Legislation Archive

Session Summaries

Bill Archive

2024 - Fifty-sixth Legislature - Second Regular Session
Real estate; acting in concert

HB 2006: Real estate; acting in concert

In Brief: Clarifies that certain activities and agreements do not constitute acting in concert.

Sponsor(s): Griffin

Last Action: This bill passed the Senate Finance and Commerce Committee on March 4th with a 6-1-0-0 vote.

Description: This bill specifies that familial relationships, well-sharing agreements, road maintenance agreements, and use of the same engineer or contractor do not constitute “acting in concert” to illegally subdivided lands. The bill was amended on the floor to clarify that use of the same contractor or engineer did not constitute “acting in concert” for counties outside of Maricopa or Pima County.

Link: https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/79759

2024 - Fifty-sixth Legislature - Second Regular Session
Subdivided lands; civil penalties

HB 2007: Subdivided lands; civil penalties

In Brief: Applies the civil penalty for unlawfully selling or leasing subdivided lands to each lot where the violation occurred, rather than to each violation.

Sponsor(s): Griffin

Last Action: This bill passed the Senate Finance and Commerce Committee on March 4th with a 7-0-0-0 vote.

Description: This bill implements a recommendation for addressing “wildcat” subdivisions made by the Governor’s Water Policy Council. This bill would apply the civil penalty for unlawfully selling or leasing subdivided lands to each lot where the violation occurred, rather than to each violation. This means that the aforementioned subdivider would be fined as much as $200,000 for illegally creating 100 lots, rather than $2,000.

Link: https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/79761

2024 - Fifty-sixth Legislature - Second Regular Session
Commercial; industrial; conservation requirements; rules

HB 2008: Commercial; industrial; conservation requirements; rules

In Brief: Requires ADWR to modify the 4th and 5th Management Plans to better encompass industrial users.

Sponsor(s): Griffin

Last Action: This bill passed out of the Senate NREW amended with a 6-0-1 vote on March 14th.

Description: As introduced, HB 2008 required the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) to adopt rules by 2025 for commercial and industrial water users within and outside of the service areas of designated providers that provide for greater water efficiency, conservation, and on-site water reuse and recycling. However, a recent amendment to HB 2008 improved it considerably. Under the amended bill, ADWR would modify the 4th and 5th Management Plans to include conservation requirements for industrial users outside of a designated provider’s service area, not currently subject to any management plan’s industrial conservation requirements, and that use more than 250 acre-feet of water per year. These conservation requirements would include on-site water reuse, recycling, and efficiency measures. Taken together, these changes help close a hole in the management plans’ industrial conservation programs. The Senate NREW committee adopted an amendment which removed the bill’s prohibition on requiring an industrial user to obtain a Certificate of Assured Water Supply or enroll as a CAGRD Member Land. ADWR has opined that this amendment would address some of its concerns with implementing this bill.

Link: https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/79762

2024 - Fifty-sixth Legislature - Second Regular Session
Subdivisions; acting in concert

HB 2009: Subdivisions; acting in concert

In Brief: Specifies that illegally subdividing lands involves dividing a parcel into six or more lots to sell or lease over a 10-year period.

Sponsor(s): Griffin

Last Action: This bill passed the Senate Finance and Commerce Committee on March 4th with a 4-3-0-0 vote.

Description: This bill would add a time-related criteria to the “acting in concert” statutes by specifying that illegally subdividing lands involves dividing a parcel into six or more lots to sell or lease through a series of owners, conveyances or other methods over a 10-year period. It also requires someone who applies to split a parcel to acknowledge this definition of “acting in concert.” Although this bill was not technically part of the Governor’s Water Policy Council’s recommendations for “wildcat” subdivisions, the concept was discussed in the Assured Water Supply Committee’s meetings.

Link: https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/79757

2024 - Fifty-sixth Legislature - Second Regular Session
Cities; towns; water reuse plans

HB 2010: Cities; towns; water reuse plans

In Brief: Allows a municipality to participate in regional water reuse and recycling programs and related infrastructure.

Sponsor(s): Griffin

Last Action:

Description: This bill would allow a municipality’s common council to participate in water reuse and recycling programs and regional wastewater recharge projects and related infrastructure. We do not currently know the intent or need for this legislation.

