I didn't come home to Bullhead City this weekend but instead joined the ladies of the Arizona Federation of Republican Women (and a few spouses) at their quarterly meeting in Yuma.  It's always enjoyable to be with this group of dedicated and enthusiastic workers for the Republican party.  I had the opportunity to visit with a group from Prescott on Friday evening, and we had a lively discussion about the pros and cons of the "Clean Elections" system.

Saturday morning was the general meeting, and I spoke briefly about a bill that I will be dropping this Monday (2/5).  Coincidentally, the President of the Alabama Federation was at this meeting so I was able to tell her in person that a letter sent to her by an Alabama resident and forwarded to Noreen Thomas, Lake Havasu City resident and President of the Arizona Federation, was the inspiration for this bill.  You may recall that last year a family of four was killed after being rear-ended by a person who had a history previous collisions and who apparently suffers from a condition that causes him to lose consciousness.  Currently there is no provision for a doctor to report these people to MVD so their drivers licenses can be closely monitored, so this bill (no number assigned yet) will set up this mechanism.

This is a prime example of how Republican women work together to get things done.  If you're not currently a member (or associate member for the gentlemen), there is a link on this website to AFRW where you can find information about clubs in your local area.

The appropriations process continues with more budget presentations and decisions made by the Senate and House sub-committees. We have completed most of the smaller agencies and are now getting into those agencies that account for most of the general fund spending. One policy decision that looms large is the question of continuing to pay cash for school construction or reverting back to “lease-purchase” financing plans. This is a topic for another entire column and I’ll try to address that as part of the “Issues and Answers” feature rather than in this weekly report.

Two of my bills have passed their committees and should be on their way for floor votes. Two more are scheduled in committee, and I have two to drop today – the last day for introduction of bills. You can go the the Arizona Legislature website (www.azleg.gov) to find all the bills I have either sponsored or co-sponsored and keep track of how they're progressing.

Next week I’ll try to give you an overview of this legislation, but for now I’ve got to run to grab some lunch and get back for our floor session that begins at 1:00 p.m.

Until next week,

Nancy McLain