Capitol pivots to create agenda for special session(s)
Lawmakers and staff are preparing for multiple special legislative sessions to address COVID-19 and economic recovery now that the regular session has officially ended.
House adjourns, bringing session to uneasy close
The state House of Representatives has finished its work and notified the Senate of its intent to adjourn sine die today, bringing one of the strangest legislative sessions in recent... […]
House set to begin votes on bills Tuesday
The Arizona House of Representatives is set to hear potentially dozens of bills this week -- including a measure to shield businesses from legal liability if a patron or employee gets COVID-19 -- even as the Senate sits recessed, poised to finalize last week’s adjournment motion and end the session.
House resumes work, pushes liability bill
Republican lawmakers are moving to make it harder for someone who contracts COVID-19 to sue the business where they believe they were infected or a company that made a device... […]
Senate calls it quits, leaves House to decide what’s next
The Senate notified the House early Friday afternoon that it had ended its legislative work, ending the session and killing hundreds of bills. The lower chamber has yet to accede to the request, leaving senators in an indefinite recess.
A majority under pressure reveals legislative fissures
Early the morning of May 7, a Thursday, a motley crew of senior Senate Republicans and their Democratic counterparts, disregarding a chorus of conflicting desires from the membership as a whole, pulled the plug on the 2020 legislative session.
Leaders reverse course, reconsider sine die adjournment
House and Senate leaders are abandoning their nascent plans to adjourn the Legislature sine die on May 1 after rank-and-file Republicans revolted, according to lawmakers in both chambers.
Legislature on track to adjourn May 1
The Arizona Legislature will end its session next week, killing hundreds of outstanding bills and giving lawmakers several months to hunker down and prepare to come back in the summer -- by which time a clearer picture will emerge of the state’s financial and physical health.
Repubican Party opposes use of online system for ballot measures
The attorney for the Arizona Republican Party says a system that allows people to sign petitions online -- the same one used by political candidates -- is "highly susceptible to fraud.''
Legislature won’t return April 13
The worsening COVID-19 pandemic has sidelined the state Legislature’s plans to reconvene on April 13, according to internal emails from top lawmakers shared with the Arizona Capitol Times.
Legislature passes $11.8B budget, $50M for COVID-19 aid
The Arizona Legislature will adjourn until April 13 after lawmakers in the House passed a $50 million deal Monday intended to mitigate the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Legislature to pass bare-bones budget this week
GOP leaders announced today the Legislature plans to pass a basic spending plan and a series of “noncontroversial” bills before they may recess or adjourn as a way to mitigate... […]