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The Breakdown: Session Wrap Edition
Our reporters sat down with Gov. Doug Ducey as well as Republican and Democratic leaders in both chambers to reflect on the last five months - and what this session's events may hold for the future.
Few lawmakers achieve perfect attendance, voting records
Only 19 state lawmakers, or 21 percent, made it to work every day and also registered a vote on 100 percent of the measures that went up on the board during the 53rd Legislature’s second regular session.
Big push on ballot referrals ends with just 2 passed
The Arizona Legislature referred two measures to the ballot this year, more than lawmakers referred in 2016 when they instead focused their attention on trying to defeat several citizen initiatives.
The Breakdown, Episode 18: The Red (for Ed) wave?
Red for Ed may be over, but it's too soon to tell what consequences - and possibly new elected officials - it will bring to the Capitol over time.
Democratic blitz, GOP votes doomed redistricting measure
The threat of a massive infusion of political spending by a liberal advocacy group during campaign season helped thwart a legislative effort to overhaul Arizona’s redistricting process.
The Breakdown, Episode 17: That’s a wrap
Another session is in the books, but not without a fuss - or two.
Pay raise gives political boost to teachers, Ducey
Putting aside the adversarial relationship between the Governor’s Office and leaders of the teacher pay movement, both Ducey and Arizona teachers have benefitted from the “Red for Ed” momentum that swept through Arizona this legislative session.
Legion of striking teachers descend on Capitol as Senate adjourns
As more than 40,000 teachers and their supporters marched from downtown Phoenix to the Arizona Capitol the next morning, the state Senate adjourned for the week and rank-and-file members left without a vote on a budget that could boost teacher pay.
Top Republicans meet to work out deal on teacher pay
Top Republicans are huddling to see if they can reach an accord over the issue of teacher pay ahead of Thursday's strike deadline, potentially forestalling or at least undermining the walkout.
GOP lawmakers support governor’s teacher pay raise
Legislative Republicans support Gov. Doug Ducey’s plan to give teachers a raise this fall, and further raises for the following two years. But they won’t so easily relinquish their own budget priorities to finance the governor’s proposal.
Senate president to kill highly supported ELL bill
A bill to eliminate the state’s four-hour-a-day English language learning requirement for students whose second language is English has reached the Senate with nearly unanimous support, but Senate President Steve Yarbrough may kill it.
Yarbrough: Ducey has NRA approval of gun proposal
Senate President Steve Yarbrough, R-Chandler, said Ducey staffers told him the NRA will support the governor’s plan when a bill is introduced, perhaps next week.
