By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via Arizona Capitol Times
The House and Senate adjourned the 2017 legislative session for good at sunset Wednesday, capping a day that saw lawmakers expand tax breaks for businesses and benefits for poor Arizona families.
Legislators approved providing another $10 million in state income tax credits for “angel” investors who put money into qualified small businesses and revamped a fund designed to provide grants to “microenterprises.”
In the Senate, lawmakers gave final approval to a bill to restore two-year eligibility for cash assistance for needy families, the way it was before Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation that cut the limit by half two years ago.
The slog of voting Wednesday morning and afternoon finished a session that could have dragged on even longer, were it not for a deal struck Tuesday in the Senate on a bill to consolidate election dates. SB1152, pushed by Rep. Kevin Payne, R-Peoria, is intended to spark a lawsuit against the state of Arizona after lawmakers lost a previous legal battle over their right to consolidate elections at the Arizona Supreme Court.
