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Public Policy
The Association of Arizona Food Banks spearheads advocacy efforts in Arizona and nationwide in collaboration with other organizations whose interests and concerns align themselves with our mission. Join the AAFB Advocacy TeamAAFB distributes electronic Legislative Updates to keep you apprised of activities at the state and federal levels, with instructions on how you can make a difference. To subscribe, send an email with "Subscribe to AAFB Advocacy Team" in the subject line to ghildebrand@azfoodbanks.org. How to Take Action: Contacting Your Legislative Officialsln Phoenix call 602-926-3559 or 1-800-352-8404 for the House; 602-926-4221 or 1-800-352-8404 for the Senate and ask for your legislator. If you are not sure who your legislators are, visit www.votesmart.org and enter your ZIP+4 zip code in the upper left hand box on the home page to find who your Senator and/or Representatives are. AAFB thanks you for making calls and sending emails and letters in this time of budget crisis and economic uncertainty. Your voice does make a difference! Past EffortsLearn more about AAFB's history, past legislative action and successses. Latest Activity
Updated January 15, 2010
Governor Brewer releases her budget proposal (PDF)
Selected impacts: elimination of KidsCare, Department of Juvenile Corrections; TANF reductions; lowering of AHCCCS eligibility with proposal of elimination of Prop 204; further reductions in DES crisis services and other programs; 5% salary cut for government employees; setting 2006 as target budget for certain areas of state government.
Specifically, 310,000 individuals would be cut from AHCCCS health care; 47,000 children would lose health care due to elimination of KidsCare; 10,000 families (most female-headed) would lose cash assistance; 17,000 seriously mentally ill adults face dramatic reductions in services; the Department of Juvenile Corrections would be closed, with yourth transferred to county detention centers. There does not appear to be any indications of cuts to hunger relief programs, but obviously there will be more people knocking at food bank and pantry doors!
Updated December 23, 2009
The 5th Special Session called by Governor Brewer ended late last week, with the result being more agency cuts and no new plans for revenue generation.
Updated November 24, 2009
The Legislature approved another $300 million in cuts, but much work remains to balance the budget, with impacts on food banks unclear.
Updated October 20, 2009
Governor Brewer asked state agencies for budget recommendations containing an additional 15% cut for 2009-10. For the Department of Economic Security, this would result in an additional $83 million reduction beyond all previous cuts. While no specific cuts are proposed to food banks at this time, if all or some of the proposed reductions or eliminations go into effect, food banks would see tens of thousands more Arizonans seeking assistance. Read the full DES budget recommendations (PDF).
Updated September 4, 2009
Governor Brewer acted on the budget today, accepting most of a budget-balancing plan while vetoing key parts including school funding cuts and the repeal of the state property tax. More will be coming in the next few days regarding another Special Session to resolve the remaining vetoed sections. A thank you to Governor Brewer for continuing her vigilance for the most vulnerable would be in order. You can reach her through the Office of the Governor's website or at 602-542-4331 or 1-800-253-0883.
Updated August 10, 2009
The Legislature convened on Friday, August 7 for about 10 minutes and then adjourned with no action taken. There were only 16 out of 30 in the Senate present.
There are still not the 16 Yes votes committed to the Budget Bills in the Senate. Senator Chuck Gray has been out of the country but has since returned, and three Senators are still holding out as No votes on the Budget Bills as they currently stand: Carolyn Allen, Pam Gorman and Ron Gould. Senate leadership is organizing to separate into two bills the sales tax and tax cut issues from the current bill that refers these issues to the ballot in November. This way they think they can turn Sen. Allen's vote on the sales tax referral, and Sen. Gorman's vote on the tax cut referral. If this is accomplished then these bills will have to go back to the House to be re-approved as separate legislation. A vote is scheduled for Tuesday, August 11.
Updated July 28, 2009
Surprisingly quick movement on the Arizona budget, with a possible vote as soon as tomorrow. Details here and are still developing. Looks like Governor Brewer will have her tax increase on the ballot, but other details remain fuzzy. Stay tuned.
Updated July 24, 2009
Federal: Major Domestic Appropriations Bills are moving forward in health and human services, HUD, education, transportation, and more.
State: Movement has slowed tremedously in recent weeks, but the Arizona Daily Star opines that compromise may be in the future.
