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Moratorium leads to near-record number of Brewer vetoes
The bill moratorium that rankled lawmakers as Gov. Jan Brewer started applying pressure to pass her Medicaid expansion plan helped push her to a near-record number of vetoes in 2013.
Brewer vetoed 26 bills this year, the second highest total of her career, behind the 29 she rejected in 2011.
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.
Medicaid expansion coalition flexes its muscles
The bipartisan coalition forming around Medicaid expansion flexed their political muscle on Monday, shooting down a pair of amendments and approving another amendment to a Medicaid expansion supporter’s bill involving school bonding.
Arizona House passes school bonds bill
Arizona lawmakers have slashed $1 billion from public education dollars in recent years and gone to court to avoid mandatory increases in school funding. Now they want taxpayers to directly cover the costs of new construction, repairs, equipment and school buses.
Definition of lobbyist hard to pin down
Even the question of who is a lobbyist is debatable, thanks to wide-ranging exemptions in the laws governing who is required to register as a lobbyist. Those exemptions cover everyone from John Q. Public to, arguably, one of the state’s most powerful public policy groups: The Goldwater Institute.
House considers giving churches new tax exemptions
Religious organizations would qualify for new property tax exemptions under legislation moving forward in the Arizona House of Representatives.
Rep. Allen proposes measures to prevent devastating Capitol attack
Calling the Capitol a soft target for terrorist threats that could decapitate the state and destabilize the nation, Republican Rep. John Allen of Scottsdale is pitching a plan to install a full vehicle barrier around the Capitol complex.
Tobin: Union dues bills not moving in House
Arizona’s Republican congressmen recently sent a joint letter to House Speaker Andy Tobin asking him to push forward legislation barring automatic deductions of union dues from public employees’ paychecks.
Let the union bashing begin
A trio of Union busting bills is heading to the House Government Committee on Tuesday, kicking off the second straight year of high-profile battles between the Legislature and public employee unions.
Rep. Court won’t seek re-election in projected tough primary
Despite being elected by his colleagues as Majority Leader last session, Rep. Steve Court announced today that he would not be seeking re-election this year.
Capitol Quotes: March 16, 2012
This week’s most outstanding quips, jibes and utterances.
Brewer’s cornerstone bill delayed in House
The cornerstone bill in Gov. Jan Brewer’s 2012 agenda was supposed to be debated on the House floor today, but it was left off today’s House floor calendar, pushing off debate of the sweeping personnel reform legislation until later in the week.
