PHOENIX — Senate President Bob Burns is scrapping the blockade he imposed on key legislation last session to get lawmakers to focus on the budget.

Burns said last week he will allow the people he has chosen to run various committees to decide for themselves which measures to debate and bring up for a vote when lawmakers reconvene in January. That is in line with what has historically been the practice, at least until this past session when Burns ordered that nothing dealing with changes in state law or policy was to be heard until there was a budget plan.