The bottom line is that they wants a judge to reject a try by two Prescott residents to enjoin the state from distributing the funds
Howard Fischer
Capitol Media Services
Lawyers for the state are denying that lawmakers did anything wrong by allocating $15.3 million for the Prescott Rodeo.
In a new court filing, Assistant Attorney General Hayleigh Crawford acknowledges that lawmakers are bound by the Gift Clause of the Arizona Constitution. It bars the state, among other things, from making any grant or subsidy “to any individual, association or corporation” when there is no public benefit.
But Crawford denied that the appropriation made by state lawmakers earlier this year as part of the $17.8 billion budget violates that provision. And she also rejected the claim made when the lawsuit was filed in June that the appropriation does not serve a public purpose because it does not require Prescott Frontier Days, which is the recipient, to perform any public function in exchange for the appropriation.
.The outcome of the lawsuit, however, could have implications beyond this specific allocation.
