Marisol Garcia, vice president of the Arizona Education Association, chides Republican lawmakers June 21, 2022, for not offering a spending plan that puts more dollars into public schools given a $5.3 billion surplus. /Capitol Media Services photo by Howard Fischer
By Nathan Brown and Camryn Sanchez |Arizona Capitol Times June 21, 2022
The Fiscal Year 2023 budget is finally on the move with at least one House Democrat in favor and one Republican opposed to it.
The House Appropriations Committee started meeting at 8 a.m. Tuesday and advanced every budget bill on an 8-5 vote, with Rep. César Chávez, D-Phoenix, joining the Republicans to vote for all of them, and Rep. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, opposing them all.
The new fiscal year starts on July 1, and the meeting started with a presentation from House attorney Tim Fleming on what will happen if no budget is passed before then. Chávez cited the impending deadline as a reason to get something passed before then.
“I think that if we do not pass any type of budget then we don’t have a budget,” Chávez said. “We don’t have anything to work with, and in the matter of working on something that will benefit the state of Arizona and the people of Arizona, as my responsibility as a lawmaker, I vote aye.”
Senate President Karen Fann, R-Prescott, said that a “skinny” continuation budget that has already been crafted into the House will have to be passed this week if a serious budget can’t happen before Friday.
