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Legislative OverviewToday marks the 61st day of the 2016 session. Committee agendas lengthened as this was the second to the last week to hear bills except in Appropriations. Floor activity was moderate as bills from the opposite chamber just started to clear committees. To date five bills have been signed into law by the Governor. The last day for committee hearings besides Appropriations is March 18th.Public Record RequestsSB1282, public records; unduly burdensome requests passed the House Government and Higher Education Committee this week by a vote of 5-2. The bill, sponsored by Senator John Kavanagh (R - Fountain Hills) is the product of negotiations between the League and the newspaper association over many years. It requires those requesting public records to be more specific in their requests, and grants a defense to government in court for denying a request that is unduly burdensome of harassing. The bill now goes to the House Rules Committee.Recovery HomesOn Wednesday night the Senate Government Committee passed HB2107, substance abuse recovery homes by a vote of 5-2. The bill is a League Resolution and is sponsored by Representative Noel Campbell (R - Prescott). The measure allows for cities and towns to have greater regulation over the recovery home industry. It now proceeds to the Senate Rules Committee.Penalizing CitiesSB1487, state law; local violations; penalties passed out of the House Commerce Committee on Wednesday by a 5-3 vote. If enacted, the bill would withhold shared revenue from cities and towns that are found by the Attorney General to have violated state law. The League testified in opposition to the bill as an attack on local authority and a bypassing of the constitutional protections of due process. The bill now goes to the Rules Committee.RegulationsSponsored by Senator Steve Smith (R - Maricopa), SB 1524, regulatory actions; limitations limits regulatory restrictions a municipality may place on a business. The bill also addresses concerns of self-regulation of businesses within cities. The League is neutral on the bill. It now goes to the Rules Committee.Online Home-sharingSB 1350, online homesharing administration; definitions allows for a city, town, or other taxing jurisdiction to levy a transaction privilege, sales, use or similar tax/fee on the business of operating a online lodging marketplace. It is sponsored by Senator Debbie Lesko (R - Peoria). The League is continuing to engage in negotiations with the proponents in order to reach a reasonable compromise on the issues, therefore the League is officially neutral. The bill was a strike-everything amendment and passed through the Senate. It is scheduled for a hearing in House Ways and Means Committee on Monday, March 14th.Legislative Bill Monitoring(All bills being actively monitored by the League can be found here.)SB1282: public records; unduly burdensome requests HB2107: substance abuse recovery homes SB1487: state law; local violations; penalties SB1524: regulatory actions; limitations SB1350: S/E online lodging; administration; definitions |
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Legislative Bulletin is published by the League of Arizona Cities and Towns. Forward your comments or suggestions to league@azleague.org. |