CALENDAR: COW Calendar #1
DAY: Thursday
DATE: February 24, 2011
TIME: The House is scheduled to reconvene at
link to COW Calendar #1: http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/calendar/h0224013102.doc.htm
BILL: HB 2338 SPECIAL DISTRICTS; SECONDARY LEVY LIMITS
link: http://www.azleg.gov/DocumentsForBill.asp?Bill_Number=2338&Session_Id=102
First sponsor: Rep. Olson (bio at http://www.azleg.gov/MembersPage.asp?Member_ID=108&Legislature=50&Session_ID=102 )
LOLA Summary: The Property Tax Oversight Commission is authorized to review the secondary property tax levy of county free library districts, county jail districts, and public health services districts. Beginning in tax year 2011, the maximum amount of a levy for these special districts cannot exceed the amount of the levy in the preceding tax year, adjusted annually by a percentage equal to the rate of change in the levy limit for the county in which the district is located.
ARS Titles Affected: 42 48
Comments: The bill passed the House Ways and Means committee on Feb 8th with an amendment that (according to the caucus fact sheet, "Specifies that levy limitations imposed on county free library districts do not apply to debt service on district bonds". It should be noted that versions of this bill have appeared in similar legislative sessions.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Good News! But keep up the good work for IMLS & LSTA!
Good work, everybody! Because of ALA’s unprecedented grassroots efforts this week on amendment #35 to H.R. 1 (the Continuing Resolution to the FY2011 budget) was defeated! This victory for libraries is undoubtedly due to the strong grassroots efforts of librarians and library supporters all across the country.
As you recall, late Monday evening U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ-5) introduced an amendment that would eliminate all funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) including funding for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), the primary source of federal dollars to libraries.
Today, as the U.S. House of Representatives wraps up floor debate on HR 1, Rep. Garrett has made it clear to us that he is no longer “pushing” for a vote on his amendment. Once the House passes H.R. 1, - likely today or tomorrow - the budget will be sent over to the Senate where they will have the opportunity to make amendments and vote on this year’s budget bill.
Even though we overcame this amendment, our work is not done. H.R. 1 still has to be approved by the Senate and signed by the President. Please tell your friends, library users and advocates that their voices will be needed on library issues in the weeks and months to come.
Also, libraries face cuts in President Obama’s FY2012 budget request sent to Congress on February 14. In his request, President Obama cuts funding to LSTA by $20 million as well as consolidates Improving Literacy Through School Libraries with other literacy programs in the Department of Education. ALA needs you to continue your calls to Congress in our fight to protect library funding in FY’12.
This is only the beginning; libraries will continue to be threatened in the next Congress. Now, more than ever, we need your participation on May 9-10, 2011 at ALA’s National Library Legislative Day in Washington D.C. where you will have the opportunity to meet with your members of Congress and explain to them why cutting library funding would be short-sighted. To register for NLLD, please go to www.ala.org/nlld.
Kristin Murphy
Government Relations Specialist
American Library Association - Washington Office
1615 New Hampshire Ave. NW, First Floor
Washington, D.C., 20009-2520
Phone Number: 202.628.8410
kmurphy@alawash.org
Take action for libraries! Visit our Legislative Action Center at http://bit.ly/legaction
As you recall, late Monday evening U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ-5) introduced an amendment that would eliminate all funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) including funding for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), the primary source of federal dollars to libraries.
Today, as the U.S. House of Representatives wraps up floor debate on HR 1, Rep. Garrett has made it clear to us that he is no longer “pushing” for a vote on his amendment. Once the House passes H.R. 1, - likely today or tomorrow - the budget will be sent over to the Senate where they will have the opportunity to make amendments and vote on this year’s budget bill.
Even though we overcame this amendment, our work is not done. H.R. 1 still has to be approved by the Senate and signed by the President. Please tell your friends, library users and advocates that their voices will be needed on library issues in the weeks and months to come.
Also, libraries face cuts in President Obama’s FY2012 budget request sent to Congress on February 14. In his request, President Obama cuts funding to LSTA by $20 million as well as consolidates Improving Literacy Through School Libraries with other literacy programs in the Department of Education. ALA needs you to continue your calls to Congress in our fight to protect library funding in FY’12.
This is only the beginning; libraries will continue to be threatened in the next Congress. Now, more than ever, we need your participation on May 9-10, 2011 at ALA’s National Library Legislative Day in Washington D.C. where you will have the opportunity to meet with your members of Congress and explain to them why cutting library funding would be short-sighted. To register for NLLD, please go to www.ala.org/nlld.
Kristin Murphy
Government Relations Specialist
American Library Association - Washington Office
1615 New Hampshire Ave. NW, First Floor
Washington, D.C., 20009-2520
Phone Number: 202.628.8410
kmurphy@alawash.org
Take action for libraries! Visit our Legislative Action Center at http://bit.ly/legaction
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Urgent Help Needed in Support of IMLS & LSTA
This week, the House of Representatives will consider two amendments to the FY2011 Continuing Resolution that are critical to libraries – one that would eliminate all Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) funding including Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding and another that would halt all funding for Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) orders seeking libraries and bookstore records of U.S. citizens.
E-mail via Capwiz or call your representative at (202) 224-3121 today and tell him or her to oppose Amendment #35 to the Continuing Resolution!
Amendment #35, submitted by U.S. Rep. Scott Garret (R-NJ), seeks to zero out the Institute of Museum and Library Services, eliminating all federal funding specifically for libraries.
Message to Your Representative:
Libraries are essential to every community, and federal funding is critical for ensuring library resources and services remain available to their constituents.
LSTA supports all kinds of libraries including school, academic, and public libraries.
Public libraries are the primary source of no-fee access to the Internet and are active in assisting the public with online job searches, e-government services, and lifelong learning.
E-mail via Capwiz or call your representative at (202) 224-3121 today and tell him or her to support Conyers’ amendment to the Continuing Resolution!
This amendment, sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), would halt all funding for FISA orders seeking libraries and bookstore records of U.S. citizens. Currently, this vote is scheduled for this Thursday, February 17.
Message to Your Representative:
Vote YES on the Conyers amendment to the FY2011 Continuing Resolution to halt funding for Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) orders that would seek library and bookstore records of U.S. citizens;
The Conyers amendment seeks to protect individual privacy and personal reading records from inappropriate access by law enforcement;
Like previous reader privacy bills, this amendment has bipartisan support;
Law enforcement access to the reading habits of individuals should be held to a higher legal standard in order to protect civil liberties and the right to read and access information.
In the weeks to come, extending your advocacy efforts to your senators as well as continuing to reach out to your representatives will be vitally important to protecting the future of libraries. Questions as well as reports and feedback from your calls and e-mails are welcomed. Please contact Kristin Murphy or Lynne Bradley at the ALA Office of Government Relations, Washington Office.
E-mail via Capwiz or call your representative at (202) 224-3121 today and tell him or her to oppose Amendment #35 to the Continuing Resolution!
Amendment #35, submitted by U.S. Rep. Scott Garret (R-NJ), seeks to zero out the Institute of Museum and Library Services, eliminating all federal funding specifically for libraries.
Message to Your Representative:
Libraries are essential to every community, and federal funding is critical for ensuring library resources and services remain available to their constituents.
LSTA supports all kinds of libraries including school, academic, and public libraries.
Public libraries are the primary source of no-fee access to the Internet and are active in assisting the public with online job searches, e-government services, and lifelong learning.
E-mail via Capwiz or call your representative at (202) 224-3121 today and tell him or her to support Conyers’ amendment to the Continuing Resolution!
