What an interesting week I've had!  It started early Tuesday morning as I greeted women from Kingman and Lake Havasu City who had come to Phoenix for the annual AZ Federation of Republican Women's "Day at the Legislature."  (See the photo gallery for pictures taken that morning.)  I couldn't stay long because I had to rush to the airport for a plane ride to Grand Canyon West to visit the Hualapai tribe's opening ceremony for their Skywalk -- the glass floored horseshoe that juts out over the west end of the Grand Canyon.  Several months ago I visited the site before the glass was in place.  I told Charlie Vaughn, chairman of the tribe, that I wished him well in this venture, but that I would never, ever venture out onto the walkway.

Well, never say never.  Once there, caught up in the excitement of the day, I decided I needed to experience the feeling of walking over the Grand Canyon.  And so I ventured out.  I never did look down, but the views to the side were quite spectacular.  It was a fun day, and I'm glad I did it, but I'm not sure I want to do it again.  There are also a few pictures of that day posted in the photo gallery.

Monday, Wednesday and Thursday were quite routine:  committee meetings, talking with lobbyists and other interested parties, researching and voting on bills.  But on Friday, I brought three legislators from the Phoenix area to Bullhead City on what I call my annual "Discover Northwest Arizona Tour."  The folks who live in the Valley of the Sun don't have any idea of the growth and concurrent problems that we are experiencing.  I have made it my mission to show them.  Thanks to Mike Conner of the Bullhead Area Chamber of Commerce for arranging the day.  We started at the BREDA office for an overview of the area and our economic development.  Then a drive along the Parkway to see the number of new housing developments, followed by a trip to Mohave Valley and the El Rio Golf Course.  Lunch at The Terrace was great.  Next was a visit to the Arizona Veterans Memorial, where Rep. Rich Crandall found the name of his uncle who died in France during WWII.  Members of the City Council and city officials were waiting for us at the council chambers, where we had a round table discussion of items of interest to the City, including pending legislation.  We made a short visit to Laughlin where the Town Manager and others briefed us on the interdependence of our two communities.  Finally, after a whirlwind tour of Laughlin Ranch, the three were delivered back to the airport for the return trip to Phoenix.

I believe these trips are truly productive in giving urban legislators a glimpse of what's going on in so-called rural Arizona.  The guys seemed to enjoy the day, and gained a new perspective of the needs of our area -- which I'm sure they'll remember when voting on issues that affect us.

This coming week I'll return to a more routine agenda, as two of my bills face a tough fight in the Government committee in the Senate.  Both the Oatman and amateur radio bills need to pass this one more hurdle before going to the full Senate.

You may have read that the judge in Tucson who is presiding over the English Language Learner mess has again rejected the plan passed last year for educating these students.  He has given us until the end of session to come up with a different plan or once again face sanctions.  I'll be talking with leadership tomorrow to find out if we're going to appeal this latest decision.  Either way, our time is going to be taken up with this ongoing, seemingly endless, matter.  Again the Governor is calling for massive spending on this program, which shouldn't be necessary to begin with.  Stop the illegal immigration at the border and many of our problems in this state would, over time, evaporate.  In the meantime, here we are again spending time and energy on crafting a plan that will pass judicial muster.

Until next week,


Nancy McLain