HB2949

THE CONTEXT: The Arizona Legislature adopts a budget for each fiscal year (FY) that contains general appropriations. Article IV, Section 20, Part 2, Constitution of Arizona, requires the General Appropriations Act (feed bill) to contain only appropriations for the different state departments, state institutions, public schools and interest on public debt.

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would appropriates $12,300,000 from the GF in FY 2026 to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) for right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation and natural resource recovery to construct an overpass at Riggs Road and State Route, 2. Appropriates $29,100,000 from the GF in FY 2027 to ADOT to construct an overpass at Riggs Road and State Route, and 3. Mandates that the $49,000,000 appropriation made from the GF in FY 2028 to ADOT, to construct an overpass at Riggs Road and State Route 347, must be allocated and available to ADOT in the first quarter of FY.

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to make the state tax, regulatory, or economic rule for capital outlay more predictable. It would appropriates $12,300,000 from the GF in FY 2026 to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) for right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation and natural resource recovery to construct an overpass at Riggs Road and State Route, and would also 2. Appropriates $29,100,000 from the GF in FY 2027 to ADOT to construct an overpass at Riggs Road and State Route, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.