You have permission to edit this article. Those who have voted against it say they want to see a restructuring of DES before handing them more money. The Ducey administration has done away with across-the-board pay increases, but has allowed agency directors to award raises and bonuses based on merit. So prior cuts to business taxes have included some compensating tax relief for homeowners. Republicans are widely expected to expand their majority in the 2022 election thanks to new district boundaries that appear to favor the GOP. Ducey also wants to put $50 million into border security, paying for more officers to patrol the area and help fund counties with the cost of detaining and prosecuting people for state crimes. Merit pay for selected workers raised the average pay for state employees by4.2 percent, under Ducey. With the increase, Fann's bill cuts benefits from 26 to 22 weeks once unemployment is back under 4.5%. The State Personnel Board last week voted to add four steps of 2.5% to employees' pay structure. Doug Ducey is proposing a $14.25 billion spending plan for the new fiscal year, about 8.6% more than this year,. Marisol Garcia, Vice President of the Arizona Education Association, speaks during a news conference at the Arizona capitol Tuesday, June 21, 2022, in Phoenix. Doug Ducey on Tuesday signed the $18 billion budget into law that makes hefty investments in education, border security and infrastructure. PHOENIX (AP) Arizona's legislature approved a bipartisan $18 billion spending plan early Thursday that will make substantial investments in public schools, build new highways and pay down long-term debts. Jun 10, 2022 Updated Jan 20, 2023. The State of Arizona offers a robust array of benefits for State employees, including health and life insurance, short- and long-term disability, employee assistance, wellness programs and much more. Lawmakers in the House and Senate ended a months-long impasse, working through the night to approve the budget shortly before sunrise. Excess annual leave must be used on or before Friday, January 6, 2023 to avoid forfeiture of excess hours. With this budget, were putting those dollars to good use and investing in priorities that Republicans and Democrats alike can agree on.. After losing support on the right, House Speaker Rusty Bowers and Senate President Karen Fann had to look elsewhere for votes, and they found them across the aisle. Any hours in excess of the maximum carryover limits are subject to forfeiture. 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Using the money to provide premium pay for essential workers is allowed under terms of the virus relief law signed by the Democratic president last March. The proposal also has $80 million in a salary reserve allowing. Doug Ducey was expected to approve it. The Senate is adjourned until tomorrow, March 11, at 11 a.m. The Senate completed action on a bill Thursday evening that will provide pay raises for state employees whose wages are outlined in state code. Only a handful of dissenters from each party voted against the package of bills, and Republican Gov. Arizonas legislature has approved a bipartisan $18 billion spending plan making substantial investments in public schools and new highways. More information regarding civic duty leave for the purpose of voting. The maximum benefit is about $325 a year, with an average of $128. That includes $544 million for border security, roughly half of it for a wall, and $1 billion for highway construction, including widening Interstate 10 north of Casa Grande. Republican leaders had struggled for months to craft a spending plan that could find unanimous support in the fractious GOP caucuses without relying on Democrats. Instead, they are looking at a chain-link fence, similar to what is around state prisons. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. GOP leaders decided to just take the easy road out, the path of least resistance and give up and just spend, said Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, a Scottsdale Republican who voted against the budget. For example, Arizona State University is getting $21 million for new programs in engineering, Theres $415 million for the University of Arizona for its programs in health, mining, space and defense, with about $10 million for Northern Arizona University for health care professions. The Senates proposal excluded current Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat and candidate for governor, from having access to the funds. With the holidays approaching, it's important to know when your home is in need of heating and plumbing updates before more guests start to come around. Gov. Please take this into consideration when planning for the avoidance of forfeiture of excess hours. The governors aides say business tax relief is justified based on data they say show that Arizona has the 10th highest industrial property tax rates in the nation. Copyright 2022 TheAssociated Press. Lawmakers also agreed to technical changes in a formula for distributing money to schools and $4 million each for school testing and 2022 election costs. They also agreed to technical changes in a formula for distributing money to schools and $4 million each for school testing and 2022 election costs. Republicans are widely expected to expand their majority in the 2022 election thanks to new district boundaries that appear to favor the GOP. 2023 www.azcentral.com. Over the last eight years, Arizona has made responsible decisions to live within our means, reduce burdensome government regulations and increase trust in our citizens and the result is a booming economy with record revenues. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. DeSantis currently uses a $15.5 million Cessna Citation Latitude jet, bought in 2019 after he took office, succeeding former Gov. You do not need to re-enroll to keep your current coverage elections for 2023. 100 N 15th Ave, #301. Ron DeSantis ban on school mask mandates last year. Ducey gave to staff. Long-serving state employees may be eligible for pay increases of up to 10% over the next few years. Senate Bill 531 applies to teachers, school counselors, school service personnel and State Troopers. Likely there will be some sort of compromise concerning the two state bills. Arizona's legislature approved a bipartisan $18 billion spending plan early. DeSantis on masks, Florida school districts rebel against governor's mask order, presenting political test, Helped by federal aid, Gov. The increases are tied to job performance and employees could increase two steps, or 5%, on his or her employment anniversary date. Ducey proposes pay raises for nearly half of state employees in $11.4 billion budget Gov. The budget is not sound and its not reflective of my conservative values, Ugenti-Rita said. Strictly speaking, the state gets no property tax revenues. A proposed expansion of a tax credit to subsidize private school tuition was removed from the must-pass budget, likely dooming it. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. Nursing home employees also would reach $15-an-hour minimum pay as part of a 7% increase in Medicaid rates paid nursing homes that was also agreed to Tuesday. The 12 school districts targeted in the House's original proposal were looking to get the $200 million penalty removed from the state's school funding system. You can also choose to enroll in the Delta Dental PPO or opt-out of dental coverage. The Arizona Freedom Caucus announced it would be filing a lawsuit challenging Gov. The improbable bipartisanship was enabled by an unprecedented surplus topping $5 billion, allowing for a broad array of new spending and savings. Ducey is seeking similar permanent raises for troopers and at other agencies in the budget proposal he released on Friday. He citied Boyers leadership, your stubbornness, your perseverance, for reaching the deal. Two-thirds of Arizona is no longer experiencing drought conditions, an abrupt change following a surprisingly wet winter. Sen. Martin Quezada, a Glendale Democrat, spoke out against plans to spend $335 million for a wall on the southern border, which he said would be useless in stopping people from crossing. The average raise for a Ducey staffer was 11 percentsince he took office. That includes $544 million for border security, roughly half of it for a wall, and $1 billion for highway construction, including widening Interstate 10 north of Casa Grande. The Pima County Board of Supervisors had eight pay raise proposals to choose from, ranging from a low of 5% to a high of 10%. A proposed expansion of a tax credit to subsidize private school tuition was removed from the must-pass budget, likely dooming it. PHOENIX (AP) Arizonas legislature approved a bipartisan $18 billion spending plan early Thursday that will make substantial investments in public schools, build new highways and pay down long-term debts. Even mail clerks at the states prisons are getting 20% premium pay. Department of Economic Security Director Tim Jeffries has canned 168 employees since he was appointed department head in February, a pace of more than four firings a week. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Cleaning house: DES director fires 72 for being bullies, but did he go too far? PHOENIX (AP) Arizonas legislature approved a bipartisan $18 billion spending plan early Thursday that will make substantial investments in public schools, build new highways and pay down long-term debts. The package of budget bills passed with overwhelming support, highly unusual in the modern era. The Blog of the West Virginia Legislature, The Official Blog of the West Virginia Legislature, House Passes Classroom Camera Review Process Bill, House Floor Session, Rejection of Senate Bill 230, Bill Requiring a Personal Finance Class in High School Completes, Senate Completes Action on Eight Bills Thursday, Senate Education Advances Special Education Monitoring Bill, House Completes Action on WV-Ireland Trade Commission. Hundreds of millions are set aside for water infrastructure as the state faces prolonged drought. Please review your AZ state withholding election again and make any change if you choose to. Republicans last year cut $1.7 billion in income taxes. She says one day, federal money will run out, so states need to start thinking long-term. The 33rd annual Glendale Folk and Heritage Festival will bring hundreds of performers to Historic Sahuaro Ranch Park Saturday and Sunday. For agencies, boards and commissions under the State Personnel System, the maximum number of annual leave hours an employee may