2021 SESSION TIMELINE Monday, 1/11 - Session begins Thursday, 1/14 - 7 bill limit in House begins Monday, 2/1 - Senate bill introduction deadline Monday, 2/8 - House bill introduction deadline 2/15 - 2/19 - Last week to hear bills in chamber of origin 3/22 - 3/26 - Last week to hear bills in opposite chamber Friday, 4/16 - Last day for conference committees Tuesday, 4/20 - 100th day of Session LEGISLATURE 101: AN INTRODUCTION TO LAWMAKING AND THE CAPITOL Members of the committee may offer amendments to 5) Committee of the Whole (COW) - The entire This document is to help you, as a municipal official, better HOW A BILL BECOMES LAW change the language of a bill. If a bill fails here, it chamber comes together for a floor debate. At understand the legislative process at the Arizona State Each session state legislators introduce approximately is essentially “dead,” although there are methods this point committee amendments as well as floor Capitol. As always, the League’s legislative staff is here to 1,200 bills, nearly a quarter of which have some support you. You can contact us anytime at 602-258-5786 available to resurrect it. If a bill passes, it proceeds to amendments are formally offered and adopted. or [email protected]. relevance to cities and towns. Bills start in either the the Rules Committee. Discussions can be a few minutes or several hours. House or the Senate, depending upon who sponsors In COW, a voice vote is used. the bill. Senate bills start with “1001,” House bills start 3) Rules Committee - Every bill must go through the with “2001” and are then numbered sequentially. Rules Committee for legal review, discussing whether 6) Third Read – All changes adopted in COW are Although there are some differences in how each the bill is constitutional, germane with existing statute engrossed into the bill and prepared for a final vote. chamber operates, the basic process is the same. and in the proper format. The committee does not This vote is electronically tallied. Like the committee There are six sequential steps that take place in each. give a bill a pass or fail recommendation. Following process, if a bill fails on third read it is considered the review by the Rules Committee, the bill moves to “dead” with the possibility of procedural resurrection. 1) Bill Assignment - A bill is “first read” on the floor and discussion among the party caucuses. If it passes, the bill then goes to the other chamber then assigned to a committee based on subject matter. and the same steps are repeated. 4) Caucus – The members of each party meet to 2) Committee – Committees are comprised of members review bills and the “party position” is vetted. No If a bill passes both chambers without any amendments, from each party, with the majority party having the formal action takes place. it goes straight to the governor’s office. If a bill most seats. This is the only step in the entire legislative is approved in one chamber, amended in the other process that is truly “open to the public” for comment. chamber, and that amendment is approved by 1 HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW IN ARIZONA MEET THE LEAGUE’S LEGISLATIVE STAFF Each session state legislators introduce approximately 1,200 bills, nearly a quarter of which have some relevance to cities and towns... Nick Ponder HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SENATE Legislative Director • of Bill • of Bill [email protected] (First Read, Second Read, (First Read, Second Read, Assignment) Assignment) • (Public Hearing) • (Public Hearing) • Rules (Legal Review) • Rules (Legal Review) Nick serves as the Legislative Director at the League. Prior to his promotion • Caucus • Caucus • of the Whole • of the Whole to Director in 2018 he served as the League’s Pension Policy Analyst. Before (Floor Debate) (Floor Debate) • Third Read (Final Vote) • Third Read (Final Vote) coming to the League, he was the government relations officer with the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) for eight years and prior to his position at ASRS was the associate retirement benefits examiner for the Fire Department of New York. He earned his degree in International relations CONFERENCE COMMITTEE • Original Version from The Ohio State University. • Amended Version • New Version app roved by final vote in both chambers) OUTCOME Unamended Amended Amended Tom Savage & Accepted & Rejected Senior Legislative Associate [email protected] Tom serves as the Senior Legislative Associate at the League. He has been with the League since 2017. Prior to his time at the League he served four legislative sessions at the Arizona House of Representatives as a research analyst for the Government; Energy, Environment and Natural Resources; GOVERNOR’S OFFICE and Agriculture, Water and Lands committees. He holds a bachelor’s degree Enact Without Sign Bill Veto Bill Signature in public policy from Arizona State University. the sponsoring chamber, the bill will advance to the Bill language, hearing schedules, live feeds and status governor’s office. However, if