Updated July 8, 2009
Governor Brewer has signed the revised budget produced in the July 6 special legislative session into law, but work remains: the new budget still has a projected deficit of more than $2 billion and no agreement has been reached to put Brewer's proposed 1% sales tax increase on the ballot. The special session resumes on Monday, July 13.
Updated July 1, 2009
Here's the latest: Governor Brewer has signed the Budget "feed bill" SB1188 with line item vetoes in various sections, including line item vetoing the lump sum reductions to DES and DHS. This permits State Government to continuing to keep the doors open.
She vetoed the BRB's for Capital Outlay (SB1027), Higher Education (SB1029), State Properties (SB1031), General Government (SB1035) Revenue (SB1036), Health and Welfare (SB1145) and K-12 education (SB1187).
Read Governor Brewer's Statement (PDF).
She has called a special session beginning 1 p.m. on Monday, July 6 (PDF).
Advocates are supportive of this action by the Governor and are working to meet with her in the next hours or days to talk about how to make sure in the next budget plan services are preserved at a level that will permit the needed support for low-income, vulnerable Arizonans who need the services - such as food banks, soup kitchens, shelters, domestic violence centers, senior services, child care for working families and more. They are also seeking to work with all parties to encourage all to come to the table in the next round of the Special Session to work for a long term solution to Arizona's fiscal crisis.
Updated June 25, 2009
It appears as though a "handshake" budget agreement has been worked out between Governor Brewer and the Arizona Legislature, but details remain fuzzy and it is uncertain as to whether the Legislature has the votes to get it passed by Tuesday's deadline. Some information is being reported here and here, as well as by the Arizona Guardian (subscription required).
Updated June 24, 2009
Specialty License Plate bill (SB1017) passed on a 5 yes, 4 not present vote today in the House Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee. This is a great step forward. The next steps are as follows and must be completed before the Legislature adjourns: House Rules Committee; Caucus consideration; House Committee of the Whole consideration; House Third Reading-Roll Call vote; finally, sent to the Governor for signing.
The Supreme Court rules against Governor Brewer's request to have the Legislature submit the budget: This will likely mean these bills will be given to the Governor on June 30th, possibly with the intention of forcing her hand to either sign the bills and put a budget into place, or veto the bills and shut down state government non-essential services.
14 states now have double-digit unemployment; Arizona's unemployment rate has increased from 4.3% in 12/2007 to 8.2% in 05/2009, almost double.
Updated June 17, 2009
Recent Developments:
1. Earlier this week, Governor Brewer filed an action with the State Supreme Court against the State Legislative Leadership to release the bills for her for consideration, signing or veto.
2. On Monday, Governor Brewer backed down some on her commitment to a temporary raising of the sales tax to balance the 2009-10 budget. She stated that was not necessary for this coming year, but would be for 2011 and 2012.
3. New information shows that if SB1188 (the Legislature's passed budget bill) is the final version of the budget passed, the Coordinated Food Bank Line item would lose a total of $368,300 for 2009-10 from the original $2,014,600 appropriated in 2008-09, leaving the line item total at $1,646,300 for 2009-10.
4. Specialty License Plate bill SB1017 is progressing to create specialty license plates for Multiple Sclerosis Awareness and Masonic Orders. This bill will go to the Senate Rules Committee soon, where Sen. Paula Aboud is working on a floor amendment to add a plate for food banks/hunger. Follow the progress at: http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/49leg/1r/bills/sb1017o.asp
5. The Working Poor Tax Credit bill (SB1019, formerly HB2286) earlier passed in the House, has now changed numbers as it passes through the Senate. The new number is SB1019 and you can follow it here: http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/49leg/1r/bills/sb1019o.asp
Updated June 8, 2009
The Senate and House have passed a budget for 2009-10 and have decided not to send it to Governor Brewer over concerns she would veto it. They report this strategy will help them be able to negotiate with the Governor in a more amicable manner.
The budget passed is about the worst for DES and the organizations they contract with for services. The $73.4 million lump sum cut to DES is 10% of their current General Fund budget and throws them over the threshold that could cause them to eliminate all funding for the social services safety net in our state. Time is of the essence and you are encouraged to:
1. Contact your legislators as soon as possible to share your feelings on this budget plan.
2. Contact the Governor's office to encourage her to stand firm on her plan that does not cut DES in such a devastating way and actually achieves a better plan for a balanced budget.
