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Community groups tell Fann to stop Senate election audit, focus on struggling Arizonans
Two community groups and Democratic lawmakers asked Senate President Karen Fann to stop the controversial election audit and focus instead on hearing from families struggling to recover economically from the pandemic as lawmakers hammer out a budget. At a Thursday press conference, Rep. Raquel Terán, D-Phoenix, said the audit, which she and other speakers called […]
Tom Horne running for GOP nomination for state schools chief on an anti-bilingual education platform
Tom Horne, who held the position of superintendent of public instruction for eight years, announced Thursday he’s running for the office again, on a platform against bilingual education and critical race theory. “Since I left office, much of my work has been undone,” said Horne, who was accompanied by Rep. David Cook, R-Globe, and Rep. […]
New law could keep police officers off Arizona’s ‘Brady list’
Police officers accused of misconduct will have a chance to appeal before they’re put on a “bad cops” list, under a new state law signed by Gov. Doug Ducey. The bill signed by Ducey requires that a prosecuting agency send a notice to any law enforcement officer at least 10 days before they consider placing […]
Biden’s ‘30 by 30’ conservation plan urges collaboration with private landowners
The Biden administration plans to broadly define conservation and encourage private landowners to adopt sustainable practices to meet a goal of protecting 30 percent of the land and water in the U.S. by 2030, according to a multi-agency report published Thursday. The recommendations are short of the most aggressive federal directives congressional Republicans feared would be […]
Ducey signs bill requiring conviction before assets are seized
Prosecutors and law enforcement agencies will no longer be permitted to permanently seize people’s property for alleged criminal wrongdoing without actually convicting them of a crime after Gov. Doug Ducey signed a landmark bill reforming Arizona’s civil asset forfeiture laws. By signing House Bill 2810 on Wednesday, Ducey helped property rights advocates achieve a long-term […]
Ducey ends local mask mandates, business restrictions
Gov. Doug Ducey on Thursday barred Arizona cities and counties from mandating masks in public places and businesses and rolled back statewide requirements that businesses require customers to wear masks and maintain physical distance from each other. Ducey’s latest COVID-19 executive order comes as cases in Arizona continue to decline and vaccinations continue to rise. […]
Drivers who bypass vehicles’ automatic safety features targeted in new bill
Drivers who use a “defeat device” to bypass a vehicle’s safety features on cars with automatic driving mechanisms, often referred to as “autopilot modes,” could face fines if a bill that has been revived from the last legislative session becomes law. Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, has proposed legislation that would allow police to ticket […]
DES overcharges parents paying child support, leaving them with little unemployment aid
Parents in Arizona who pay child support have received hardly any of the meaningful state and federal unemployment aid that they are entitled to because the Arizona Department of Economic Security overcharged them for their child support obligation, according to the state agency. While DES already deducts child support obligations from unemployment payments, an agency […]
AZ businesses have gotten $489M in CARES Act money so far. Here’s where it’s going.
Businesses headquartered in Arizona have received roughly $489 million from the CARES Act, a $2 billion COVID-19 aid package approved by Congress last month. The money has come from several different aid programs for health care providers, small businesses and educational institutions, according to data compiled by independent researchers. The data gives insights into which […]
Arizona lawmakers are failing Native American students
State legislators are letting down Native American students in Arizona. In my four years as director of Indian education at the Arizona Department of Education, I requested state funds for the Office of Indian Education every year. The goal was simple: Improve the access and quality of education for every Native American student, teacher, aide […]