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. The Senate is adjourned until tomorrow, March 11, at 11 a.m. The firings of more than 100 auditors and collectors, who were among the lowest-paid employees at Revenue, ended up costing the state $83 million in lost revenue. Nobody loves a budget once all the compromises are made, said Senate Majority Leader Rick Gray, R-Sun City. Lawmakers in the House and Senate ended a months-long impasse, working through the night to approve the budget shortly before sunrise. Both measures will allow laid-off . The cash of $150 a student for up to three years is designed to help schools improve; if they do not, then the governor will ask the state Department of Education to step in. Only a handful of dissenters from each party voted against the package of bills, and Republican Gov. Arizona House Republicans back universal school voucher expansion, Arizona Legislature begins hearings on state budget plan as deadline looms, Surprisingly wet winter pulls most of Arizona out of drought conditions, Annual Folk and Heritage Festival coming to Glendales Sahuaro Ranch Park this weekend, Phoenix passes source-of-income housing discrimination ban, Police arrest student for bringing firearm to high school in Phoenix, Walmart Health unveils plan to open 6 centers in metro Phoenix, Southwest farmers reluctant to idle farmland to save water, Valley Boys & Girls Club uses esports to help kids make healthy choices, Sports gambling can be fun for adults, but its a dangerous game for children, Prep the plumbing in your home just in time for the holidays. The Arizona Legislature is rushing to pass a budget before the 2022 session ends in a few days on June 30, but some Republican legislators are balking at agreeing to vote for the 12 budget bills due to the amount of spending: $17.9 billion. 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. 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. The 33rd annual Glendale Folk and Heritage Festival will bring hundreds of performers to Historic Sahuaro Ranch Park Saturday and Sunday. The larger raise for troopers came out of debate about locality pay for state troopers in competitive areas, particularly Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties. Cleaning house: DES director fires 72 for being bullies, but did he go too far? Also on Thursday evening, Senate made its way through its calendar, completing action on six additional bills and passing 11 others that will need to be finalized by the House. Though details are still being worked out, the $100 million proposal seeks to help Arizona schoolchildren catch up in math, reading and other skills. Doug Ducey highlighted border security as one of his main priorities for 2022. $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. $400 million to complete another 20 miles of upgrading I-10 to three lanes in each direction between Casa Grande and Sun Lakes; $50 million for communities outside Pima and Maricopa counties to leverage federal dollars for shovel-ready transportation projects; $92 million for building repairs and upgrades in the state prison system; $8.2 million to increase the number of Adult Protective Services caseworkers; $177 million for projects at state parks, about half for sewage treatment systems, though $118 million of that is coming from federal cash. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. PHOENIX Buoyed by strong state revenues, Gov. Doug Ducey has had a serious negative effect on neighborhoods. He pointed to officer pay in Texas and California, where rookie California Highway Patrol officers start at $93,000 a year. Even mail clerks at the states prisons are getting 20% premium pay. Find in Google Maps Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The budget also makes a $1.1 billion deposit into the pension fund for public safety and corrections officers, paying off the state's unfunded liability for future retirement benefits. Republicans are widely expected to expand their majority in the 2022 election thanks to new district boundaries that appear to favor the GOP. Please contact a Benefit Options representative by phone at 602-542-5008, toll-free at 1-800-304-3687, by email at [emailprotected] or visit benefitoptions.az.gov. Rowan has spent the last few months going through unemployment data from states, giving context to the problems we are seeing now. And just over a month ago, this is exactly what happened in Arizona, as former state CIO Aaron Sandeen passed the torch to our new state CIO Morgan Reed. Employees and managers can monitor annual leave balances by logging in to YES and clicking on, Agency Human Resources Contact Information, Public Safety Personnel Retirement System, Arizonas Employees Have New Tax Withholding Options. But for Democrats, this may have been the last chance for the foreseeable future to make an imprint on the state budget. So, what's the best way to get a raise if you work for the state of Arizona? Katie Hobbs first executive order barring discrimination in hiring practices. This is really just getting on a soap box and vilifying immigrants and creating a political point, Quezada said. Long-serving state employees may be eligible for pay increases of up to 10% over the next few years. Hundreds of millions are set aside for water infrastructure as the state faces prolonged drought. About one-third of the top positions for Arizona state agencies received a boost in pay for 2015, with many of Governor Doug Ducey's new hires now getting paid substantially more than their . Pursuant to State laws and rules, state employees may receive paid leave in order to exercise their voting privileges under certain conditions. These cookies do not store any personal information. Doug Ducey on Tuesday signed the $18 billion budget into law that makes hefty investments in education, border security and infrastructure. PLEASE BE AWARE:To ensure compliance with AZDOR requirements, on 12/30/22, the State will change ALL employee records to the default rate of 2.0%. The Arizona Freedom Caucus announced it would be filing a lawsuit challenging Gov. It allows state and local governments to boost pay by up to $13 per hour for essential workers and allows a maximum per-employee amount of $25,000. To keep your FSA for healthcare, limited purpose, or daycare/elder care, you must re-enroll each year. While adults may find that sports gambling is a way to enhance the experience with more than just fandom on the line, it can be a dangerous proposition if children get involved in the activity. A Valley teenager was arrested on Friday for bringing a firearm to Moon Valley High School, authorities said. Ron DeSantis spends big in $99.7 billion budget proposal, Legislative session: Pay raises OK'd for state workers in Florida. The Senate is adjourned until Monday, March 6, at 11 a.m. If prompted, enter your YES Username and Password. As new information becomes available related to submitting a new 2023 A4, it will be published here. That would be increased to $160. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. Doug Ducey, despite lean budget, awards hefty pay raises to his staff, Teachers union to fight for 20 percent raises, just like Gov. DeSantis on masks, Florida school districts rebel against governor's mask order, presenting political test, Helped by federal aid, Gov. The premium pay started flowing to 17,291 of the states approximately 35,000 workers on Nov. 27. Ironically, it was the Legislature's most conservative lawmakers who forced the hands of GOP leaders when they balked at initial, smaller spending proposals. A general wage increase of 3.25% for all employees who fall under WFSE's General Government contract A lump sum payment (determined by base income as of June 30, 2022) for workers employed as of July 1, 2021, who remain employed as of July 1, 2022, and earn less than $99,000 Do I get the lump sum payment if I work part time? Rick Scott, a multi-millionaire, who had sold the states former air fleet and paid for and used his own jet for state travel. Arizona has a legal right to challenge a federal provision that forbids using COVID relief money for tax cuts, appeals court rules. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. 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. Sen. Sean Bowie, a moderate Phoenix Democrat, joined with moderate Republican Sen. Paul Boyer to push for more school funding, noting that in all more than $1 billion in new school funding was in the plan, with more than half ongoing. 5 min read Despite failing to meet a late Tuesday deadline to finalize a 2022-23 state budget, House and Senate negotiators did manage to approve a 5.38% pay raise. The Phoenix City Council approved an ordinance that keeps landlords from discriminating against renters based on their source of income. 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. Arizona State Government is an EOA/ADA reasonable Accommodation Employer. Republicans are widely expected to expand their majority in the 2022 election thanks to new district boundaries that appear to favor the GOP. In K-12 education, negotiators reached general agreement on an almost $385-per-student increase in school funding an almost 5% boost that would bring funding to an average $8,143 for each of Florida's 2.9 million school kids. The biggest share of the funds for higher education are linked to training in specialized fields. You have permission to edit this article. But those salary adjustments aren't equal for all. The average raise for a Ducey staffer was 11 percentsince he took office. In another dramatic move, lawmakers dropped a House-backed $200 million redistribution of funds from 12 counties that defied Gov. The U.S. Supreme Court today let stand a ruling that struck down Arizonas policy of denying benefits for domestic partners of state employees. The cost of living, while going up, is still lower than in other areas. It appears those who are close to Gov. More information regarding civic duty leave for the purpose of voting, Excess annual leave must be used on or before, to avoid forfeiture of excess hours. With a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2020 pushing the states minimum wage for all workers to $15-an-hour in 2026, Florida lawmakers now appear to be getting out slightly ahead of this shift. 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. But for me, its encouraging that we have actually come together.. Gov. This is what our state, where voters are nearly evenly divided by party affiliation, has long asked of us to work together, said Rep. Reginald Bolding of Laveen, the top Democrat in the House. Here's how well Ducey rewarded his staff, agency heads. Ducey gave to staff. 100 N 15th Ave, #301. 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. Please follow the steps below to log in: If you are not able to log in, please contact[emailprotected]or call (602) 542-4700, Option 4 for assistance. Ducey appointee hands out big raises, bonuses. Virtual meetings will be held at various times throughout February, March and April 2023. The Senate completed action on a bill Thursday evening that will provide pay raises for state employees whose wages are outlined in state code. MORE:After firing auditors, state's Revenue agency gave raises to select employees. "So acknowledging the importance of these positions at this time where staffing is such a big issue across the board, we thought this was a good thing to do.". 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. You can also choose to enroll in the Delta Dental PPO or opt-out of dental coverage. And even then, much of the money is not for grand projects like desalination but instead for shorter-term solutions like water banking and paying tribes and others to use less Colorado River water. Senate Bill 1828(Laws 2021, Fifty-fifth Legislature, 1st Regular Session)amended the individual income tax withholding brackets. PHOENIX Arizona Gov. Ducey is seeking a permanent 15% raise for state troopers, 20% for juvenile and adult corrections employees and pay boosts for several other agencies that total nearly $250 million a year. Likely there will be some sort of compromise concerning the two state bills. That includes money for grants to schools for needed repairs as well as cash to begin three new high schools at Marana, Pima and Nadaburg school districts.
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