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Brewer: Special session a ‘total meltdown’
Failing to deliver an extension to unemployment benefits, the first day of the special session instead ended in recrimination that is once again threatening the fragile relationship between Gov. Jan Brewer and the Republican-led Legislature.
Lawmakers’ voting participation remains high in shorter session
Records from the past three legislative sessions point to a simple truism of the citizen-legislature model: The shorter the session, the better the attendance.
By keeping a 100-day session — the length prescribed by legislative rules — 27 of the Legislature’s 90 members voted on every bill that was brought to the floor, and only one lawmaker missed more than 20 percent of floor vo[...]
UpClose with David Schapira: Found some success at blocking legislation with ‘watchdog’ approach
The Senate minority announced an audacious goal this year — to put the spotlight on Republicans and their legislation. That task fell to a young father to articulate his party’s positions in a year when Republicans, who are control both chambers, don’t even need a single Democratic vote to pass emergency legislation.
The immediate challenge for Senate Minority Leader David Schapir[...]
UpClose with Kirk Adams: Session was ‘culmination’ of legislative career
House Speaker Kirk Adams had quite the final year in the Legislature, authoring a major overhaul of the state’s public pension system and finally accomplishing last year’s goal of passing a bill aimed at making Arizona more business-friendly.
Republicans decide against trying to override any of Brewer’s vetoes
Before the session began, Republicans crowed about the super majorities, and boasted that it would allow them to overrule Gov. Jan Brewer, should she have the temerity to veto their bills.
But Brewer vetoed 29 bills this year, including several that had overwhelming Republican support in both chambers. And despite their supermajority advantage, the Republicans in the House and Senate n[...]
Politicos salivate as Adams challenges mentor for Congress
With the legislative session over, Kirk Adams was finally able to do what he’d wanted to do for months, and what some have expected him to do for years: run for Congress.
Kanefield leaving Governor’s Office for private sector
After serving as Gov. Jan Brewer’s general counsel since her early days at the Secretary of State’s Office, Joe Kanefield is moving to the private sector.
Legislators making last-ditch pitch for ‘going home’ bills
With the budget out of the way, many legislators are getting anxious to wrap up their work and get back to their districts. For some, however, their focus turns to getting serious consideration for their own legislation before the session ends. Traditionally, these remaining measures are referred to as “going-home” bills.
After all-night session, House finally passes budget
It’s no joke – the House has passed a budget on April Fool’s day, after nearly 17 hours of deliberation and discussion that began the previous afternoon.
Discussions started at 3:30 p.m. yesterday in the House Appropriations Committee. From there, the bills moved through the House Rules Committee, then the Committee of the Whole, and finally to a vote. The House finally adjourned [...]
Final plans reflects conservatives’ clout at the Capitol
The tentative budget agreement legislative leaders and Gov. Jan Brewer reached late Wednesday night slashes $1.14 billion from the budget and more forcefully reflects the ascent of fiscally conservative Republicans at the Capitol.
Commerce Authority board says transparency, integrity are high priorities
Members of the Arizona Commerce Authority pledged that the state’s new quasi-private economic development agency take a zero-tolerance approach to backroom deals and cronyism as it gives out millions of dollars in incentives to the businesses it hopes to attract.
Adams and Yarbrough find compromise on rival pension reform bills
A compromise between House Speaker Kirk Adams and Sen. Steve Yarbrough and their respective pension reform plans passed the House Employment and Regulatory Affairs committee meeting this week.
