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Lawmakers warned of political ‘firestorm’ as they approve anti-union measures
A group of conservative lawmakers backed by an influential policy think tank are picking a fight with public unions -- and the unions are fighting back.
Trio of bills target unions
A major push is underway in Arizona to strike at the very heart of public unions by eliminating their ability to negotiate collective bargaining agreements. As envisioned, the prohibition would extend to all public-safety unions, including firefighter and police associations.
Panel endorses convention on amendment to rein in national debt
The states can and should band together to rein in the national debt by amending the U.S. Constitution, a conservative group’s constitutional scholar told lawmakers Wednesday.
Campaign finance maneuvers drawing state scrutiny
The difficulty of persuading groups to comply with campaign finance reporting laws stems from a more aggressive interpretation of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that gave corporations and labor unions the same speech rights as individuals.
Loophole enables groups to conceal sources of electioneering money
The elections last month exposed what appears to be a gaping hole in Arizona’s campaign finance laws: The inability of elections officials to force groups to register as political committees or report their spending.
How courts can help end public-sector collusion
From Phoenix to Pima County, politicians and public-sector unions routinely agree to put union representatives on the government payroll, paying them millions of taxpayer dollars exclusively for union work, renewing these agreements year after year.
Lawyers say Parraz has uphill climb to prove defamation
Lawyers familiar with First Amendment issues and campaign laws said Randy Parraz, one of the organizers of the recall drive targeting Senate President Russell Pearce, would have a tough time proving he was defamed by signs that say he supported the boycott against Arizona and he pines for open borders.
Burges, Gould top Goldwater Institute report card
Conservative stalwarts Rep. Judy Burges and Sen. Ron Gould nabbed the top honors for their respective legislative chambers in the Goldwater Institute’s 2011 legislative report card.
Donations sought to unblock SB1070
A group representing Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever in the legal battles over Arizona's immigration law is seeking $60,000 in donations to file a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court.
Limited financial disclosure in Pearce recall may spur law changes
The recall election targeting Senate President Russell Pearce is among the highest-profile legislative races in the state’s modern history.
But the public won’t have a clue how much cash is being raised or spent — or who’s doing the raising and spending to influence the race’s outcome — until a few days before the election itself.
Goldwater Institute ‘lobbies’ against registering more lobbyists
The Goldwater Institute is among the most powerful public-policy groups in Arizona.
The organization’s employees draft legislation, regularly meet with lawmakers and testify before committee hearings at the state Capitol. The group even advocated for the call of a 2010 special session in which lawmakers sought to give workers the right to a secret ballot in union elections.
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State’s eminent domain law little more than a postcard to feds for now
A new law aimed at giving Arizona the power to wrest control of millions of acres from the federal government may end up as nothing more than a sharply worded message — and an ineffective one at that.
