Women can obtain birth control pills from pharmacist starting this week with some conditions
It's official: Women in Arizona can now walk into a pharmacy and get birth control pills. Ditto hormonal rings and patches.
Fight to ban state benefits for lobby group dies – again
Sen. Steve Kaiser, R-Phoenix, revived a long-running fight at the Legislature this year to block employees of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns from getting state retirement benefits.
2 tight races require statewide recounts
Arizona will recount two statewide races this year, the attorney general and superintendent of public instruction contests, as well as an East Valley state legislative race. It will be the first time Arizona has recounted a statewide contest since 2010.
Lawmakers who lost primaries plan next steps
Twenty-two lawmakers lost their races this year for various offices and won’t return to the Capitol for at least two years.
Ducey signs legislation to limit executive emergency power
Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill Friday to limit the governor’s power to implement a state of emergency for “public health” reasons.
Budget talks stall, lawmakers consider scaled-down option
Legislative leadership is considering a “skinny budget” this year after struggling to get consensus on big projects.
Cities can limit fireworks under new law
Cities and towns around the state will have another tool available to rein in fireworks use later this year after Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill that lets municipalities regulate their use overnight.
Senate panel approves resurrected election bill
A Senate panel gave a new, temporary life Monday to a bill that would restrict early voting and mandate hand counts of ballots.
Transportation tax extension passes the Senate
A bill asking voters to extend a half-cent transportation sales tax in Maricopa County passed the Senate on Wednesday with an emergency clause. The final vote was 21-9 with all Democrats and several Republicans supporting the bill. If Senate Bill 1356 passes through the House with two thirds of members in support and is signed […]
Republican election bills continue to die in the Senate
A total of 14 Republican bills died on the Senate floor on Monday, the most bills struck down in one session in recent memory. Sen. Paul Boyer, R-Glendale, voted against 12 of the dead bills along with the entire Democratic caucus. Without Boyer’s vote, the Republicans did not have the 16 votes needed to pass […]
Boyer, with help, nixes six election bills
It turned out to be a frustrating few days for the Republican Senators who’ve talked for months about using the 2022 legislative session to make substantial changes to Arizona election laws in the wake of the 2020 election audit.
School protest measure gets Senate panel OK
A bill intending to protect the right of “peaceful protestors” to protest at school board meetings passed out of committee this week, though Democrats raised concerns about vague wording and liability. Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita’s SB1617 would keep schools and school districts from kicking “peaceful protestors” out of a governing board meeting or other school-related meeting […]