Obama housing plan: from dismantling Fannie Mae to immigration reform
Speaking to more than 2,000 at Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, Obama laid out a six-point plan that he said will help first-time homebuyers and people who lost out when the bubble burst get home loans, make rental homes more affordable for people who don’t own houses, and ultimately wean American off the government-backed mortgage system that the president faulted with causing the housing c[...]
Conservative LD leaders reprimand GOP lawmakers for pro-Medicaid votes; competitive LD leaders say it’s counterproductive
Long before lawmakers took a vote on Medicaid expansion, Republican precinct committeemen across the state issued a warning to GOP legislators: If you vote for expansion, we will do everything we can to take you out in the next primary election.
Majority leader takes the heat for sponsoring Medicaid amendment
Quiet about his thoughts on Gov. Jan Brewer’s Medicaid proposal for most of the session, Senate Majority Leader John McComish emerged late as a key player in the push for AHCCCS expansion in the Senate.
The perils of voting yes to Medicaid expansion
Long before casting their votes for Medicaid expansion and a bipartisan budget proposal, Republican lawmakers who chose to support Gov. Jan Brewer had been issued a warning: Vote yes at your own risk.
Livingston scores a perfect legislative batting average
The award for best legislative batting average for the session — the calculation of bills introduced versus bills signed into law — goes to Rep. David Livingston, a freshman Republican lawmaker from Peoria who has been vocally critical of the governor.
Top Quotes of the 2013 Session
The most outstanding quips, gibes and utterances from the 2013 Legislative Session.
An eye for an eye
While some Republicans say that ousting McComish as majority leader remains a possibility, others are hoping he will choose the less confrontational path and resign his post.
Brewer signs sales tax reform bill
Gov. Jan Brewer signed her sales tax reform bill, bringing closure to an issue that has lingered since the governor’s days in the Legislature nearly two decades ago.
Attorney general blames Democrats for state budget cut
Attorney General Tom Horne sniped at Democrats today for cutting a $1.2 million fund that has been used for combating Mexican drug cartels in southern Arizona since 2009.
Rally kicks off Medicaid referendum drive
The push to refer Gov. Jan Brewer’s Medicaid expansion plan to the ballot began in earnest as opponents of the bill rallied at the Capitol before fanning out across the Valley to collect signatures.
Coalition formed to fight Navajo power plant retrofits
A group of Arizona business leaders say they have until Aug. 5 to tell the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency why forcing the Navajo Generating Station to spend as much as $1 billion on retrofits to the coal-powered plant would have dire consequences on the state economy and residents’ pocketbooks.
Senate approves sales tax reform compromise
By a 29-0 vote, the state Senate late Thursday approved Gov. Jan Brewer’s sales tax overhaul proposal after she obtained the buy-in of Arizona cities and towns.