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Biggs blasts Dems for badmouthing GOP education cuts
The state’s top Senate Republican on Friday accused Democrats of hampering the state’s recovery by complaining about the state’s public education system.
Child welfare session gets off to a slow start before bills introduced
Arizona lawmakers opened a special session to overhaul the state’s child welfare system with a sputter, beginning the session without having finished preparing the bills needed to create a new Department of Child Safety.
Senate approves latest budget plan despite veto threat
The Senate approved its latest version of a state budget Tuesday after making further cuts to a $9.2 billion fiscal 2015 spending plan approved by the House last week just as Gov. Jan Brewer indicated that those changes could spur her to veto the budget.
Federal, state laws at odds on lobbyist political contributions
To curtail the inappropriate influence of money in politics, Arizona law prohibits lobbyists from contributing to lawmakers’ campaign committees while the Legislature is in session.
ASU grad students get a taste of the legislative process
Graduate students from the Arizona State University W.P. Carey School of Business got an inside look at the legislative process this week after several dozen students had the opportunity to role play as lawmakers, lobbyists and reporters during a contentious budget process.
In the wake of Medicaid expansion, Republicans hope they can all still get along
Lawmakers typically insist that nothing is personal in politics. After all, it’s just policy.
Crossing the Andys: The twisting path to Medicaid expansion
The special session on the budget and Medicaid expansion was the product of a five-month battle that took more twists and turns than a rattlesnake on a blistering sidewalk.
Moratorium leads to near-record number of Brewer vetoes
The bill moratorium that rankled lawmakers as Gov. Jan Brewer started applying pressure to pass her Medicaid expansion plan helped push her to a near-record number of vetoes in 2013.
Brewer vetoed 26 bills this year, the second highest total of her career, behind the 29 she rejected in 2011.
Arizona Senate passes election overhaul bill
The Arizona Senate revived an election omnibus bill Thursday that could limit early voting participation after Republican leaders pressured their caucus to pass the measure in the final hours of the 2013 legislative session.
Governor not looking for ‘Brewer v. Burns’ repeat
What a difference four years makes. In 2009, Gov. Jan Brewer sued the Legislature over its refusal to send her a package of budget bills that she was certain to veto, leading the Arizona Supreme Court to rule that lawmakers couldn’t hold back measures that were ready for the governor.
House prepares to rip Senate budget apart, rebuild it from scratch
Building a budget that can gain support from the majority of lawmakers in both legislative chambers and get it signed by the governor takes a delicate balance.
