Week Twenty-two: Fifty-Fifth Legislature — Second Regular Session (week 24) Sine Die Edition
"I'm grateful to my Democratic colleagues who worked together to deliver a budget that will make the critical investment in Arizona's public schools that voters have demanded for years. This budget is far from perfect - however, students, families, and teachers needed us to act now. Students are the future of Arizona, and an investment in our future helps put Arizona on the right path Forward.”
– ADLCC Board Chair, Rep. Jennifer Longdon
Democrats Secure the Votes to Pass Historic Bipartisan Budget
Education Funding Dollars
The legislature agreed to an increase of $1.2 billion to public K-12 education that includes:
$526 million in permanent base funding for K-12 schools
$100 million in additional dollars for K-12 special education funding
$100 million in opportunity weight funding for low-income K-12 students
$58 million for results-based funding program
$50 million for school safety officers and counselors
Additional one-time dollars will go to help schools fix overdue capital projects, replace transportation fleets, and upgrade classroom technology.
Democratic Budget Wins
First, thanks to Congressional Democrats and the Biden-Harris Administration for delivering $635 million of American Rescue Plan federal funds that are paying for costs that would have come out of our state’s general fund.
Democrats spent a marathon week negotiating on behalf of working families to secure increased funding for public programs including:
$80 million additional increase to universities
$60 million for the Arizona Housing Trust Fund
$59 million for Arizona’s Developmental Disabilities Program
$13 million to scholarships for the lowest-income in-state students
$11 million for community college STEM instruction
The budget also appropriates dollars to the health care of working families and children including: the Healthy Families program, postpartum Medicaid coverage, and Medicaid eligibility for foster youth.
Other Wins
SB1740 – A bipartisan water bill that invests $1 billion for water infrastructure and conservation plan over three years, including $200m to help Arizona cities and rural communities with conservation projects.
HB2309 – Rep. Jennifer Jermaine’s bill requires law enforcement to notify juveniles of their parent or legal custodian passed the Senate and is headed to the governor’s desk.
SB1222 – Sen. Sean Bowie’s bill that allows Arizonans to keep federal benefits like the Child Tax Credit through the bankruptcy process passed the House and is headed to the governor’s desk. h/t to Sen. Bowie’s seatmate, Rep. Jermaine for pushing the bill with bipartisan support in the House.
Tribal Dollars
Senator Theresa Hatathlie, Representatives Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren and Myron Tsosie worked all session to ensure shovel-ready infrastructure projects had the funds to break ground in Northern Arizona including:
$500,000 Lukachukai Veterans Multi-Purpose Complex, Lukachukai, AZ.
$2.2 million funding for Arizona Dept. of Veteran Services (ADVS) to fund Veteran Service Officers to provide services to rural communities
$1 million funding for ADVS to distribute to discharged tribal military members for tribal ceremonies, including those with PTSD
$5 million ADOT, Highway 89 Roundabout, Page, AZ
$1 million ADOT, Ganado Loop Road
$6 million DOT. Sweetwater N3S Road Shortfall
$10 million DOT, Lupton & Houck N9402 Road
$2 million Kayenta Judicial Complex, Kayenta, AZ
$2 million Missing & Murdered Indigenous People, AZ Attorney General's Office
$100,000 Childhood Trauma Training, AZ Dept. of Economic Security
$1 million Little Colorado Visitor Center, AZ State Parks Board
$1 million Teesto Multi-Purpose Center, Teesto, AZ
$3 million Dilkon Community Center, Dilkon, AZ
$4 million ADO set aside for Navajo and Hopi tribal housing
$4 million Navajo Technical University Environmental Lab, Chile, AZ
$8 million Diné College Student Center, Tuba City, AZ
$5 million Dept. of Indian Education, Language, Cultural & Historical Preservation
The Bad
$344 million in property tax cuts, eliminating an annual funding source for public education by repealing a state property tax. This change will put the state closer to the Prop 123 triggers that will limit K-12 funding.
$500 million for securing our southern border, and $20 million in ongoing funding.
The Aggregate Expenditure Limit was not repealed for FY23 setting up another vote to extend the 1980 school funding cap next March.
The Largest Universal Voucher Expansion in the Nation
HB2853 – Rep. Ben Toma introduced a bill to divert public school dollars from all 1.1 million Arizona schoolchildren in favor of a $7,000 private school voucher. In 2018, private school vouchers were rejected by the voters of Arizona by a 2:1 margin.
Sen. Christine Marsh and Sen. Martín Quezada made motions for amendments that would have limited discrimination and increased the transparency of public dollars in private schools - both failed.
Sine Die
Thank you to everyone who has supported our work for all 167 days of this legislative session. We will need supporters like you to keep our field teams running all the way until Election Day. If you enjoy our these updates, we hope you will chip in and volunteer to support our work flipping our legislature.
From now until Election Day, we want you to know that the ADLCC will be organizing to flip the legislature so that these emails can be a little more hopeful next session.