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Gay and Conservative
Push for same-sex marriage initiative comes from the right
Erin Ogletree Simpson has been a Republican her whole life, but a year and a half ago, she had a realization that put her at odds with her party.
Simpson discovered that she is gay.
Lawsuit says new contribution limits give more power to special interests
Opponents of a bill that dramatically raises the state’s campaign contribution limits are asking the Arizona Supreme Court to strike it down before it goes into effect in two months, arguing that the measure violates the Voter Protection Act.
Legislative session featured rare political courage
Historians will determine the just-completed Arizona legislative session as the most significant in memory. An unlikely coalition, which included a hard-nosed, conservative and partisan governor, teamed together to pass Medicaid expansion.
Top Quotes of the 2013 Session
The most outstanding quips, gibes and utterances from the 2013 Legislative Session.
Brewer’s signing of election bill creates major hurdle for third parties
Third-party candidates may become a rare breed in Arizona.
HB2305, an omnibus elections bill, dramatically raises the number of signatures that Green Party, Libertarian and other third-party candidates will need to qualify for the ballot. Whereas signature requirements have historically been based on the number of registered votes a party has, the bill equalizes the requirements for all[...]
Brewer changes Medicaid plan to ease critics’ concerns
Some of the concerns raised in the Legislature regarding Gov. Jan Brewer’s Medicaid expansion plan haven’t fallen on deaf ears.
In the amendment that included Brewer’s expansion plan in the Senate’s budget on May 16, the Ninth Floor included several changes aimed at alleviating concerns over her proposal.
Election bills face further problems in conference committee
Lawmakers attempted to push through a set of bogged-down election bills in a comprehensive 43-page amendment in conference committee Wednesday afternoon, but the committee was called off minutes after the amendment began circulating at the Capitol.
Opponents say higher contribution limits violate Clean Elections, Voter Protection Act
A provision in the 1998 ballot measure that created Arizona’s Clean Elections system may hold the key to whether the state’s new campaign contribution limits will go into effect for 2014.
New contribution limits could be game-changer for campaigns
Campaign cash may come pouring into some of Arizona’s top races next year thanks to a new law allowing candidates to raise far more money.
Critics say the bill will flood campaigns with more money and influence-buying, and that it may be the final nail in the coffin of Arizona’s voter-approved Clean Elections system.
Predicting Brewer vetoes is difficult; reasons vary
Figuring out how to avoid Gov. Jan Brewer’s veto pen is a guessing game that leaves even some of the most seasoned veterans at the Capitol perplexed.
Many lawmakers and lobbyists say there are no hard and fast guidelines for avoiding a veto from a governor who vetoed 91 bills in her first four legislative sessions.
Optimism abounds on revenue districts, but Biggs still has his doubts
Advocates of a financing mechanism that would allow cities to bond against future tax revenues to fund special projects are hoping 2013 will be a year of success after running into roadblocks in the past several legislative sessions. But the foe who blocked a similar proposal two years ago appears poised to strike it down once again.
Pro-life dispute: Conflicting definitions further complicate Brewer’s Medicaid expansion proposal
Gov. Jan Brewer forcefully declared that her proposal to expand the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System to hundreds of thousands of new patients is a pro-life plan. As a pro-life governor, she said, she will not sit idly by while people suffer. Since then, opponents of her plan have taken up the pro-life mantle in the Legislature.