This amendment, sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), would halt all funding for FISA orders seeking libraries and bookstore records of U.S. citizens. Currently, this vote is scheduled for this Thursday, February 17.
Message to Your Representative:
Vote YES on the Conyers amendment to the FY2011 Continuing Resolution to halt funding for Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) orders that would seek library and bookstore records of U.S. citizens;
The Conyers amendment seeks to protect individual privacy and personal reading records from inappropriate access by law enforcement;
Like previous reader privacy bills, this amendment has bipartisan support;
Law enforcement access to the reading habits of individuals should be held to a higher legal standard in order to protect civil liberties and the right to read and access information.
In the weeks to come, extending your advocacy efforts to your senators as well as continuing to reach out to your representatives will be vitally important to protecting the future of libraries. Questions as well as reports and feedback from your calls and e-mails are welcomed. Please contact Kristin Murphy or Lynne Bradley at the ALA Office of Government Relations, Washington Office.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
From Lynne Bradley:
At this writing, it's the best of times, the worst of times...
MESSAGE TO ALL HOUSE MEMBERS: Although the House will vote on the rule (the procedures) for H.R. 514 tomorrow, the vote on the actual legislation will likely be scheduled for sometime next week. Continue to vote against H.R. 514. Support proposals such as those in S. 290 that would better protect civil liberties, reader privacy in particular, while extending the next sunset to December 2013.
MESSAGE TO SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE MEMBERS: "Please vote YES on S. 290 in committee markup. The bill provides reasonable changes to protect our civil liberties, including reader privacy protections, increases oversight and reporting while extending the sunsets until the end of 2013 to take PATRIOT debate out of election year politics. [ For previous report with specific talking points see: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/advocacy/federallegislation/theusapatriotact/advocate/index.cfm ]
HOUSE: PATRIOT Act bill defeated for first time in the House!... at least, temporarily.
ALA has just heard, that the House of Representatives, which defeated H.R. 514, last night – will now have another vote tomorrow, Thursday, February 10th. H.R. 514 is a bill "To extend expiring provisions of the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reuathorization Act of 2005 and Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 relating to access to.....[http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/thomas].
This bill would extend three sections of the USA PATRIOT Act, including Section 215, the business records section, often referred to as the "library provision." The final vote was a surprise outcome for the new Republican leadership - actually for many observers. The bill had been debated Tuesday on the House floor for less than an hour with the floor vote starting at 6:30 p.m. Because the bill was on suspension calendar it required a 2/3rd majority to pass - which did not happen. It is likely that the next House floor vote will be tomorrow, Thursday, February 10th. House leadership will bring the bill up on its regular agenda under rules that would allow for only a simple majority for passage.
The current sunset for the three expiring sections (Secton 215/business records, lone wolf and roving wiretaps provisions) is February 28, 2011, which means Congress must move quickly. H.R. 514 would establish a new sunset of December 8, 2011, without any amendments or changes. ALA supports defeat of this sunset bill and urges needed amendments to Section 215, and national security letters - which are in Senator Leahy's S. 290. [
Preliminary vote analysis suggests that many new House members supported the call from Rep. Ron Paul and other "libertarians" to minimize government controls in our lives. Stayed tune for more on House activities.
Summary Chart of vote on HR 514, February 8, 2011:
Yeas
Nays
PRES
NV
Republican
210
26
5
Democratic
67
122
4
Independent
TOTALS
277
148
9
SENATE:
There is no business meeting or markup scheduled this week in the Senate Judiciary Committee to address PATRIOT Act bills and the pending sunset of February 28. Last week Senator Leahy's bill, now S. 290, previously S. 193, was tabled. This tactic seems to support the Republican strategy of delaying any action on substantive changes to the three expiring sections (see above) so that one of the "mere sunset extension" bills would prevail. [ For previous report with specific talking points see: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/advocacy/federallegislation/theusapatriotact/advocate/index.cfm ]
Standby for updates - while keeping messages going to House and Senate.
At this writing, it's the best of times, the worst of times...
MESSAGE TO ALL HOUSE MEMBERS: Although the House will vote on the rule (the procedures) for H.R. 514 tomorrow, the vote on the actual legislation will likely be scheduled for sometime next week. Continue to vote against H.R. 514. Support proposals such as those in S. 290 that would better protect civil liberties, reader privacy in particular, while extending the next sunset to December 2013.
MESSAGE TO SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE MEMBERS: "Please vote YES on S. 290 in committee markup. The bill provides reasonable changes to protect our civil liberties, including reader privacy protections, increases oversight and reporting while extending the sunsets until the end of 2013 to take PATRIOT debate out of election year politics. [ For previous report with specific talking points see: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/advocacy/federallegislation/theusapatriotact/advocate/index.cfm ]
HOUSE: PATRIOT Act bill defeated for first time in the House!... at least, temporarily.
ALA has just heard, that the House of Representatives, which defeated H.R. 514, last night – will now have another vote tomorrow, Thursday, February 10th. H.R. 514 is a bill "To extend expiring provisions of the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reuathorization Act of 2005 and Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 relating to access to.....[http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/thomas].
This bill would extend three sections of the USA PATRIOT Act, including Section 215, the business records section, often referred to as the "library provision." The final vote was a surprise outcome for the new Republican leadership - actually for many observers. The bill had been debated Tuesday on the House floor for less than an hour with the floor vote starting at 6:30 p.m. Because the bill was on suspension calendar it required a 2/3rd majority to pass - which did not happen. It is likely that the next House floor vote will be tomorrow, Thursday, February 10th. House leadership will bring the bill up on its regular agenda under rules that would allow for only a simple majority for passage.
The current sunset for the three expiring sections (Secton 215/business records, lone wolf and roving wiretaps provisions) is February 28, 2011, which means Congress must move quickly. H.R. 514 would establish a new sunset of December 8, 2011, without any amendments or changes. ALA supports defeat of this sunset bill and urges needed amendments to Section 215, and national security letters - which are in Senator Leahy's S. 290. [
Preliminary vote analysis suggests that many new House members supported the call from Rep. Ron Paul and other "libertarians" to minimize government controls in our lives. Stayed tune for more on House activities.
Summary Chart of vote on HR 514, February 8, 2011:
Yeas
Nays
PRES
NV
Republican
210
26
5
Democratic
67
122
4
Independent
TOTALS
277
148
9
SENATE:
There is no business meeting or markup scheduled this week in the Senate Judiciary Committee to address PATRIOT Act bills and the pending sunset of February 28. Last week Senator Leahy's bill, now S. 290, previously S. 193, was tabled. This tactic seems to support the Republican strategy of delaying any action on substantive changes to the three expiring sections (see above) so that one of the "mere sunset extension" bills would prevail. [ For previous report with specific talking points see: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/advocacy/federallegislation/theusapatriotact/advocate/index.cfm ]
Standby for updates - while keeping messages going to House and Senate.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Press Release: Reader Privacy
Dear colleagues,
A press release shared with division IFC liaisons by the Office for Intellectual Freedom.
