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Budget winners: Proposal favors prisons, inmates and Department of Revenue
Gov. Doug Ducey’s first executive budget slashed higher education funding and some Arizona Commerce Authority programs, but some groups came out ahead in the recommendation.
The meaning of shrewd
Many have criticized Ducey for presuming in his first budget plan that the state does not have to pay schools inflation funding while promising a structurally balanced budget by FY17. But a longtime Capitol observer said the governor’s strategy is politically shrewd – and completely understandable.
Room to expand: the pros and cons of Ducey plan for vacant schoolrooms
For some Arizona charter school operators, Gov. Doug Ducey’s proposal to allow high-performing schools with large wait lists to use other schools’ vacant facilities was a big step toward achieving a persistent goal.
Ducey abandons plan to pay for cemeteries with veterans fund
Facing a flurry of opposition from veterans and questions from legislators, Gov. Doug Ducey on Tuesday abandoned his plan to pay for cemetery operations from a fund to help the families of wounded veterans.
House Republican offers plan to deal with “rogue, non-elected” judges
A far-reaching proposal by Rep. Warren Petersen, R-Chandler, would allow lawmakers, with a two-third vote, to remove any judge from the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals or any Superior Court judge from Maricopa, Pima or Pinal counties. And HCR 2006 would not require that legislators have any reason at all.
K-12 inflation $$$ a distant murmur in Ducey’s budget
In his inauguration speech, Ducey warned that his budget won’t meet general approval among special interests, and his budget delivers on that promise. The new governor proposes a $9.09 billion budget for FY16, and aims to structurally balance the books by FY17.
Ducey proposes cuts, one-time sweeps to balance budget
Gov. Doug Ducey proposed a combination of one-time solutions and hundreds of millions of dollars in budget cuts, including big hits to universities and Medicaid providers, while Arizona waits for the economy recover enough for its budget to be structurally balanced by fiscal year 2017.
Ducey, GOP legislative leaders present united front on budget
As Gov. Doug Ducey prepares to unveil his first executive budget proposal, he and Republican legislative leaders stood together to show a united front as they tackle Arizona’s fiscal crisis.
If only it’s that simple
A cursory look at the spending priorities of school districts and charters adds interesting context to the debate on Ducey’s Classrooms First Initiative, a proposal to put more money into the classrooms.
Voters expect leadership for a new prosperity in Arizona
The inauguration of Governor Doug Ducey and our fellow Republicans to every statewide elected office, and to majorities in both legislative chambers, makes the case that Republican leadership and policymaking are what voters are looking for in both good times and bad.
A losing strategy: Arizona is not an ice cream shop
We know that Arizona’s budget is facing a $1 billion shortfall and the state has been court-ordered to pay $317 million to schools. We also know that while other states are rebounding from the recession, Arizona’s employment rate and economic recovery continue to lag behind others.
Ducey budget would shift money out of veterans’ fund
Gov. Doug Ducey wants to take more than $900,000 in funds specifically donated by taxpayers to help post 9/11 veterans to instead operate new cemeteries for veterans near Marana and Flagstaff and keep the doors open at an existing one in Sierra Vista.
