An Arizona Capitol Times reporter provides a mid-week update on news from the Arizona State Legislature.
Ted Simons: Good evening and welcome to "Arizona Horizon." I'm Ted Simons. The governor vetoes a bill that allows guns and public buildings and tells lawmakers not to send any more bills until they pass a budget. Here with more on our update is Luige del Puerto of the Arizona Capitol Times. Good to see you. Let's start with their idea that the governor is not going to sign any more bills until the budget bill shows up. What's going on here?
Luige del Puerto: on the 100th day in session, which is self imposed deadline for the legislature, to wrap up things, they had not done it this, this, in this session, the governor said, told, told the House Speaker that unless they get a budget out, she's not going to sign any more bills and the Senate, which aptly scheduled to vote on a couple of bills and ones they are voted on they would be sent to the governor. They decided we're not going to risk that and canceled voting.
Ted Simons: I thought I saw a vote saying we're going to continue to pass bills. And they are saying, we'll hold off?
Luige del Puerto: The leadership saying that they are going to heed the governor's request, of course, they are also trying to downplay the governor's demand to send her bills. I don't know how you downplay something as emphatic if you sent me bill, I will veto it, and until, until we get a budget?
Ted Simons: That's plain language there. And the bills already are on her desk, and she will consider those?
Luige del Puerto: She will consider those. She signed a few more bills this afternoon. But, any additional bills and I guess the moratorium, if you want to call it, will be in place for the next couple of days or so.
Ted Simons: Does this indicate and I think that I know the answer here, is that talks have hit a snag? They are not going as smoothly as we had thought?
Luige del Puerto: the assurances from leadership since they started negotiating, had been that the talks were going very well and etc., but this, clearly, shows or indicates a frustration, at least on the part of the governor, the pace of things, how the budget talks are progressing.
Ted Simons: And that being said, how many folks at the legislature really know what is going on with the budget?
Luige del Puerto: the complaint that I've been hearing from the Republicans is that they really don't know a lot. They have had, I think, two budget briefings. But, they have only been given an overview of where the budget talks are and outstanding differences between the governor and the, the legislature. But, really, the people who know what is going on, what's in the budget, and where it is, are members of the leadership.
Ted Simons: So basically, if Republicans don't know what's going on, Democrats are back in the dark ages? Are they showing up?
Luige del Puerto: Showing up to, to the session. They are some bills they are working on, and but, you are right, they are completely in the dark. Republicans are not getting details of the budget, so they are getting details.
Ted Simons: The governor did veto the guns in public buildings bill.
Luige del Puerto: This is the second time the governor vetoed that, allowing weapons in public, meaning city councils or county building. The governor, essentially said -- well, let me backtrack, I think the second veto really shows the governor does not only have problems with the legislation or the language, but really uncomfortable, with the idea of allowing guns in public places. She said that, that there is legitimacy, and she called it Justice Scalia, and she said there is a place for -- there is a legitimacy for not allowing guns in public places, where, you know, policies are made and the emotions can run high.
Ted Simons: And we're talking city halls, and courts, and swimming pools and libraries and these things. You mentioned the last veto. She referred to the wording of that bill, not being up to snuff. And I know that, that some lawmakers thought the wording of this attempt was better. Apparently not?
Luige del Puerto: They tried to address the governor's veto last year. And I go back to what I said earlier. The governor is uncomfortable just with the idea of allowing guns in public places. There's been concerted effort by the groups and law enforcement, and Mary Rose Wilcox, who survived a shooting incident in the 1997, basically, they said that this is not good for the state and it's just common sense we don't allow guns in public buildings.
Ted Simons: You mentioned that it's getting -- the session is getting long. They have gone past 100 days and tempers are frayed. I saw a bit about that on topic as incident as tax credits for filming.
Luige del Puerto: Yeah. This idea of getting a tax credit for the film industry has been around for many years. They let the tax credit expire in 2010 and she they have been trying to revive t this is the third year that they tried to do it so they did a strike on the bill, and yesterday during caucus, they have an informal rule that says, if a member of the Republican majority objects to bill, that bill may be held in caucus and unless the supporter of the bill show enough support, which is more than half of the caucus support it. So, Ron Gould objected and John Nelsen said, you know, here's my laundry list. Ron Gould wanted a copy of that list because to his mind some may be sign it go and not voting for it when the time comes when they vote on the bill. But they would not pass down the list, so he got up and went over to Nelson's side, which is where the majority sits and, and got the, the laundry list. And Nelsen, he looked visibly upset and for a few seconds, Gould was holding the laundry list over his head and Nelsen wanted it back, and Gould surrendered it, and they left it at that.
Ted Simons: This sounds like junior high school down there.
Luige del Puerto: This time of the year, when you have lawmakers there, sitting three or four hours, each day, and they are not doing much, you could see tensions like that.
Ted Simons: So basically, it can get testier still because no one knows if it will get pass, nothing is going to get signed, so we could have hijinks on the playground?
Luige del Puerto: That is very likely.
Ted Simons: All right. Good to have you here and thanks for joining us.
Luige del Puerto: Thank you.
Luige del Puerto:Reporter at Arizona Capitol Times
