The Prickly brief: A look back at the 2024 Arizona legislative session

Welcome to the fourth episode of Prickly, a podcast from KJZZ’s Politics Desk. Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget to subscribe to the Prickly newsletter.

The Arizona Legislature adjourned for the year on June 14, ending a contentious legislative session that featured high-profile fights over abortion, the border and the state budget.

Lawmakers adjourned shortly after passing a budget with some bipartisan support — and opposition — that was later signed by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. That budget included broad budget cuts to state agency budgets, investments in the state's water supply and other areas to offset a projected $1.3 billion budget deficit over the next two years.

Reporters Camryn Sanchez and Wayne Schutsky break down how lawmakers felt about that budget and other highlights from the session, including a broad border ballot measure sent to voters by Republican legislators and the repeal of Arizona's territorial-era, near-total abortion ban.

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