Special session tea leaf reading

Not much to update as yet, but here goes...

The latest rumors are A) that they will try to pull off a one day special session on Thursday, and B) that they'll try for next week before Thanksgiving.

There are obstacles to those potential plans.

As for possibility A, the Governor's public schedule for this week has been posted, and she plans to be in Austin, Texas for the Republican Governors Association annual conference on Wednesday and Thursday.

As for B, there are a number of legislators from both sides of the aisle who will be out of state, and a couple will be out of the country, after this week. Gaining a quorum next week will be difficult; gaining the 31 and 16 votes needed to pass anything will be nearly impossible.

Especially since the Republican Governor, Speaker, and President of the state senate are still adamant in their refusal to work with Democratic members of the lege.

BTW - none of this precludes a special session. The Governor could yet cancel her trip to Austin, or members of the lege could yet cancel their long-planned holiday plans.

Just don't hold your breath waiting for the Capitol leadership to get off of the butts any time soon.

Other lege-related notes:

- Sources report that the Reps had a caucus meeting today. The Governor attended, and when she showed up, the caucus meeting was then closed to the public.

The AZGOP, the party of transparency. Or not.

- Credit Russell Pearce, the State Senator from LD18, with the first bill proposal for the 2nd regular session of the 49th Arizona Legislature. His SB1001 is another attempt to limit the ability of elected officials to put their faces on/publicize themselves in general communications paid for out of public monies.

The only surprise here is that the first bill wasn't one of Pearce's patented anti-Mexican screeds masquerading as a public policy proposal.

On the other hand, it is still early.

- Officially clarifying what had long been expected, LD8 State Rep. John Kavanagh has formed a re-election committee with the AZ Secretary of State's office (filer ID 201000319). Kavanagh, the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, had been rumored (reported here and elsewhere) to be interested in the LD8 Senate seat, currently held by the termed-out-after-next-year Carolyn Allen. However, fellow LD8 Rep. Michelle Reagan is also interested, and she may have a stronger base of support in LD8. Kavanagh couldn't be sure he would prevail in a primary battle with her. On the other hand, he is a near-certain lock to retain his House seat, even in LD8's Republican cattle call in the state representative primary (six candidates and counting).