AZBio Watch List and State Budget Update

All eyes are on the State Capitol as Arizona State Budget negotiations are now in full swing. 

The House introduced its spending package Thursday night and and heard the bills in Appropriations Committee and Committee of the Whole on Friday.

Arizona’s Senate  introduced its version on Tuesday, heard them in Appropriations Wednesday, and debated them in Committee of the Whole on Friday.  All amendments will be considered in Committee of the Whole.

Major points on the $470 million in one-time spending in FY16 and FY17 include:

• $30 million for school building renewal,
• $232 million in rollover payments,
• $19 million for the universities (after $99 million dollar cut last year)
• $600,000 for district-sponsored charter schools,
• $5 million for a college credit incentive pilot program,
• Agency consolidations include
  • Elimination of the Dept. of Fire, Building and Life Safety, and transfer its functions to other agencies.
  • Geological Survey responsibilities are being shifted to the University of Arizona,
  • The Oil and Gas Commission will be transferred over to the Dept of Environmental Quality,
  • The OSHA Review Board will transfer over to the Industrial Commission.
• Department of Child Safety is proposed to get $67.1 million more in FY16 and then another $52.4 million in FY17,
• Department of Corrections may get $24 million
  • $17 million for 1,000 prison beds.

Click here to view AZBio’s Letter to our elected leaders on Budget Priorities.

Unfortunately, at this time, neither the House or the Senate Packages contain funds to replenish the Angel Investor Tax Credit funds.  On June 16, 2015, the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA)  certified an allotment of tax credits that caused the initial $20 million angel tax credit cap to become fully subscribed. That means ACA is unable to certify further investments for angel tax credits until a new funding source is established by the Legislature.

To learn more about this critical program for Arizona’s Innovation Economy, please click here.

The links below will take you to the full text of the House and Senate Budget Proposals:

SENATE

HOUSE

Click here to view AZBio’s Letter to our elected leaders on Budget Priorities.

No significant movement is expected on the bills below until after the budget process has been completed. AZBio will continue to work with our contract lobbyists at Dorn Policy Group and provide information to the community on the State Budget as the negotiations continue.

AZBio Watch List

Bills Signed by Gov. Ducey

Bills sent to the Secretary of State

Passed Both Chambers – Pending Concurrence on Amendments from the originating chamber

Bills still in the process