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State has new form for taxpayers to comply with little known law
The new fill-in-the-blanks form created by the Department of Revenue lets shoppers put in how much they spent and then compute what they owe the state by multiplying that by 5.6 percent.
Former lawmakers Aboud, Harper reflect on their 2008 showdown over same-sex marriage
One night in 2008, the Arizona Senate became the backdrop of a showdown over a referral to prohibit same-sex marriage — the same law that was struck down by a federal district court this month.
Fake Twitter handles aim to entertain but don’t harm politicians, insiders say
At first glance, a newcomer to Twitter may think many politicians have lost their minds.
Their tweets can be outlandish, contain poor grammar and are often filled with ridiculous positions on policy issues.
But it’s all by design. And it’s often not actually the real politician doing the tweeting.
15 leaving Legislature, 8 running for other offices
Fifteen legislators have announced this year that they will retire or seek another office rather than run for re-election to the Legislature.
Trans-Pacific trade agreement must protect U.S. intellectual property
As an Arizonan, when you hear about trade agreements, you might not automatically think about jobs in the great Copper State. However, as the most populous landlocked state in the U.S., we should. Trade is a huge driver of our economy, not only as a nation, but also of our state economies.
Bill aimed at stopping United Nations takeover of U.S. advances
The Arizona House of Representatives on Wednesday gave initial approval to a bill that some proponents say is aimed at stopping a United Nations conspiracy to take away the rights of American citizens. Critics say the bill is not only based on crackpot “one-world-order” theories, but that it would make valuable state programs illegal and take away the state’s authority to manage natural r[...]
Panel: Toss one-year wait for lawmakers to become Capitol lobbyists
A state House committee Tuesday narrowly endorsed scrapping a state law the prevents legislators from serving as paid lobbyists at the Capitol for a year after leaving office.
Its author, Rep. Jack W. Harper, R-Surprise, said the moratorium is intended to keep lawmakers from influencing legislation but fails to recognize that staff members are even better positioned to become lobbyist[...]
Lawmakers, group want to hand big tax break to businesses
Businesses planning on purchasing new machinery in 2013 or later may get some tax relief under a referendum at the state Legislature. HCR 2009, sponsored by Rep. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, and developed by the Arizona chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses would exempt the first $2.4 million of new equipment or machinery purchased after 2013 from the business personal proper[...]
Cheuvront running again for Senate
Former legislator Ken Cheuvront is running for the Senate.
The outspoken Democrat today announced his candidacy for what essentially is his old seat.
After ‘dominating,’ Harper to call it quits
Harper won’t run for re-election, but he still hasn’t scratched everything off of his political bucket list.
Constitutional provision raises question of recall reimbursement for Pearce
Even after the last ballot has been counted, the Legislature may still be getting one more request from outgoing Sen. Russell Pearce: a check for campaign expenses.
A little-known provision in the state Constitution says that an elected official subject to a recall may be reimbursed for “reasonable special election campaign expenses.”
