Colleagues,
Gene Autry (and Aerosmith, for what it’s worth) famously sang, “I’m back in the saddle again.” Today, the Arizona Legislature got back in its saddle as the 53rd Legislature, First Regular Session gaveled in for the first time today at noon.
The day’s activities had that “first day of school” feeling and was largely pomp and circumstance. Members were officially sworn-in, speeches were made, and family and friends were introduced.
At 2:30 pm, Governor Doug Ducey came down from his Executive Tower office to the House floor to give his third State of the State address. Governor Ducey spoke for almost an hour, his longest State of the State to date, and laid out his priorities for the coming legislative session. The focus for the vast majority of his speech was K-12 education where Governor Ducey announced support for increased investment in K-12 education (above mandatory inflationary …show more content…
The Legislature will return full bore on Tuesday, January 17 after observing the Martin Luther King holiday.
At the federal level, Republicans have taken the first steps to repeal of the ACA. The Senate voted last week to start debate on budget reconciliation instructions, which is the tool that allows the Senate to pass certain legislation that cannot be filibustered. The resolution instructs the four congressional healthcare committees to recommend policy changes to achieve at least $1 billion annually in deficit reduction over the next 10 years. The budget reconciliation instructions serve as the technical means by which Congress will repeal the ACA.
In terms of replacing the ACA, House Speaker Paul Ryan said last week that the legislative work to replace the ACA will be completed this year, but exactly when the transition takes place on insurance exchanges is still to be
Gene Autry (and Aerosmith, for what it’s worth) famously sang, “I’m back in the saddle again.” Today, the Arizona Legislature got back in its saddle as the 53rd Legislature, First Regular Session gaveled in for the first time today at noon.
The day’s activities had that “first day of school” feeling and was largely pomp and circumstance. Members were officially sworn-in, speeches were made, and family and friends were introduced.
At 2:30 pm, Governor Doug Ducey came down from his Executive Tower office to the House floor to give his third State of the State address. Governor Ducey spoke for almost an hour, his longest State of the State to date, and laid out his priorities for the coming legislative session. The focus for the vast majority of his speech was K-12 education where Governor Ducey announced support for increased investment in K-12 education (above mandatory inflationary …show more content…
The Legislature will return full bore on Tuesday, January 17 after observing the Martin Luther King holiday.
At the federal level, Republicans have taken the first steps to repeal of the ACA. The Senate voted last week to start debate on budget reconciliation instructions, which is the tool that allows the Senate to pass certain legislation that cannot be filibustered. The resolution instructs the four congressional healthcare committees to recommend policy changes to achieve at least $1 billion annually in deficit reduction over the next 10 years. The budget reconciliation instructions serve as the technical means by which Congress will repeal the ACA.
In terms of replacing the ACA, House Speaker Paul Ryan said last week that the legislative work to replace the ACA will be completed this year, but exactly when the transition takes place on insurance exchanges is still to be