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It’s been busy on the Arizona Legislature this 12 months, with greater than 100 land and water-related payments launched this session. All that curiosity retains us actively advocating for our priorities and monitoring the nice and the unhealthy payments transferring by the method on the Arizona Capitol.
The 2024 legislative session shouldn’t be over, however the deadline to listen to payments of their related committees has handed. So let’s get a standing replace on the payments that Audubon Southwest formally opposed or supported (for payments that have been positioned on committee agendas and voted on).
The payments are organized by: Lively, failed, and handed
Lively
- OPPOSE HB 2060: irrigation non-expansion space; substitution; acres
- This invoice would: as amended, undercut native efforts to make use of present groundwater administration instruments, comparable to Irrigation Non-Growth Areas.
- The place it stands: handed out of the Home on a celebration line vote (all Republicans voted for the invoice, all Democrats voted in opposition to), 31-27 vote. The invoice handed out of Senate Pure Assets, Power, & Water (NREW) Committee and is now awaiting Senate ground motion, which is when all members of the Senate may have a chance to vote on the invoice.
- OPPOSE HB 2062 assured water provide; certificates; mannequin
- This invoice would: make the Arizona Division of Water Assets revert to utilizing an outdated groundwater circulation mannequin when figuring out if new improvement has a 100-year water provide.
- The place it stands: handed out of the Home on a celebration line vote, 31-28. Awaiting Senate ground motion.
- OPPOSE HB 2063 exempt wells; certificates; groundwater use
- This invoice would: hand out water rights to small groundwater pumpers with no corresponding administration framework.
- The place it stands: handed out of the Home on a celebration line vote, 31-28. Awaiting Senate ground motion.
- OPPOSE Senate Bill (SB) 1041 groundwater financial savings certificates; assured water
- This invoice would: undermine investments that municipalities with a 100-year water provide have made of their water portfolios.
- The place it stands: handed out of the Senate on a celebration line vote, 16-12. Awaiting Home ground motion.
- OPPOSE SB 1221 basin administration areas; appropriation
- This invoice would: set up a brand new framework for managing groundwater in rural Arizona. In its current form, it might be troublesome to implement and lacks the wanted instruments to scale back extreme groundwater pumping.
- The place it stands: awaiting Home ground motion after it handed out of the Senate with a 16-12 vote. This invoice handed the Home Pure Assets, Power, and Water Committee alongside get together traces (Republicans in favor, Democrats opposed). Nevertheless, talks proceed among the many Governor’s workplace and Democratic and Republican lawmakers to see if they’ll come to an settlement on a legislative answer for rural groundwater administration this 12 months.
- SUPPORT SB 1176 appropriation; Arizona path fund
- This invoice would: allocate $250,000 from the state basic fund to the Arizona path fund, which helps present upkeep, planning, and preservation of the 800-mile lengthy Arizona Trail.
- The place it stands: handed out of the Senate with a 21-7 vote. Awaiting the Guidelines Committee within the Home. Like all payments with funding connected, there comes some extent in session the place the invoice stops transferring and will get wrapped into the bigger funds negotiations.
Failed
- SUPPORT Home Invoice (HB) 2011 lottery; water infrastructure finance authority
- This invoice would: Allocate $25 million to the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority’s (WIFA) Water Conservation Grant Fund and $25 million to the WIFA Water Provide Growth Revolving Fund from the State Lottery Fund
- The place it stands: the invoice was assigned to 2 committees within the Home (Pure Assets, Power, and Water [NREW] and Appropriations) and though it handed NREW 9-0, it was by no means heard within the Appropriations Committee; due to this fact, it failed. Nevertheless, it might be a part of the funds negotiation course of.
- OPPOSE HB 2015 subsequent water administration areas; basins
- This invoice would: restrict the residents in a groundwater basin who can petition and vote for forming new Lively Administration Areas (AMAs) and new Irrigation Non-expansion Areas (INAs).
- The place it stands: failed within the Home on a 30-28 vote
- OPPOSE HB 2021 conservation easements; in lieu funds
- This invoice would: scale back incentives for conservation easements, a robust instrument for land stewardship
- The place it stands: failed within the Home on a 19-36 vote
- OPPOSE HB 2366 bodily availability; overview; designated suppliers
- This invoice would: undermine investments that municipalities with a 100-year water provide have made of their water portfolios.
- The place it stands: didn’t obtain ground motion within the Home
- SUPPORT HB 2487 residential lease group; Prescott AMA
- This invoice would: require build-to-rent/ residential lease housing improvement to show it has a 100 12 months water provide earlier than constructing within the Prescott Lively Administration Space.
- The place it stands: didn’t obtain a committee listening to within the Senate after it handed out of the Home on a partisan 31-28 vote.
- SUPPORT Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 1038 Ariona state parks heritage fund
- This invoice would: permit voters to resolve if the State Parks Heritage Fund ought to be funded at $10 million yearly from the State Lottery Fund. Topic to voter approval, it might reinstate funding, which was swept again within the Nice Recession.
- The place it stands: Sadly, this invoice didn’t move out of the Senate, on a 15-13 vote. We’re hopeful it will likely be included in funds negotiations.
Handed
- OPPOSE House Concurrent Memorial (HCM) 2007 Grand Canyon Footprints monument; repeal
- This invoice would: urge the President of the USA to repeal the lately established Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon Nationwide Monument. That is primarily a letter than the legislature sends to the White Home.
- The place it stands: transmitted to the Secretary of State (doesn’t require Governor’s signature) after it handed narrowly out of the Home and Senate chambers alongside straight partisan votes (Republicans supporting, Democrats opposing).
We’ll regulate the energetic payments as they make their approach to Governor Hobbs’s desk.
Audubon’s Priorities within the Arizona state funds
Every session, we define our checklist of priorities for what ought to be included in a hen and other people funds for Arizona. This 12 months, the monetary scenario is much less rosy than final 12 months.
Nonetheless, we should defend the lands and waters that maintain our livelihoods right here within the state. So, along with making certain the Arizona Division of Water Assets and the Arizona Division of Environmental High quality have the sources they should fulfill their missions of defending our water provides, Audubon is advocating that the next be included within the state funds:
- $27 million for proactive forest restoration to guard communities from wildfires and to enhance the well being of forests and watersheds
- $25 million for the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority’s Water Conservation Grant Fund (WIFA obtained greater than 250 grant functions requesting a complete of $300 million earlier than functions closed; $200 million complete was obtainable).
- $10 million for the State Parks Heritage Fund
- $9.5 million deposit into the Water High quality Charge Fund to make sure the cleanliness and security of floor water, groundwater, and ingesting water
- $250,000 to the Arizona path fund, which helps present upkeep, planning, and preservation of the 800-mile lengthy Arizona Trail.
Be sure you be a part of our Western Rivers Action Network so you possibly can simply contact your lawmakers to allow them to learn about these essential funding priorities—for our birds and for our state.