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Long session led to many missed votes
The Arizona House of Representatives held 382 floor votes during the 2009 regular session, which stretched into July as lawmakers struggled with the budget deficit. Rep. Rich Crandall, a Mesa Republican, didn't participate in 254 of them, nearly two-thirds of the total.
Disagreements to resurface: Topics include taxes, spending reductions
A special session - or two - is likely this fall as Gov. Jan Brewer continues to pressure lawmakers to reconvene and legislative leaders have started asking members when they would be available. But roadblocks remain.
UpClose with Ken Cheuvront
While others prefer to be diplomatic, Sen. Ken Cheuvront speaks his mind without sugarcoating it. When Janet Napolitano resigned her post as governor early this year to become President Obama's secretary of Homeland Security, the Phoenix lawmaker was quite blunt in his criticism of her decision. "Janet always does what's good for Janet," he said.
Diminished debate: Limits on floor discussion put Senate in quandary
In the Arizona Legislature, debate usually refers to the Committee of the Whole, a crucial part of lawmaking that facilitates adjustments to legislation. More importantly for some, it is the last chance to thoroughly examine proposed legislation and to sway people's opinion for or against it. In most cases, emotions are checked and the tone is primarily civil. But in the last two years, senators h[...]
AZ Supreme Court to hear CityNorth case Sept. 30
The Arizona Supreme Court on Sept. 30 will weigh the fate of a tax rebate offered by the city of Phoenix to lure a developer that built a massive shopping... […]
A third of Senate to say goodbye in 2010
A controversial constitutional amendment that limits the length of time that lawmakers can stay in office will force more than one-third of the senators out of their chamber by the end of next year, a massive revamp unprecedented in recent years.
Impugning or just inappropriate?
Sen. Ken Cheuvront responded to Sen Jack Harper's comment yesterday comparing the Senate Dems to the Sunni minority in Saddam Hussein's Iraq - if they were to get their way in terms of policy, it would be a case of tyranny of the few over the interests of the many. Cheuvront said today that neither he nor any member of the minority has ever been a Sunni...
Fewer lawmakers may be present for special session
Fewer lawmakers are likely to be present for the special session July 20. About a third of senators and representatives planned to attend the National Conference of State Legislatures summit in Philadelphia City this week, according to the Senate and the House.
Senators debate scores of bills in rare Friday session
During a rare Friday session, senators gave preliminary approval to about 40 bills in an effort to tackle as many measures as possible with just more than two weeks left before the end of the fiscal year. The full Senate will vote on the bills most likely on June 15.
