Sign In
Free Newsletter
Committee assignment changes in House
The House of Representatives made a minor change to committee assignments late Jan. 19. Rep. David Stevens, a Republican from Sierra Vista, is replacing Phoenix Republican Ray Barnes on the Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee.
Lawmakers’ first duty: Show up and vote
Here’s the simple mathematics of representative government: Arizona taxpayers pay for lawmakers to show up and vote on every bill in the Legislature. Now here’s the flaw in that equation: Lawmakers get paid whether they show up or not. Unfortunately, many Arizona residents were underrepresented at the Capitol during last year’s regular legislative session.
Upcoming event: ‘The Lighter Side of Arizona Democracy’
Gov. Jan Brewer, Senate President Bob Burns, and Rep. John McComish said they will attend “Arizona Democracy: The Lighter Side,” a ribbing of the year’s most prevalent topics and public figures hosted by KAET/Eight and the Arizona Capitol Times.
Proposed sales tax hike blocks budget deal
With the clock ticking, lawmakers and the governor held a series of closed-door meetings leading up to the Sept. 5 deadline for action on a slate of budget bills. But the negotiations did not produce the outcome Gov. Jan Brewer had desired - a bipartisan coalition of support for a special election to temporarily raise the sales tax to help balance the budget.
Brewer’s bill signings overshadowed by tax plan?
Considering the internecine warfare that has been the hallmark of Jan Brewer’s tenure as governor, some Republicans may have been tempted to forget why they were so happy when Janet Napolitano left. But one look at the scores of conservative bills Brewer signed may be enough to jog their memories.
Republicans prepare for budget vote
Democrats have accused Republicans of breaking off budget negotiations June 28 and breaking a promise that they wouldn’t use the bipartisan talks to leverage a deal with the governor.
GOP working both sides; separate budget deals in play
It’s been three weeks since lawmakers were called into a special legislative session to patch a massive hole in the budget, but there are finally signs that negotiations with Democrats may be bearing some fruit.
