LOLA
PHOENIX, May 10
After asking legislators in March to slow down their work on passing bills, Brewer told legislators this week to stop sending bills to her altogether. As a result, work in the House and Senate is likely to come to a grinding halt while she and legislators hammer out a resolution to her Medicaid expansion plan and the budget. Tobin told our reporter this afternoon that, so far, a deal isn’t even close. He warned that next week at the Capitol will be very slow, since he doesn’t want to risk a veto. “The governor said no more bills. So, we need to respect our relationship with the governor, and [only proceed] to the extent that I’m required by law to send the bills to her,” he said. He was referring to a 2009 Supreme Court decision, which says legislators must send her bills that have received a final approval within a “reasonable time.” Brewer spokesman Matthew Benson confirmed that the governor doesn’t want to see any bills on her desk until legislators at least make “substantial progress” on the budget and her AHCCCS proposal. “The governor is saying not to send up any more bills until we get the budget and Medicaid taken care of. There are a number of legislators that have other bills they’d like to get through this session and signed into law. Hopefully, this provides the needed impetus for focus on key issues,” Benson said. He wouldn’t directly say that Brewer would veto any legislation that reaches her desk, but he emphasized that the governor won’t sign any more bills until those key items are done, leaving no doubt as to what fate awaits any bill that’s sent to her. Benson’s response to a follow up question should settle any lingering doubts: “We’ve asked that they focus on the budget and Medicaid before sending the Governor any additional bills. If there is ambiguity in that message, I can’t think of any bill sponsors who will want their measure to be the guinea pig.”
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