House, Senate OK Colorado River drought plan, capping years of debate
WASHINGTON - Two weeks after water officials told Congress of the "urgent" need to approve the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan, the House and Senate both passed the plan, moving one step closet to ending years negotiations by seven states in the river basin.
Shift of CBP officers has led to border slowdown that’s hurting trade
WASHNGTON - President Donald Trump may have backed off his threat to close the border, but business leaders form both sides of the border say there is a very real slowdown in crossings that's hurting businesses, after the redeployment of Customs and Border Protection officers.
McSally draws on history, calls on colleges to stop sexual assaults
ANNAPOLIS, Md. _ In a different year, Sen. Martha McSally might not have been on a U.S. Naval Academy stage urging college officials to step up and stop sexual assaults on their campuses. But that was before the Arizona Republican revealed she had been raped by a superior officer in the Air Force.
Buckle up, Arizona: Students promote back seat safety belts
BUCKEYE – Verrado High School students began a campaign to promote seat belt safety amongst their peers. They plan to introduce it as a bill in the next legislative session.
Arizonans join critics of Trump’s call to weaken unaccompanied minors law
WASHINGTON - Critics say a plan to make it easier to return unaccompanied mintors to their home countries is just the Trump administration "targeting chlldren," but the White House says it would merely speed the return of thie children to the countries that want to take care of them.
Ducey supports short shutdown to secure border if Congress won’t act
WASHINGTON - Gov. Doug Ducey said maintaining trade with Mexico is important but gave conditional support to a "short as possible" border shutdown, then shifted blame to Congress which he said has been playing politics with the issue of border security.
Arizona House moves forward on code of conduct before session ends
PHOENIX – The House approved a motion by voice vote to move forward with a code of conduct that Republican leaders promised last year.
Lawmakers, business leaders wary of Trump threat to close Mexico border
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump repeated his threat to deal with a surge of migrants by closing the U.S.- Mexico border, a move that has been called a potential "economic catastrophe" for Arizona, which did $16.7 billion in trade with Mexico in fiscal 2018.
McSally, Biggs question DHS on release of migrants into Arizona communities
PHOENIX – Sen. Martha McSally hosted a closed-door roundtable Monday with Homeland Security officials over the release of apprehended migrants into Arizona communities.
Bill to slice minimum wage for young part-time workers heads to Senate
PHOENIX – House Bill 2523, which would allow employers to pay part-time workers under the age 22 less than the Arizona minimum wage, passed the Arizona Senate Commerce Committee Thursday.
Arizona lawmakers, House split in vote against transgender military ban
WASHINGTON - Two days after courts removed the last hurdle to a Trump administration ban on transgender military service, the House voted 238-185 to condemn the ban - but not block it. Arizona lawmakers, like the rest of the House, split on party lines for the vote.
Training, change in tactics can reduce dangers to police officers handling drugs
PHOENIX – Newer and more powerful drugs like fentanyl and concerns for officer safety have complicated once routine police work, such as field testing suspected drugs. An Arizona toxicologist and some law-enforcement agencies said training makes a difference. Vertical: Government/health
