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Republicans back taking away financial penalties for parents who sue teachers and lose
Parents who decide to sue teachers for lessons they perceive as violating their parental rights wouldn’t have to pay up if their lawsuit fails under a Republican-backed proposal that passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Senate Bill 1005 prohibits a judge from requiring parents to pay any attorneys fees or damages after losing a […]
GOP bill restricting pronouns advances, despite resistance from LGBTQ advocates
After listening to nearly an hour of testimony from transgender constituents and advocates imploring them to reject a proposal that would restrict preferred pronoun use in schools, Republicans on the Senate Education panel voted to pass the bill on Wednesday. The measure, Senate Bill 1001, would bar teachers from using the pronouns or names that […]
Republicans are already talking about a government shutdown in July
The Arizona Legislature has been in session for barely a week, and already Republican lawmakers are saying bipartisanship appears firmly out of reach and the state is headed for a government shutdown this summer. “What we need to really look at — in my opinion and based on this discussion — is how do we […]
Dreamer scholarship would benefit thousands of undocumented students
More than 3,000 undocumented students in Arizona could see their dreams of a college degree come true under a new scholarship proposed by Gov. Katie Hobbs. Dubbed the Promise for Dreamers Scholarship Program, the $40 million dollar investment is aimed at supporting undocumented students who’ve attended a high school in the state for at least […]
GOP leaders say they won’t be ‘rushed’ to stop the looming massive school budget cuts
An impending school funding ceiling is one of the first hurdles on the legislative agenda, and while schools are facing nearly $1.4 billion in budget cuts if it isn’t lifted, Republican legislative leaders say they will take action — just not immediately. At issue is a spending cap in the Arizona Constitution called the aggregate […]
GOP lawmakers move to criminalize drag shows that aren’t adults-only
Arizona Republican legislators have turned their ire on drag performances in the ongoing culture wars against the LGBTQ community, proposing several new laws that would severely limit where and how often they can take place. As of Tuesday afternoon, three bills had been filed that would move drag performances into the realm of adult shows […]
Arizona Democrats look forward to the new session, unveil agenda priorities
Arizona Democrats have big plans for the new legislative session — and with a Democratic governor to back them, those plans have a better chance of being implemented than they have in recent memory. “In past sessions, this press conference served as a counterweight to a Republican governor’s state of the state speech delivered to […]
High school students protest anti-LGBTQ sentiment in GOP-led legislature
Across the street from the state Capitol, while lawmakers gathered in advance of the new legislative session, Arizona high school students laid out 180 black body bags in protest. “We are trying to let our legislators know that every single step they take, bill they vote on, there is a life on the line,” said […]
Katie Hobbs pledges unity, Dems call for bipartisan collaboration as they assume power
On a chilly, cloud-covered Thursday morning at the Arizona Capitol, hundreds of wellwishers and spectators gathered to watch the ceremonial swearing in of the state’s newly elected top officials, including Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. The theme of the morning, at least for several of the speakers and incoming Democratic officials, was a commitment to leaving […]
Hobbs nixes abortion special session plan after court blocks Civil War abortion ban
Gov. Katie Hobbs won’t fulfill her campaign promise to call a special session on her first day in office to repeal the state’s Civil War-era abortion near total ban, saying that a recent court ruling made that effort moot. Last week, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled that the new 15-week law signed by former […]
Abe Hamadeh wants another shot at overturning the election because of Pinal County’s recount discrepancy
Abe Hamadeh wants another shot at overturning his loss, saying that issues revealed by the recount in one county put the whole election in question. Late Tuesday, Hamadeh filed a motion for a new trial in Mohave County Superior Court, arguing that the recount discrepancy in Pinal County is sufficient grounds for a renewed investigation […]
Hamadeh, other plaintiffs, deserve fines for bringing evidence-free election challenge, AG’s lawyer says
Everyone involved in Abraham Hamadeh’s lawsuit seeking to overturn the results of a race he lost should face sanctions and more than $10,000 in fines, the lawyer for Attorney General Kris Mayes told a judge. The trial, wrote attorney Dan Barr, who represented Mayes and her campaign in the court proceedings, was a waste of […]