Partisan tax extension plan poised for veto
On Tuesday evening the Legislature passed a partisan, controversial half-cent sales tax extension, which Democrats called a “slap in the face” and the governor said she will veto.
House censures Democrat who hid Capitol Bibles
A Democratic representative who hid state House Bibles was censured without the traditional majority standard the chamber has historically used to pass legislation.
Final housing reform effort dies
After two years of effort, the last in a series of attempts to reform housing laws has failed in the Legislature. Sen. Steve Kaiser, R-Phoenix, started the session with a substantive housing bill, which was killed in the Senate, but revived in three other pieces of legislation – all of which died on Monday afternoon.
One Rio Verde plan dies, another advances
House members approved a new measure to get water to the Rio Verde community Monday that Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-Scottsdale, is offering as an alternative to appease Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, and the Senate killed an alternative plan.
Voters to decide on measure that changes citizen initiative process
Legislative Republicans are asking voters to make it harder to put voter initiatives on the ballot.
Ethics panel rules Stahl-Hamilton engaged in disorderly behavior by hiding Bibles
A House ethics panel determined that a Democratic representative who hid Capitol Bibles engaged in disorderly behavior.
Crews appointed to fill LD26 House vacancy
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors filled the vacancy in the state House of Representatives after appointing Quantá Crews to represent Legislative District 26.
Senate passes 11th-hour debt ceiling bill, heading off threat of default
The U.S. Senate gave final approval to a bill to suspend the debt ceiling, just days before today’s “X-date” when Treasury officials said the government would run out of money and default on its debts.
Hobbs pledges new effort to get lawmakers to curb vouchers’ growth
Gov. Katie Hobbs promised a new effort Thursday to get state lawmakers to curb the growth of universal vouchers.
Rumor of late legislative session floats through capitol
Could the legislature stay in session into the fall, or until the end of the year? The rumor that lawmakers won’t adjourn sine die anytime soon has been spreading through the state capitol for weeks, even if nobody is ready to publicly endorse the idea.
Time for Senate to act to put more tools in Arizona’s water toolbox
We must move with urgency to save our state from a manageable shortage that has metastasized into a deadly cancer due to spools of red tape and a federal government that sometimes seems like it wouldn’t care much if Arizona blew away on the wind.
More GOP PCs are censuring their lawmakers
A recent trend is growing among Arizona Republican precinct committees of censuring their state elected Republicans after the expulsion of a former Republican lawmaker.