Best wishes,
Melora Norman, ASCLA Liaison to IFC________________________________From: Deborah Caldwell-Stone [dstone@ala.org]Sent: Monday, January 31, 2011 5:28 PMTo: stateifc@ala.orgCc: divisionifc@ala.orgSubject: [divisionifc] Fw: Reader Privacy Advocates Urge Calls to CongressFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Oren Teicher (ABA), 800-637-0037, x 6611 Lynne Bradley (ALA) 800-941-8478 Judith Platt (AAP) 202-220-4551 Larry Siems (PEN) 212-334-1660 x 105READER PRIVACY ADVOCATES URGE CALLS TO CONGRESS WASHINGTON, DC, January 31, 2011—As debate begins in Washington again over the reauthorization of sections of the USA Patriot Act that expire on Feb. 28, the Campaign for Reader Privacy, representing librarians, booksellers, authors and publishers, urged its supporters today to ask their members of Congress to support the restoration of the safeguards for reader privacy that were eliminated by the Patriot Act in 2001. The Patriot Act authorizes the FBI to obtain secret orders to search any business or organization, including bookstores and libraries, whenever it is seeking records that are “relevant” to a national security investigation, including the records of people who are not suspected of criminal conduct. The Campaign for Reader Privacy is urging Congress to limit Patriot Act searches of bookstores and libraries to the records of “agents of a foreign power,” including suspected terrorists, and people who are known to them. The Campaign has endorsed a bill, S. 193, reintroduced last week by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) that was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2009 when Congress last considered reauthorization. It provides important safeguards for library records. However, it does not provide additional protection for bookstore records.Barbara Jones, director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, called on Congress to protect the privacy of reader records in bookstores as well as libraries. “We appreciate the heightened protection afforded library records for those Americans who borrow books. The next logical step would be to safeguard the First Amendment rights of Americans who purchase books in a bookstore. In both instances, reader privacy must be maintained," she said.The Campaign for Reader Privacy urges its supporters to contact their representatives in the House and the Senate. In the Senate, they should urge amendments to the Leahy bill to provide equal protection for library and bookstore records. In the House (where the only bill introduced so far calls for a one-year extension of the Patriot Act without any changes), they should demand substantive reform that will protect reader privacy.In contacting their representatives reader privacy advocates can strengthen their arguments by citing a recent letter from Attorney General Eric Holder. On December 9, in response to Leahy’s request, Holder promised to implement many of the reforms that were contained in Leahy’s 2009 reauthorization bill, including the provision strengthening reader privacy. Holder said the added protections would apply to both libraries and bookstores. “Taken together, I believe these measures will advance the goals of....enhancing the privacy and civil liberties our citizens enjoy without compromising our ability to keep our nation safe and secure,” Holder wrote.Supporters of reader privacy should tell their representatives that they can vote for these changes knowing that the Attorney General of the United States has said that they do not threaten national security and actually enhance privacy and civil liberties.The Campaign for Reader Privacy was organized in 2004 by the American Booksellers Association, the American Library Association, the Association of American Publishers, and PEN American Center. Its goal is to ensure that Americans can purchase and borrow books without fear that the government is reading over their shoulder.
A press release shared with division IFC liaisons by the Office for Intellectual Freedom.
Best wishes,
Melora Norman, ASCLA Liaison to IFC________________________________From: Deborah Caldwell-Stone [dstone@ala.org]Sent: Monday, January 31, 2011 5:28 PMTo: stateifc@ala.orgCc: divisionifc@ala.orgSubject: [divisionifc] Fw: Reader Privacy Advocates Urge Calls to CongressFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Oren Teicher (ABA), 800-637-0037, x 6611 Lynne Bradley (ALA) 800-941-8478 Judith Platt (AAP) 202-220-4551 Larry Siems (PEN) 212-334-1660 x 105READER PRIVACY ADVOCATES URGE CALLS TO CONGRESS WASHINGTON, DC, January 31, 2011—As debate begins in Washington again over the reauthorization of sections of the USA Patriot Act that expire on Feb. 28, the Campaign for Reader Privacy, representing librarians, booksellers, authors and publishers, urged its supporters today to ask their members of Congress to support the restoration of the safeguards for reader privacy that were eliminated by the Patriot Act in 2001. The Patriot Act authorizes the FBI to obtain secret orders to search any business or organization, including bookstores and libraries, whenever it is seeking records that are “relevant” to a national security investigation, including the records of people who are not suspected of criminal conduct. The Campaign for Reader Privacy is urging Congress to limit Patriot Act searches of bookstores and libraries to the records of “agents of a foreign power,” including suspected terrorists, and people who are known to them. The Campaign has endorsed a bill, S. 193, reintroduced last week by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) that was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2009 when Congress last considered reauthorization. It provides important safeguards for library records. However, it does not provide additional protection for bookstore records.Barbara Jones, director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, called on Congress to protect the privacy of reader records in bookstores as well as libraries. “We appreciate the heightened protection afforded library records for those Americans who borrow books. The next logical step would be to safeguard the First Amendment rights of Americans who purchase books in a bookstore. In both instances, reader privacy must be maintained," she said.The Campaign for Reader Privacy urges its supporters to contact their representatives in the House and the Senate. In the Senate, they should urge amendments to the Leahy bill to provide equal protection for library and bookstore records. In the House (where the only bill introduced so far calls for a one-year extension of the Patriot Act without any changes), they should demand substantive reform that will protect reader privacy.In contacting their representatives reader privacy advocates can strengthen their arguments by citing a recent letter from Attorney General Eric Holder. On December 9, in response to Leahy’s request, Holder promised to implement many of the reforms that were contained in Leahy’s 2009 reauthorization bill, including the provision strengthening reader privacy. Holder said the added protections would apply to both libraries and bookstores. “Taken together, I believe these measures will advance the goals of....enhancing the privacy and civil liberties our citizens enjoy without compromising our ability to keep our nation safe and secure,” Holder wrote.Supporters of reader privacy should tell their representatives that they can vote for these changes knowing that the Attorney General of the United States has said that they do not threaten national security and actually enhance privacy and civil liberties.The Campaign for Reader Privacy was organized in 2004 by the American Booksellers Association, the American Library Association, the Association of American Publishers, and PEN American Center. Its goal is to ensure that Americans can purchase and borrow books without fear that the government is reading over their shoulder.
Welcome to the AzLA Legislative Network 2011!
This year's Legislative Committee includes: Nancy Ledeboer (AzLA President), Brenda Brown (Committee Chair), Dale Savage (ASLAPR), Angie Creel-Erb (Southern Regional Representative), Jacque Griffin (Central Regional Representative), Heidi Holland (Northern Regional Representative), David Gunckel (Sierra Vista Public Library) and AzLA Lobbyist Kristin Boilini.
This year's Legislative Committee includes: Nancy Ledeboer (AzLA President), Brenda Brown (Committee Chair), Dale Savage (ASLAPR), Angie Creel-Erb (Southern Regional Representative), Jacque Griffin (Central Regional Representative), Heidi Holland (Northern Regional Representative), David Gunckel (Sierra Vista Public Library) and AzLA Lobbyist Kristin Boilini.
Friday, June 27, 2008
UPDATE: MESA PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER LIBRARIANS
Last night at the Mesa Public Schools Board meeting, the Board chose to eliminate all teacher-librarians over a 3 year period.
One-third of the schools in Mesa will not have librarians in 08-09. This includes Westwood High School, which hosts an International Baccalaureate program. Students in this program must complete a very involved senior thesis.
We will be monitoring Mesa Public Schools next year closely, and will continue to advocate for teacher-librarian funding at the state level.
Thank you to all who participated in advocating for students, through petition signing, rallying, and sending comments to the Mesa Governing Board.
Related press:
http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2008/06/25/20080625mr-budget0626.html
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/06/23/20080623budget0623.html
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/119320
One-third of the schools in Mesa will not have librarians in 08-09. This includes Westwood High School, which hosts an International Baccalaureate program. Students in this program must complete a very involved senior thesis.
We will be monitoring Mesa Public Schools next year closely, and will continue to advocate for teacher-librarian funding at the state level.
Thank you to all who participated in advocating for students, through petition signing, rallying, and sending comments to the Mesa Governing Board.
