Despite the boost that Democrats received in the November election, their list of goals for upcoming budget negotiations are relatively short and mostly focused on money for education and health care.

Is deciding how to fund education in Arizona best done by lawmakers or voters? That’s a key point of debate with Arizonans ready to decide whether to adopt a permanent 1-cent per dollar sales tax that would be earmarked primarily for education but also for human services and transportation.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer says she opposes a proposed state sales tax increase. Initiative petitions filed last month would have Arizona voters decide in November on a permanent increase of a penny on the dollar.

Legislation to levy a temporary tax increase on Arizona employers to repay borrowing for unemployment benefits is moving again at the Legislature after being stalled for nearly two months.

Attorney General Terry Goddard weighed in on Proposition 100 for the first time, saying he cannot support the temporary sales tax increase without an assurance from Gov. Jan Brewer that she will veto a tax cuts package being considered in the Legislature.

Gov. Jan Brewer is not a governor prone to second-guessing. While many lawmakers are eager to point out where they think she went wrong during her first legislative session on the Ninth Floor, whether it be her near single-minded pursuit of a temporary sales tax increase or their belief that she didn't communicate enough with legislators, Brewer doesn't appear to be having second thoughts.

State election officials say they can still put a temporary tax increase on the Nov. 3 ballot if the Legislature acts today (Aug. 11), but time is running out and no one is quite sure when the last grain of sand will fall to the bottom of the hourglass.

Gov. Jan Brewer is hoping to get her temporary tax increase on the ballot for November's election, but if lawmakers don't act soon, the vote may have to wait until January.

If lawmakers are going to put Gov. Jan Brewer's temporary tax hike proposal on the November ballot, they may want to do it soon. Maricopa County must order the paper for its ballots by July 16 in order to comply with the 26-day early-voting period mandated by Arizona law, according to Maricopa County Elections Director Karen Osborne. The orders can be placed past the deadline, she said, but each additional day likely will mean one fewer day of early voting.

Gov. Jan Brewer praised lawmakers for their swift and bipartisan work in passing four new budget bills on the first day of the special session, and she credited her vetoes of the previous budget as the force that pushed them together.