By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services | Arizona Daily Star
Fearing an eroding tax base, two Republican legislators are leading efforts to block private individuals from giving away property to the federal government.
The identical proposals by Rep. Mark Finchem of Oro Valley and Sen. Sonny Borrelli of Lake Havasu City would prohibit the sale, gifting, granting or any transfer of an ownership interest in private land “without the express, affirmative consent of the Legislature and the governor.”
But both SB 1046 and HB 2092 also contain language that suggests larger issues may be at work, including language about forging “a political solution” that could require the federal government to give up some of what it already owns.
At the heart of the issue is the complaint that the federal government already controls too much of the state’s land.
