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Senator faced pressure to change deciding vote on elections bill
Sen. Steve Pierce was under tremendous pressure from forces within and outside the state Capitol – including at least one official from the National Republican Congressional Committee –during the hours before sine die as lawmakers and others tried to influence his vote on a controversial election bill.
After losing control of Senate, Biggs looks on as new majority emerges
The Arizona Senate’s passage of a budget plan that includes Medicaid expansion on May 16 was a tremendous victory for Gov. Jan Brewer, as well as the lawmakers who stuck their necks out for the governor — most notably Senate Majority Leader John McComish, who sponsored the amendment that added expansion to the budget plan.
Senate gives preliminary approval to Medicaid expansion
A block of five Republican senators joined forces with Senate Democrats on May 16 to wrest control of the chamber from Sen. President Andy Biggs and provide momentum to Gov. Brewer’s proposal to expand Medicaid in Arizona.
House committee approves bill to arm teachers
Teachers, administrators and school employees will be allowed to carry a concealed handgun into classrooms next school year if a bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday becomes law.
House panel OKs armed teachers in rural schools
A sharply divided Arizona House panel approved a bill Wednesday that allows designated teachers, administrators or other employees in remote rural schools to carry a handgun.
‘Firestorm’ over new school standards embroils Republican lawmakers
As Arizona ramps up efforts to invest in Common Core, a tide of opposition has defeated one of the first legislative efforts to implement the new education standards by likening them to a national takeover of Arizona’s school curriculum.
Senate approves bill to arm teachers and administrators
The Arizona Senate approved a bill Monday that could arm teachers and administrators in rural schools.
The bill passed the Senate on a 17-11 party line vote, and now moves to the House. If approved by both chambers, the measure would allow certain school employees to carry concealed firearms in schools with fewer than 600 students that are more than 30 minutes and 20 miles from the nearest[...]
Senate moves to arm Arizona school employees
A bill to allow school employees to carry guns in schools received the preliminary approval of the state Senate today, while another Republican gun measure appears to lack the votes to clear the chamber.
Crandall set to retire from Legislature later this year
Sen. Rich Crandall announced today that he will not serve his entire term, and will retire from legislative service at some point after the current legislative session ends to pursue new professional opportunities.
Lawmaker keeps bill alive in Senate by promising it will die in House
Sen. Don Shooter persuaded his fellow senators to advance a bill out of the Senate on March 7 by promising them the bill as written is essentially dead on arrival in the House.
Biker profiling bill killed in Senate
A bill requiring police to be trained on the wrongs of profiling motorcyclists fell today in the Senate Committee of the Whole.
Bill arming some rural Arizona teachers gets OK
Some teachers or administrators in rural schools and retired police officers working in any Arizona school would be allowed to carry a gun under a proposal approved by a Senate committee Tuesday.
