Republican senators paying this year for 2019 budget holdout
Cancer-stricken firefighters, low-income pregnant women who need dental care and students pursuing careers as teachers or nurses stand to pay the political costs for two state senators who bucked their party leadership nearly a year ago.
Big ideas, big plans that didn’t make it into legislation
In a legislative session that saw a record amount of bills filed in both chambers, some measures promised before or even during the session never saw the light of day.
Demise of sanctuary cities measure a mixed bag of politics, protests
The death of the referral marks the end of a two-month saga that began in Ducey’s January State of the State Address, in which it was unveiled as one of several policy proposals that the governor would push through the legislature. Shope received a glowing shoutout. Republicans rose to their feet.
Senate leaders not interested in investigating sexual harassment allegation against Ugenti-Rita
Republican leadership in the Arizona state Senate has no interest in investigating allegations of sexual harassment made against Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, and Senate Democrats are not pushing the issue.
Bill to cover more cancers for firefighters gets OK from Senate panel
Carter’s bill seeks to build on work the Legislature did in 2017, with a law that listed several types of cancers, heart diseases and respiratory illnesses as illnesses that could be presumed to have been caused by fighting fires.
Lawmakers push for more protections for firefighters with cancer
Clumps of dark brown hair littered the Arizona Senate lawn on January 16 as Sen. Heather Carter ran an electric shaver over Sen. Paul Boyer’s head, surrounded by the cancer-stricken firefighters.
Lawmakers should not spread misinformation about vaccines
Protecting people from getting sick should be the definition of an uncontroversial idea. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like our state legislators agree.
Borrelli again targets medical marijuana dispensary kitchens
A state GOP senator wants to allow the Arizona Department of Health Services to inspect medical marijuana kitchens without giving notice and blames the marijuana industry for killing the same effort last session.
Panel recommends broader definition of ‘position of trust’ in child sex abuse laws
A special committee wants to revamp Arizona's sex abuse laws to make it easier to prosecute some people who violate their position of trust with their youthful victims.
Glendale, Tucson voters reject city council salary increases
Voters in Glendale and Tucson overwhelmingly voted down large raises for city councilors this week, marking the latest in a series of ill-fated attempts by policymakers to increase their pay.
English immersion repeal priority of schools chief, Dems, GOP
Reyna Montoya was a math whiz, but she didn’t speak English when she was 13.
Lawmaker in feud with Glendale proposes pay cap for city workers
A state senator at odds with his own city government wants to cap salaries for municipal employees throughout the state, a move city officials say could hobble efforts to attract and retain good government workers.