Arizona voters could have a say in how many lawmakers there are to represent them at the Capitol.

After multiple allegations of sexual harassment, Rep. Don Shooter has been suspended from his duties as chairman of the Arizona House’s powerful budget committee.

One source close to Gowan told our reporter this morning (Sept. 12) that, although Ugenti made a strong pitch for approps chair, Gowan has no intention of giving her the reins of the committee. “I can guarantee with 110 percent certainty that Ugenti will not be approps chair,” the source said.

A state budget analysis shows that Friday’s decision on school inflationary funding by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper could send the state into a severe fiscal jam at a time when revenue collections are falling short of expectations.

Almost two dozen incumbent lawmakers can boast of earning the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s endorsement despite opposing the business community’s biggest policy positions in the last two years.

The House Appropriations Committee today approved a package of House budget bills that were amended to directly mirror the spending proposal approved by the Senate last week.

The Arizona Senate Appropriations Committee advanced a $9.13 billion budget package fiscal 2014-2015 on Tuesday afternoon, with all votes breaking on party lines as the chamber’s Republican majority took charge.

The House is taking its first steps toward introducing its own budget proposal as a counter to the proposal the Senate introduced late Monday.

Arizona’s universities are asking for $39 million in new money to help reach performance goals even though the Legislature and governor aren’t proposing any money for the plan.

The bulk of the funding, $6.86 million, would be used to hire caseworkers and other child welfare aids in an effort to resolve the backlog of 6,554 cases that went uninvestigated by Child Protective Service, a gross oversight that caused Gov. Jan Brewer to abolish the agency at the outset of the 2014 Legislative Session in favor of a new department that reports directly to the Ninth Floor.