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Take two: Brno reverses ‘gov’t propaganda’ opinion
Late yesterday (July 30), Brnovich issued an opinion clarifying that public officials have a First Amendment right to weigh in on election matters, specifically ballot measures, although they cannot use public resources for electioneering purposes.
Tax or no tax?
Attorneys squared off in Maricopa County Superior Court today for the long-awaited oral arguments in Biggs v. Betlach, the Medicaid expansion case. Perhaps the most pressing issue in the oral arguments was whether the hospital assessment, used to fund the state’s share of the cost of the 2013 expansion program, should be considered a tax.
Slow your roll
Ducey spokesman Daniel Scarpinato said it’s too early for Farley or anyone else to sound the alarm about whether state agencies will be denied the restoration of previous cuts in FY17, despite a projected $266 million surplus. For that matter, Scarpinato said it would be premature to start making decisions about the surplus funds at all.
Memo to House pages: Be prepared
Shooter yesterday (July 27) told our reporter that he and Montenegro have agreed to swap seats, at least for the 53rd Legislature. The move will let Montenegro, who is termed out of the House, run for the Senate without an incumbent-on-incumbent primary battle. Shooter quipped that the “House will be damn lucky to get me.”
RUCO chief: Cost shift resolution shouldn’t wait
In a clear break from his predecessor, RUCO Director David Tenney suggested that the Corp Comm immediately tackle the issue of “cost shift” associated with rooftop solar instead of waiting to handle it in a rate case, which takes a comprehensive look at issues in a judicial setting before deciding to raise utility rates.
Senate President Lesko?
The career path for Lesko does not necessarily lead to the Corp Comm – at least not immediately, a Capitol railbird told our reporter yesterday. The source said there is a very short list of senators who can succeed Biggs as Senate President, and Lesko sits atop it.
Kicking the can four weeks down the road
The final vote on the Clean Elections Commission’s proposed independent expenditure reporting rule will wait until Aug. 20, as the commission today agreed to recirculate the proposal for additional public comment due to changes it made at the recommendation of former Commissioner Louis Hoffman.
Maybe tomorrow, maybe not
The Clean Elections Commission could vote on the new, amended version of its proposed IE disclosure rule when it meets tomorrow, but it could also opt to recirculate the rule for additional public comment and delay the vote until its Aug. 20 meeting.
CCEC broadening effort to shine a light on ‘dark money’
A proposed rule change at the Clean Elections Commission that was initially aimed at cracking down on “convenience corporations” that form to spend dark money in elections may undergo a significant change thanks to the recommendations of former Commissioner Louis Hoffman.
OSPB chief insists Ducey’s land trust plan is sound
The Ninth Floor today issued a memo to lawmakers in response to DeWit’s criticism of his plan to boost K-12 funding through increased payouts from the state land trust. The memo, written by OSPB Director Lorenzo Romero, didn’t directly refer to DeWit or his email to lawmakers, but it did address several of the issues the treasurer raised.
Yes, you paid $250,000 for that
Biggs expressed some buyer’s remorse after reading an audit of Dept of Child Safety conducted by the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, which the Auditor General had picked for the job.
The doc versus the maverick
Ward made it official today, announcing her primary challenge to McCain on her campaign website. “In Washington, I’ll fight for low taxes, smaller government, a strong defense and policies that empower families and reward personal responsibility.
