Bill Text: AZ HB2776 | 2025 | Fifty-seventh Legislature 1st Regular | Introduced
Bill Title: Rural water sustainability fund; appropriation
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-11 - House read second time [HB2776 Detail]
Download: Arizona-2025-HB2776-Introduced.html
|
REFERENCE TITLE: rural water sustainability fund; appropriation |
|
State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session 2025
|
|
HB 2776 |
|
|
|
Introduced by Representative Mathis
|
AN ACT
Amending title 45, chapter 1, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 45-119; appropriating monies; relating to water.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 45, chapter 1, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 45-119, to read:
45-119. Rural watershed sustainability initiative fund; grants; rules; report
A. The rural watershed sustainability initiative fund is established consisting of legislative appropriations. The department shall administer the fund. Monies in the fund are subject to legislative appropriation.
B. The director may accept and spend federal monies and private grants, gifts, contributions and devises to assist in carrying out the purposes of this section.
C. Monies in the fund are exempt from the provisions of section 35-190 relating to lapsing of appropriations.
D. Each year the department may use up to fifteen percent of the monies in the fund to administer the fund. Subject to the fifteen percent cap, the department may hire ADDITIONAL staff as needed to fulfill the purposes of this section.
E. The department shall provide grants to local watershed groups in rural areas to fund the administrative and operational needs of local watershed groups. For the purposes of this subsection, "administrative and operational needs" includes all of the following:
1. Staff training.
2. Budgeting software.
3. Technology.
4. Staff salaries.
5. Grant application fees.
6. Contracting fees for grant writers and hosting education events.
7. Other administrative and operational needs as determined by the department.
F. Any watershed groups that exist on the effective date of this section are eligible to apply for project funding from the fund. The department shall give preference to applicants that:
1. have Clearly defined goals and objectives that will directly improve water conservation and watershed health.
2. Are located in high risk or critically depleted groundwater basins.
g. The department shall adopt rules to implement this section. Rules adopted PURSUANT to this section shall INCLUDE:
1. Application criteria.
2. Grant application amounts.
3. DISBURSEMENT procedures.
4. Reporting requirements.
h. on or before december 1, 2026 and each year thereafter, the department shall submit a report of the fund and the ACTIVITIES conducted in the previous fiscal year to the governor, the president of the senate and the speaker of the HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES and shall provide a copy of this report to the secretary of state. The department shall post the report on the department's website.
Sec. 2. Appropriation; rural watershed sustainability initiative fund; exemption
A. The sum of $500,000 is appropriated from the state general fund in fiscal year 2025-2026 to the rural watershed sustainability initiative fund established by section 45-119, Arizona Revised Statutes, as added by this act and is appropriated from the rural watershed sustainability initiative fund to the department of water resources.
B. The appropriation made in subsection A of this section is exempt from the provisions of section 35-190, Arizona Revised Statutes, relating to lapsing of appropriations.
Sec. 3. Legislative findings
The legislature finds that a lack of funding for local rural watershed groups is a significant barrier for local watershed groups to conduct work that promotes water conservation, increases resiliency against the adverse impacts of drought and protects the limited water supplies of this state.