Link: https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/79760

2024 - Fifty-sixth Legislature - Second Regular Session
Lottery; water infrastructure finance authority

HB 2011: Lottery; water infrastructure finance authority

In Brief: Annually appropriates $50 million from the State Lottery Fund to the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA).

Sponsor(s): Griffin

Last Action:

Description: This bill would annually appropriate $50 million from the State Lottery Fund to the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA). This appropriation would occur after nearly all distributions from the State Lottery Fund are made, but before any remaining fund monies are deposited into the state General Fund. This $50 million appropriation would be evenly divided between the Water Supply Development Revolving Fund and the Water Conservation Grant Fund.

Link: https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/79763

2024 - Fifty-sixth Legislature - Second Regular Session
Water improvements program; nonprofit corporations

HB 2013: Water improvements program; nonprofit corporations

In Brief: Allows a nonprofit corporation to provide financial assistance to low-income property owners for water infrastructure projects.

Sponsor(s): Griffin

Last Action: This bill passed the Senate NREW Committee with a 5-1-1 vote on February 29th.

Description: This bill would allow a nonprofit corporation to establish a water improvement program to provide finance assistance to low-income or fixed income property owners to either deepen their drinking water well or replumb their residence for a water delivery system. Although counties have the authority to establish this program, some have declined to do so because they lack the funds necessary to implement it.

Link: https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/79765

2024 - Fifty-sixth Legislature - Second Regular Session
Wells; intention to drill; appropriation

HB 2014: Wells; intention to drill; appropriation

In Brief: Requires ADWR to audit all notices of an intention to drill a well and report findings by 2026.

Sponsor(s): Griffin

Last Action: This bill passed Senate NREW with a 4-3 vote on March 21st with a strike-everything amendment.

Description: This bill would require the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) to audit all notices of an intention to drill to determine how many issued notices led to someone drilling a new well or deepening an existing well. The bill also lists additional information that must be collected about these wells and requires ADWR to submit a report of its findings by 2026. AMWUA will be supportive of this bill if the strike-everything amendment, which gives WIFA some financial flexibility, is adopted.

Link: https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/79766

2024 - Fifty-sixth Legislature - Second Regular Session
Subsequent water management areas; basins

HB 2015: Subsequent water management areas; basins

In Brief: Limits who can sign a petition to ADWR to designate a subsequent INA or to designate an INA as an AMA.

Sponsor(s): Griffin

Last Action: This bill failed a Third Read vote in the House on February 27th (30-28-1-0-1) and must be reconsidered by March 26th.

Description: This bill would limit who can sign a petition to the Arizona Department of Water Resources to designate a subsequent irrigation non-expansion area (INA) or designate an INA as an active management area (AMA). Specifically, this bill would require residents who sign a petition to be receiving their drinking water from the same groundwater basin or sub-basin specified in that petition. HB 2015 would also limit who can sign a petition to hold a local election to designate a subsequent AMA. The bill was amended to require that any ADWR-initiated public comment session, stakeholder process, or public hearing related to creating a subsequent INA or AMA be held in the groundwater basin or sub-basin that might be designated. The amendment also requires ADWR to explain the potential impact of designation.

Link: https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/79767

2024 - Fifty-sixth Legislature - Second Regular Session
Grandfathered right; subsequent AMA; extension

HB 2016: Grandfathered right; subsequent AMA; extension

In Brief: Extends the deadline for applying for a grandfathered groundwater right in the Douglas AMA.

Sponsor(s): Griffin

Last Action: The bill was sent back to the House for the retroactivity amendment to be approved and passed the House again with a 58-0-1-0-1 vote and was sent to the Governor on March 19th.

Description: This bill is an emergency measure that would allow someone within the recently created Douglas active management area (AMA) to file an application for a grandfathered groundwater right with the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) by September 1, 2024. Within AMAs, pumping groundwater requires some to obtain a right or a permit from ADWR. A grandfathered groundwater right refers to a right pump groundwater based on the individual’s historic water usage; this pumping is essentially “grandfathered” into the AMA. This bill received an amendment at Senate NREW that applies the bill’s provisions retroactively to February 29th, 2024. This added provision appears intended to allow Douglas AMA residents to have their applications for grandfathered rights re-evaluated even if they submitted after the due date as it currently stands (March 1st, 2024).

Link: https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/79768