Arizona lawmakers may form a committee to study hemp as a new major crop in the state. Hemp growing long has been illegal under federal law due to its relation to marijuana plants, even though you can’t get high from hemp. As Congress eases up on hemp restrictions, and could…
Arizona lawmakers are again attempting to clamp down on panhandling. The state’s anti-panhandling law passed in 2013 was struck down in the courts, while former Governor Jan Brewer vetoed a toned-down version of the law last year. Republican Senator John Kavanagh, the sponsor of both of the previous anti-panhandling bill,…
The Arizona House of Representatives yesterday passed a proposal to significantly cut the price of some speeding tickets. On a 40-20 vote, the House voted to pass House Bill 2662, which would expand one of Arizona’s lesser known laws — a ban on the “waste of finite resources.” Currently, the…
Despite the rain, demonstrators took to the state capitol today to protest a proposed tax break for certain religious groups. The bill, pushed by the notorious Center for Arizona Policy, was vetoed by Governor Jan Brewer after it was passed by lawmakers last year. The House of Representatives already passed…
Arizona lawmakers are looking to close a loophole that prevents police from pulling over drivers with a busted taillight. This loophole was realized a few years ago, when a Tucson man beat a DUI charge after the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled that the state law is ambiguous when it…
An outright ban on photo-radar cameras in Arizona was shot down this week by lawmakers. Senate Bill 1167, the latest of several attempts by some lawmakers to severely restrict or eliminate the photo-radar systems, failed on a preliminary vote in the Senate, with 13 in favor of the ban, and…
Sarah Palin’s new video ad for the Sportsman Channel’s Amazing America show shows the former vice presidential candidate hitchhiking in the middle of the desert. Except as every Phoenician would know, the right-wing celeb is actually in Central Phoenix, at Papago Park…
Arizona lawmakers may prevent police from forcing someone to unlock their phone with a fingerprint without a warrant. A recent court case in Virginia brought up the possibility that there are situations in which police could force someone to unlock their phone with a fingerprint, like with Apple’s TouchID, but…
The Arizona Senate yesterday passed a bill that would significantly delay the release of the identities of officers involved in deadly shootings. Senate Bill 1445 would keep the officer’s identity under wraps for 90 days following any incident “that involves the use of deadly physical force,” and results in the…
Three foreign nationals arrested in Arizona last week are accused of hiding their past membership in an Iran-trained Iraqi militia. A 10-count federal indictment filed on February 18 states that Hadi Assi Mubarak and his two sons, Haidar Hadi Assi Mubarak and Ali Hadi Mubarak, (a.k.a. Jihad Hadi Mubarak), failed…
Despite Arizona having some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, abortion is still on the minds of lawmakers. The Arizona Senate on Thursday passed a bill, Senate Bill 1318, to prevent health insurance coverage of abortion if the coverage was purchased through the Affordable Care Act. Jodi…
Mark Brnovich wants to put the brakes on driver’s licenses for Arizona’s Dreamers. The newly elected Arizona attorney general launched an appeal today to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, hoping to overturn an order last month that forces compliance with President Obama’s executive action on immigration…
An effort is under way by Arizona lawmakers to ban the state’s implementation of the controversial Common Core curriculum in schools. Arizona’s House Education Committee voted Wednesday to approve such a ban, and, of course, such a ban was the cornerstone of the campaign run by newly elected Superintendent of…
Arizona lawmakers are currently considering a proposal that would significantly lower the price of a speeding ticket for some speeders. The proposal, House Bill 2662, would expand the use of one of Arizona’s odder laws, which is the ban on the “waste of finite resources,” which comes with a ticket…
Some Arizona lawmakers want to take a statewide inventory of untested sexual-assault kits collected by law enforcement agencies. In late 2012, an investigation by ABC 15 found that there were at least 3,000 such untested kits just in the Phoenix area, half of which were from the Phoenix Police Department…
A new tax break for some religious groups was passed yesterday by the Arizona House of Representatives. The bill, which is being pushed by the notorious Center for Arizona Policy, was vetoed by Governor Jan Brewer after it was passed by lawmakers last year…
A group of Republican Arizona lawmakers are proposing a law that would force police agencies to significantly delay the release the identity of officers involved in deadly shootings. Senate Bill 1445 would keep the officer’s identity under wraps for 90 days following any incident “that involves the use of deadly…
Arizona is one step closer to officially declaring nuclear power a renewable-energy source. (Yes, you read that correctly.) The Senate Committee on Water and Energy narrowly passed SB 1134, a bill that classifies “nuclear energy from sources fueled by uranium fuel rods that include 80 percent or more of recycled…
An Arizona lawmaker is again proposing a registry of convicted animal abusers. The bill proposed by Democratic Senator Steve Farley would lead to the creation of a website that would operate similarly to the state’s sex-offender registry, allowing the public to search for convicted animal abusers by name or location…
In the future, your Arizona driver’s license could be kept in an app on your smartphone. A bill proposed by Republican Senator Jeff Dial would allow the testing and implementation of an electronic driver’s license system, which is under development already in Iowa. “I think government shouldn’t be in the…
A few Republican lawmakers are trying to sneak past the Voter Protection Act with a draconian DUI bill that targets the state’s medical-marijuana users. State Representative Sonny Borrelli, R-Kingman, is the prime sponsor of HB 2273, a bill that could result in DUI convictions for medical-cannabis users who aren’t impaired…
Democrats in the Arizona House and Senate have unveiled a package of bills aimed at regulating so-called “dark money.” Arizona’s been a hot-spot for the “dark money” issue, which involves organizations being able to dump millions of dollars into elections without having to reveal their donors — so much so…
