|
|
|
|
Legislative OverviewToday marks the 54th day of the 2016 session. Committee agendas picked up as the chambers began to hear each other's bills. Floor activity was particularly heavy, especially in the House. To date there are still only four bills that have been signed into law by the Governor. The last day for committee hearings besides Appropriations is March 18th.CensusHB2483 municipal population estimates; use, sponsored by Representative Justin Olson (R - Mesa) passed the House this week by a unanimous vote. This bill is the culmination of much hard work by League members to have more accurate population numbers for the purposes of distributing shared revenue. It allows for cities and towns to use the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimates on a yearly basis to keep up with changes in growth. The bill has been assigned to the Senate Appropriations Committee.DronesThe drone bill, SB1449 prohibited operations; unmanned aircraft passed the Senate this week after being amended on the floor with material from stakeholder input. There are still some outstanding issues, but the parties involved have agreed to continue their work together to reach a reasonable solution. The bill is waiting for committee assignment in the House. The bill's sponsor is Senator John Kavanagh (R - Fountain Hills).BondsOn Monday HB2402 bonds; disclosure; notice passed the Senate Government Committee by a vote of 4-2. The bill, sponsored by Representative Vince Leach (R - Tucson) requires that the tax impact calculated for a bond measure must use the maximum interest rate of that measure. The League testified in opposition to the bill and argued that if the worst case scenario was going to be presented to the voters that, at the very least, the more likely tax impacts based on current interest rate climates should be included as well. The League will continue to try and amend the bill so that the language is more reflective of what rates actually are, not their maximum. It now proceeds to the Senate Rules Committee.Recovery HomesHB2107 substance abuse recovery homes, sponsored by Representative Noel Campbell (R - Prescott) passed the House by a vote of 49-9. The bill allows for city regulation of these types of homes, which have proliferated in recent years in various cities and towns. This bill is also a League Resolution. It now awaits committee assignment in the Senate.Legislative Bill Monitoring(All bills being actively monitored by the League can be found here.)HB2483: municipal population estimates; use SB1449: unmanned aircraft; prohibited operations HB2402: bonds; disclosure; notice HB2107: substance abuse recovery homes SB1241: photo radar prohibition; state highways HB2076: annexation; single property owner; exception HB2146: municipalities; property sale threshold; election |
|
|
Legislative Bulletin is published by the League of Arizona Cities and Towns. Forward your comments or suggestions to league@azleague.org. |