Related press:
http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2008/06/25/20080625mr-budget0626.html
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/06/23/20080623budget0623.html
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/119320
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Letter from President about Mesa school librarians
Greetings AzLA Members:
For those of you who have not heard, Mesa Public Schools, Arizona’s largest school district recently announced a three-year plan to eliminate all school librarian positions as part of a cost-savings measure. Additionally, school districts around the state continue reducing library services in an effort to balance their budgets.
In response to this alarming situation "Fund Our Future Arizona," a coalition of parents, businesses and other partners/endorsers, has been formed to launch a statewide effort to raise awareness for school libraries. The Arizona Library Association has responded by becoming an official Charter Member of "Fund Our Future Arizona". A petition has begun circulating to provide Arizona citizens a forum to voice their support, which I strongly encourage all members to sign. I have attached a press release with further information and contacts.
Visit http://www.fundourfuturearizona.org for more information!
Please join me in an effort to support our libraries, schools, and students!
For those of you who have not heard, Mesa Public Schools, Arizona’s largest school district recently announced a three-year plan to eliminate all school librarian positions as part of a cost-savings measure. Additionally, school districts around the state continue reducing library services in an effort to balance their budgets.
In response to this alarming situation "Fund Our Future Arizona," a coalition of parents, businesses and other partners/endorsers, has been formed to launch a statewide effort to raise awareness for school libraries. The Arizona Library Association has responded by becoming an official Charter Member of "Fund Our Future Arizona". A petition has begun circulating to provide Arizona citizens a forum to voice their support, which I strongly encourage all members to sign. I have attached a press release with further information and contacts.
Visit http://www.fundourfuturearizona.org for more information!
Please join me in an effort to support our libraries, schools, and students!
Monday, April 14, 2008
SB 1256 Property Tax Update
The Senate again failed to hold a vote on SB 1256: special districts; secondary levy limits (B. Burns) when a majority of senators told the bill's sponsor they planned to vote against the proposal. The bill, which would arbitrarily restrict county-controlled library, public health and jail districts to an annual increase of two percent plus new construction, has repeatedly been held back as Senate leadership attempts to corral the necessary votes.
After several months of negotiations on another property tax proposal, the Senate held a vote on HB 2220: state equalization property tax repeal (J. Weiers) when Senator Ken Cheuvront (D-15) changed his vote to allow the measure to pass. The permanent repeal of the state's education property tax rate had been stalled due to division in the Senate Republican caucus. If approved by Governor Napolitano, the proposal would permanently establish the property tax repeal that was suspended for three years in 2006. It is unclear whether or not the Governor will sign the legislation.
After several months of negotiations on another property tax proposal, the Senate held a vote on HB 2220: state equalization property tax repeal (J. Weiers) when Senator Ken Cheuvront (D-15) changed his vote to allow the measure to pass. The permanent repeal of the state's education property tax rate had been stalled due to division in the Senate Republican caucus. If approved by Governor Napolitano, the proposal would permanently establish the property tax repeal that was suspended for three years in 2006. It is unclear whether or not the Governor will sign the legislation.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Teacher-Librarians: Take Action in Virtual Library Legislative Day
Just one week from tomorrow on April 17, many librarians and library supporters will descend upon the Arizona State Legislature to demonstrate to our lawmakers just how important libraries are to our communities. Many battles are being waged in the Legislature this year, including minimizing cuts to the State Library, Archives, and Public Records and the new Archives building, and fighting the secondary property tax cap. While none of these issues are directly about school libraries or teacher-librarians, all of these issues either directly or indirectly impact school libraries and teacher-librarians.
This is why I am asking you to participate in Virtual Library Legislative Day.
You do not need to come to the Capitol. You do not need to take a personal day.
I am asking for a commitment of five minutes of your time. Five minutes for you to either call or email your two representatives and one senator and leave a message with his/her secretary.
I am asking you to leave this message:
I am a constituent of Representative/Senator __________. Arizona Revised Statute 15-362 allows school districts to hire anyone to operate a school library, regardless of training or preparation. Why are school libraries treated differently than classrooms in Arizona?
Imagine if each legislator received 10 calls about this on April 17. Imagine if they received 50! Imagine if they received 100!
It is up to you to make your voice heard on this important issue. Will YOU make the commitment to call on April 17?
Find your Representatives and Senator: http://tinyurl.com/3czx2l
Representative and Senator phone/email list: http://azleg.gov/MemberRoster.asp
ARS 15-362 http://www.azleg.gov/ars/15/00362.htm
Thursday, April 3, 2008
You are cordially invited to participate in
Library Legislative Day
When: 9 to 4 p.m., Thursday, April 17, 2008
Where: Administrative Conference Room (2nd Floor)
What: Call your Representatives and Senator to schedule a personal appointment
Why: If we don’t speak up for libraries, who will?
Bring: Library supporters, library board members, Friends of your library, and
information about your library to add to your district packets.
Agenda
8:30 – 9:00 Registration – Pick up packets to deliver to legislators
9:00 – 9:15 Welcome and Introductions
Angela Creel-Erb, AzLA President
Senate President Timothy Bee (invited)
House Speaker James Weiers (invited)
9:15 – 9:30 Legislative Process
Mike Braun, Director, Legislative Council
9:30 – 9:55 Budget Process
Michael Hunter, Senior Policy Advisor for Budget & Finance
9:55 – 10:15 2008 Legislative Agenda
Brenda Brown, AzLALegislative Chair
Kristen Boilini, AzLA Lobbyist
10:15 – 11:30 Appointments with Legislators and Executive Staff
Appointments to be set by legislative day attendee in advance
11:30 – 1:00 Lunch with Legislators on the Senate Lawn
1:00 – 4:00 Appointments with Legislators and Executive Staff
Appointments to be set by legislative day attendee in advance
REGISTRATION FORM
THERE WILL BE A $10.00 REGISTRATION FEE FOR LEGISLATIVE DAY. THIS FEE WILL COVER YOUR BBQ LUNCH AND IS PAYABLE ONLY THE MORNING OF LEGISLATIVE DAY
Name: _____________________________________________________________________________________________
Library Represented: _________________________________________________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________
City: ______________________________________________________________________________________________
Home Phone: ________________________________________ Work Phone: ____________________________________
E-mail: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Legislative Dist. # ____________________ Number in Party: ______________________
Fax your registration to 480-782-2823
Monday, March 31, 2008
Info: SCR 1028 Prohibiting Public Gifts
The following letter from Ginny Hildebrand of the Association of Arizona Food Banks provides detail about a Senate Resolution that will prevent or limit public/private partnerships. We will provide more information when available.
Dear friends,
Last Wednesday, after receiving information from Community Food Bank of Tucson, written by Mark Clark a longtime advocate in Pima County, we became aware of a little known Senate Resolution to put a ballot initiative forward in AZ to amend the AZ Constitution to prohibit "public gifts, loans, donations or grants for ANY PUBLIC OR PRIVATE PURPOSE." This is SCR1028 (copy attached), sponsored by Senators Johnson, Cheuvront, Blendu and Gould. While we are told that the intention is to prevent public entities from giving away resources to private companies as means of incentives for them to do business in their communities or subdivisions, here at AAFB the language used in the bill put our red flags up immediately because we have very extensive public/private partnerships to deliver emergency and supplemental food services statewide. Without these partnerships – that include building, land, trucks, labor by prison and jail inmates, we would be hard-pressed to provide the level of services to needy Arizonans.
