Stricter oversight may be a key to new child welfare agency
A new independent state agency charged with investigating cases of child abuse and neglect may include substantial new oversight, including an annual external audit of the department and a citizen oversight board.
Solar industry opposes tax on leased panels
Solar industry officials who spoke with lawmakers this week said they hope to stave off a property tax for leased panels in Arizona.
Brewer’s office negotiated changes to SB1062 before veto
Top aides to Gov. Jan Brewer sought and got proponents of a “religious liberty” bill to make changes to SB1062 more than a month before she vetoed the measure.
Reversing course, Senate votes to spare Common Core standards
Five Republican senators helped to kill an anti-Common Core bill Wednesday, a day after giving their approval in a preliminary floor vote.
Poll: Most Arizonans support gay civil unions or marriage
Three out of four Arizonans support the right of gays to at least form civil unions, if not to wed outright.
Scorched Earth: How the opposition to SB1062 caught fire
Anyone who thought rushing SB1062 through the Legislature would leave opponents little time to organize was sorely mistaken. Less than 24 hours after the Arizona House of Representatives approved the bill, massive protests sprang up at the Capitol, business organizations lobbied Gov. Jan Brewer for a veto, and Arizona took center stage in a national media frenzy. By the time Brewer struck down [...]
Details of new child protection agency revealed in draft of bill
A new department of child protection may grant police powers to staff investigating child fatalities and create a wide-ranging, easily accessible database of information relating to children’s safety and welfare.
Governor signs bill to repeal 2013 election reform law, kills referendum
It's official: Arizonans won't get the last word on a series of controversial changes in state election law. Without comment, Gov. Jan Brewer signed legislation Thursday to repeal the 2013 law. More to the point, by repealing the law the governor killed the referendum drive that had held up enactment until the voters made the final decision.
Hillary Clinton lauds Brewer’s veto of anti-gay bill SB1062
Hillary Rodham Clinton praised Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's decision to veto a bill that would have allowed people with sincerely held religious beliefs to refuse to serve gays.
Brewer must balance faith, business interests in deciding fate of SB1062
The fervent opposition of the business community and Gov. Jan Brewer’s desire to create a legacy on the state’s economic recovery could spell the difference between the likely prospect that the governor will veto SB1062 and the religious freedom legislation she signed two years.
Poll: GOP voters want Brewer to veto SB1062
A poll commissioned yesterday by a Phoenix political consulting firm finds that more than twice as many Republican voters in Arizona want Gov. Jan Brewer to veto SB1062 than want her to sign it.
Cardinals, Super Bowl Committee voice concern about SB1062
All eyes are on Arizona, including the watchful gaze of the National Football League and officials busy organizing the state’s 2015 Super Bowl hosting efforts, as Gov. Jan Brewer decides whether to sign a controversial “religious freedom” bill.