Breaking: Budget bills to go before AZ lege at 8 a.m. Tuesday

By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings

With no notice, the Rs running the Arizona lege have scheduled the state's budget for committee hearings Tuesday morning at 8 a.m.

Senate Appropriations agenda is here. House Appropriations agenda is here.

Between this and last week's ejection of a 12 News reporter from the House floor by a Republican functionary who cited an unannounced security policy, it's obvious that the Rs haven't learned the lesson from the recall election loss of former senate president Russell Pearce –

High-handed and arrogant behavior by elected officials is the surest way to tick off the voters…

Updates as I read the bills…

Update:

I'm going to link to the Senate bills, but there are matching House bills that will go before House Appropriations.

SB1523 – General Appropriations

SB1524 – Capital Outlay

SB1525 – State Budget Procedures

SB1526 – Revenue; Budget Reconciliation

SB1527 – Government; Budget Reconciliation

SB1528 – Health; Welfare; Budget Reconciliation

SB1529 – K-12 Education; Budget Reconciliation

SB1530 – Higher Education; Budget Reconciliation

SB1531 – Criminal Justice; Budget Reconciliation (this whole budget is ugly, but never let it be said that the Rs can't be petty and vindictive at the same time – this one elminates the State Capital Postconviction Public Defender Office. Guess we'll need to change the state motto from "The Grand Canyon State" to "We Kill 'Em Quick")

SB1532 – Environment; Budget Reconciliation

 

My apologies for not providing a quick analysis of the bills. These came out so late that I didn't have time. Which may have been the point – do the budget on almost no notice so that no one could really understand what was in it before it's too late to do or even say anything about it.