Today Mark Barnes, Laurie Foran and I met with Senator Debbie McCune-Davis, a member of the Senate Financial Institutions, Insurance, and Retirement Committee who heard this resolution a few weeks ago. While the Committee passed it on a 3-2 vote it has now gone to Senate Rules and is awaiting action there. Sen. McCune Davis at that hearing questioned the language of the bill as "being excessively broad." In speaking with her today, I brought up points such as:
* AZ has chosen to provide health and human services through a public/private partnership model. Excluding options to share space and resources could severely damage this type of service delivery.
* Many non-profits have benefitted from gifts of land, buildings, shared office space with any number of city, county, state or other subdivision of the state thereby enabling them to provide human and health service in a cost effective manner.
She is willing to go to Senate Leadership to ask that SCR1028 not be allowed to be put on the ballot due to the impact the wording could have on non-profit organizations in AZ. However, she would like a list of the relationships that are currently in place by organization or service sectors to show as an example of what could be impacted in the future, if a constitutional amendment such as this were approved.
Can you please help by providing information of this type to me to provide to Sen. McCune-Davis at your earliest possible convenience, but not later than next Friday 3/28/08, so that she can assist us in defeating SCR1028?
The types of examples we’re looking for are (this is just the beginning, not an exhaustive list):
A city or county that provides office space to a non-profit to provide some type of service for the public good
A city or county that gives land to a non-profit so that a building can be constructed to provide a service to the public
A city or county that provides the work of County Jail inmates to clean facilities or prepare facilities to be suitable for delivery of services to the public
State departments who are in partnership with non-profits to deliver public services (i.e. homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, etc.)
Sen. McCune-Davis says we have a little time because Resolutions are not subject to the same time limitations as other bills in the Legislature. In fact, usually all the resolutions are gathered at one time and decided upon by the House & Senate Leadership, regarding which ones will move past the Rules Committee and to the next House of consideration and onto the ballot in November.
There may be other examples that will come to you, once you read the language of the resolution. Give me a call if you have any questions, but please send me any and all information you can by 3/28/08, close of business.
If we are not successful with this strategy, we may need to do some massive calling – phone & in person – to defeat this resolution BEFORE it gets on the ballot. You can just imagine the difficulty we’d have defeating this in a general election.
Thank you for your help, and I look forward to hearing from you.
P. S. If you know of others in the community you could pass this along to in order to get more input, please feel free to do so. Thank you.
Ginny
Ginny Hildebrand
Executive Director
Association of Arizona Food Banks
Dear friends,
Last Wednesday, after receiving information from Community Food Bank of Tucson, written by Mark Clark a longtime advocate in Pima County, we became aware of a little known Senate Resolution to put a ballot initiative forward in AZ to amend the AZ Constitution to prohibit "public gifts, loans, donations or grants for ANY PUBLIC OR PRIVATE PURPOSE." This is SCR1028 (copy attached), sponsored by Senators Johnson, Cheuvront, Blendu and Gould. While we are told that the intention is to prevent public entities from giving away resources to private companies as means of incentives for them to do business in their communities or subdivisions, here at AAFB the language used in the bill put our red flags up immediately because we have very extensive public/private partnerships to deliver emergency and supplemental food services statewide. Without these partnerships – that include building, land, trucks, labor by prison and jail inmates, we would be hard-pressed to provide the level of services to needy Arizonans.
Today Mark Barnes, Laurie Foran and I met with Senator Debbie McCune-Davis, a member of the Senate Financial Institutions, Insurance, and Retirement Committee who heard this resolution a few weeks ago. While the Committee passed it on a 3-2 vote it has now gone to Senate Rules and is awaiting action there. Sen. McCune Davis at that hearing questioned the language of the bill as "being excessively broad." In speaking with her today, I brought up points such as:
* AZ has chosen to provide health and human services through a public/private partnership model. Excluding options to share space and resources could severely damage this type of service delivery.
* Many non-profits have benefitted from gifts of land, buildings, shared office space with any number of city, county, state or other subdivision of the state thereby enabling them to provide human and health service in a cost effective manner.
She is willing to go to Senate Leadership to ask that SCR1028 not be allowed to be put on the ballot due to the impact the wording could have on non-profit organizations in AZ. However, she would like a list of the relationships that are currently in place by organization or service sectors to show as an example of what could be impacted in the future, if a constitutional amendment such as this were approved.
Can you please help by providing information of this type to me to provide to Sen. McCune-Davis at your earliest possible convenience, but not later than next Friday 3/28/08, so that she can assist us in defeating SCR1028?
The types of examples we’re looking for are (this is just the beginning, not an exhaustive list):
A city or county that provides office space to a non-profit to provide some type of service for the public good
A city or county that gives land to a non-profit so that a building can be constructed to provide a service to the public
A city or county that provides the work of County Jail inmates to clean facilities or prepare facilities to be suitable for delivery of services to the public
State departments who are in partnership with non-profits to deliver public services (i.e. homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, etc.)
Sen. McCune-Davis says we have a little time because Resolutions are not subject to the same time limitations as other bills in the Legislature. In fact, usually all the resolutions are gathered at one time and decided upon by the House & Senate Leadership, regarding which ones will move past the Rules Committee and to the next House of consideration and onto the ballot in November.
There may be other examples that will come to you, once you read the language of the resolution. Give me a call if you have any questions, but please send me any and all information you can by 3/28/08, close of business.
If we are not successful with this strategy, we may need to do some massive calling – phone & in person – to defeat this resolution BEFORE it gets on the ballot. You can just imagine the difficulty we’d have defeating this in a general election.
Thank you for your help, and I look forward to hearing from you.
P. S. If you know of others in the community you could pass this along to in order to get more input, please feel free to do so. Thank you.
Ginny
Ginny Hildebrand
Executive Director
Association of Arizona Food Banks
Request for Action to support Archives Building
From: Doug Kupel
Date: Mar 29, 2008 7:50 AM
Friends -
There is a nice, long article about the impact of the budget cuts on
the state archives building in the March 28 edition of the Arizona
Capitol Times. You have to be a subscriber and registered on the
Capitol Times website to read the entire article on-line, but you can
look at the headline here:
http://azcapitoltimes.com/
It is important that we leverage this publicity in two ways:
1. Write a letter to the Capitol Times in support of proper funding
for the state archives building. This means limiting the budget cut
to $2 million or less. If the cut remains at $3.5 million there will
not be enough money to move the documents into the new building. You
can submit a letter via e-mail to: editor@azcapitoltimes.com or fax
it to (602) 253-7636. In your letter remind folks how long it has
taken Arizona to construct the new building and what a waste it would
be not to be able to use it. Each day of delay means continued
deterioration of valuable historic documents and artifacts.
2. Contact your legislators. Reference the article in the Capitol
Times and tell them the same message. It is very important that they
hear from a large number of people on this. If you need contact
information for legislators, go the the ALIS website:
http://www.azleg.gov/alisStaticPages/HowToContactMember.asp
Thanks very much for all your hard work over the years. We are very
close but need a little extra push right now.
Date: Mar 29, 2008 7:50 AM
Friends -
There is a nice, long article about the impact of the budget cuts on
the state archives building in the March 28 edition of the Arizona
Capitol Times. You have to be a subscriber and registered on the
Capitol Times website to read the entire article on-line, but you can
look at the headline here:
http://azcapitoltimes.com/
It is important that we leverage this publicity in two ways:
1. Write a letter to the Capitol Times in support of proper funding
for the state archives building. This means limiting the budget cut
to $2 million or less. If the cut remains at $3.5 million there will
not be enough money to move the documents into the new building. You
can submit a letter via e-mail to: editor@azcapitoltimes.com or fax
it to (602) 253-7636. In your letter remind folks how long it has
taken Arizona to construct the new building and what a waste it would
be not to be able to use it. Each day of delay means continued
deterioration of valuable historic documents and artifacts.
