|
||
|
||
Legislative OverviewOn Monday, January 13, the second regular session of Arizona's 51st Legislature will convene. Any mayors, councilmembers and municipal staff attending the Opening Day ceremonies are welcome to use the League as their "base of operations" throughout the day.In addition to the excitement and activity associated with welcoming returning legislators, Governor Jan Brewer will deliver her annual State of the State Address. Although the specifics of the governor's speech are unknown, it is expected to include the topic of Child Protective Services and the thousands of unresolved cases. Of particular interest to municipalities, it is expected that the Governor will unveil details about her proposal to provide some manner of tax exemptions for the electricity used by large-scale manufacturers. At this point no specifics are available on the proposal; the League will provide greater information and analysis in the coming weeks as more details are made available. Session DeadlinesEvery 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 2014 Monday, the 13th - First day of session Thursday, the 16th - House 7-bill Introduction Limit Begins (5 p.m.) February 2014 Monday, the 3rd - Senate Bill Introduction Deadline (5 p.m.) Monday, the 10th - House Bill Introduction Deadline (5 p.m.) Friday, the 21st - Last Day to hear bills in the chamber of origin March 2014 Friday, the 21st - Last Day to hear bills in the opposing chamber April 2014 Tuesday, the 22rd - 100th Day of Session Monday TeleconferencesThe League will continue to host a weekly teleconference to report on the status and impact of various legislative bills in the 2014 session. The calls are scheduled for Monday mornings promptly at 10:00 a.m. Mayors, managers and other city or town staff who are interested in legislative activities are invited to participate. Call-in numbers and a brief agenda will be sent out prior to the calls, the first of which is scheduled for this Monday, January 13. If you would like to receive the Monday agendas, please contact league@azleague.org and request to be added to the distribution list for the Monday teleconference.Legislative BulletinThe League will electronically distribute the legislative bulletin every Friday during the legislative session. The bulletin serves as a way for the League to communicate to elected officials, staff and other interested parties about activities at the Legislature with relevance to cities and towns. If you know of any municipal official or staff member that would like to subscribe to the bulletin please have them send their name and email to league@azleague.org and request to be added to the legislative bulletin distribution list.This year will see the continuation of the more streamlined format introduced last year. 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 available on our 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 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 InternThe League is pleased to welcome Cyrell Ritivoy as its new legislative intern for the 2014 session. Cyrell's background is in management and customer service. She is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree in both Justice Studies and Family and Human Development from Arizona State University. Cyrell will be assisting the League's legislative staff for the duration of the spring 2014 semester.Your VoiceThe 2014 edition of Your Voice at the Capitol, our listing of senators and representatives, is available here. Please use this document to access your delegation. Early contact with your legislative delegation is strongly recommended in order to establish a relationship with the elected officials representing your district. Maintaining good communications with your legislators provides them with invaluable insight as to how proposed legislation may affect their communities.Additionally, you can contact our legislative division at (602) 258-5786 or email using the information below: René Guillen, Jr., Legislative Director: rguillen@azleague.org Ryan Peters, Legislative Associate: rpeters@azleague.org Dale Wiebusch, Legislative Associate: dwiebusch@azleague.org |
||
|
Legislative Bulletin is published by the League of Arizona Cities and Towns. Forward your comments or suggestions to league@azleague.org. |
