In Arizona, Medicaid Cut. Newspapers Continue to Be Subsidized

In Arizona, where state money is so tight that the state's Medicaid program needed to be cut this year, a shortsighted committee voted down an opportunity to save tax dollars used to subsidize newspapers.

Arizona's House Committee on Technology and Infrastructure voted 5-2 today to continue to require the arcane practice of publishing legal notices in newspapers. As we reported two weeks ago, the bill (HB2403) would allow the local governments to  publish public notices in a newspaper or post notices anywhere on a "worldwide public network of interconnected computers." An estimated 20 newspaper representatives appeared at the hearing. 

Representatives Dial,  Gonzales,  Proud,  Wheeler,  Seel voted no. Only Representatives Stevens and Pierce voted for it. 

Separately, the Arizona budget was so tight this year that it included a provision that would cut off an estimated 100,000 poor childless adults  from Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System coverage this year.