By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings

This has been a tough post to write.  Not because there is nothing to say, but because there is so much to say, it's been difficult to keep it down to a readable length.  However, since there have been more than 5000 gun deaths since the mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, and nothing has been done...

In the wake of December's mass shooting in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, there were a number of ideas floated t...

By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings

In normal years, the three categories above are enough to cover the activities of the lege.  There hasn't been "good" coming out of West Washington for years, so everything that could be labeled as "Well, it coulda been worse" (surprise vetos, watered-down bad ideas, bad bills that actually failed, etc.) were lumped into the "good" category.

This year, some actual "good" happened at the Capitol.

Which is good, of course, but it creates a d...

By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings

This week at the legislature started quietly - everybody knew stuff was happening, but it was all out of public view.  No one knew when the stalemate over the state's budget was going to break, just that it was going to happen soon.

Turns out "soon" meant "Tuesday".

Some of Tuesday's events - 

...The Republicans scheduled a House Appropriations Committee meeting for early Thursday (8 a.m., HHR1) to consider the House's version of a budg...

By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings

After much posturing on the part of most of the Republicans in the AZ House of Representatives (which is a continuous activity there), the state budget/Medicaid restoration package of bills passed by the Senate three weeks ago is finally moving.

Well, one of the bills, anyway...

An agenda has been posted for a meeting of the House Appropriations Committee for Monday morning at 10 a.m. in HHR1.

The agenda has two bills, and only one of them is ...

By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings

The end of the legislative session is apparently nearing, though you still need to squint to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

From the Arizona Republic, written by Mary Jo Pitzl and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez -

House Speaker Andy Tobin ended a nearly three-week lull at the Capitol today by announcing work will begin on the state budget, including the controversial Medicaid expansion plan supported by Gov. Jan Brewer.

But plans to start...

By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings

Nothing new, just a compilation of stories that have hit the news over the last couple of days...

...It's early, but Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne has already given up on the idea of running on his record.  Being the subject of a multistate investigation for campaign finance violations and committing an FBI-witnessed hit-and-run accident while leaving his girl friend's home during the work day will do that.

From the Arizona Republic, ...

By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings

According to Hank Stephenson of the Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required), House Speaker Andy Tobin has announced that he will be assigning the budget bills, including Medicaid restoration, to committee.  According to other reports (OK, tweets from other MSM types at the Capitol), the bills will be assigned to House Appropriations, which is chaired by Rep. John Kavanagh (R-hates Medicaid). 

More updates as further news breaks.....

By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings

New high temp records in Phoenix may be matched by new thumb twiddling records at the Capitol this week...

...Still hung up on the state's budget and Medicaid restoration... 

New high temp records in Phoenix may be matched by new thumb twiddling records at the Capitol this week...

Another week where all hell could break loose at a moment's notice (or with no notice), or where the entire week could be summed up thusly -