Legislature: Earlier Primary Election; Payday Loan Redux

The Arizona House of Representatives, in a 2013 floor session.

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The Arizona House of Representatives approved legislation Wednesday that would move the state's primary election up six weeks to the second week of July.

Supporters said the change makes the general election campaign season longer so voters can get to know the candidates better.

Rep. Ken Clark, D-Phoenix, said he opposed the change because of what he said would be perceived as a "never-ending campaign."

Other action

• The House approved by a 31-29 vote a bill allowing "flex loans" with interest rates of up to 200 percent, circumventing the limits in a 2008 voter-approved initiative banning payday lending. Proponents said it allows access to loans for people who cannot get traditional bank loans. Opponents said it would open the door to what they called predatory lending.

• The House also approved a bill authorizing first responders to administer a drug that stops people from overdosing on heroin or prescription opiates. The bill's sponsor says an increasing number of Arizona residents are overdosing on opiates and her bill would give first responders the tools they need to save lives.

• In the Senate, lawmakers approved a bill to reopen the Mining and Mineral Museum that closed in 2011. The proposal would transfer stewardship of the museum from the Arizona Historical Society to the Arizona Geological Survey and allocate $428,000 for operation and maintenance costs in the upcoming budget year.

• The Senate also approved a bill allowing the Arizona Department of Transportation to issue driver's licenses that comply with the federal REAL ID Act. The Transportation Security Administration is set to stop accepting Arizona driver's licenses at airports in January 2016. The act was passed after 9/11 to set up minimum security standards for licenses and identification cards.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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