By Hank Stephenson and Ben Giles | Arizona Capitol Times
Gov. Doug Ducey noted with pride that less than two months after he took office, legislators approved an Arizona budget that he considers 99 percent of what he asked for, passing it out of both chambers in record time.
But the breakneck speed at which lawmakers passed the $9.1 billion budget came at a cost.
Rank and file lawmakers complained that the budget was crafted behind closed doors without their input and debated by the Legislature throughout the night into the early morning of March 7, when the public couldn’t monitor lawmakers’ actions.
Related: Ducey ready to sign more tax-cutting legislation
