If
you are having trouble viewing this e-mail with images, click
here. Please add to your address book to ensure our e-mails reach your inbox. |
 |
|
Leadership ♦ Research ♦ Advocacy ♦ Newsletter ♦ Speakers ♦ Counties ♦ Alliances ♦ Calendar ♦ Contact
|
|
Budget
Small-group Republican budget negotiations have dissolved, giving way to individual briefings in the House. Following the weeks of closed-door partisan discussions, House leadership has met with each member of their negotiating group to gauge how the budget plans should move forward.
While Republican leadership determines their next steps, Democratic leaders have begun to express impatience with the lagging budget talks. "It's been almost a month now [since the Governor provided a FY09 budget proposal], and we still have not heard a response to that," stated Senate Minority Leader Marsha Arzberger (D-25). "I think there's been a lot of patience here and I'd like to ask that we complete this job."
The legislature adjourned until Tuesday, breaking for the Memorial Day holiday.
DUI
On Thursday the provisions, which include a technical correction to last year's DUI laws, as well as an increase in penalties for boating under the influence (OUI), were amended onto HB 2643: liquor; restaurant licenses; continued operation (Crandall). Notably absent from this version was a provision that reduced the amount of a time a DUI offender would have to maintain an ignition interlock device on their vehicle; this provision triggered the Governor's veto of an earlier DUI proposal.
Omnibus Energy Act
Representative Lucy Mason's (R-1) Energy Omnibus bill (HB 2766), which is the result of months of stakeholder negotiations, ran into significant opposition from Senate Republicans this week. The bill covers everything from energy efficient construction standards to utility regulations to energy use in schools, and previously passed on a close margin out of the Senate Natural Resources and Rural Affairs Committee with the promise of a floor amendment. Even the proposed amendment was not enough to satisfy the concerns of many senators, however. Senator Robert Blendu (R-12) told the caucus he opposed the omnibus because "the one thing I demand from public policy is clarity, and that is missing from this bill." Senator Carolyn Allen (R-8) wondered aloud if all the work on the 20-plus page floor amendment is worth it, saying, "let's count the votes, and if they're not there, why bother?"
Tribal Schools
Non-Profit Property Sales
Small counties moved one step closer to selling property to non-profit organizations this week when a conference committee approved an earlier version of HB 2219: county buildings; nonprofit entities (Alvarez). The bill, which applies to counties with a population of 100,000 or less, was brought forward by representatives of Santa Cruz County and will allow a non-profit organization that provides employment training for developmentally disabled individuals to upgrade their facilities in southern Arizona.
A conference committee on the bill removed Senate amendments, which would have essentially eliminated the purpose of the measure. The Senate must approve the conference committee changes before the bill heads to the Governor's desk. If approved, the new law would be effective for only one year.
The House approved SB 1264: public rights of way; claims (Johnson) by a vote of 31-29 on Wednesday, after failing to pass the measure earlier in the week. The proposal asserts state ownership over rights-of-way that were established under R.S. 2477, federal law that permitted access over public lands until it was repealed in 1976. Ownership of these easements has been debated for years; the state's assertion of ownership would extend the same authority to political subdivisions. Senator Johnson, the bill's sponsor, believes SB 1264 will address concerns associated with the U.S. Forest Service's proposed Road Management Plan. Many of Arizona's counties have strongly objected to the Plan, which could close many roads currently used to access Arizona's forests and prevent public access to firewood and motorized game retrieval. (Click here for more information on county opposition to the plan.)
House Democrats rallied against the bill, calling it "over-reaching government" and expressing concern that the provisions would lead to ongoing lawsuits. "This is nothing less than a taking," stated Representative Tom Chabin (D-3), expressing his belief that ATV riders could use rights-of-way across private properties under the legislation.
House Republicans disagreed with the assumption that the measure would have any application to private lands. "This focuses on county and municipal rights-of-way, not private or federal right-of-way," asserted Representative Judy Burges (R-4).
The proposal is expected to head to the Governor's desk next week.
This week, the legislature considered the following bills with county impacts. Click here to obtain archived videos of legislative proceedings.
As budget negotiations continue, the House and Senate will likely focus on the handful of legislative proposals still working their way through the process. No Appropriations Committee hearings have been scheduled. For daily information on votes and schedules, visit the legislative calendar. |
Tuba City recently celebrated the opening of its first public park, named after Coconino County Supervisor and longtime community servant Louise Yellowman. Yellowman has served as a county supervisor for almost 30 years and was the first woman and first American Indian to serve on the Coconino County Board of Supervisors.
The Navajo County Board of Supervisors, in cooperation with the Navajo County Coalition Against Drug Abuse, recently launched a website designed to provide anti-drug education and resources. The website, 
This week, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) released a list of priorities that could be funded if Arizona voters approved 
The DUI-related provisions Senators Linda Gray (R-10) and Jim Waring (R-7) have been attempting to pass all year apparently have nine lives, as they head back to the Senate for another shot. The same provisions have now been a part of at least three different bills and have died both in the House and on the Governor's desk. 
This week the legislature approved a memorial that deplores the education conditions on the Hopi Reservation and asks the Bureau of Indian Affairs for money for a new school. The memorial, often described as a "legislative postcard," will now be sent on to members of the U.S. Congress. |
County Supervisors Association of Arizona
1905 W. Washington, Suite 100 Phoenix, Arizona 85009 Privacy & Security Statement Leadership / Research / Advocacy / Newsletter / Speakers / Counties / Alliances / Calendar / Contact |