Tribes see greater sovereignty under Obama, but still have a long way to go
Indian Country made huge strides toward flexing its sovereign authority during President Barack Obama’s first term but it still has a long way to go, the president of the National Congress of American Indians said Thursday.
Lawmakers won’t get Valentine’s cards featuring Hitler, other dictators
The former Arizona director of a leading tea party group says he has scrapped plans to deliver Valentine’s Day cards that featured murderous dictators including Adolf Hitler to Republican lawmakers believed to oppose anti-union legislation.
Tobin: Union dues bills not moving in House
Arizona’s Republican congressmen recently sent a joint letter to House Speaker Andy Tobin asking him to push forward legislation barring automatic deductions of union dues from public employees’ paychecks.
Teen drivers face cellphone ban under Senate bill
Arizona lawmakers are going after teenage drivers who use wireless devices. A Senate committee advanced a bill Wednesday seeking to prohibit teenagers from using cellphones and other wireless devices while they have their learner's permit and during the first six months of their license.
Arizona governor: Border residents don’t feel safe
The border with Mexico won't be secure until the people living near there feel safe from drug and human trafficking, said Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer Tuesday after touring the region just hours before President Barack Obama championed his immigration plan in the State of the Union address.
Lawmakers question putting children into isolation rooms
After the approach was compared to prison scenes in the movie “Cool Hand Luke,” a Mesa lawmaker took the first step Monday toward ending the practice of placing unruly schoolchildren in isolation rooms.
Flake raises hopes for hearing on judicial nominee after 19-month wait
Freshman Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said he met with Rosemary Marquez and will review her writing, giving hope to her supporters that the long-delayed judicial nominee will finally get a hearing after 19 months.
New push at Capitol to outlaw electronic cigarettes for kids
To a state senator, nicotine is nicotine regardless of whether the product delivering it is chewed, smoked or inhaled as mist, and all forms should be illegal for minors.
Tax-reform pledge takers becoming a dwindling breed
The pledge that for years has been a holy grail of anti-tax conservatism is dwindling in popularity at the Copper Dome.
Only 11 lawmakers, including just one of 17 Republicans in the Senate, have signed the Americans for Tax Reform’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge. Only two of the 14 new Republican lawmakers this session have signed.
Proposal to end gas tax runs into roadblocks
Saying the state’s gas tax is “dying and never coming back,’’ a Democratic lawmaker wants to study tax alternatives and allow the Department of Transportation to run pilot programs testing the ideas.
Arizona legislators tone down their spirit of rebellion
For the most part, Arizona lawmakers appear to have stepped back from the trenches of the states’ rights issue after years of incessant fighting with the federal government.
Arizona Dems hope against hope to get bills passed
Long in the minority in the Arizona Legislature and with little chance of getting any of their priorities passed, Democrats keep soldiering on.