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GOP legislative leaders plan quick push on budget proposal
Republican leaders in the Legislature plan quick action on a budget deal hammered out with Gov. Doug Ducey.
Biggs’ dream budget?
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.
Tax cuts, credits deprive state of crucial money for children
We are gravely concerned for the well-being of this state. The Legislature has been guilty of depleting the state’s general fund — not by overspending but rather by draining the life blood from the budget.
Ducey budget will protect Arizona’s taxpayers, producers and consumers
The Arizona Legislature has always had a solid core of real fiscal conservatives who believe in balanced budgets and want to protect Arizona’s taxpayers, producers and consumers.
Will the honeymoon last? Agreement between Ducey, lawmakers could signal quick session
People scoffed when Senate President Andy Biggs said he wanted a 65-day legislative session in 2015. That may be overly optimistic, but if the first two weeks of the session are indicative of how he, his fellow Republican lawmakers and new Gov. Doug Ducey are getting along in budget negotiations, the session and the budget may be headed toward relatively swift resolutions.
K-12 inflation $$$ a distant murmur in Ducey’s budget
In his inauguration speech, Ducey warned that his budget won’t meet general approval among special interests, and his budget delivers on that promise. The new governor proposes a $9.09 billion budget for FY16, and aims to structurally balance the books by FY17.
Top 10 things to watch in Arizona politics in 2015
With the new year upon us, there are a host of issues state leaders likely will face in 2015. Here are 10 things to watch for in Arizona politics and government for the coming year.
No new taxes, no new debt, no gimmicks
Republicans’ electoral victories this year are ushering in an era of fiscal conservatism. Whether the ideological mooring can withstand a multi-year, multi-billion dollar deficit remains to be seen.
Ducey acknowledges challenges matching revenues with proposed spending
The successful gubernatorial candidate who promised to balance the budget without tax hikes or borrowing won't be presenting a truly balanced spending plan to lawmakers in January.
New faces are headed for budget negotiating table
Lawmakers get a fresh start in budget negotiations come January, when the next legislative session kicks off with new blood in two of three key leadership posts at the Capitol.
The Arizona comeback? Temporary success yields to more financial turmoil
It’s looking less like a great comeback and more like an arduous climb out of Dante’s purgatory. While Gov. Jan Brewer often talks about Arizona’s “success story” and how the state is now among the best places in the nation to do business, the truth is that Arizona is once more in deep fiscal trouble.
Arizona faces $1 billion deficit by next fiscal year
Richard Stavneak, director of the Joint Budget Legislative Committee, said the $1 billion budget gap in fiscal 2016 assumes that this year’s shortfall will be solved with one-time solutions.
