Issue 2 - January 18, 2013

Legislative Overview

Monday marked the start of the First Regular Session of the 51st Legislature. In addition to the swearing-in of returning and newly-elected legislators, President Andy Biggs and Speaker of the House Andy Tobin were officially voted to their leadership positions. The floor of the House of Representatives was packed with families, elected officials and dignitaries as they assembled to hear the Governor Jan Brewer's annual State of the State address. A brief statement on the address can be found below.

Thursday at 5 p.m. marked the deadline for representatives to introduce unlimited legislation. From that point forward, each representative may only introduce seven additional bills. A breakdown of important legislative dates can be found below.

Next week, the Legislature will not convene on Monday in honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Despite its shortened length, next week will likely be busy as committees begin to hear bills in earnest.

State of the State

Governor Brewer delivered her State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature on January 14th. In her 37-minute speech, the governor outlined past accomplishments and goals for the coming year. Although she did not go into tremendous detail, she does plan to address the expansion of Medicaid, increased funding for Child Protective Services and school resource officers, immigration reform, and simplifying the sales tax code. The League is, of course, particularly interested in the last point and will be in close communication with the executive and legislative branches on this issue.

Consolidated Elections

Last year HB 2826 (consolidated election dates) was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the governor, despite the League's opposition. The League understands and appreciates that this is an issue that mayors and councilmembers across the state are passionate about. We will continue to study and gather data on under-voting and election costs; nevertheless, it is time to move forward on key statutory changes that are needed to ensure the smoothest possible transition to a consolidated election schedule. State authorization on modifying terms of office and a one-time allowance in order to painlessly transition "home rule" authority onto a fall schedule will benefit both Capitol and municipal interests.

Session Deadlines

Every session has deadlines pertaining to bill submissions and hearings. These are established by rule and are subject to change. This year, the schedule is as follows:

January 2013
Thursday, the 17th - House 7-bill Introduction Limit Begins (5 p.m.)

February 2013
Monday, the 4th - Senate Bill Introduction Deadline (5 p.m.)
Monday, the 11th - House Bill Introduction Deadline (5 p.m.)
Friday, the 22nd - Last Day to hear bills in the chamber of origin

March 2013
Friday, the 22nd - Last Day to hear bills in the opposing chamber

April 2013
Tuesday, the 23rd - 100th Day of Session

Changes to the Legislative Bulletin

In the coming weeks the League will be implementing a new format for the Legislative Bulletin. Rather than provide a detailed narrative description and update on all municipally-related legislation that saw action during the prior week, the Bulletin will highlight only the top half-dozen or so topics and bills. Other legislation that the League is actively engaged on will still be monitored and updated; however, that information will be stored on a Legislative Bill Monitoring page on the League website. The Bulletin will link to the legislation that has been updated in our Legislative Bill Monitoring Section. We hope these changes will make it more convenient for you to keep up to date on the latest legislative activities, while still providing a resource for more detailed information.

Legislative Bulletin is published by the League of Arizona Cities and Towns.
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