Groups push statewide groundwater protection plan
An environmental lobbyist is crafting a sweeping groundwater protection bill that he hopes will pass in the next legislative session, but past attempts have failed.
Ducey signs bill to address dwindling water supply
Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation Wednesday to provide $1.2 billion to fund grandiose projects to find new water for Arizona and smaller ones to conserve what the state already has.
Bill limiting electricity competition gets Ducey’s OK
On April 26, Ducey signed House Bill 2101, which repeals language passed in 1998 that was meant to increase competition in the electricity sector.
Slew of newcomers fill empty seats in Legislature
The House will start 2022 with nine new members who were appointed to fill spots that opened due to a slew of resignations after the 2021 session. And that means new faces will be heading a couple of powerful committees.
New law targets wildfires, rehabs prisoners
As wildfires rage across Arizona and threaten numerous communities, legislators and forestry officials have had to come up with innovative ways to combat the problem.
New law gives more money for water projects
Gov. Doug Ducey on April 21 signed a bill that provides larger grants for developing water projects in rural areas, but questions linger on whether there will be any money for them.
Senate to vote on taking power from regulators
Rejecting arguments about economic development, clean air and even constitutional issues, a Senate panel voted along party lines March 31 to strip the Arizona Corporation Commission of its power to set energy policy for utilities.
Lawmakers’ focus veers from Covid relief in 1st weeks of session
After nearly four full weeks of session, none of the bills lawmakers sent to the governor’s desk deals with the Covid pandemic, a shift in emphasis that’s especially noticeable given lawmakers’ insistence to help residents and businesses survive the crisis.
House passes bill to cut red tape on border wall construction on private land
Calling it a matter of property rights and security, the state House voted Thursday to let those living along the border to construct walls without first getting local permission or building permits.
Lawmakers want end to archaeological commission
A spat between ranchers and Native American tribes is threatening to torpedo a special panel which seeks to keep construction projects from damaging tribal remains and antiquities.
Lawmakers to look at shifting Santa Cruz, Cochise county lines
Despite being rebuffed by her colleagues, a Southern Arizona lawmaker has found a new way to pursue her plans to see if parts of Santa Cruz County should be merged with Cochise County.
Democrats discouraged despite getting more bills passed
Senate President Karen Fann can boast a 333 percent increase in the number of bills sponsored by Democrats that passed out of her chamber in 2019 compared to last year.