lawmakers benefit from lobbyists’ largesse
Buying lawmakers a meal or a drink is one of the most common ways lobbyists form relationships with lawmakers, and some lawmakers take more advantage of the free meals than others.
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