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Camps gear up to put title loans on the ballot
More than a decade after Arizona voters rejected an attempt by the payday lending industry to make permanent a law allowing high-interest loans, city streets are still littered with garish signs promising fast cash with no credit checks required.
3 departing lawmakers leave words of wisdom to new class
Rep. Bob Robson is one of the 32 current lawmakers who won’t be returning to the Capitol in January, more than one-third of the entire Legislature. Some left of their own volition, others, like Robson, lost their re-election bids.
McCune Davis pushes for curbs on title lending industry
Rep. Debbie McCune Davis, D-Phoenix, said the triple-digit interest rates that are charged to consumers are as abusive as those which were charged by now-defunct firms that gave short-term loans based on a promise to repay.
House approves $3.5B education package
The Arizona House of Representatives worked late into the night Thursday to approve a $3.5 billion education finance package aimed at settling a long-running lawsuit over education funding.
Greg McKay confirmed as new Child Safety director
The state Senate confirmed Greg McKay as the new director of the Department of Child Safety despite objections from some legislators who say they lacked all the necessary information to vet Gov. Doug Ducey’s appointee.
Ableser attributes low attendance to family responsibilities
Democratic Sen. Ed Ableser of Tempe regained his title of most absentee lawmaker this year, showing up for only 62 percent of Senate floor sessions, though he voted on 70 percent of all the bills put before the chamber.
Staff: Arizona child welfare head knew of problems
Several employees testified that the director who supervised Arizona child welfare workers knew about uninvestigated child abuse cases back in 2011, the Arizona Republic reported Thursday. At least four workers said that Clarence Carter was informed about thousands of reports of child abuse and neglect that had gone without a state-mandated investigation.
Workers’ comp bill on hold until next year
Proponents of a bill that would bar employees from suing for damages over bad-faith denials of workers’ compensation claims headed off a contentious fight, at least for now, by putting the proposal on hold for the remainder of the 2014 session.
AZ Lawmaker: Small Business Bill of Rights would rein in regulators
Calling it a response to state regulators bullying small businesses, a lawmaker wants to require agencies to list owners’ rights on their websites and present them prior to any investigation.
Livingston scores a perfect legislative batting average
The award for best legislative batting average for the session — the calculation of bills introduced versus bills signed into law — goes to Rep. David Livingston, a freshman Republican lawmaker from Peoria who has been vocally critical of the governor.
Commerce Committee hears one side of federal regulation problem
The chairman of the House Commerce Committee said during an informational session Wednesday that the U.S. Environmental Agency is pandering to the far left wing of the Democratic Party as it burdens Arizona with unnecessary regulations.
Despite bipartisan opposition, House approves ‘benefit corporations’ bill
Saying the American Dream is on life support and in need of help, Republican Rep. Tom Forese of Chandler beat back bipartisan opposition to his bill allowing a new type of corporation — a benefit corporation.
