New Year . . . An Old Problem . . .As a fresh, hopeful new year is upon us, and so is the start of the First Regular Session of the 50th State Legislature. While economists report that the economy continues a slow, yet steady, upward climb, Arizona’s state budget is still reeling from the recession’s impact. When the legislature convenes on January 10, lawmakers must grapple with an $825 million shortfall in the current fiscal year and a $1.4 billion deficit for the upcoming fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2011. Although specific budget plans have not been released, more details should be forthcoming after the Governor's State of the State event.
Pomp And Circumstance
Inauguration of the Governor and other statewide elected officials will take place on January 3, 2011 at 12:00 noon. One week later – Monday, January 10 – Governor Brewer will deliver her State of the State address before legislative members on the floor of the House of Representatives. Soon after, the hard work begins.
I’m Just A Bill . . .
Although the start of the legislative session is not until January 10, members have been prefiling bills for several weeks. As of Thursday, 37 items of legislation have been placed into the "hopper" (the unofficial name of the basket in which new bills are placed). While most of the legislative proposals appear to be placeholders for potential “strike-everything” amendments, several do recommend policy changes. Click here to see a list of new bills.
Do You Twitter?
P.L.A.N. members can now follow us on Twitter. During session, we will tweet breaking news and updates for our followers. Click here to sign up.
Source: P.L.A.N.
