PHXations—Friday, June 11, 2010

Last Thursday, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) released a state budget status update on June 3rd. The update was based upon actual revenues through April as well as economic projections.

The JLBC estimates a shortfall in FY ’11 of $368 million, which would increase to $835 million if November’s ballot measures authorizing use of First Things First and Growing Smarter Trust Land funds fail.

These figures take into account revenues from Proposition 100. If Congress does not extend a promised enhanced federal match for AHCCCS, the state’s Medicaid program, the shortfall could increase to $1.2 billion.

Via Phoenix Legislative Action Network (P.L.A.N.)

---

The National Journal has put together a list of the House of Representative races most likely to change parties this fall.

Tim Sahd adjudges the top 25 … and not a single Arizona race is on it.

---

The county supes are cutting a couple more of Joe Arpaio’s purse strings.

They found out the sheriff was paying the Kansas attorney who helped write SB 1070 $300 an hour!:

The Sheriff’s Office’s contract with Kris Kobach, an attorney from Kansas who helped write Arizona’s controversial new immigration law, was terminated last month when a representative for interim County Attorney Rick Romley sent a letter announcing the change.

[…]

“It is, I think, further evidence of potential problems with spending of public monies by the Sheriff’s Office,” said county spokeswoman Cari Gerchick. “We can’t imagine it’s an appropriate use of funds.”

Stephen Lemons on the development here:

Nativist attorney Kris Kobach, the man who essentially wrote Arizona’s new “papers, please” law and who had been retained by Sheriff Joe Arpaio to train his deputies on immigration matters to the tune of $300 per hour, has been cut loose by Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley, albeit in a roundabout way.

County Attorney spokesman Bill FitzGerald said that Romley, who was appointed to replace resigning CA Andrew Thomas in mid-April of this year, had a letter sent to outside law firms doing work for the MCAO on May 17, telling them their services were no longer required.