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Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills.

The Arizona State Legislature’s most prolific bill sponsor, Republican Sen. John Kavanagh, of Fountain Hills, proposed 86 pieces of legislation this year - but with Democrat Katie Hobbs in the governor’s seat, he’s having a lot less luck getting those bills signed than in the past. Read more»

Arizona must have a budget passed before July 1 or else the government will shut down.

As the Arizona legislature reached its 100-day mark on Tuesday, lawmakers have yet to reach a budget deal and it has proven to be one of the most trying legislative sessions for Capitol veterans and newcomers alike. Read more»

The bills likely violate multiple amendments in the Bill of Rights as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to the House rules attorney.

An Arizona House rules attorney flagged two bills aimed at quashing diversity efforts and regulating gender expression in public institutions as potential constitutional violations, but the House committee on rules recommended passage in a Republican-led vote on party lines. Read more»

The measure’s author, Sen. John Kavanagh, has repeatedly denied accusations that the bill unfairly targets trans students, framing it instead as a protection of modesty.

Republican lawmakers are charging ahead with their attacks on transgender Arizonans, despite veto promises from Gov. Katie Hobbs, unanimously backing a measure on Tuesday that calls for separate school facilities for trans students. Read more»

Right-wing protesters gather outside the Maricopa County Elections Department on Nov. 4, 2020, demanding that all ballots for Donald Trump be counted. Inside the building, election workers were busy counting hundreds of thousands of ballots.

Following in the footsteps of six conservative-led states, Senate Republicans want to pull Arizona’s membership from a multistate coalition that aids in cleaning voter rolls, following false claims that the coalition is part of a liberal conspiracy to rig elections. Read more»

One of the bills, SB1030, initially sought to require a county board of supervisors to regulate businesses that host drag shows by adding them to the list of regulated adult-oriented businesses.

Arizona Senate Republicans voted Wednesday to support two bills aimed at regulating drag shows and related performances, despite concerns that the bills are intended only to regulate and ostracize LGBTQ people and content. Read more»

Willy died after sustaining serious injuries during a grooming. His owner, John Smith, learned there are no regulations on pet groomers and very few ways to hold them accountable.

In Arizona, and in the rest of the country, there are no no licensing requirements on who can become a pet groomer and no regulatory boards that oversee pet grooming businesses - now, owners are fighting are fighting to ensure their pet's health and safety. Read more»

A drag artist performs on the stage at Phoenix Pride Festival 2011. Photo by

Legislation that passed the Arizona Senate prohibits any entity that receives state funding from hosting a “drag show targeting minors” or risk forfeiting that money for three years, and bans school districts, cities and towns from using private money to pay for such a show. Read more»

Before the governor announced her spending priorities for the year, Republican lawmakers said they would only negotiate with her on state spending after their continuation budget was signed into law.

Arizona Republicans want to change the state’s constitution to end the possibility of a government shutdown, a move that critics say would take away any consequences from GOP lawmakers for failing to work with a Democratic governor. Read more»

Marchers walk by the historic state Capitol building in Phoenix on Jan. 22, 2023, during a protest of recent bill proposals that criminalize drag shows.

Arizona Republican lawmakers unanimously backed a measure that critics warn would harm trans students, ignoring pleas from parents and students to reject it, and in spite of its unconstitutionality and guaranteed veto. Read more»

A similar anti-trans bill, also sponsored by Kavanagh, barring preferred pronoun use in schools was dismissed by Hobbs’ chief of staff as dead on arrival.

Just three states bar transgender students from using bathrooms that best fit their gender identity, and Republican lawmakers want to make Arizona the fourth - though a similar bill barring preferred pronoun use in schools was dismissed by Hobbs’ chief of staff as dead on arrival. Read more»

Two women show their support for abortion access and the LGBTQ community during a protest of anti-drag legislation at the state Capitol in Phoenix on Jan. 22, 2023.

Arizona Republican lawmakers approved a measure that critics worry could heighten discrimination against trans students, based on the argument that keeping trans students separated from their peers preserves modesty and keeps women safe. Read more»

Many of the proposed bills the committee has forwarded so far this year aim to fix alleged election issues, including unproven claims of election tampering or fraud.

Every Arizona voter would be purged from the rolls once a decade and have to re-register under a proposal Republicans in the state Senate advanced this week - though critics say it is a blatant violation of federal law. Read more»

A member of the Senate’s election 'audit' team demonstrates how auditors will manually tally each of the 2.1 million ballots cast in the presidential election in Maricopa County in 2020.

Republicans, still stung by Arizonans rejection of the party’s top nominees in the 2022 midterm elections, are calling for a hand-count audit of the election — but only in Maricopa County. Read more»

Rio Verde Foothills has gone more than 30 days without reliable source of water after the city of Scottsdale cut the community off its supply.

Politicians and other state officials say they’re working diligently toward both short- and long-term solutions for the Rio Verde Foothills, which entered its second month without a reliable water source on Wednesday. But the community can’t wait forever. Read more»

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