By Rachel Leingang | Arizona Republic
Arizona Republican legislative leaders and Gov. Doug Ducey have reached a budget agreement, leaders of both chambers confirmed on Sunday.
Legislative leaders plan to discuss the deal with members of the House and Senate on Monday, Senate President Karen Fann, R-Prescott, told The Arizona Republic.House Speaker Rusty Bowers,R-Mesa, confirmed the agreement and the plan for negotiations with lawmakers on Monday.
“We’re going to start tomorrow and very aggressively move forward and hopefully get this thing done,” Bowers said.
The agreement comes after a protracted legislative session that saw little action in the past month. It remains to be seen if lawmakers’ daily allowances dropping last week and the looming Memorial Day holiday weekend will serve as motivators to reach a deal. Lawmakers’ daily allowances will stay at a lower rate until they adjourn.
The state’s fiscal year ends on June 30. A new budget year would start the next day.
Republicans control both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s office. In recent years, that has meant the budget includes GOP priorities while Democrats aren’t typically consulted on what gets included or left out of a budget deal.
Democrats were not a part of budget discussions over the weekend that led to the agreement.
