Weekly Legislative Reports

The 2019 Regular Session of the Arizona Legislature now has nearly 1,000 bills introduced, and more to come as filing deadlines are arriving soon in both the House and Senate. Resolution of the Arizona Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) was achieved yesterday, as both houses passed a series of bills just in time for the January 31 federal deadline for Arizona to complete its work on the DCP.

The 54th Arizona Legislature, 1st Regular Session, is in full swing, with more than 700 bills already introduced, and many more to come as filing deadlines loom in both the House and Senate. Resolution of the Arizona Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) is a major issue sure to take up a good deal of legislative time in the next week, with a January 31 federal deadline for Arizona to complete its work on the DCP.

The 54th Arizona Legislature, 1st Regular Session, officially began Monday, January 14 with Governor Doug Ducey giving his fifth State of the State address to the Legislature. Now beginning his second term in office, the Governor focused on the Legislature’s need to pass Arizona’s Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) no later than January 31, school safety, continued funding for public school education, his feeling that the State needs to continue to contribute to the “rainy day fund” to plan for future economic downturns, and a continued emphasis on reducing state regulation.

The 53nd Arizona Legislature, Second Regular Session, concluded its business by adjourning sine die at 12:26 a.m. on Friday, May 4. The session lasted 116 days, a little longer than recent sessions, and produced 1,206 bills, 285 of which have so far been signed into law by Governor Doug Ducey (as of 5/4).

The 53nd Arizona Legislature, 2nd Regular Session, is in full swing. As of today, a total of 697 bills have been introduced, with hundreds more to be brought forward in the coming weeks. This week featured the first full slate of committee hearings, though the agendas for those committees will be more extensive as the February 16 deadline for bills to be heard in their “house of origin” approaches. Other key deadlines are January 29 (last day for Senate introduction of bills) and February 5 (last day for House introduction of bills).

The 53nd Arizona Legislature, 1st Regular Session, officially began Monday, January 8 with Governor Doug Ducey giving his fourth State of the State address to the Legislature. He spent considerable time discussing his plans for increased funding for public education, tackling the state’s opioid crisis, a renewed emphasis on public safety for transportation concerns, and his continued efforts to help grow Arizona’s economy through decreased regulation on business and a welcoming climate for new and existing companies.