Q&A with Senate President with Russell Pearce
Even before he became president of the Arizona Senate, Russell Pearce, a conservative Republican from Mesa, was dominating much of the action in the Legislature. But as he takes over the top spot in the Senate, he has lost some of the freedom he had to set his own course.
A recent history of Arizona’s state budget
The $2.2 billion shortfall Arizona faces over the next two years didn't show up overnight, and it isn't due to a single person, decision or event.
GOP tax plan good for business, bad for homeowners
Republican lawmakers and the governor are moving ahead with a tax-reduction plan they say would enable Arizona to attract more businesses and jobs to the state, even though the likely result would be a heavier tax burden for homeowners.
Step one in getting federal spending under control?
Free-market economists have been warning both Democrats and Republicans for some time now — indeed, for decades — that government cannot simply continue its spending binge without paying a price.
Gov. Brewer says Ariz. wants Medicaid waiver
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said Thursday she'll ask for a waiver under the federal health care overhaul so Arizona can reduce its Medicaid rolls to lower costs that Brewer and fellow Republicans say the cash-short state can't afford. If approved, the change could mean the loss of government-funded health care for hundreds of thousands of people.
Democrats to demand restoration of transplant funding
Arizona Democratic legislative leaders have scheduled a Tuesday news conference to demand that Gov. Jan Brewer and the Republican-led Legislature restore state funding for medical transplants.
Capitol Quotes: Dec. 3, 2010
“Don’t make up a story here. Don’t be giving credit to a pandering crybaby." — Senate President-elect Russell Pearce commenting on Sen.-elect John McComish’s complaints about committee assignments.
Silver lining seen in Arizona budget trouble
Some say innovation could be a possible silver lining for Arizona schools as they brace for possible new state budget cuts.
McComish calls Senate committee assignments ‘unfair’
Sen. John McComish said he’s got a lot more to offer the Senate than he will be allowed to contribute next year, based on his assessment of the committee assignments that were announced earlier this week.
Arizona man who lost transplant coverage dies
A Phoenix man who was denied state Medicaid coverage for a bone marrow transplant has died, a development that renewed debate over health care budget cuts, though one of Mark Price's doctors said the death was not caused by the financial situation.
Like it or not, here comes ‘Obamacare’
It’s a safe bet that Republicans in the Arizona Legislature never envisioned themselves as facilitators of the federal health care law. Yet, ironically, that’s exactly the role they may fill as they mull legislation to set the stage for what they have dubbed derisively “Obamacare.”
Senate Republicans plan business tax cuts
Senate Republicans will push for a slew of tax cuts for businesses next year, part of a package aimed at attracting companies to Arizona.