Ducey signs tax-break law

• Gov. Doug Ducey signs a bill indexing tax brackets for inflation.
• Other bills advance as the Legislature eyes adjournment soon.
• Lawmakers approve a 25-percent increase in campaign-contribution limits.

Arizonans could get a modest tax break under a bill Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law Monday, a fulfillment of his promise to offer a tax cut every year he is in office.

House Bill 2001 adjusts the state's tax brackets for inflation each year. That could shield people from a tax increase if they get a pay raise that keeps pace with inflation; whether it results in a tax cut depends on the size of the pay increase.

In signing the bill, Ducey said it eliminates a "hidden tax."

"This is one more crucial measure to keep our tax rates reasonable and predictable while further promoting our open-for-business agenda," he wrote.

The bill culminates three years of effort by Rep. Justin Olson, R-Mesa, who has introduced the legislation every year.

While Ducey was busy signing bills and issuing his first vetoes, the House and Senate took action on other bills.

Campaign-contribution limits

The Senate signaled a go-ahead for more money in campaigns as it gave preliminary approval to a 25 percent increase in the money individuals can donate to statewide and legislative candidates.

House Bill 2415 would increase contribution limits to an effective $5,000, up from the current $4,000. The bill drew support along party lines, with Republicans in support and Democrats opposed.

Sen. Martin Quezada, D-Phoenix, argued against the bill, saying it would alienate the average voter.

"Money is coming from lobbyists, special interests," he said. "It's not coming from my constituents; they can't afford to donate in these amounts."

It awaits a final vote in the Senate.

'Revenge porn'

A bill to further define "revenge porn" and its punishment also advanced in the Senate toward a final vote.

House Bill 2561 makes clear that the person in a picture or video had to have a reasonable expectation of privacy and must be depicted in a state of nudity. Intentionally sharing such images would be a Class 5 felony, and a Class 4 felony if done electronically.

Earlier release of cats

The House resurrected a bill it had killed earlier this month that would allow cat-rescue groups to take cats out of county pounds without having to observe a three-day waiting period.

Senate Bill 1260 was written to further trap-neuter-and-release efforts. But some House members, who said they will vote against the bill when it comes up for a final vote, said it's wrong to return cats to the streets.

Rep. Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, said the measure only releases cats to let them prey on birds, something that he has worried could lead to a "silent spring."