Legislative Updates 2005

Hi all! Please mark your calendars for Environmental Day at the Legislature for Tuesday, February 1^st from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Let me know if you plan to attend, so we can be sure and have enough chairs and snack. We have the House Lawn at the Capitol reserved for issue presentations and briefings from legislators. If you represent an organization, we also would like to invite you to have a table at the event. Please consider making appointments with your legislators that day.

Thanks for all your calls and emails on HB2295 animal and ecological terrorism (Biggs, Stump, Verschoor, et al). The House Environment Committee held it this week — that is good news, but it will be back. Last year they brought it back three or four times after it died in various committees. Please thank the following Representatives for committing to oppose the bill: M. Garcia (602) 926-5830 mgarcia@azleg.state.az.us , Landrum Taylor (602) 926-5864 llandrum@azleg.state.az.us , Reagan (602) 926-5828 mreagan@azleg.state.az.us , and Sinema (602) 926-5058 ksinema@azleg.state.az.us . If you're outside the Phoenix area, you can call toll free at 1-800-352-8404.

Please contact members of the House Environment Committee and ask them to support HB2374 solar equipment; taxation (Mason, Downing). It requires that the School Facilities Board develop renewable energy guidelines by June 30, 2006, provides for tax credits of 15% of the cost of a residential photovoltaic system not to exceed $3,000, and it provides for tax credits for commercial solar photovoltaic system of 25% of the cost up to $5,000, among other things. This measure will help encourage the use of solar energy in Arizona. Members include Representatives: Barnes (602) 926-5503 rbarnes@azleg.state.az.us , M. Garcia (602) 926-5830 mgarcia@azleg.state.az.us , Huffman (602) 926-3394 shuffman@azleg.state.az.us , Landrum Taylor (602) 926-5864 llandrum@azleg.state.az.us , Pierce (602) 926-3163 gpierce@azleg.state.az.us , Reagan (602) 926-5828 mreagan@azleg.state.az.us , Robson (602) 926-5549 brobson@azleg.state.az.us , Rosati (602) 926-5169 crosati@azleg.state.az.us , Sinema (602) 926-5058 ksinema@azleg.state.az.us . If you're outside the Phoenix area, you can call toll free at 1-800-352-8404.

Here’s the schedule of key issues for this coming week:

Monday, January 24^th

House Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture at 9:00 a.m. in HHR5

Presentations by the Department of Water Resources and Central Arizona Water Conservation District.

Tuesday, January 25^th

Senate Committee on Transportation at 1:30 p.m. in SHR1

Presentation by Arizona Department of Transportation regarding congestion mitigation and air quality funding.

House Committee on Counties, Municipalities and Military Affairs at 1:30 p.m. in HHR5

HB2057 city and town elections; notice (P. Rios) requires a 120 notice for city and town elections.

HB2308 land divisions; disclosure; airfield proximity (Nelson, Weiers JP) requires that the lot split affidavit also include notification relative to proximity to military airports and whether or not the property is in the high noise or accident potential zone.

HB2351 municipal ballot measures; signatures (Nelson, Hershberger, Huffman, et al) makes it more difficult to do a zoning referendum in smaller cities and towns. It allows cities and towns of less than 50,000 people to change the signature requirement for a referendum from a percentage of those who voted in the last city general election for mayor or council to a percentage of those who voted in the last presidential or gubernatorial election, whichever occurred last. Because you only have 30 days to gather signatures for a local measure, increasing the number of signatures in this manner will raise the hurdle for a local referendum. WE OPPOSE IT.

Wednesday, January 26^th

House Committee on Commerce at 9:00 a.m. in HHR5

HB2262 inadequate water supply; notice (C. Gray, O’Halleran, Pierce, et al) requires that it be noted when a property is served by an inadequate water supply on the affidavit of disclosure that goes with a lot split. This is a baby step in the right direction. It would be better if they just required adequate water supplies, however.

House Committee on K-12 Education at 9:00 a.m. in HHR3

HB2380 air fund; CNG school buses (Boone, Barnes, Gray, et al) allows the diesel low emissions incentive grants to be used for compressed natural gas and for diesel buses that have been retrofitted with original manufacturers’ equipment for compressed natural gas. This is all provided that they do not exceed the incremental cost differential from conventional diesel fuel schools buses. This seems fine.

House Committee on Government Reform and Government Finance Accountability at 1:30 p.m. in HHR3

HB2205 sanitary districts; recyclable waste collection (Konopnicki, Brown, Flake) allows a sanitary district in smaller counties (less than 300,000 people) to collect waste that is used in treating and disposing of sewage sludge. I can’t say why they are doing this, but whenever they talk about sludge, we should keep an eye on it.

HB2381 state buildings; solar energy (Boone) requires state buildings including those constructed by the school facilities board to evaluate solar water cooling (in addition to heating which is currently in the law). It further requires the use of energy life cycle costing to evaluate all solar water heating and water cooling facilities for state buildings. It requires the use of solar water heating and cooling if the simple payback is twelve years or less or equal to the useful life of the product. It exempts solar photovoltaic projects from the simple payback requirements. This will promote the use of more solar energy in state buildings. WE SUPPORT THIS.

House Committee on the Environment at 1:30 p.m. in HHR5

HB2354 biodiesel fuel incentives (Boone) establishes a biodiesel fuel incentive program that allows for a phased-in reduction in the rate of the use fuel tax. It provides for a property tax break for property that is used to produce biodiesel.

HB2374 solar equipment; taxation (Mason, Downing) See above

Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Rural Affairs at 1:30 p.m. in SHR109

There will be presentations from the Navajo Nation, Steve Rich, Wildlife Consultant, John Peay, Utah Game and Fish, and Fred Hinkelmeyer. They will focus on “Ranching for Wildlife” and wildlife management on private lands. This will be an effort for ranchers to gain control of Arizona wildlife management and to privatize wildlife.

SCM1002 endangered species act; urging reform (Flake, Blendu, Jarrett) urges Congress to reform the Endangered Species Act to “protect the rights of property owners while continuing to meet its intended purpose of recovering species. This could easily be delivered via a letter, but apparently they have time on their hands. They will use the hearing to rant and rave about endangered species protections and how they are putting people out of business, making it impossible to ranch or cut timber, causing catastrophic fires, and the list will go on. We oppose the so-called reforms in Congress -- they take science and real species recovery out of the equation.