House
H 2781 BUDGET; GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS
The ‘feed bill’ providing funding for state agencies. Those agencies on biennial budgets are funded for two years; those with one year budgets are funded for fiscal year 07-08. Some representative agencies: AHCCCS gets $5.6 billion ($250 million more than in FY07); the attorney general gets $46.5 million in FY08 and $46 million in fiscal 09; basic state aid (a line item within the budget of the state board of education) increases to $3.8 billion in FY08 from $3.0 billion in FY07. First Sponsor: Rep. Boone ARS Titles Affected: 41
H 2782 BUDGET; SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS; FY07
Various supplemental appropriations for agencies for the current fiscal year, including $19.7 million to DES to replace lost federal funding for the foster care program, $11.8 million to the home and community based services within the long term care program of DES, and $9 million to Dept of Corrections for inmate health care. [Note: not all appropriations are from the state general fund.] First Sponsor: Rep. McComish ARS Titles Affected: 41
H 2783 BUDGET; CAPITAL OUTLAY; APPROPRIATIONS
Funding for capital projects in fiscal 2007-08, including $245.5 million for state highway construction, $25 million for airport planning and development; $16.8 million to the Board of Regents for university construction; and $6 million for planning and design for Capitol Mall renovation and construction. First Sponsor: Rep. McComish ARS Titles Affected: 41
H 2784 BUDGET; TAX RELIEF PACKAGE; 2007
Various tax cuts including: accelerated depreciation for business personal property placed in service during or after tax year 2007; various credits are allowed insurance companies against their liability for taxes on insurance premiums; accelerated reduction in the assessment ratio of commercial property (class one) or property within trade or enterprise zones (class six); an increase in the percentage of additional research and development expenses allowed as a tax credit; the corporate income tax rate is reduced to 6.8% from 6.968%. More. First Sponsor: Rep. Boone ARS Titles Affected: 20 42 43
H 2785 BUDGET PROCEDURES; BUDGET RECONCILIATION
Monies in the telecommunications fund, regardless of source and regardless of subaccounts, are subject to legislative appropriation; makes changes in procedures and authorization related to the Greater Arizona Development Authority; requires state agencies to obtain approval from the Information Technology Authorization Committee for IT project changes and contract amendments that exceed $1 million. First Sponsor: Rep. Boone ARS Titles Affected: 41
H 2786 BUDGET; GENERAL REVENUES; RECONCILIATION
Requires any unrestricted federal monies received between May 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008 to be deposited in the state general fund. Abandoned property statutes are rewritten to shorten the abandonment period on corporate bonds to 3 years from 5 years. More. First Sponsor: Rep. McComish ARS Titles Affected: 35 44
H 2787 BUDGET; CRIMINAL JUSTICE; BUDGET RECONCILIATION
Various non-statutory provisions related to criminal justice items in the fiscal 07-08 budget, including: an appropriation of $22 million for funding costs associated with opening a 2000 bed private prison. After the private prison is operational, the Dept of Corrections is authorized to pursue building a 2000 bed publicly operated prison. The Dept of Administration and DPS shall jointly submit a report by Dec 1, 2007, on the feasibility of transferring capitol police to DPS. More. First Sponsor: Rep. McComish ARS Titles Affected: 41
H 2788 BUDGET; ENVIRONMENT; BUDGET RECONCILIATION
Various statutory and non-statutory provisions related to the environment in the fiscal 07-08 budget, including: the amount in the livestock and crop conservation fund in the Dept of Agriculture that may be used for administration of programs is increased to 10% of the $2 million annually appropriated from 5%; and $6.3 million in the assurance account of the underground storage tank revolving fund may be used for administration of the leak prevention program and for the used oil program. More. First Sponsor: Rep. McComish ARS Titles Affected: 41
H 2789 BUDGET; HEALTH AND WELFARE; BUDGET RECONCILIATION
Various statutory and non-statutory provisions related to health and welfare issues in the fiscal 2007-08 budget, including: changes in the small business health insurance plan to expand coverage to businesses with up to 50 employees (from 25) and to stipulate the business did not provide or sponsor health insurance for 6 months prior to being eligible for coverage under the SBHIP; requires recertification for recipients of TANF at 6 month intervals rather than annually; beginning Oct 1, 2007, AHCCCS must phase in the most recent hospital specific medicare cost-to-charge ratios or other Medicare approved rations to pay hospitals’ “extraordinary operating costs;” full implementation must be completed by Oct 1, 2009; county contributions for acute care and long term care are stipulated. More. First Sponsor: Rep. Boone ARS Titles Affected: 20 36 38 46
H 2790 BUDGET; K-12 EDUCATION; BUDGET RECONCILIATION
Various statutory and non-statutory provisions related to K-123 education issues in the fiscal 2007-08 budget, including: increasing equalization assistance to charter schools; adds special health care districts to the list of entities to which a school district may sell or lease school property; increases transportation support level; increases base level support to $3,209.53 from $3,133.53; increases the maximum allowable amount a district may spend for desegregation expenses by 2% over the maximum in fiscal 06-07; and authorized the Dept of Education to perform audits of average daily membership of district schools and charters. More. First Sponsor: Rep. Boone ARS Titles Affected: 15 41
H 2791 BUDGET; HIGHER EDUCATION; BUDGET RECONCILIATION
Various statutory and non-statutory provisions related to higher education issues in the fiscal 07-08 budget, including: a requirement that the Board of Regents post all employment openings including job descriptions and application procedures; the child or spouse of a member of the armed forces killed in the line of duty is added to the list of persons eligible for a tuition waiver at state universities and community colleges; the Board of Regents shall report to the JLBC by Oct 1m 2007, regarding expenditure details, budget projections and growth plans for ASU’s downtown Phoenix campus. First Sponsor: Rep. Boone ARS Titles Affected: 15
H 2792 BUDGET; SCHOOL FACILITIES BD; BUDGET RECONCILIATION
Various statutory and non-statutory provisions related to the School Facilities Board in the fiscal 07-08 budget, including: requires that building renewal monies be spent on “primary projects” (defined) and excludes “secondary projects” unless no primary projects exist; recalculates the building renewal costs to be the replacement cost rather than the construction cost; establishes an energy and water savings pilot program for Arizona schools; appropriates $101.6 million from the general fund to the building renewal fund in fiscal 07-08. More. First Sponsor: Rep. Boone ARS Titles Affected: 15
H 2793 BUDGET; TRANSPORTATION; BUDGET RECONCILIATION
Various statutory and non-statutory provisions related to transportation issues in the fiscal 2007-08 budget, including: the Transportation Board is authorized to use Statewide Transportation Acceleration Needs (STAN) account funds to reimburse interest costs incurred by local governments for the acceleration of a transportation project. Eligible projects are expanded by adding “eligible transit capital project” (defined as vehicles, land and buildings that are part of a federally approved transportation program in cities of fewer than 50,000 persons; up to $10 million in the Highway Expansion Fund is earmarked for eligible transit capital projects.More. First Sponsor: Rep. McComish ARS Titles Affected: 9 11 28
H 2794 PUBLIC PROGRAMS; ELIGIBILITY; VERIFICATION
Persons who apply to participate in a public program that requires participants to be lawfully present in this country must submit documentation to the administering entity that proves the person’s claim of lawful presence. Self declaration, even if made under penalty of perjury, is insufficient. A list of acceptable documents is included. The auditor general is authorized to conduct audits of state agencies to ensure compliance. JLBC shall consider any findings of noncompliance when making recommendations regarding budget requests. First Sponsor: Rep. Pearce ARS Titles Affected: 1
HCR 2052 DEATH RESOLUTION; HONORABLE CARMEN CAJERO
The Legislature regrets the death of former representative Carmen Cajero, 92, who died April 1, 2007. A native of Morenci, she married Bernardo “Nayo” Cajero and settled in Tucson. Nayo was elected to the House of Representatives in 1968. When he died in office in 1973, Carmen was appointed to fill the vacancy, and she served in the House for 24 years before retiring in 1996. She successfully sponsored legislation to end the practice of requiring the state’s schoolchildren to pay for their own textbooks. She was also instrumental in creating the state’s first bone marrow program at Tucson’s University Medical Center. First Sponsor: Rep. Brown Other Sponsors: Rep. Anderson, Boone, Cajero Bedford, Konopnicki, Lopez, McComish, McLain, Miranda, Pearce, Rios, Tobin, Tom, Jim Weiers, Yarbrough, Arzberger, Bee, Verschoor ARS Titles Affected: 99
HCR 2053 DEATH RESOLUTION; JEFF GROSCOST
The Legislature regrets the death of former House Speaker Jeff Groscost, 45, who died on November 3, 2006. He was first elected to the House in 1992, became majority whip in 1995 and speaker in 1997. His legislative legacy includes pro-life parental consent legislation, the largest tax cuts in state history and scholarship tax credits for public and private schools. His tenure as speaker also included significant modernization of House facilities and the first live Internet broadcast of legislative proceedings. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends as well as by the citizens of the state. [Identical to SCR1029.] First Sponsor: Rep. Pearce Other Sponsors: Rep. Adams, Boone, Crandall, Driggs, Lopez, McComish, Murphy, Rios, Robson, Thrasher, Tobin ARS Titles Affected: 99
HR 2002 VIRGINIA TECH; HONORING THOSE KILLED
The Arizona House of Representatives characterizes the shootings at Virginia Tech as an “act so senseless, it tests our compassion as human beings [and] demands our determination to prevent it from happening again.” The House expresses its wish that all Arizonans join in a national day of mourning for the victims. Further, it extends the deepest sympathies of its members to the families, classmates, colleagues and friends of those who died. First Sponsor: Rep. Nelson Other Sponsors: Rep. Ableser, Adams, Alvarez, Barnes, Barto, Biggs, Boone, Bradley, Brown, Burges, Burns, Cajero Bedford, Chad Campbell, Cloves Campbell Jr., Clark, Desimone, Driggs, Farley, Gallardo, Garcia, Kavanagh, Kirkpatrick, Konopnicki, Lopes, Lopez, Lujan, Mason, McClure, McComish, McGuire, McLain, Meza, Miranda, Murphy, Nichols, Pancrazi, Paton, Prezelski, Reagan, Rios, Robson, Schapira, Stump, Thrasher, Tobin, Ulmer, Jim Weiers, Jerry Weiers, Yarbrough, Burton Cahill, Harper ARS Titles Affected: 99
SENATE
SCR 1029 DEATH RESOLUTION: JEFF GROSCOST
The Legislature regrets the death of former House Speaker Jeff Groscost, 45, who died on November 3, 2006. He was first elected to the House in 1992, became majority whip in 1995 and speaker in 1997. His legislative legacy includes pro-life parental consent legislation, the largest tax cuts in state history and scholarship tax credits for public and private schools. His tenure as speaker also included significant modernization of House facilities and the first live Internet broadcast of legislative proceedings. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends as well as by the citizens of the state. First Sponsor: Sen. Johnson Other Sponsors: Sen. Aguirre, Allen, Arzberger, Bee, Blendu, Burns, Burton Cahill, Cheuvront, Flake, Garcia, Gould, Chuck Gray, Linda Gray, Hale, Harper, Huppenthal, Landrum Taylor, Leff, McCune Davis, O’Halleran, Pesquiera, Rios, Soltero, Tibshraeny, Verschoor, Waring ARS Titles Affected: 99
SM 1004 SUPPORT SECURE BORDERS INITIATIVE
The House urges Congress to continue funding the US Customs and Border Protection’s Secure Border Initiative Network program (SBInet) so that the project is completed by Dec 31, 2008. SBInet is a system of fencing, barriers and detection technology that will deliver the ability to detect entries into the country and to classify their level of threat. First Sponsor: Sen. Bee Other Sponsors: Sen. Aboud, Arzberger, Blendu, Burns, Garcia, Huppenthal, Leff, Pesquiera, Rios, Soltero, Verschoor ARS Titles Affected: 99
SR 1003 SALARY RECOMMENDATIONS; DISAPPROVAL
The Senate specifically disapproves of the governor’s salary recommendations for elective state officers, justices, judges of courts of record and clerks of the superior court. First Sponsor: Sen. Burns ARS Titles Affected: 99