> Home > Grand Canyon Chapter Arizona Bill Tracker

Grand Canyon Chapter Arizona Bill Tracker

 

November 4, 2009

The Arizona Legislature is looking at doing a budget special session the week of November 16 -- no news yet on what it will include.  The regular session will start on January 11, 2010 and there may be one additional special session in December.

If you are interested in learning more about the legislative process, getting email alerts, or becoming a citizen lobbyist, please contact Sandy Bahr at (602) 253-8633 or sandy.bahr@sierraclub.org. As soon as we have critical mass, we will schedule a citizen lobby workshop.

Look for regular updates here when the regular legislative session starts in January.  Below is a brief summary of the last special session on the budget.  For information on the last regular session, you can view the legislative report card by clicking on 2009 Environmental Report Card.

The sessions were not very helpful for environmental protection -- especially the budget.  While the Governor did veto some of the budget, she signed HB2008 general government; budget reconciliation (Adams).  This bill places a two year cap on development impact fees.  God forbid that the cities actually recover the costs of developments and that development pay for itself.  The Homebuilders continue to get what they want at the Capitol and to ensure that the rest of us subsidize their sprawling developments. 

The bill includes a building code moratorium for two years.  Why they are freezing building codes is beyond me.  We need to implement new energy savings codes, especially during these economically challenging times.  Many building code changes are for public safety as well.  A moratorium is just plain irresponsible.  This is also from our “friends” the Homebuilders.

HB2008 includes a rule-making moratorium relative to nearly any rule that would cost any money.  An agency can’t conduct a rule making without the prior written approval of the Governor.  They exempt the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) or any agency that is headed by a single elected official from these provisions, although the language is a bit fuzzy.  The bill includes an exemption for rules needed to address threats to public health and safety and rules needed to implement the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, as well as to replace archaic or illegal rules. 

She also signed HB2014 environment; budget reconciliation (Adams).  It includes a Heritage Fund raid that diverts $3 million of the State Parks Board Heritage Fund for fire suppression.  It appropriates $9,773,500 of State Trust Land dollars to the State Land Department for the management of state trust lands – this comes with none of the needed reform or conservation.  They clarify that the Arizona Water Protection Fund will receive no general fund dollars this year.  It allows the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to use more of the Underground Storage Tank dollars to administer that program – that is probably an okay provision.  The overall cuts to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality in the budget are significant and mean less monitoring of water quality, fewer programs for improving air quality, and defunding of the state’s recycling program, among other provisions.

Look for regular updates here when the regular session starts in January.