2. Contact your legislators. Reference the article in the Capitol
Times and tell them the same message. It is very important that they
hear from a large number of people on this. If you need contact
information for legislators, go the the ALIS website:
http://www.azleg.gov/alisStaticPages/HowToContactMember.asp
Thanks very much for all your hard work over the years. We are very
close but need a little extra push right now.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Good News: HB 2586 Secondary Tax Limit - FAILED!
HB2586 special districts; secondary levy limits
http://www.azleg.gov/DocumentsForBill.asp?Bill_Number=HB2586
THIRD READ
Vote Detail
DATE: 03/20/08
AYES: 22
NAYS: 34
NV: 4
EXC: 0
EMER AMEND: Y
RESULT: FAILED
http://www.azleg.gov/DocumentsForBill.asp?Bill_Number=HB2586
THIRD READ
Vote Detail
DATE: 03/20/08
AYES: 22
NAYS: 34
NV: 4
EXC: 0
EMER AMEND: Y
RESULT: FAILED
Update on Archives Building, Please Contact Elects
Dear Friends -
We now have some additional information about the impact of the budget
situation on the State Archives building. It is listed below in the form of
a message. Please consider sending this letter to your elected
representatives. While this is not the best situation, if the proposed $3.5
million cut can be reduced to $2 million or less it may be possible to
open the building on schedule in September of this year (2008). If you need
e-mail or address information, please check www.faza.net
thx
-----------------
The Honorable Representative or Senator
Arizona House or Senate
1700 W. Washington
Phoenix, AZ 85007
*RE: **Polly** **Rosenbaum** **State** Archives and **History** **Building*
**
Dear Representative or Senator:
In the two months since Governor Napolitano proposed a $3.5 million cut to
the Polly Rosenbaum State Archives Building, supporters of the project have
been working to determine what impact this cut would have.
While the $3.5 million cut would allow the building to be completed, it will
have serious negative consequences. It means that only half of the storage
space will have shelves, there will be no new furniture in the building,
there will be no money for security cameras, and there will be no money to
pull the computer wiring and cables thru the building.
Worst of all, there will be no money to move Arizona's historical documents
into the new building.
If the cut can be limited to $2 million or less there will be enough funding
to plan and execute a logical move into the new building. This will allow
the Library and Archives agency to prioritize which documents should be
moved first based on condition and preservation needs.
I understand that all Arizonans must make sacrifices to end the budget
crisis. However, cutting so much from the building that it cannot serve its
designed function is not a good use of public funds. Please limit the
archives building budget cut to $2 million or less.
Sincerely,
Your Name
We now have some additional information about the impact of the budget
situation on the State Archives building. It is listed below in the form of
a message. Please consider sending this letter to your elected
representatives. While this is not the best situation, if the proposed $3.5
million cut can be reduced to $2 million or less it may be possible to
open the building on schedule in September of this year (2008). If you need
e-mail or address information, please check www.faza.net
thx
-----------------
The Honorable Representative or Senator
Arizona House or Senate
1700 W. Washington
Phoenix, AZ 85007
*RE: **Polly** **Rosenbaum** **State** Archives and **History** **Building*
**
Dear Representative or Senator:
In the two months since Governor Napolitano proposed a $3.5 million cut to
the Polly Rosenbaum State Archives Building, supporters of the project have
been working to determine what impact this cut would have.
While the $3.5 million cut would allow the building to be completed, it will
have serious negative consequences. It means that only half of the storage
space will have shelves, there will be no new furniture in the building,
there will be no money for security cameras, and there will be no money to
pull the computer wiring and cables thru the building.
Worst of all, there will be no money to move Arizona's historical documents
into the new building.
If the cut can be limited to $2 million or less there will be enough funding
to plan and execute a logical move into the new building. This will allow
the Library and Archives agency to prioritize which documents should be
moved first based on condition and preservation needs.
I understand that all Arizonans must make sacrifices to end the budget
crisis. However, cutting so much from the building that it cannot serve its
designed function is not a good use of public funds. Please limit the
archives building budget cut to $2 million or less.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Urgent Update on HB 2586-Calls & Emails Needed!
HB 2586
Representative Yarborough wants HB 2586 it to be reconsidered again tomorrow. He's hoping that removing or exempting Fire Districts from the cap the bill will be pushed forward. We urgently need for calls or emails to be made to Representative Marian McClure (District 30, 602-926-3312, mmcclure@azleg.gov), John Paton (District 30, 602-926-3235, jpaton@azleg.gov( , and Bill Konopnicki (District 5, 602-926-5409, bkonopnicki@azleg.gov). As always, thank them for their hard work during these difficult time and ask them to keep in mind that even if fire districts are exempted from HB 2586, it will still have a serious detrimental affect on county services and our libraries. Ask them to visit the library the next time they are home!
We are almost there! Please rally your staff, friends, and customers to help! Thanks for all your help to date-your calls and emails make a big difference!
Representative Yarborough wants HB 2586 it to be reconsidered again tomorrow. He's hoping that removing or exempting Fire Districts from the cap the bill will be pushed forward. We urgently need for calls or emails to be made to Representative Marian McClure (District 30, 602-926-3312, mmcclure@azleg.gov), John Paton (District 30, 602-926-3235, jpaton@azleg.gov( , and Bill Konopnicki (District 5, 602-926-5409, bkonopnicki@azleg.gov). As always, thank them for their hard work during these difficult time and ask them to keep in mind that even if fire districts are exempted from HB 2586, it will still have a serious detrimental affect on county services and our libraries. Ask them to visit the library the next time they are home!
We are almost there! Please rally your staff, friends, and customers to help! Thanks for all your help to date-your calls and emails make a big difference!
HB 2586-Letter from the County Supervisors Legislative Liaison
Dear AzLA Members-the following letter from Beth Lewallen, Legislative Liaison for the County Supervisor's Assocation does a great job outlining the negative aspects of HB 2586:
Representative,
The County Supervisors Association is grateful for your opposition to HB 2586: special districts; secondary levy limits (Yarbrough), which failed yesterday on third read but will be reconsidered on Thursday. The proposal would impose arbitrary limitations on county-controlled special districts for jails, libraries and public health, and would significantly hinder counties' ability to meet constituent demands.
The sponsor has committed to amending the bill, removing limitations on fire districts in order to address public safety concerns, but we ask that you continue to oppose HB 2586 for the following reasons:
County-controlled public health districts are important to public safety, but will still be limited by arbitrary caps that do not reflect the high costs of disease prevention, Tuberculosis control and state-mandated food and restaurant inspections.
This proposal impacts the public health districts in Apache, Greenlee and Navajo counties.
County-controlled jail districts are important to public safety, but will still be limited by restrictions that do not allow for dramatic increases in the costs of criminal justice.
Apache County is the only jail district funded by property taxes.
The proposal’s funding formula for county-controlled special districts does not reflect local situations and needs. The levies of these special districts are for dedicated purposes, and county supervisors are accountable for setting the tax rates based on locally-informed decisions and priorities.
This negatively impacts rural Arizona. Maricopa County has voluntarily capped the increases on their special districts for the last two years, but rural areas are still working hard to build the infrastructure they need in order to meet the demands of population growth.
As outlined above, it is small counties whose jail and public health districts will be dramatically impacted by this proposal.
This negatively impacts libraries. The county-wide resources collected for libraries are a critical component of local funding; in Pima County, the county is responsible for funding the library system, while in other areas the county partners with cities and towns to provide the service. Rapid population growth creates the need for libraries to modernize their infrastructure in order to provide information and resources, such as Internet access and research tools for students.
