The Pew Charitable Trusts - State and Consumer Initiatives from Arizona

Governors Might Play Leading Role on Border Security

Border security is a big part of the immigration overhaul. But who will define it?

Attorneys General Prepare to Defend Controversial Laws

State attorneys general are about to head to court to defend controversial state laws. Are they required to defend laws that might not survive legal scrutiny?

Arizona Pension Challenges

Pension problems, such as those in Arizona, are rooted in simple math, rather than in political ideology. Real pension reform is not easy.

States That Skip Medicaid Expansion May Favor New Immigrants Over U.S. Citizens

The law of unintended consequences will strike states that decline to expand Medicaid.

Arizona’s Border Fence Still Faces Obstacles

After nearly two years of preparation and with more than a quarter million dollars of private donations in hand, Arizona officials still have not unveiled a plan to build a border fence. But a state lawmaker who is leading the effort said that will soon change.

Higher Ed Cuts Mean Major Tuition Hikes

Tuition at public colleges in Arizona and California has spiked more than 70 percent over the past five years, the result of massive cuts to state higher education funding in those states and most others.

Supreme Court Probes Arizona Voter Registration Law

The Supreme Court justices dissected Arizona’s challenge to a federal voter registration law during arguments Monday, even as they seemed to avoid the broader issues of states’ rights versus federal authority underlying the case.

Voter Registration in Supreme Court Spotlight

It’s gotten less attention than the challenge to the Voting Rights Act, but an Arizona challenge to the National Voter Registration Act could upset elections administration around the country.

30 Cities: An Introductory Snapshot

Pew recently updated its 30-city snapshot interactive, with new data on population, home values, income and unemployment. Pew's American Cities Project focuses on the biggest city in the nation's 30 largest metro areas.

Cost of Provisional Ballots, Maricopa County, AZ

This past November, Maricopa County, Arizona, issued the most provisional ballots in its history. In an in-depth report, the county elections department provides detailed information including not just why these ballots were issued and rejected, but also estimates of how much they cost.

States in Recovery: Housing

The housing crisis that threw states into economic free fall is helping them climb back out.

Pay Boost on the Horizon for Some State Workers

Far fewer people are working for state governments than before the recession began, but those who remain may get modest salary increases this year.

Governors Ask Lawmakers to Prevent Future Shootings

The recent mass shootings in Colorado and Connecticut reshaped governors’ legislative agendas this year, and many used their once-a-year legislative addresses to ask lawmakers to take up gun control, mental health treatment and school safety.

Ohio Governor Backs Medicaid Expansion

Governor John Kasich will press lawmakers to expand Ohio’s Medicaid system, becoming the fifth Republican governor to endorse that key component of President Obama’s controversial health law.

Issue To Watch: Gun Regulation

Gun legislation moved to the top of the list for many state lawmakers after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut in December.

Issue To Watch: Immigration

Long-bottled-up bills that address state policies on whether to offer in-state tuition to undocumented students could become law this year, because of changes in party control of legislative chambers and changes in federal policy.

Brewer Endorses Medicaid Expansion Under Health Overhaul

Governor Jan Brewer will push to expand Arizona’s Medicaid program after all, she has announced, surprising many who have watched her crusade against that and other key components of President Obama’s health care overhaul.

Arizona State of the State Address 2013

PHOENIX, Arizona --Following is the prepared text of Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's (R) 2013 State of the State Address

Public Safety in Arizona

Public safety in Arizona.

Falling Short on Dental Sealants: Arizona

How well is Arizona protecting kids from tooth decay?

Notable County: Maricopa County, Arizona—Part II

In our previous dispatch, we looked at provisional ballots in Maricopa County, Arizona. Today, we examine new data the county shared at Pew’s recent Voting in America conference, showing the impact that online voter registration continues to have in the state’s most populous county.

Notable County: Maricopa County, Arizona–Part I

We return yet again to Maricopa County, Arizona and the plentiful data its county recorder’s office makes publicly available on a regular basis.

States Begin Giving Driver’s Licenses to Young Immigrants

The federal government thrust states back into dealing with the contentious issue of driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants, after years when the practice had become rare and the issue dropped off most legislative agendas.

Best of #StateReads: United States of Subsidies

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Oklahoma Among States Limiting Property Taxes

Lowering property taxes is always popular, and results from the November 6 elections show this year was no exemption

The Impact of the Fiscal Cliff: Arizona

Federal and state finances are closely intertwined, and the fiscal cliff’s tax and spending provisions will have consequences for states.

Next Elections: Races for Legislative Leadership

For aspiring legislative leaders, the elections aren’t over yet. Even as the final counts from last week’s votes are still being tallied, lawmakers who hope to be house speakers or senate presidents are courting their colleagues.