the sponsoring chamber information are available at the Arizona State Legislature’s Roxanna Pitones does not approve of the amendment adopted, it will be website; www.azleg.gov. Legislative Associate assigned to a conference committee. This committee is [email protected] made up of members from both chambers designated by During the session League staff spends countless hours the speaker of the House and president of the Senate at the legislature tracking bills. We encourage our who will work towards a version of the bill amenable to members to stay abreast of legislative issues impacting Roxanna serves as Legislative Associate at the League. Prior to joining the both chambers. If a chamber rejects the committee’s cities and towns through our weekly Legislative League, Roxanna served as a policy advisor in the Arizona Senate, focusing recommendation, the bill is considered “dead.” If a bill Bulletin and by contacting the League at 602-258-5786 on education and commerce issues. In this role, she gained extensive knowledge is amended by a conference committee it is then final with any questions you have. Additionally, the of the legislative process and the intricacies of navigating state government. read by both chambers. If it passes final read, League has a legislative bill monitoring page available Roxanna graduated Summa Cum Laude from Arizona State University with it is transmitted to the governor’s office. on our website that provides more detailed information a bachelor’s degree in political science and minor in Spanish literature. about the bills League staff is actively tracking. You may Once a bill is in the governor’s office, he or she can sign it also sign up to register your opinion on legislation at into law, veto the bill or allow the legislation to become the legislature’s website using the Request to Speak enacted without his or her signature. system. Contact the League for assistance in accessing this feature. 2 3 A LOOK AT THE EXECUTIVE AND STATE SENATE LEGISLATIVE BRANCHES FOR 2021 Majority Leader – Minority Leader – Senator Rick Gray Senator Rebecca Rios The majority leader oversees their The minority leader oversees the Governor of Arizona – Speaker of the House – party’s caucus, after the president. minority caucus, and is the main Doug Ducey Representative Rusty Bowers liaison to the majority leadership. The governor is the chief The speaker oversees the House executive officer of the and acts as the chamber’s liaison state and is in charge to the governor and the Senate Majority Whip – Assistant Minority Leader – of the executive branch president. Senator Sonny Borrelli Senator Lupe Contreras of government. The majority whip gathers the The assistant minority leader oversees Senate President – necessary votes on a bill for their party’s caucus, after the minority Senator Karen Fann their party. leader. The president is in charge of the Senate and acts as the chamber’s liaison to the governor and the President Pro Tempore – speaker of the House. Senator Vince Leach The president pro tempore presides Minority Co-Whips – over the chamber in the absence of Senator Martin Quezada the Senate President. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Senator Victoria Steele Majority Leader – Minority Leader – The minority co-whips gather the Representative Ben Toma Representative Reginald Bolding necessary votes on a bill for their party. The majority leader oversees their The minority leader oversees the party’s caucus, after the speaker. minority caucus and is the main liaison to the majority leadership. Majority Whip – Assistant Minority Leader – Representative Leo Biasiucci Representative Jennifer Longdon The majority whip gathers the The assistant minority leader oversees necessary votes on a bill for their party’s caucus, after the minority their party. leader. Speaker Pro Tempore – Minority Whip – Representative Travis Grantham Representative Domingo DeGrazia The speaker pro tempore presides The minority co-whips gather over the chamber in the absence of the necessary votes on a bill for the Speaker of the House. their party. 4 5 Rep. Judy Burges (R) (602) 926-3256 | [email protected] DISTRICT 1 YOUR VOICE AT THE CAPITOL Sen. Karen Fann (R) Cities and Towns President Carefree, Cave Creek, Chino Valley, Dewey-Humboldt, 2021 STATE LEGISLATORS (602) 926-5874 | [email protected] Rep. Quang Nguyen (R) Peoria, Phoenix, Prescott, Prescott Valley, Wickenburg (602) 926-3258 | [email protected] At the beginning of each legislative session the League compiles up-to-date contact information for each of Arizona’s 30 state senators and 60 state representatives in order to facilitate lobbying efforts for cities and Rep. Andrea Dalessandro (D) towns. The information includes the following: (602) 926-5342 | [email protected] DISTRICT 2 Sen. Rosanna Gabaldón (D) Cities and Towns • the name of each Senator and Representative including the district and the cities and towns (602) 926-3424 | [email protected] Nogales, Patagonia, Sahuarita, South Tucson, Tucson they represent Rep.