3. Contact those legislators in the House who stood firm in their belief that this budget was not a plan that would move Arizona in a positive direction: Rep. Bill Koponicki, Rep. Vic Williams and Rep. Doug Quelland.
Updated June 1, 2009
Governor Brewer released her budget recommendations for 2009-2010 today. A summary letter from her, also posted on her website, outlines the general principles and some details of her recommendation. Note that she states on p. 5 in the 9th bullet that homeless, food operations (i.e. food banks), housing and domestic violence programs should not withstand any further cuts - VERY GOOD NEWS. The temporary sales tax she recommends, detailed on p. 6 of her letter in the 4th paragraph, does not include taxing food. This is another good thing as it does not broaden the tax base or rescind any exemptions currently in place.
AAFB will be attending a meeting of education, health and human service stakeholders with the Governor tomorrow afternoon to hear the details of her plan in person. Look for details from that in the coming days.
Arizona Republic article on Governor Brewer's budget
Updated May 29, 2009
Movement on budget is finally beginning with the release of the Legislative Democrats budget proposal and expectations for Governor Brewer to release her budget by the middle of next week. Brewer is also expected to launch a publicity campaign to garner support over the month of June.
The Arizona Budget Coalition is also embarking on their action plan to highlight how the budget can be balanced without severe cuts or tax increases. AAFB is planning on participating in ABC initiatives, including phone outreach campaigns and coordinating a Day at the Legislature on June 25. Details on how you can assist us to come...
Updated May 15, 2009
Details on the proposed 2010 budget, known as HB 2633: 1. DES budget cuts, compared to earlier proposals, were approximately $25 million less, but the overall provisions are still not good.
2. HB 2633 cuts the Division of Aging and Community Services by $5.6 million from the original 08-09 state budget, plus an additional $2 million, for an approximate total of $7.6 million.
3. Overall, cuts to DES in 08-09 combined with HB 2633 would reduce their budget by 17.5%, the largest percentage cut of any AZ government department. A possible outcome: not being able to maintain the TANF/Cash Assistance Program and the potential distruction of the social services safety net.
Things are definitely starting to move... stay tuned.
Updated May 6, 2009
WESTMARC Business Group supports Gov. Brewer's five-point budget plan
Updated April 17, 2009
REPUBLICAN STATE BUDGET TOWNHALL MEETING RECAP
On April 16, a Republican townhall meeting open to the public was held to discuss the 2010 budget athe at the Scottsdale Civic Center. There were panel discussions on the 2010 State Budget featuring Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Russell Pearce, House Appropriations Committee Chairman John Kavanagh, President Pro Tempore Senator Thayer Verschoor, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Gray, and others. No significant news was announced, other than education cuts were promised to be smaller than anticipated and that taxes would not be increased. More details here.
Updated April 15, 2009
COMMUNITY AGENCIES: BUDGET CUTS UNRAVELING SERVICES NETWORK
Public News Service, Phoenix, AZ - Local community leaders across the state are calling on lawmakers and the governor to restore funding for critical human services. In a letter to Governor Brewer and all 90 lawmakers, volunteer board members from 60 non-profit agencies say recent budget cuts threaten their public-private partnerships with the state.
Dana Naimark, president of Children's Action Alliance, says the issue is greater than loosing state money. "State investment supports services for kids and families but thousands and thousands of dollars of private investment and volunteer time and effort are also brought to the table."
The letter says, without privately-run prevention and crisis services, the state will see huge increases in emergency room visits and homeless people because there will be no place left to turn. In addition to $1.6 billion in budget cuts already this year, state lawmakers face a $3-billion deficit next year.
So far, the Senate president and House speaker have been unwilling to consider the governor's call for a temporary tax increase to deal with the state's budget shortfall. Naimark hopes that will change. "The letter asks the legislature to work with Governor Brewer and to put together a broader plan that protects our fiscal stability and our future. That would be a plan that does not rely only on budget cuts to balance our budget."
The non-profit agencies report they don't have the resources to replace the lost state money, but will still see an increasing number of people seeking their services.
Click Here to View Letter to Governor and Lawmakers
Updated April 10, 2009
As the clock ticks on for Governor Brewer and the State Legislature to come up with a plan to balance the 2010 budget, struggling Arizonans get a little more nervous, anticipating their elected leaders may not be on their side.