carry over into a new calendar year is 320 hours for uncovered employees and 240 hours for covered employees. Arizona State Government is an EOA/ADA reasonable Accommodation Employer. About 9 p.m. Tuesday, Trumbull and Stargel sent a memo to fellow lawmakers acknowledging that they wouldn't make a midnight deadline in time for a constitutionally required 72-hour waiting period before lawmakers can vote on the budget by Friday's last scheduled day of the 2022 session. The governor this year has proposed to increase education funding in his budget, but teachers say it still makes them among the worst paid in the country. The Department of Administration, which functions as state government's human-resources department and works directly for Ducey,gave at least 245 employees roughly half of itsstaff pay raises that average 18 percent, or an $11,496 increase. The Regular Session ends Saturday March 12 at midnight. Rowan has spent the last few months going through unemployment data from states, giving context to the problems we are seeing now. State Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita (R-Scottsdale) tweeted on Monday, "Arizona's version of @JoeBiden's Build Back Broke (aka the legislature's . PHOENIX Buoyed by strong state revenues, Gov. And it puts another $425 million in the rainy day fund to help the state weather a potential recession. The result is a booming economy with record revenues, Ducey said in a statement. Those employees who will be receiving a targeted salary increase at or above 7.5 percent in fiscal year 2023 will be eligible to receive a 2.5 percent statewide increase. The cost of living, while going up, is still lower than in other areas. Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, last year successfully pushed to bring state workers up to a minimum $13 hourly wage. That is far short of the $1 billion commitment he made in his State of the State speech. But some of that money is going to erect what the Governors Office is calling physical barriers along stretches of the border where they have access. Eligibility is based on income, maxing out at $57,414 a year for married couples filing jointly who have three or more qualifying children, with lower limits for smaller families. rookie California Highway Patrol officers start at $93,000 a year. All Other Plans - carriers, premiums and coverage remain the same. There also is a $450 million deposit into the states rainy day fund, bringing it up to 10% of the total state budget, the maximum permitted by law. After losing support on the right, House Speaker Rusty Bowers and Senate President Karen Fann had to look elsewhere for votes, and they found them across the aisle. Gov. This is your TASC card account. The plan includes a handful of small, targeted tax cuts for farm machines and private planes but no large scale reductions. I had a bill I really cared about that I wanted included in the budget, a tax cut for low-income working families, Bowie said. Capitol Rideshare (Transit Subsidy, Travel Reduction Telework), Employee Information Organizer - Important information in the event of your death while employed with the State, Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS), Corrections Officers Retirement System (CORP), Internal Job Openings (for current state of Arizona employees only), Vital Records - Birth or death certificates. Fiscal Year 2022-23 The Arizona State Retirement System Board of Trustees announced Friday, November 12, 2021 that qualified retirees will receive a Permanent Benefit Increase (PBI) to their monthly annuities, beginning with their July 2022 benefit check. Doug Ducey to dole out money from the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund only to public schools that do not mandate ma, Some legislative and congressional candidates hoping to be on August primary ballot will have to collect signatures with pen and paper to meet. Note: Elective benefits for new employees may be subject to a 90-day waiting period. This is really just getting on a soap box and vilifying immigrants and creating a political point, Quezada said. $227 million in new K-12 funding above and behind whats required to keep pace with enrollment growth and inflation; $127 million for higher education, including $46 million for economy workforce initiatives at the three universities to prepare students for careers in future jobs; About $26 million to for would-be nursing students to attend the privately run Creighton University to help staff Arizona hospitals; About $26 million to increase the amount of money given to people who agree to take care of relatives instead of them going into foster care or congregate care settings. Lawmakers in the House and Senate ended a months-long impasse, working through the night to approve the budget shortly before sunrise. Doug Ducey or his political appointees have a much better shot of getting a big pay boost. GOP and Democratic leaders agreed to add $526 million in new ongoing funding for K-12 schools, a substantial increase from the GOPs initial proposal. The Associated Press learned of the moneys use when an updated report on the governors use of virus relief funds was posted by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, which provides non-partisan analysis of state finances to lawmakers.