House panel moves bill to lower minimum age to be elected
Arizona lawmakers don't want to share their power with 18 year olds. But they might agree to let those at least 21 join their ranks.
House passes measure to keep cities from banning ‘dark money’
On a 33-25 margin the Republican-controlled House voted to prohibit local government from requiring organizations declared to be tax-exempt by the Internal Revenue Service from registering as political action committees, even if they are putting money into races.
The Breakdown, Episode 6: Details, details
After two weeks in one crisis or another, lawmakers really got to work last week, and our reporters dug in.
AG finds Tempe might have violated state law in lease deal
The Attorney General’s Office has found that while a lease agreement the city of Tempe signed with a hotel developer does not violate state law, another agreement signed with a regional bank branch might.
Medical pot proposal forces patients to pay for drug prevention
Rep. Vince Leach introduced HB 2066 which would let the state Department of Health Services use what it does not need to run the program for "education, awareness and prevention messaging.''
Leach sics AG on Tempe over allegation of illegal tax breaks
Rep. Vince Leach has followed through on a threat to ask the Attorney General’s Office to investigate whether Tempe broke the law in signing two lease agreements with developers he alleges received illegal tax breaks.
GOP Lawmaker to Tempe: Do as I say or tell it to the AG
A Tucson Republican is threatening to sic the Attorney General’s Office on Tempe if the city doesn’t update two lease agreements with developers he alleges received illegal tax breaks.
Some GOP lawmakers vote solid red, support caucus bills
Representatives like Vince Leach, R-Tucson, and Don Shooter, R-Yuma, and Sens. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix and John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, are among the Republicans most faithful to their own caucus when it comes to voting.
Lawmakers throwing up more obstacles for voter initiatives
Republican lawmakers are poised to advance yet another salvo aimed at the initiative process, one that would put even more dampers than already enacted on the right of Arizonans to propose their own laws
Bill banning per-signature payment for initiative campaigns advances
The legislation that Rep. Vince Leach, R-Tucson, is advancing is the top priority of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which has made “reform” of the initiative process its top legislative priority in the wake of voter approval of increasing the minimum wage.
Petition measure sparks heated debate over future of citizens’ initiatives
When Republican Rep. Vince Leach proposed a bill to ban paying petition circulators for citizens’ initiatives on a per-signature basis, Democrats were collectively outraged and denounced the bill as an “attack on democracy.”
House panel approves sales tax exemption for tampons, diapers
The most interesting exchange occurred between Rep. Jay Lawrence, R-Scottsdale, and his seatmate, Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale.