Gov. Janet Napolitano on July 2 took action on the final 34 bills of the Legislative session, signing 29 and vetoing five. Included were three immigration bills, a bill regarding municipal sales tax incentives and a bill improving our air quality.
Among the bills signed:
• S1552. This major piece of air quality legislation will allow Arizona to clean its air and meet federal standards by the end of this year.
• H2515. This bill ends the practice by cities of giving large tax breaks to businesses that choose to locate within their boundaries.
• S1265. Courts must deny bail to persons charged with serious felonies when there is probably cause to believe they are in the country illegally.
• H2779. Imposes sanctions on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
• H2467. The bill requires individuals to show documentation of legal citizenship to receive state services, per the requirements of Proposition 200 passed by voters in 2004.
The vetoes:
• S1251, which would have changed rules for storage of weapons in public venues.
• H2403, which would have extended the time frame for special elections to fill Congressional vacancies.
• S1166. Similar to a measure vetoed earlier this session, the bill would have retroactively changed application of a self-defense statute, and would have caused a number of criminal cases to be re-tried.
• H2020, which would have “unnecessarily” changed regulation of railroads in Arizona.
• H1633, which would have removed decisions regarding transfer of credits between public and charter schools from local control.