Senate approves funding that Medicaid needs to pay bills
State lawmakers on Wednesday finally approved the funding that the state's Medicaid program needs to pay its current bills.
Top legislative Republicans hire attorney to defend law banning transgender girls from playing girls’ sports
Top legislative Republicans have hired an out-of-state attorney -- at taxpayer expense -- to defend a 2022 law that forbids transgender girls from participating in girls' sports.
Override falls short after partisan fireworks
The effort to override Gov. Katie Hobbs’ veto of a bill that had received bipartisan backing ran out of gas on April 25 when the Arizona House of Representatives mustered a simple majority vote – but not the necessary supermajority.
Petersen: state’s Medicaid program won’t have funds to pay bills unless budget deal reached soon
The state's Medicaid program won't have money to pay its bills next month unless the governor and lawmakers reach a deal -- and soon -- on at least some elements of a budget.
Hobbs tops Napolitano’s veto record – 63 so far
Gov. Katie Hobbs shattered a state record for the largest number of bills vetoed in one year on April 18 – the Democratic governor rejected 11 bills, bringing her to a total of 63 for the year.
Rogers asks court to bar reporter from contacting her
Arizona state Senator Wendy Rogers is asking a court to stop a reporter who is investigating claims she resides outside of the northern Arizona district she represents from contacting her.
Ethics committee hears testimony from Harris regarding complaint; no ruling made
A ruling of an ethics complaint against a freshman Republican representative accused of engaging in disorderly conduct will be determined later after a House panel heard nearly two hours of testimony Thursday on the matter.
School for the Deaf and Blind can continue, may face extra scrutiny
The Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind is facing a shorter continuation timeline because Republicans in the Senate say there are issues with the agency that need to be scrutinized but would not clarify what those may be.
Legislature spent $8.5 million on renovations, more spending possible
The Senate spent millions on renovations inside the building and a new fence at the Capitol, including more than $20,000 for a new majority caucus table and almost $70,000 on new door handles, but Sen. President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, said he won’t approve the last $2 million in spending that was originally planned.
Educators say ‘critical race theory’ is dog whistle
Educators are frustrated over the debate about “critical race theory” in conversations around public education in Arizona.
Legislative leaders want to pass budget ASAP, governor’s staff says it’s ‘false urgency’
Republican Senate leaders said on Tuesday that the Legislature is working with Gov. Katie Hobbs to pass the state’s budget in the next two weeks, citing an April deadline connected to federally allocated Medicaid funding, but the governor’s staff say it’s a play to create “false urgency.”
Republican senators approve measures aimed at shielding children from ‘drag shows’
Over the objections of Democrats, all 16 Republican state senators approved two measures Thursday that proponents say are designed to outlaw "drag shows'' that can be seen by children -- even as neither measure actually uses those words.