Poll Worker Pay

New research from the Pew Center on the States examines poll worker stipends from the country’s most populous election jurisdictions—Pew researchers looked at these counties’ election websites and contacted their elections offices—and found significant variation.

U.S. Supreme Court To Hear Arizona Voter Registration Case

The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether states may require a would-be voter to first prove their citizenship — a case likely to answer larger questions about the sometimes conflicting roles of state and federal governments in regulating elections.

Arizona Ballot Measure Challenges the Federal Government Over Public Lands

Most western states remain uncomfortable with federal stewardship of their land. A group of activists wants to rewrite the Arizona constitution to change the rules.

Supreme Court Considers Competency in Death Penalty Cases

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday heard arguments from Ohio and Arizona that federal judges should not be allowed to indefinitely stay a death sentence even if there are questions about an inmate’s mental competency.

Still Risky: Checking Accounts in Arizona

Checking accounts, the most widely used financial product in America, contain hidden risks that can harm consumers. Four of the 12 largest banks nationwide offer checking accounts in Arizona and hold 70 percent of all deposits in the state. Here’s what consumers in Arizona may be paying.

States Defend Anti-Terrorism Centers After Harsh Senate Report

Law enforcement agencies and state officials defended regional information-sharing offices known as “fusion centers” as a key part of the nation’s homeland security network. A Senate report questioned the value of the fusion centers, which they found had “not produced useful intelligence.”

States Still Resisting National Sex Offender Law

A 2006 federal law calls on states to create a national sex offender registry. But most have not complied, and some have stopped trying.

Arizona Conservatives Face Triple Threat

Two ballot initiatives and new district maps for legislative elections will together test conservative Republicans’ hold on the Arizona state legislature in November.

Judge Backs Heart of Arizona Immigration Law

The heart of Arizona’s law cracking down on undocumented immigrants is poised to take effect following a federal judge’s ruling. But the split decision blocked criminalizing knowingly transporting or harboring undocumented immigrants.

Online Voter Registration

In August, New York became the 11^th state to roll out online voter registration, and the state’s citizens seem to be taking advantage. As of the 17^th of the month, approximately 1,000 applications had been submitted, and the early interest led to some brief capacity issues for the new website.

Best of #StateReads: Ex-Parks Official Had Criminal Past

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Christie Headlines Romney Event With GOP Governors

Ten Republican governors joined Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, for a rally and fundraiser in Colorado Thursday (August 3), but most of the attention seemed focused on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Romney gave Christie, who is often mentioned as a potential vice presidential pick

Federal Court Blocks Arizona Anti-Abortion Law

A federal appeals court on Wednesday blocked the state from enforcing a new Arizona law, which prohibits most abortions from taking place after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Alabama Police Start Slowly in Enforcing Immigration Law

CLANTON, Alabama — Alabama is off to a slow start in rolling out its law requiring police to check the immigration status of suspects. But it is ahead of the other states, including Arizona, that approved similar measures.

Do Gay Rights Affect Tourism?

Arizona’s push for U.S. Supreme Court approval of a plan to rescind same-sex benefits for state employees has some worried that tourism will take a hit.

New Anti-Abortion Strategy Pays Off

The past few months have seen a flurry of new state laws restricting abortion, most of them based on the concept of “fetal pain.”

Key Parts of Arizona Immigration Law Struck Down

A majority of Supreme Court Justices ruled that three sections of the Arizona law were in conflict with federal authority.

Widening Gap Update: Arizona

Although Arizona consistently paid, or exceeded, its full annual pension contribution from 2005 to 2010, the system was 75 percent funded in fiscal year 2010 and faced a $12 billion funding gap.

Squeezing Local Governments

Cities, counties and school districts are facing a one-two punch: simultaneous drops in property tax revenue and state aid. The blows come even as demand for services is growing. This fiscal squeeze—not seen since 1980—has resulted in painful choices for local governments large and small.

States May Boost Salaries, With a Catch

Long-awaited salary increases or bonuses will be tied to “ifs” and “buts” for state employees in Arizona and possibly Virginia.

Seeking Economic Boost, Arizona Cuts Capital Gains Taxes

Arizona lawmakers approved a major cut in income taxes on capital gains last week, a move that’s just the latest chapter in the debate over whether income from salaries and income from investments should be treated the same for tax purposes.

Notable Counties—Yes, Maricopa County is Back Again

Once again the elections office in Maricopa County, Arizona has provided detailed data about its elections process, this time for the February 28 presidential primary.

Alabama Immigration Debate Heats Up

While justices of the U.S. Supreme Court deliberate over the fate of Arizona’s anti-immigration law, Alabama lawmakers are deciding whether to tweak a similar they passed last year that is considered even harsher.