State Capitol News

Two Republican-controlled legislative panels voted this afternoon to approve a no-growth budget for the state. 

One vote had to do with funding for public schools. Lawmakers voted last year to require that third graders show they can read before they can be promoted. The budget plan from Governor Jan Brewer seeks $50 million to help; the legislative plan does not. Senator Rich Crandall said that's not right.

"When we made AIMS mandatory for graduation, we put some money in," he said. "Now that we've said reading is mandatory for movement, based on the states I've looked at, of all the states that passed a third grade retention requirement, we're the only ones so far that have not put any resources toward that."

Republican lawmakers are unveiling their spending plan this morning. 

Rick Santorum appears to have pulled within striking distance of Mitt Romney here with just a week to go to the state's presidential primary. 

The survey by Public Policy Polling finds Romney the choice a 36 percent of likely Arizona Republican voters questioned, with Santorum just three points behind. That's well within the poll's margin of error.

Dustin Ingalls, the poll's assistant director, said that makes Wednesday's debate all that more important.

"I think Santorum needs to basically convince voters that he can be elected, that he is the sort of satisfying conservative candidate they're looking for who can beat Romney and beat the president." said Ingalls. 

A House panel voted late Thursday to start stripping away personnel protections from some state workers and get others to give them up voluntarily. 

The plan by Gov. Jan Brewer would make all supervisors, attorneys and those in upper level positions exempt from the merit system that now gives them some rights to appeal discipline and firing. Anyone hired after Sept. 29 also would be uncovered. And current workers would be encouraged to give up their rights, with the governor promising a 5 percent raise for those who do. Scott Smith, a deputy chief of staff for the governor, said the change is necessary.

State senators approved a measure Thursday designed to undermine some of the power of public employee unions. 

Current law allows state and local workers as well as public school teachers who are union members to sign up to have their dues deducted automatically from their paychecks. This legislation says deductions can continue -- but only if the union members give their written consent each year. Senate Majority Leader, Republican Andy Biggs said it just makes sense.

"This bill is kind of like renewing a magazine subscription," Biggs said. "What it is is, every year you say, you know, I still want to get that Sunset Magazine. I'll check it off and take care of it."

State senators are moving to ensure that one top official is going to miss Jan Brewer's next State of the State speech. 

Under the Arizona constitution, if the governor dies, the secretary of state becomes the state's chief executive. The line of succession continues on down the line through the attorney general, the treasurer and the state school superintendent. Senator Judy Burges pointed out that all of these people are usually present at not only the annual State of the State speech but also their inaugural and other major events. 

"Stop and think about it for a moment," Burges points out. "All of our government is concentrated within several miles of each other. And so, God forbid, something happened, we could take out all of government."

A Senate panel voted Wednesday to make it illegal for public school teachers to promote partisan viewpoints. 

Senator Lori Klein said she has heard complaints that some teachers are espousing their own political beliefs in the classroom. Her legislation says any instructor that promotes 'partisan doctrine' would automatically lose his or her license to teach. The same would be true of any of what Klein calls uni-partisan exercises or anything that indoctrinates pupils to accept the teacher's viewpoints. Senator David Lujan said he fears a ban on anything considered partisan.

Teachers who use salty language could end up getting suspended or even fired. But  it's not exactly clear what words will get an instructor in trouble.