Lita Beck

2 weeks ago | abc15.com | Lita Beck

PHOENIX — Caregivers and families say they are frustrated Republican lawmakers spent time Thursday discussing the cause of a $122 million shortfall for disability services instead of passing a funding fix. The state’s Division of Developmental Disabilities runs out of money this month, threatening services for more than 59,000 Arizonans.

3 weeks ago | abc15.com | Lita Beck

PHOENIX — The cost of sugar is something Phoenix chocolatier Jay Levine has definitely noticed. “Originally, I'm from Canada, and going back to Canada and looking at the price of sugar there, it's a lot less,” he said. “It's like almost half price of what it is here.”High sugar tariffs that have been in place for decades. The cost of sugar is double what it is in the rest of the world because of a combination of those tariffs, import restrictions and farmer subsidies.

4 weeks ago | abc15.com | Lita Beck

Republican lawmakers are working on a bill to expand the list of fuel blends that gas stations in Maricopa County can sell during the summer months. Proponents say it will help lower gas prices during the summer, when Maricopa County must use the Cleaner Burning Gas to meet EPA air quality standards. The bill is a strike-everything amendment to HB 2300, and was introduced in Tuesday’s Senate Natural Resources hearing.

1 month ago | abc15.com | Lita Beck

PHOENIX — Arizona’s education board opted not to vote on a proposed handbook for the state’s school voucher program – at least for now. The Arizona State Board of Education heard Monday from a number of Empowerment Scholarship Account parents and students opposed to the draft handbook, which proposes spending caps on some items. “I was actually shocked that there were so many changes that had not really been talked about,” Savannah Rogers, a parent of three ESA students, told ABC15.

1 month ago | abc15.com | Lita Beck

PHOENIX — State lawmakers approved a budget Band-Aid on Thursday for Arizona's child welfare agency, a funding shortfall that Republicans have used to raise questions about Gov. Katie Hobbs’ administration. Department of Child Safety money to house children in group homes was set to run out Monday. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee voted to allow DCS to cover the shortfall through the end of the fiscal year with surpluses in other parts of the agency's budget.