Local officials are already accountable to their constituents for tax rates. County supervisors are required to implement state mandates at the local level, and are responsible for setting tax rates in order to cover the costs of the necessary county services. Arbitrary caps do not reflect the increased costs of important programs such as the protection of public health or library access.
This is not property tax reform. As amended, HB 2586 would limit 1.39% of this year’s secondary property taxes. It limits the special districts that have used taxpayer dollars responsibly, while deliberately ignoring the entities that have dramatically increased their budgets each year.
We ask for your continued opposition to HB 2586; please let me know if I can provide any additional information or assistance.
Sincerely,
Beth Lewallen
Legislative Liaison
County Supervisors Association of Arizona
Representative,
The County Supervisors Association is grateful for your opposition to HB 2586: special districts; secondary levy limits (Yarbrough), which failed yesterday on third read but will be reconsidered on Thursday. The proposal would impose arbitrary limitations on county-controlled special districts for jails, libraries and public health, and would significantly hinder counties' ability to meet constituent demands.
The sponsor has committed to amending the bill, removing limitations on fire districts in order to address public safety concerns, but we ask that you continue to oppose HB 2586 for the following reasons:
County-controlled public health districts are important to public safety, but will still be limited by arbitrary caps that do not reflect the high costs of disease prevention, Tuberculosis control and state-mandated food and restaurant inspections.
This proposal impacts the public health districts in Apache, Greenlee and Navajo counties.
County-controlled jail districts are important to public safety, but will still be limited by restrictions that do not allow for dramatic increases in the costs of criminal justice.
Apache County is the only jail district funded by property taxes.
The proposal’s funding formula for county-controlled special districts does not reflect local situations and needs. The levies of these special districts are for dedicated purposes, and county supervisors are accountable for setting the tax rates based on locally-informed decisions and priorities.
This negatively impacts rural Arizona. Maricopa County has voluntarily capped the increases on their special districts for the last two years, but rural areas are still working hard to build the infrastructure they need in order to meet the demands of population growth.
As outlined above, it is small counties whose jail and public health districts will be dramatically impacted by this proposal.
This negatively impacts libraries. The county-wide resources collected for libraries are a critical component of local funding; in Pima County, the county is responsible for funding the library system, while in other areas the county partners with cities and towns to provide the service. Rapid population growth creates the need for libraries to modernize their infrastructure in order to provide information and resources, such as Internet access and research tools for students.
Local officials are already accountable to their constituents for tax rates. County supervisors are required to implement state mandates at the local level, and are responsible for setting tax rates in order to cover the costs of the necessary county services. Arbitrary caps do not reflect the increased costs of important programs such as the protection of public health or library access.
This is not property tax reform. As amended, HB 2586 would limit 1.39% of this year’s secondary property taxes. It limits the special districts that have used taxpayer dollars responsibly, while deliberately ignoring the entities that have dramatically increased their budgets each year.
We ask for your continued opposition to HB 2586; please let me know if I can provide any additional information or assistance.
Sincerely,
Beth Lewallen
Legislative Liaison
County Supervisors Association of Arizona
HB 2586 Update
The House Engrossed version of HB 2586 has been posted and is on ALIS under versions. This should make it easier to see how the floor amendment affected the introduced version of the bill. Having gone through it thoroughly, I could not find any changes other than those that you pointed out:
--the removal of flood control districts from the original bill and thus, the Property Tax Oversight commission, changes to the fire district levies, and more importantly: the fact that there must be a November election with a majority of qualified electors approving the formation of a district.
The Board must provide for and call for the election. On printed page 9 of the PDF Engrossed version, "shall" is changed to the Board of Directors MAY annually levy a tax after a country free library is established. It also reiterates that any library districts formed after December 31, 2008 must have tax levies approved by the electors. The other interesting effect of the engrossed version is that it changes the year that the maximum levy cannot exceed. The introduced version states that tax year 2008 levies cannot exceed the amount of the levy in 2007; the engrossed version states that the 2009 levies cannot exceed the preceeding tax year.
BILL: [number, title] HB 2586 SPECIAL DISTRICTS; SECONDARY LEVY LIMITS
--the removal of flood control districts from the original bill and thus, the Property Tax Oversight commission, changes to the fire district levies, and more importantly: the fact that there must be a November election with a majority of qualified electors approving the formation of a district.
The Board must provide for and call for the election. On printed page 9 of the PDF Engrossed version, "shall" is changed to the Board of Directors MAY annually levy a tax after a country free library is established. It also reiterates that any library districts formed after December 31, 2008 must have tax levies approved by the electors. The other interesting effect of the engrossed version is that it changes the year that the maximum levy cannot exceed. The introduced version states that tax year 2008 levies cannot exceed the amount of the levy in 2007; the engrossed version states that the 2009 levies cannot exceed the preceeding tax year.
BILL: [number, title] HB 2586 SPECIAL DISTRICTS; SECONDARY LEVY LIMITS
House Appropriations Committee
COMMITTEE: House Appropriations (Wednesday 03/12/08 at 1:30PM, House Rm. 1)
DAY: Wednesday
DATE: March 12, 2008
TIME: 1:30pm
ROOM: House Hearing Room 1
CHAIRMAN: Rep. Pearce
AGENDA: http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/agendas/0312014586%2Edoc%2Ehtm
BILL: [number, title] HB 2700 9/11 MONUMENT
link: http://www.azleg.gov/DocumentsForBill.asp?Bill_Number=2700
First sponsor: Rep. Kavanagh
Others: Rep. Ableser, Rep. Adams, Rep. Alvarez, Rep. Anderson, Rep. Barnes, Rep. Barto, Rep. Biggs, Rep. Boone, Rep. Bradley, Rep. Brown, Rep. Burges, Rep. Burns, Rep. Cajero Bedford, Rep. Chad Campbell, Rep. Cloves Campbell Jr., Rep. Chabin, Rep. Clark, Rep. Crandall, Rep. Crump, Rep. Desimone, Rep. Driggs, Rep. Farnsworth, Rep. Gallardo, Rep. Groe, Rep. Hershberger, Rep. Konopnicki, Rep. Lopes, Rep. Lopez, Rep. Lujan, Rep. Mason, Rep. McClure, Rep. McComish, Rep. McGuire, Rep. McLain, Rep. Meza, Rep. Miranda, Rep. Murphy, Rep. Nelson, Rep. Nichols, Rep. Pancrazi, Rep. Paton, Rep. Pearce, Rep. Prezelski, Rep. Reagan, Rep. Rios, Rep. Robson, Rep. Schapira, Rep. Stump, Rep. Thrasher, Rep. Tobin, Rep. Tom, Rep. Jim Weiers, Rep. Jerry Weiers, Rep. Yarbrough, Sen. Aboud, Sen. Aguirre, Sen. Arzberger, Sen. Bee, Sen. Blendu, Sen. Burns, Sen. Cheuvront, Sen. Flake, Sen. Gorman, Sen. Gould, Sen. Chuck Gray, Sen. Linda Gray, Sen. Hale, Sen. Harper, Sen. Huppenthal, Sen. Johnson, Sen. Landrum Taylor, Sen. Leff, Sen. Miranda, Sen. O'Halleran, Sen. Pesquiera, Sen. Rios, Sen. Tibshraeny, Sen. Verschoor, Sen. Waring
LOLA Summary: The Dept of Administration shall remove the existing elevated descriptive panels from the monument dedicated to the commemoration of the events and effects of the attack on the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001 and replace the panels with a description depicting the timeline of events that relate to the attack on the U.S. on that date. If the panels are not removed by Sept. 10, 2008, the Dept shall cover the existing panels from public view until replaced.
