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Neutral ombudsman demystifies public records requests
Joanne MacDonnell, the current Arizona ombudsman, described the office as a “giant flashlight,” and “an umpire calling balls and strikes.” Its public access attorney called the office, “the canary in the coal mine,” and the “eyes and ears” of the Legislature and governor.
Hobbs vetoes controversial student pronouns bill, other legislation
Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill that would have barred teachers from referring to students by their preferred pronoun or name, calling it just another piece of "harmful legislation directed at transgender youth.'' And the governor said similar measures will meet the same fate.
Nearly 100K Arizonans who got federal jobless benefits cut off early won’t get lost funds
About 100,000 Arizonans who got their extra federal unemployment benefits cut off early during the Covid pandemic by then-Gov. Doug Ducey because he instead wanted to get them to go to work at restaurants and hotels are not going to get the funds they lost.
State begins to shed thousands from Medicaid, push them to other care
Arizona started purging people from the pandemic-inflated Medicaid rolls this month, a process that could end up pushing more than 600,000 people off the plan, health officials and advocates said.
Resolution cuts governor out of budget process
The Senate passed a resolution March 1 that would allow the previous year’s budget to go into effect for the next year, if the governor won’t sign off on a new budget.
Hobbs seeks ESA repeal in budget proposal, GOP offers ‘continuation’ with no new spending
Arizona’s Democratic governor and Republican-controlled legislature are on a collision course after they laid out diametrically opposed plans for the state budget this week.
Mandatory masks in workplace raise questions on unemployment benefits
So you got fired from your job for refusing to get vaccinated or wear a mask. You also may have forfeited any right to collecting unemployment benefits.
State health director to leave post
Dr. Cara Christ, the Arizona state health director who helped lead the state through the Covid pandemic, is leaving her post to join Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona.
Ducey reinstates job-seeking requirement for unemployed
Arizonans are going to have to start looking for work again later this month if they want to keep their unemployment benefits.
Bill helps West Valley homeless seniors
A Senate bill could lead to converting a hotel into a shelter to cope with a growing population of homeless seniors in the West Valley.
Jobless benefits drop on Monday
Beginning Monday, more than 430,000 Arizonans who have lost their job will have to live on no more than $240 a week.
Unemployment fund expected to dry up in weeks
Hundreds of thousands of unemployed Arizonans are within weeks of losing more than half of their benefits.
