After budget talks about overhauling school building maintenance flopped, the state Legislature has continued to cut off funding to regular school repairs in violation of the state Constitution and a previous court order. Read more»

I’m a 22-year-old woman who has never touched a gun in her life, but obtaining a concealed weapons permit in Arizona took me little more than a lunch break and $100. Read more» 12

GOP legislators say voter initiatives limit their ability to appropriate funds from a tight budget and call the process an outright threat to a government. Read more»

Thousands of unemployed Arizonans could be stripped of their benefits if three bills approaching passage in the Legislature become law. Critics say GOP legislators are attacking the unemployed with bills that would mandate drug tests, raise the income needed to quality and cover fewer workers. Read more»

Over the past two years, 475 Arizona prisoners collected $1.1 million in unemployment benefits while sitting in their cells. The Department of Economic Security is seeking to recapture the funds. Read more»

Some Arizona legislators want Bibles in the classroom, but state teachers could find themselves punished if they bring other texts into public and charter schools. Read more» 2

The battle to control abortion access rages within the Arizona Legislature and some critics charge that bills under consideration unfairly target rural, poor women and could leave them and their families without crucial health services. Read more»

If Arizona's Legislature approves a bill allowing concealed weapons on campuses, university and community college presidents who want to keep guns out of their classrooms will have to pay a hefty price. And that price tag could reach up to $10 million for Arizona's three public universities. Read more» 5