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Lobbyists lower expectations, mainly look to protect clients
So far this year, some lobbyists haven't even bothered to ask lawmakers to introduce a bill on their behalf. Others have big goals, despite the widespread perception that lawmakers will be focused almost entirely on the budget deficit.
Lawmakers’ first duty: Show up and vote
Here’s the simple mathematics of representative government: Arizona taxpayers pay for lawmakers to show up and vote on every bill in the Legislature. Now here’s the flaw in that equation: Lawmakers get paid whether they show up or not. Unfortunately, many Arizona residents were underrepresented at the Capitol during last year’s regular legislative session.
Capitol Quotes 12/18
"Ron Gould has the right ideas. He thinks right. He has the right mindset, but he won't negotiate." - Senate Majority Whip Steve Pierce, in defense of Senate President Bob Burns' decision to abolish Senator Gould's Retirement and Rural Development Committee.
One-day special session on tap for Thursday
Gov. Jan Brewer and legislative leaders have reached an agreement to push ahead with a special session on Dec. 17, said Senate Majority Leader Steve Pierce. The plan is to... […]
Senate Appropriations panel approves bills
The budget fix to eliminate a portion of the state's $2 billion deficit is moving through Senate committees while the House is on hold until Nov. 19. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved four bills after a relatively short deliberation on Nov. 18. Some of the bills received bipartisan support.
Special session to begin today, Brewer drops by GOP caucus
Legislative leaders have said a special legislative session to address part of the state's $2 billion deficit will begin today (Nov. 17), but Senate Republicans might have to rely on a vote or two from Democrats to pass all of the legislation on tap.
Maybe rules were meant to be broken
Looks like both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate are ignoring their own rules. Sen. Steve Pierce decided to go into executive session when the governor arrived today. "That's my prerogative to do so, and I think we will do so right now," he said...
Some agencies avoid submitting reduction reports
When drafting reports to show the impact of 15 percent cuts to their budgets, some state agencies described how their services would be gutted. Some simply explained why such cuts aren't feasible. And others, such as the Governor's Office, which ordered the reports, don't seem to know where to even make the cuts.
Tyne’s ouster a sign of things to come
Kevin Tyne's tenure as Gov. Jan Brewer's most loyal and trusted adviser came to an end as the governor announced that budget chief Eileen Klein would replace him as her chief of staff. Lobbyist Chuck Coughlin described the move as a "collaborative decision" between the Republican Governors Association, Brewer and Tyne that would allow Tyne to continue assisting the governor if she seeks a full te[...]
Disagreements to resurface: Topics include taxes, spending reductions
A special session - or two - is likely this fall as Gov. Jan Brewer continues to pressure lawmakers to reconvene and legislative leaders have started asking members when they would be available. But roadblocks remain.
Funding shortage plagues Corp Comm; Tucson office to close
The Arizona Corporation Commission voted on Oct. 5 to close a division office in southern Arizona as it grapples with funding woes resulting from the governor's budget veto and from legislative inaction to fix the problem. That office processes the papers of businesses that want to form new corporations in the state.
Wanted: new revenue
Lawmakers will be facing quite the conundrum in 2010 - how to raise more revenue for the cash-strapped state without raising taxes. The Republican-led Legislature stymied attempts by Gov. Jan Brewer to put a sales tax increase on the ballot, and outright rejected the idea of passing a tax increase itself.
