The Arizona House of Representatives voted down a bill that would have expanded the taxpayer-funded private school scholarships known as Empowerment Scholarship Accounts.The ESA program is similar to a voucher program, but has been held up in court because it’s not quite a voucher program — the taxpayer money that…
Arizonans won’t necessarily have the right to keep chickens in their backyards.A bill intended to prohibit municipalities from creating zoning restrictions to prevent homeowners from keeping chickens easily passed the Senate in February, but was voted down by the House yesterday, by a 25-32 vote…
Unfortunately, the process of passing bills in Arizona isn’t as easy as the Schoolhouse Rock explainer, “I’m Just a Bill.”Remember House Bill 2305, the package of election-law changes passed last year by the Republican majority, which was then referred to the ballot thanks to Democrats and third-party supporters, before being…
No Arizona legislative session is complete without some attention paid to guns.The Senate this morning voted to approve five gun-related bills, the majority of which generally would be considered pro-gun bills, naturally…
Governor Jan Brewer has signed a bill that allows the state health department to search abortion clinics without an administrative warrant.Brewer didn’t make any public comments on her signing of the legislation, House Bill 2284…
A bill expanding tax exemptions for churches passed the Arizona Legislature yesterday, and could cost the state $2.1 million in lost revenue.The bill, House Bill 2281, is also the third bill pushed by the Center for Arizona Police that legislators have passed this session. Others include the notorious anti-gay Senate…
Yesterday was “Equal Pay Day,” the day that symbolizes how far into 2014 women have to work to earn the same amount as men did in 2013, as far as the gender pay gap is concerned.To mark the occasion, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton and Councilwoman Kate Gallego announced an effort…
Arizona lawmakers approved a $9.2 billion budget yesterday.The budget, which still needs Governor Jan Brewer’s approval, shaved off roughly $25 million from Brewer’s proposal for Child Protective Services spending for next year. Between the scandal of thousands of cases getting ignored at CPS, and the growing foster-care system, Brewer’s made…
Ruben Gallego isn’t wasting any time amassing a campaign war chest, announcing earlier this week that he already has $160,000 in campaign contributions from more than 800 donors. Gallego is facing competition from Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox and state Senator Steve Gallardo for the open seat in Arizona’s…
The bipartisan Senate bill that would have legalized fantasy sports in Arizona failed before reaching the floor.Although Senate Bill 1468 originally started with a considerate amount of bipartisan support, Republican senator and primary sponsor Adam Driggs believes the bill failed because of a possible conflict with the Arizona’s Indian Gaming…
A proposed contract with new Phoenix City Manager Ed Zuercher shows his annual compensation package is worth about $50,000 less than his predecessor’s.The contract is scheduled to be considered by the city council at Wednesday’s meeting…
Moviegoers who see “Cesar Chavez” when it opens today can expect a feel-good flick that portrays the Yuma-born legend as almost saintly. The movie doesn’t enlighten viewers about Chavez’s intense opposition to “illegals” and “wets,” as he called undocumented immigrants. You may have heard that Chavez preached against illegal immigration,…
State legislators are proposing a law that says the state isn’t liable for state employees fulfilling its duties on state land.Fighting wildfires happens to fall under the scope of that law, and the proposal is no coincidence, as precursors to lawsuits have been filed against the state in recent months…
Today in Found at the Border: A Mexican woman tried to cross the border in Nogales with five pounds of heroin in her underwear, according to authorities.Cristina Luna-Ramos, 38, tried to drive through the port of entry about 11 a.m. on Wednesday. Officers reported seeing something that’s never good news…
It’s a beautiful day here, outside of the Tempe City Hall and police department, but our blood is boiling because of the PD’s ignorance of public-records law. Tempe police apparently never got the memo Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne sent to the state in December: Taking pictures of public records…
Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne is praising a Kansas court ruling that he claims will curb the problem of “illegals” voting. A political victory for Horne and anti-illegal-immigrant crusader Kris Kobach, Kansas’ secretary of state, the ruling by U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren in Wichita says that the U.S. Election…
Though the bill proposed at the Arizona Legislature to legalize the sale of Tesla vehicles in the state essentially died, it’s suddenly been brought back to life.The move happens to come just as Arizona and Texas became considered two of four finalists for a large battery factory planned by the…
Budget bills were introduced in the Arizona Senate yesterday, with a spending plan that’s roughly $150 million less than Governor Jan Brewer’s proposal.One of Brewer’s priorities in her budget proposal, more than $73 million in new spending for Child Protective Services, is cut down in Senate President Andy Biggs’ proposal…
Former Arizona lawmaker Scott Bundgaard has dropped the $10 million lawsuit he filed against the city of Phoenix following his 2011 fight with an ex-girlfriend. In a statement released to New Times and other media outlets, Bundgaard says that dropping the lawsuit without being awarded a dime is, somehow, “vindication.”…
Dolores Huerta, the woman who co-founded the United Farm Workers alongside Cesar Chavez, says that state former Representative Ruben Gallego is “one of the brightest and most effective young Latino leaders” that she’s ever worked with. And that’s why she’s endorsing his campaign for the seat of retiring Congressman Ed…
A bill that was blasted by animal-rights advocates as an “ag gag” proposal was watered down a bit before being passed by the House yesterday.In its initial form, House Bill 2587 would have made it a crime to not turn over evidence of livestock abuse within five days — which…
Well before the controversy over Senate Bill 1062, there were complaints that Center for Arizona Policy lobbyist Cathi Herrod’s power at the Capitol essentially made her an unelected lawmaker.In recent weeks, activists have protested at Herrod’s office, complaining that it certainly appears that Herrod, an unelected lobbyist, has too much…
