House relents on media background checks, restores some access
Pressured by members of his own party, House Speaker David Gowan this morning rescinded his ban on reporters on the floor who have not first undergone extensive background checks. But not full access.
Gowan to members: Let’s talk, shall we?
House leadership is setting up meetings with rank-and-file members in the next couple of days to brief them about the K-12 inflation lawsuit after settlement talks fell apart, and to get input from members about a Biggs-Gowan proposal to allocate $5 billion to K-12 schools over 10 years.
House and Senate leaders offer school funding plan, but critics find holes in it
When news broke that more than seven months of court-ordered negotiations between education groups and the Legislature had reached an impasse on August 25, leaders of the House and Senate came armed with good news.
Past elections a bad omen for First Things First sweep
An early childhood development program is back in the Legislature’s crosshairs, five years after lawmakers and former Gov. Jan Brewer tried and failed to convince voters to abolish the program and use its funding to balance the state’s precarious budget.
JLBC says Education Department erred in calculating charter school funding cuts
The Joint Legislative Budget Committee on Friday revised its estimate for cuts to funding for small charter schools and said the Department of Education is wrong in its interpretation of legislation establishing the reduction.
Will the honeymoon last? Governor’s approach aligned perfectly with conservative Legislature
“Honeymoon” seems almost too soft a word to use to describe Gov. Doug Ducey’s relationship with the Republican-led Legislature in his first session.
A year of delays in the House rankle representatives and force the Senate’s hand
Early in the morning of April 3, Senate President Andy Biggs decided he and the state Senate had waited long enough. He unilaterally pulled the plug on the legislative session.