THE GOP VS. THE PEOPLE OF ARIZONA

I was worried that Ducey, the new governor, would try to pull a Brownback  but I should have worried more about the GOP yahoos in the legislature.

Arizona lawmakers approve $9.1B budget
By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

At the university level, the governor had asked to cut state aid by just $75 million. But the final package boosts that to $99 million. The decision to take more from the universities than Ducey wanted was driven by Senate President Andy Biggs rejecting the governor’s call to nearly double the current $8 a year Arizonans pay to register their vehicles. That charge, above the license tax based on a vehicle’s value, would have raised $30 million.

Conversely, Ducey wanted to cut state aid to Pima and Maricopa community colleges by half. The final budget cuts it all.

And lawmakers put a one-year lifetime benefit on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. That program aids parents or caregivers with children, with benefits for a family of three of $277 a month. That issue produced one of the more emotional discussions. Rep. Rebecca Rios, D-Phoenix, said 38 states have five-year limits, with Arizona one of only four states with a two-year cap. Now, she said, Arizona will be alone with that one-year limit.