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Gowan to members: Let’s talk, shall we?
House leadership is setting up meetings with rank-and-file members in the next couple of days to brief them about the K-12 inflation lawsuit after settlement talks fell apart, and to get input from members about a Biggs-Gowan proposal to allocate $5 billion to K-12 schools over 10 years.
Fiscal hole gets deeper as school inflation case goes on
After efforts to reach a settlement in the K-12 inflation funding lawsuit faltered this month, both sides in the case see it going all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court. But as the case drags on, the fiscal risks mount for the state.
House and Senate leaders offer school funding plan, but critics find holes in it
When news broke that more than seven months of court-ordered negotiations between education groups and the Legislature had reached an impasse on August 25, leaders of the House and Senate came armed with good news.
Past elections a bad omen for First Things First sweep
An early childhood development program is back in the Legislature’s crosshairs, five years after lawmakers and former Gov. Jan Brewer tried and failed to convince voters to abolish the program and use its funding to balance the state’s precarious budget.
JLBC says Education Department erred in calculating charter school funding cuts
The Joint Legislative Budget Committee on Friday revised its estimate for cuts to funding for small charter schools and said the Department of Education is wrong in its interpretation of legislation establishing the reduction.
Biggs to universities: Believe me, you’re fine
While other legislators worry about the cuts to higher ed and are exploring ways to restore the funding, Biggs said the universities have not indicated that they expect enrollment to go down. A statement Biggs emailed to our reporter via Senate spokesman Mike Philipsen shows no indication he is willing to consider adding back funding to the universities, and indicates that he believes the universi[...]
2015 Session Wrap Q&A: Senate President Andy Biggs
The stars aligned for Senate President Andy Biggs in 2015. The numbers don’t show it, but the makeup of the Senate proved more conservative. A new governor worked well with Republican leadership in the Senate. Meanwhile, Biggs was once again a force behind the budget and took the lead to end the session in record time.
Will the honeymoon last? Governor’s approach aligned perfectly with conservative Legislature
“Honeymoon” seems almost too soft a word to use to describe Gov. Doug Ducey’s relationship with the Republican-led Legislature in his first session.
A year of delays in the House rankle representatives and force the Senate’s hand
Early in the morning of April 3, Senate President Andy Biggs decided he and the state Senate had waited long enough. He unilaterally pulled the plug on the legislative session.
Lawmakers talk of fix-all bill for budget errors, unresolved issues
Gov. Doug Ducey noted with pride that less than two months after he took office, legislators approved a budget that he considers 99 percent of what he asked for, passing it out of both chambers in record time.
