Arizona lawmakers began debate this week on a budget totaling more than $11 billion. On a day when negotiations were front and center, Arizona 360 traveled to the Capitol to hear from legislators on both sides about whether their priorities advanced for fell by the wayside.
Capitol Media Services reporter Howard Fischer described what makes this legislative session stand out compared to previous years. Fischer has covered the Arizona Capitol for 30 years.
"You have a situation which is somehow the worst for lawmakers. They have too much money," Fischer said. "And so now the question is how do you spend it. That has brought everyone out of the woodwork. All the things that we cut for the last decade and a half — the schools, the hospitals, the developmentally disabled, highway funding — and now everyone wants their piece."
By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.