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Legislative Updates 2006Sierra Club 2006 Legislative Update #2 Hi all! As always, thank you for taking action to protect the state from the Arizona Legislature. This week, the Governor released her budget proposal. It includes full funding for the Heritage Fund and the Water Protection Fund, and also restores dollars to the Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund. It provides some dollars for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to improve the oversight of solid waste inspections. You may recall that there have been several proposals to steal the recycling dollars for this purpose. It is a generally favorable budget for environmental protection and we certainly appreciate the full funding for these programs. We would like to see an addition to restore the $10.2 million that the Legislature swiped from the Game and Fish Heritage Fund land acquisition fund, however. Don’t forget to R.S.V.P. regarding Environmental Day at the Legislature which is scheduled for Tuesday, February 7, 2005 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., 2nd Floor Conference Room, Executive Tower at the Capitol. Also, check out the Legislative Tracker at http://arizona.sierraclub.org/political_action/tracker/ for more details on some of the bills. This week, please call members of the House Natural Resources Committee and ask them to support HB2129 game and fish; enforcement; penalties (JP Weiers, Mason: Biggs, et al), which provides higher penalties for poaching of wildlife. (See details below.) Members of the Committee include: Representatives: O’Halleran (Chair) 926-4079, t'ohalleran@azleg.gov; J. Allen 926-3395, jallen@azleg.gov; Brown 926-4129, jbrown@azleg.gov; Chase 926-5030, cchase@azleg.gov; Jones 926-5273, rjones@azleg.gov; Kirkpatrick, 926-5160, akirkpatrick@azleg.gov; Mason 926-5874, lmason@azleg.gov; Nelson 926-5872, jnelson@azleg.gov; Sinema 926-5058, ksinema@azleg.gov; and Jerry Weiers 926-5894, jpweiers@azleg.gov. All numbers are (602). For 800 number, see the end of this alert. Also, please call members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and ask them to oppose SCR1008 constitutional amendments; single subject (Huppenthal) which refers to the voters a measure to eliminate the separate-amendment provision of the Arizona Constitution and to replace it with the much lower standard for statutes. (See details below) members of the Senate Judiciary Committee include senators: Huppenthal (chair) 926-5261, jhuppenthal@azleg.gov; Aguirre 926-3830, laguirre@azleg.gov; Brotherton 926-4485, bbrotherton@azleg.gov; Gould 926-4138, rgould@azleg.gov; Harper 926-4178, jharper@azleg.gov; Jarrett 926-5288, mjarrett@azleg.gov; Martin 926-5284, dmartin@azleg.gov; and R. Miranda 926-5911, rmiranda@azleg.gov.
Coming up this week at the Legislature:
Monday, January 23
House Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture at 9:00 a.m. in House Hearing Room 5 HB2129 game and fish; enforcement; penalties (JP Weiers, Mason: Biggs, et al) provides higher penalties for poaching of wildlife. It includes a stronger penalty for taking “trophy animals” as defined in the bill. Because of the dollars involved in helping people illegally take these larger animals, increasing the penalties and fines is appropriate. It allows for a five-year or permanent revocation of a hunting or fishing license for illegally taking trophy animals or endangered species. SUPPORT.
HB2436 emergency water transfers; drought (O’Halleran, Kirkpatrick, Mason) allows for interbasin transfers of water for emergency purposes for one year. WATCH.
Senate Committee on Judiciary at 1:30 p.m. in SHR1 SCR1008 constitutional amendments; single subject (Huppenthal) refers to the voters a measure to eliminate the separate-amendment provision of the Arizona Constitution and to replace it with the much lower standard for statutes. The requirement for a single question relative to constitutional amendments is written and interpreted more strictly — and for good reason. According to an Arizona Supreme Court decision, “The clear import of this provision is that voters must be allowed to express their separate opinion as to each proposed constitutional amendment.” That is critical and should not be weakened because someone’s favorite issue was knocked off the ballot. Proposed amendments to the Arizona Constitution should not be a jumble of loosely related matters. OPPOSE.
Tuesday, January 24
House Committee on Counties, Municipalities & Military Affairs at 1:30 p.m. in House Hearing Room 5 HB2134 nuclear facility; emergency planning zone (Nelson, Blendu: Prezelski) requires that the facility identify the land that is within an emergency planning zone consisting of all land within a 10-mile radius and to record that with the county recorder. This seems like an appropriate idea, although you have to wonder about that 10-mile radius. A significant emergency would affect a much larger area. WATCH.
Wednesday, January 25
Senate Committee on Commerce & Economic Development at 9:00 a.m. in Senate Hearing Room 1 SB1221 structural pest control: licensure exemption (Leff: Harper) adds an exemption for people who apply herbicides that are not labeled for restricted use and that are commercially available to the public. I am not convinced this is a good idea as I think we are all too cavalier about our use of products that kill things. WATCH.
Senate Natural Resources and Rural Affairs Committee at 1:30 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 109 SB1161 navigable stream adjudication commission; continuation (Flake, J. Burns: Konopnicki) extends this commission for two more years. WATCH. SB1249 water improvement districts; notice; commission (Flake: Cannell, Konopnicki) establishes additional conditions for creating a water improvement district. WATCH. SB1256 multispecies conservation programs; fees (Flake, Blendu, A. Aguirre, et al) makes a minor change regarding who must pay the Colorado River waster use fee. WATCH.
House Committee on Environment at 1:30 p.m. in HHR5 HB2036 stagnant water; pest control; notice (Barnes) authorizes local government to order property owners to remove stagnant water, requires notices for spraying for mosquitoes. This is a good bill and should help address the West Nile problems. Prevention — removing the stagnant water—is the most effective means of addressing mosquito issues. Spraying is ineffective and exposes us to more harmful chemicals. Providing notice for spraying is a good idea, but they may take that part out. Still, the prevention aspects are good. SUPPORT HB2427 tax credit; renewable energy (Mason, Burton Cahill, Chase, et al) provides for a tax credit for the production and sale of renewable energy. The credit is equal to the total kilowatt hours produced multiplied by one and one-half cents. Unfortunately, it includes municipal solid waste as well as animal waste in the definition of sources that would qualify for this. These are not clean resources. OPPOSE w/ current definitions. HB2429 solar energy tax incentives (Mason, Boone, Chase, et al) provides for tax credits for installation of solar energy devices for both residential and commercial. SUPPORT.
Thursday, January 26
House Committee on Judiciary at 9:00 a.m. in HHR4 HB2655 clean elections; complaints; standing (Murphy: Burges, Groe, et al) states that only candidates have standing to file complaints and requires investigation of both the person about whom the complaint has been made and the person who made it. It requires a timely finding relative to the complaint.
Thanks for your help and support! To email legislators go to http://www.azleg.state.az.us/MemberRoster.asp If you are not sure who your legislators are, please go to http://www.vote-smart.org (You will need your 9-digit zipcode.) or call the House or Senate information desks. If you're outside the Phoenix area, you can call your legislators’ offices toll free at 1-800-352-8404. In the Phoenix area call (602) 926-3559 (Senate) or (602) 926-4221 (House). Correspondence goes to 1700 W. Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2890. For more information on legislation go to http://www.azleg.state.az.us/ .
Sandy Bahr Back to 2006 Legislative Updates page Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Chapter, 202 E. McDowell Rd, Suite 277, Phoenix, AZ 85004, (602) 253-8633 |