Howard Fischer

Until 2006 Arizona had no minimum wage of its own, with employers required to pay only what the federal government mandated. The measure approved that year by voters not only created a state minimum wage but required annual increases tied to inflation. The result is that Arizonans now have to be paid $7.65 an hour, 40 cents more the federal minimum. House Majority Leader Steve Court said the current economic situation makes annual adjustments a bad idea. But Rep. Ruben Gallego said the soft economy is precisely why the law is necessary.

Students at the state's three universities are no longer in danger of having to pay $2,000 a year out of their own pocket. 

Rep. John Kavanagh said while tuition is approaching $10,000 a year, the record shows about half of all students pay absolutely nothing at all toward that bill. He said they get a mix of state aid and federal grants. Kavanagh said that lack of what he calls skin in the game makes students less serious about their studies. So he proposed that minimum $2,000 investment, whether personal funds or borrowed. But Kavanagh said today he is giving up.

The state House voted Thursday to let ANY employer refuse to provide contraceptive coverage based on its religious beliefs.

State laws says companies that provides prescription coverage for workers must pay for contraceptives.  There is an exception for religious employers. But that is limited to churches and certain nonprofit service affiliates. This legislation would expand that exception to any company that claimed a religious reason for refusing to fund birth control. Rep. John Kavanagh said that ban would include the "morning-after'' pill. 

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio claimed this afternoon that President Obama's birth certificate is a fraud.

Gov. Jan Brewer signed legislation Wednesday to allow individuals to divert more money they would otherwise owe the state to instead help children attend private and parochial schools.

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the state from enforcing provisions of its controversial 2010 immigration law aimed at day laborers. 

The Senate voted Tuesday to provide new religious freedom protections for those licensed by the state.  

The proposal says the state cannot revoke licenses of those who refuse to act based on a -- quote -- sincerely held religious belief. Senator Steve Yarbrough said anyone who doubts that freedom of religion is under attack need only look at the headlines.

It looks as though members of a U-S Senate committee WILL get to hear from someone from Arizona about SB 1070. But it won't be the person they wanted.

 State senators voted Monday for legislation Monday that could effectively undermine any effort by voters to hike their own sales taxes for education. 

The presidential primary is not until Tuesday. But a new survey suggests the results may already be in.

A survey of 515 likely Republican voters on Sunday by Public Policy Polling found Mitt Romney with a 43-26 percent lead over Rick Santorum, with Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul even farther behind. Potentially more significant, almost half of those questioned had already cast early ballots, with Romney having a nearly 2-1 advantage over Santorum among that group. And Romney leads even among those who are waiting until the last minute.