Here’s what we’re hearing from the Capitol:
Republican leadership would like to get the slash-and-burn budget through as quickly as possible and had hoped to the get the bills that passed both Senate and House appropriations committees yesterday through the chambers today.
But they’ve hit some snags in the Senate, which has already abandoned plans to vote on the package today. The House, meanwhile, is scheduled to start debating the bills at 3:30 today, but that plan could change if the votes don’t materialize.
One major holdup revolves around putting the financial responsibility for incarcerating juvenile-justice inmates on the counties. That’s running into big resistance, especially from the rural counties.
More to come.
This article appears in Mar 11-17, 2010.
I congratulate the Arizona legislators for striking the perfect balance between personal freedoms and the interests of the state. Last week the Senate wisely defeated the anti-texting bill. What interest can the oppressive “Nanny State” possibly have in limiting my right to send a text message while driving?
Yet, the legislature also recognizes that personal freedoms, if not properly limited, can become a threat to the state. By restricting a woman’s constitutional right to make a decision about her own body and terminate a pregnancy, they have preserved the government’s essential power to force a woman to bring unwanted children into the world. The principles here are clear: as mud!
They’re protecting your right to incandescent light bulbs but making it harder to get a divorce! Freedeom is on the march indeed!