ARS Titles Affected: 41
Comments: As amended both in committee and on the floor by Rep. Kavanagh. His amendment makes the timeline "subject to review by AHAC. This bill is of interest due to its effect on a Wesley Bolen plaza memorial. This proposal received limited coverage Wednesday and appeared in the AZ Capitol Times breaking news section on the 30th of January.
DAY: Wednesday
DATE: March 12, 2008
TIME: 1:30pm
ROOM: House Hearing Room 1
CHAIRMAN: Rep. Pearce
AGENDA: http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/agendas/0312014586%2Edoc%2Ehtm
BILL: [number, title] HB 2700 9/11 MONUMENT
link: http://www.azleg.gov/DocumentsForBill.asp?Bill_Number=2700
First sponsor: Rep. Kavanagh
Others: Rep. Ableser, Rep. Adams, Rep. Alvarez, Rep. Anderson, Rep. Barnes, Rep. Barto, Rep. Biggs, Rep. Boone, Rep. Bradley, Rep. Brown, Rep. Burges, Rep. Burns, Rep. Cajero Bedford, Rep. Chad Campbell, Rep. Cloves Campbell Jr., Rep. Chabin, Rep. Clark, Rep. Crandall, Rep. Crump, Rep. Desimone, Rep. Driggs, Rep. Farnsworth, Rep. Gallardo, Rep. Groe, Rep. Hershberger, Rep. Konopnicki, Rep. Lopes, Rep. Lopez, Rep. Lujan, Rep. Mason, Rep. McClure, Rep. McComish, Rep. McGuire, Rep. McLain, Rep. Meza, Rep. Miranda, Rep. Murphy, Rep. Nelson, Rep. Nichols, Rep. Pancrazi, Rep. Paton, Rep. Pearce, Rep. Prezelski, Rep. Reagan, Rep. Rios, Rep. Robson, Rep. Schapira, Rep. Stump, Rep. Thrasher, Rep. Tobin, Rep. Tom, Rep. Jim Weiers, Rep. Jerry Weiers, Rep. Yarbrough, Sen. Aboud, Sen. Aguirre, Sen. Arzberger, Sen. Bee, Sen. Blendu, Sen. Burns, Sen. Cheuvront, Sen. Flake, Sen. Gorman, Sen. Gould, Sen. Chuck Gray, Sen. Linda Gray, Sen. Hale, Sen. Harper, Sen. Huppenthal, Sen. Johnson, Sen. Landrum Taylor, Sen. Leff, Sen. Miranda, Sen. O'Halleran, Sen. Pesquiera, Sen. Rios, Sen. Tibshraeny, Sen. Verschoor, Sen. Waring
LOLA Summary: The Dept of Administration shall remove the existing elevated descriptive panels from the monument dedicated to the commemoration of the events and effects of the attack on the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001 and replace the panels with a description depicting the timeline of events that relate to the attack on the U.S. on that date. If the panels are not removed by Sept. 10, 2008, the Dept shall cover the existing panels from public view until replaced.
ARS Titles Affected: 41
Comments: As amended both in committee and on the floor by Rep. Kavanagh. His amendment makes the timeline "subject to review by AHAC. This bill is of interest due to its effect on a Wesley Bolen plaza memorial. This proposal received limited coverage Wednesday and appeared in the AZ Capitol Times breaking news section on the 30th of January.
Calendar: Senate COW Calendar #4
link at: http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/calendar/s031304386.doc.htm
BILL: [number, title] SB 1337 CENTENNIAL FUNDING; CAPITOL RENOVATION
link: http://www.azleg.gov/DocumentsForBill.asp?Bill_Number=1337
First sponsor: Sen. Flake
Others: Rep. Ableser, Rep. Adams, Rep. Anderson, Rep. Barnes, Rep. Barto, Rep. Bradley, Rep. Brown, Rep. Burns, Rep. Cajero Bedford, Rep. Chad Campbell, Rep. Cloves Campbell Jr., Rep. Clark, Rep. Crandall, Rep. Crump, Rep. Desimone, Rep. Driggs, Rep. Farley, Rep. Gallardo, Rep. Hershberger, Rep. Kavanagh, Rep. Konopnicki, Rep. Lopes, Rep. Lopez, Rep. Lujan, Rep. Mason, Rep. McClure, Rep. McComish, Rep. McLain, Rep. Murphy, Rep. Nelson, Rep. Pearce, Rep. Prezelski, Rep. Rios, Rep. Robson, Rep. Schapira, Rep. Sinema, Rep. Stump, Rep. Tobin, Rep. Tom, Rep. Jim Weiers, Sen. Aboud, Sen. Aguirre, Sen. Allen, Sen. Arzberger, Sen. Bee, Sen. Blendu, Sen. Burton Cahill, Sen. Linda Gray, Sen. Hale, Sen. Harper, Sen. Huppenthal, Sen. Johnson, Sen. Landrum Taylor, Sen. Leff, Sen. McCune Davis, Sen. Miranda, Sen. Pesquiera, Sen. Rios, Sen. Soltero, Sen. Verschoor
LOLA Summary: Reallocates the $2.5 million appropriated in fiscal 2006-2007 to legislative council as follows: 1) $2,050,000 to the Historical Advisory Commission; and 2) $450,000 to legislative council. Emergency clause.
ARS Titles Affected: 41
Comments: This bill apparently would carve out 450,000 dollars from the prior AZ Centennial appropriations for "costs of the design and site preparation of the renovation of the state capitol building" and put the money under control of Leg Council. There may be other effects of the reappropriation.
BILL: [number, title] SB 1337 CENTENNIAL FUNDING; CAPITOL RENOVATION
link: http://www.azleg.gov/DocumentsForBill.asp?Bill_Number=1337
First sponsor: Sen. Flake
Others: Rep. Ableser, Rep. Adams, Rep. Anderson, Rep. Barnes, Rep. Barto, Rep. Bradley, Rep. Brown, Rep. Burns, Rep. Cajero Bedford, Rep. Chad Campbell, Rep. Cloves Campbell Jr., Rep. Clark, Rep. Crandall, Rep. Crump, Rep. Desimone, Rep. Driggs, Rep. Farley, Rep. Gallardo, Rep. Hershberger, Rep. Kavanagh, Rep. Konopnicki, Rep. Lopes, Rep. Lopez, Rep. Lujan, Rep. Mason, Rep. McClure, Rep. McComish, Rep. McLain, Rep. Murphy, Rep. Nelson, Rep. Pearce, Rep. Prezelski, Rep. Rios, Rep. Robson, Rep. Schapira, Rep. Sinema, Rep. Stump, Rep. Tobin, Rep. Tom, Rep. Jim Weiers, Sen. Aboud, Sen. Aguirre, Sen. Allen, Sen. Arzberger, Sen. Bee, Sen. Blendu, Sen. Burton Cahill, Sen. Linda Gray, Sen. Hale, Sen. Harper, Sen. Huppenthal, Sen. Johnson, Sen. Landrum Taylor, Sen. Leff, Sen. McCune Davis, Sen. Miranda, Sen. Pesquiera, Sen. Rios, Sen. Soltero, Sen. Verschoor
LOLA Summary: Reallocates the $2.5 million appropriated in fiscal 2006-2007 to legislative council as follows: 1) $2,050,000 to the Historical Advisory Commission; and 2) $450,000 to legislative council. Emergency clause.
ARS Titles Affected: 41
Comments: This bill apparently would carve out 450,000 dollars from the prior AZ Centennial appropriations for "costs of the design and site preparation of the renovation of the state capitol building" and put the money under control of Leg Council. There may be other effects of the reappropriation.
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