Lawmakers push to strip 19 cities of home rule rights
Arizona lawmakers are moving to strip 19 cities of their right to home rule simply to help get Republicans elected to the Tucson City Council.
Groundwater mostly unregulated, impacts rural areas
Groundwater is one of the main water resources for most of Arizona. It is finite and mostly unregulated, especially in rural communities that solely depend on it. To change this, in 2022, the basins around Douglas and Kingman became regulated by the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR).
‘Extended closure’ expected after deadly Arizona crash, leak
A key highway through Arizona remains closed outside Tucson this morning, a day after a deadly crash caused a hazardous material leak and forced evacuations nearby.
GOP-supported measure would ask voters to remove more of their law-writing authority
Republican lawmakers on Feb. 14 approved a measure that would ask voters to take away even more of their own power to write their own laws after persuading them last year to significantly limit their power of the initiative.
House Republicans unify, pass budget proposal to Hobbs
Days after a House Republican explained why she voted against the GOP budget proposal, she flipped her vote to give the budget enough votes to pass the House and send it to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.
Panel OKs cuts on zoning regulations for housing
A Senate committee passed legislation on Feb. 8 to drastically reduce zoning regulations on housing, despite opposition from municipalities that want to retain the power to make zoning decisions themselves.
Tax credit headline missed the forest through the trees
A recent article headline published in the Arizona Capitol Times unfairly mischaracterized SB1108 – Senator Wendy Rogers’ income tax credit bill for businesses located in municipalities like Flagstaff and Tucson with higher wage mandates than the state wage mandate. The headline purports those cities to whom the bill would apply stand to lose. We disagree.
It’s time we take serious look at intercity passenger rail
The Sun Corridor connecting Phoenix and Tucson is defined as a megaregion. It’s one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, with population growth anticipated to double by 2040. Recent spikes in population growth have demonstrated strains on our already overburdened freeways, which impact our safety, environment and ability to address the demands of a modern economy and quality of life.
ASU, NAU, UofA lead in resolving challenges
Challenges are nothing new to Arizona. No matter the challenge — drought, disease, economic prosperity and many other s— transforming problems into opportunities has been our state’s hallmark. At every step, Arizona’s public universities have helped lead the way.
Senate committee approves measure prohibiting public from accessing lawmakers’ addresses
State lawmakers voted Wednesday to make it a lot harder to find out where they live. But they said that threats they face make the move necessary.
Bill would penalize cities with higher minimum wage than state
State lawmakers are moving to financially penalize cities that have a minimum wage higher than the rest of the state. And they are doing it in a way designed to get around restrictions that voters put on legislators in 2016 when they said cities can have their own base wages.
Gun dealers fighting Mexico’s claim they’re responsible for violence
Attorneys for five Arizona gun dealers are asking a federal judge to toss out a claim by the Mexican government that they are responsible for violence in that country. In a new court filing, the team of lawyers says nothing in the complaint alleges any evidence that the weapons sold by the five companies -- three in Tucson, one in Yuma and one in Phoenix -- actually were used by Mexican cartels in[...]