Our lawless Republican legislature and governor believe that they can do whatever they want, and fabricate any justification for it, because with one party rule and control of the Arizona courts, they can simply get away with it. There is no checks and balances, or any accountability to the citizens of Arizona. “We decide, and … Read more
Is it a coincidence that Charter School Week is the same week as the landmark Supreme Court Decision Brown vs the Board of Education? On May 16, Arizona House Republicans stood to honor Charter School Week while a proclamation was read. A few minutes later Rep. Gerae Peten reminded us all that Friday, May 17, … Read more
If you often scratch your head at the bad bills that the Republicans pass in Congress and in the state legislatures and wonder what their end game is, you should read Democracy in Chains by Nancy McClean. What you may think are random bad ideas that have somehow gotten into law are actually part of … Read more
In January, the Arizona Legislature went back to work with roughly $1 billion in extra cash: $900 million in one-time funds, $200 million in the structural budget, and ~$150 million if Arizona complies with the federal tax changes. This was in sharp contrast to the past decade when many Legislative sessions faced multi-million-dollar budget cuts … Read more
The Arizona House has been moving slowly this session. The Republican leadership has been cautious and strategic regarding when the House votes. With the 29D-31R split in the chamber, Speaker Rusty Bowers needs all 31 of his members sitting in their chairs during the final “Third Read” votes on ideological bills such as lowering the … Read more