By Ricardo Cano | The Republic
The Senate has approved legislation that would extend for 20 years the education sales tax rate that brings in about $667 million a year to Arizona schools, and the House is on track to follow suit.
Republican legislative leadership on Thursday fast tracked the effort to extend the tax rate, after more than a month of legislative inaction. Senate President Steve Yarbrough said there was “agreement” on the bill among the Senate, House and Gov. Doug Ducey.
The issue Thursday needed a public Senate committee hearing, two votes of the full House and two of the full Senate before going to Ducey. The Senate had held the hearing and its two votes by 2:45 p.m. The House was expected to hold its final vote later Thursday afternoon.
Voters in 2000 passed the tax as Proposition 301. The 0.6-cent sales tax is set to expire in mid-2021 if voters or the Legislature don’t act.
