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Taxpayers to pay for legal compensation to lawyers who argued against Prop. 208

Arizona taxpayers will pay for the attorneys hired by state lawmakers who killed the 2020 voter-approved measure Prop. 208. That initiative would have raised money for schools by implementing a tax on wealthy residents.

A Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled the lawyers hired by the Senate President Karen Fann and House Speaker Rusty Bowers were entitled to compensation for their work. 

The judge said none of the $250,000 will have to come from Invest in Arizona, the group that put Prop. 208 before voters.

He said putting the burden on the initiative supporters would have an unacceptably chilling effect on Arizona Citizens being able to propose and defend initiatives they might want to put on the ballot. 

The proposition was struck down by the Arizona Supreme Court as it would have raised money that would go above a constitutional spending limit for school districts. 

Greg Hahne started as a news intern at KJZZ in 2020 and returned as a field correspondent in 2021. He learned his love for radio by joining Arizona State University's Blaze Radio, where he worked on the production team.