Initial budget proposals show those concerns to be legitimate, with striking cuts to the Department of Economic Security and loss of federal matching funds, along with possible elimination of school tax credits and donations to organizations serving the working poor.
If passed, these cuts would severely cripple the ability of numerous agencies to deliver needed services to nearly a million Arizonans. Collectively, these organizations make up the safety net that prevents many Arizonans from losing hope.
Unfortunately, many of these organizations have already suffered from recent cuts to the current 2009 budget. They continue to face an unprecedented rise in demand for their services, fueled by many first-time users. How can these organizations sustain increased service levels if their budgets are cut even further? Fortunately, there are some signs that the community understands the importance of the safety net:
1. The East Valley Partnership, a prominent collection of business and government leaders, recently endorsed Governor Brewer's five-point budget plan which included a temporary sales tax increase. This endorsement was the first official positive response from the business community, indicating they understand that the budget cannot be balanced at the expense of those individuals and families who need it most.
2. The Valley of the Sun United Way recently reiterated this message, speaking out against further cuts to Arizona's social safety net through an editorial in the Arizona Republic.
Those that rely on the safety net are not, contrary to what has been expoused by some talking heads, primarily made up of system abusers, the chronically lazy, or worse. Our experience tells us those served by food banks are hardworking, tax-paying, law-abiding people who find themselves in trouble because they've recently lost their job, had an unexpected medical emergency, or otherwise been affected by the downturn in the economy.
The old saying goes "no news is good news," but in this case, the lack of communication and movement on the 2010 budget is not an optimistic development. Governor Brewer hosted a budget and economic forum (video and presentations below) this week and did not reveal anything beyond her already publicized five-point budget plan for 2010. It was announced that the State is considering borrowing in lieu of taxation as a means to balancing the budget, but no indication was given that any progress has been made on status of further cuts.
Speak up today on the 2010 budget by contacting your Legislators by phone or email, or by a personal visit. You can find contact information at the top of this page.
Uncut Forum Video: Part One | Part Two
Presentations: Governor's Office | Rep. Adams | Elliott Pollack | GPEC
Updated March 27, 2009
To give you some background on the most recent budget reductions the Legislature has developed, here is a recent newspaper article. There are others covering it as well, including the Arizona Capitol Times and the Arizona Guardian.
Here is the specific reductions in both the DES and DHS budgets that was leaked from the Legislature on 3/26/09. We know this information is correct, yet all of it has been noted as DRAFT at this point.
In brief, the proposed cuts to DES are about $100 Million building on top of the $150 Million in cuts to the Department that were implemented to balance the budget for FY 2009. This equates to an overall budget decrease of a little more than 8%. Previously, advocates were told by DES leadership that cuts beyond 5% would totally wipe out all safety net programs, hunger, homeless, domestic violence, and other essential programs that build the safety net in our state.
In addition, let me point out to you there is a direct loss with the $1 million lottery fund transfer to homeless programs being suspended. The DHS budget reductions are more difficult to figure out but still amount to $45.2 million, however, it appears that hunger programs such as the AZ Farmer's Market Nutrition Program, and the AZ Supplemental Food Program could definitely be on the chopping block this time.
The net result of these drastic suggestions is a potential dismantling of Arizona's safety net that provides help for hungry, homeless and Arizona's most vulnerable citizens 24/7.
Updated February 13, 2009
2009 BUDGET CUT IMPACTS: The Food Buying Cooperative Certificate Program has been discontinued. This voucher program was an important tool for many to move forward on the path to food security. Approximately 7,000 Arizona families used this program each year.
DES recently announced budgetary reductions impacting thousands of the most vulnerable citizens statewide, many of whom already use the services food banks provide: read the press release.
Updated January 30, 2009
The $1.6 Billion 2008-09 Budget deficit has been under consideration for the past two days in a Special Session of the Arizona Legislature specifically to deal with this issue. This week the Democratic Caucus released their 2008-09 Budget alternatives that would restore cuts to critical health and human services - including hunger funds to food banks and Senior Nutrition funds.
This afternoon, Governor Jan Brewer released her suggested revisions to what previously has been called the Chairmen's Budget Proposal for 2009. These revisions include restoring up to 64% of the funds previously cut in the Department of Economic Security's Aging and Community Services line items, which include the Hunger Line Item, Homeless and Domestic Violence line items. Rather than cutting $157,800 from the Hunger Line item, the reduction would be $56,808, according to our calculator.
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