Arizona House bill by Rep. Kavanagh allocates funds for claims across multiple state agencies

Passed bill authored by State Rep. John Kavanagh seeks to allocate funds from several state funds to cover claims involving technology, legal services, corrections, veterans’ services, and other state agencies, according to the Arizona State Senate.

It passed both chambers as of April 15, clearing the House by a vote of 52-0 and the Senate by a vote of 30-0.

The bill, introduced as SB1047 on Jan. 9, ahead of the official start of the 57th Legislature’s first regular session on Jan. 13, was formally listed with the short title: ‘appropriations; named claimants’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill appropriates funds totaling $388,470.97 for fiscal year 2024-25 to pay various claims. Specifically, $62,601 is allocated from the Information Technology Fund to World Wide Technology, LLC. An amount of $2,688.30 from the Risk Management Revolving Fund will be distributed among Jones, Skelton & Hochuli P.L.C., Bartelt Nix Court Reporters, and ForensisGroup, Inc. The state general fund provides $308 to the State Board for Charter Schools and $4,744.67 to the State Department of Corrections for Arizona Correctional Industries. The Telecommunication Fund for the Deaf will allocate $3,850 to Arizona Correctional Industries. The bill also appropriates $9,091.49 from the State Highway Fund for claims by Xerox Corporation, Arizona Correctional Industries, and Motorola Solutions, Inc. Finally, the Department of Veterans’ Services will receive $287,446.50 from the state general fund, along with $17,740.01 from the State Homes for Veterans Trust Fund, to cover various claims, including those by Concentra, Hillrom, and Hospitalist of Arizona LLC.

In the House, 21 Democrats and 31 Republicans voted in favor, with no opposition.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 13 Democrats and 17 Republicans voted in favor, also with no opposing votes.

Kavanagh introduced the bill in the Arizona Senate on Jan. 9 ahead of the official start of the 57th Legislature’s first regular session on Jan. 13.

Kavanagh graduated from New York Universit in 1973 with a BA and again in 1995 from Rutgers University-Newark with a PHD.

Kavanagh, a Republican, was elected to the Arizona State Senate in 2023 to represent the state’s 3rd Senate District, replacing previous state senator Sally Ann Gonzales.

The bill was signed into law by Gov. Katie Hobbs on April 18.

In Arizona, the legislative process begins when a bill is introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. It is then assigned to one or more committees for discussion and possible amendment. If approved by committee, the bill proceeds to floor debate and voting in both chambers. If both chambers pass the bill, it is sent to the governor, who may sign it into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without a signature. The Arizona Legislature convenes annually in regular session starting the second Monday in January. Lawmakers introduce hundreds of bills each session, though only a portion make it into law. You can learn more about the legislative process on the Arizona State Legislature website.