Every election, it seems, politicians give lip service to the need for fiscal responsibility and a balanced budget. But once they are in office, they lack the courage and resolve to actually achieve one. It’s always politically more convenient to spend more than we take in, hide growing debt and liabilities through clever accounting tricks, and leave the consequences for someone else to clean up down the road.

Earlier this legislative session, many state lawmakers grilled Charles Flanagan – who was then director of the Department of Child Safety – about why reports of child neglect are still going up. They pointed fingers, made speeches and issued statements about how important it is to protect child safety and reduce child abuse and neglect.

The state budget is approved, and many think the battle for public education is over for the year. This coming fall, with the implementation of this new budget, we will reach a crisis with one-half of Arizona’s school children having never attended a classroom fully funded as the voters mandated with the passing of Proposition 301 in 2000.

CCEC Executive Director Tom Collins didn’t anticipate Pierce’s SCR1001 (Clean Elections repeal; education funding) to stay dead forever, and he was right.

Saying the Arizona Constitution is being ignored, the chairman of the Arizona Board of Regents said Tuesday his colleagues should sue the Legislature if they do not come forward with more funds for the university system.

As noted by our sister publication, the Arizona Legislative Report, lawmakers worked through Friday night and into Saturday morning to pass a $9.1 billion budget.

If there’s a unifying theme to the budget proposal introduced on March 4, it’s that education, state agencies and state programs should brace for painful times ahead.

The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry is taking a wait-and-see approach to this week’s budget agreement while it sifts through its details.

Republican leaders in the Legislature plan quick action on a budget deal hammered out with Gov. Doug Ducey.

Details of the budget deal reached by legislative leaders and Ducey emerged today, and if there’s a unifying theme, it’s that agencies and state programs should brace for painful times ahead.