Senate President Bob Burns has picked a new chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Burns on March 3 appointed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Gray to head the committee. Gray chaired the committee prior to his selection as majority leader about two years ago.

Arizona's newest state legislator said she sees beauty in the Socratic Method, by which opposing views on an issue submit to questions and debate ideas.

Rep. Amanda Reeve, a Phoenix Republican, said she doesn't subscribe to the my-way-or-the-highway style of politics.

Sen. Jonathan Paton said today will be his last in the Arizona Senate. "It has been a privilege serving with you," Paton said.

In what Chairman Don Stapley acknowledged is becoming a regular event for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, the group on Feb. 17 chose another new state lawmaker.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will meet today at 9 a.m. to select a replacement for state Rep. Sam Crump of Anthem.

A recent poll that showed Jim Waring was leading the pack of contenders in Arizona Congressional District 3, but only 28 percent of those surveyed had decided who they plan to vote for.

Two incumbent lawmakers and a party officer were nominated to replace Jim Waring, a Phoenix Republican who resigned his Senate seat last month to run for Congress.

Precinct committeemen from Legislative District 6 will meet tonight to nominate three possible replacements for Pamela Gorman in the Arizona Senate. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Deer Valley Airport Restaurant.

Rep. Sam Crump, a Republican from Anthem who is in his second term, told Arizona Capitol Times he will turn in his letter of resignation today to focus his efforts on earning the Republican nomination in Arizona's 3rd Congressional District.

Based on unofficial estimates, the state missed out on more than $100 million in tax collections last year because the Legislature's cutbacks forced the Arizona Department of Revenue to lay off hundreds of employees, including auditors and tax collectors.