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UpClose with Gov. Jan Brewer: Touts openness, says vetoes represent decision not to ‘blow a hole’ in budget
After two chaotic legislative sessions, things settled down a bit for Gov. Jan Brewer in 2011.
Having won an overwhelming voter mandate in November, Brewer no longer was the governor who simply inherited the job. And with her hard-fought battle for a sales tax increase won, she was no longer the Republican governor who spent most of her time feuding with her own party.
GOP-led Legislature focused on ‘sideshows,’ not mainstream agenda
If this unfortunate legislative session has to be remembered in years to come, it will be recalled as a time that politicians put sideshows ahead of seriousness. Birther bills, birthright citizenship, and tea party license plates are great at getting partisan activists riled up.
Distractions? Yes. Distracted? Probably not too much
Every circus has its sideshows. And this year, the state Capitol was crawling with them.
For the first time in more than a decade, lawmakers wrapped up their work in 100 days. And they did so in spite of distractions that came in the form of a roadside fracas that cost a Republican leader his post, a college football scandal that ensnared more than a dozen elected officials and a trag[...]
Tea Party Influence: New GOP legislators pushed ideological needle to the right
Friendly to faith-based legislation and deeply rooted in a small-government and fiscally disciplined philosophy, Arizona’s new legislators helped define and successfully push a conservative agenda at the Capitol.
Biggs, as Senate majority leader, less vocal in opposing bills
On several occasions, the Senate majority leader voted with the losing side — and against the majority in his caucus.
Those occasions are a stark reminder that the man Republicans picked as caucus leader is a fiscal conservative with a libertarian streak, who backs or supports measures depending on how they hew to or diverge from his reading of the U.S. Constitution.
Brewer finds her ‘sea legs’ after two tumultuous years
After two years of intraparty fighting, drama and chaos, 2011 must have been a welcome relief for Gov. Jan Brewer.
Pearce releases documents showing Fiesta Bowl ticket payment
Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce is releasing documents that he says show a "clear pattern of compliance" with state laws restricting acceptance of gifts and of making reimbursements to the Fiesta Bowl for game tickets.
Senate ethics panel finds Fiesta Bowl ticket violations
The Arizona Senate's ethics chairman says a review found some lawmakers may have violated state law by improperly accepting free football game tickets from the Fiesta Bowl.
Republicans decide against trying to override any of Brewer’s vetoes
Before the session began, Republicans crowed about the super majorities, and boasted that it would allow them to overrule Gov. Jan Brewer, should she have the temerity to veto their bills.
But Brewer vetoed 29 bills this year, including several that had overwhelming Republican support in both chambers. And despite their supermajority advantage, the Republicans in the House and Senate n[...]
Senate approps chair up for grabs
It was widely understood that Biggs would step down as Appropriations chairman when he became Majority Leader. But since the session ended, Biggs and Pearce haven't had the chance to talk about his replacement.
Pearce: No spending increase even if state gets extra cash
Pointing out that Arizona faces a revenue cliff when a temporary sales tax increase expires in two years, Senate President Russell Pearce said any extra money the state collects won’t be used to restore cuts or be spent on new programs.
