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No agreement when, or if, special session will begin
Once again, lawmakers adjourned, only to see Gov. Jan Brewer veto parts of the budget they passed. And once again, Brewer announced her intention to bring them back into special session to deal with the consequences.
Indecent proposals: No winners so far in budget marathon
Legislative leaders from both parties were guardedly optimistic they would reach an agreement when they began negotiating a solution to the fiscal 2010 deficit with the governor last month, and even when it appeared the talks were faltering, some saw hope as long as the parties kept talking.
States’ fiscal problems have never been worse
World War II jolted the U.S. out of its last massive financial crisis, but with no global war to propel a recovery this time states are scrambling to staunch the red ink splashing across their budget sheets.
Proposed sales tax hike blocks budget deal
With the clock ticking, lawmakers and the governor held a series of closed-door meetings leading up to the Sept. 5 deadline for action on a slate of budget bills. But the negotiations did not produce the outcome Gov. Jan Brewer had desired - a bipartisan coalition of support for a special election to temporarily raise the sales tax to help balance the budget.
Brewer signs criminal justice budget bill
With a stroke of her pen, Gov. Jan Brewer averted a possible shutdown of the state’s police force, which could have led to fewer officers patrolling highways and the closure of the state crime lab.
Brewer: Senate holdouts acting irresponsibly
With a budget package, sans tax hike, seemingly on its way to her desk, Gov. Jan Brewer took a few shots at lawmakers, accusing the senators who voted against the budget of acting irresponsibly.
Budget on life support again as sales tax fails
***UPDATED AT 8:45 P.M.*** After about seven months of trying, Republican leaders arrived at the Capitol on Aug. 12 with hopes that they had finally corralled enough votes in the Senate, including the support of a Democrat, to pass a budget for fiscal year 2010. But all that evaporated when a senator whose support Republicans were counting on was absent from the floor.
Budget delay could stall referral for months
Gov. Jan Brewer is hoping to get her temporary tax increase on the ballot for November's election, but if lawmakers don't act soon, the vote may have to wait until January.
Dem leader says bipartisan budget talks will be ‘painful’
The overwhelming display of bipartisanship that kicked off the special legislative session when it convened July 6 may be a precursor of how lawmakers will work to patch the $2.5 billion hole in the budget, but to what extent Republicans and Democrats work together likely won't be known until later this month.
Bipartisan budget talks begin
Legislative leaders from the two parties hunkered down July 8 to restart budget negotiations, marking the first meeting since the Legislature unanimously passed four budget bills two days before.
UPDATED: Brewer praises budget deal, credits vetoes
Gov. Jan Brewer praised lawmakers for their swift and bipartisan work in passing four new budget bills on the first day of the special session, and she credited her vetoes of the previous budget as the force that pushed them together.
4 budget bills pass unanimously; much work remains
The Arizona Legislature voted unanimously July 6 to pass four bills, one of which would restore funding to public education and add another approximately $400 million to schools. The measures garnered bipartisan support, passing unanimously, first in the House and then in the Senate.
