Assigned to WAG                                                                                               AS PASSED BY COMMITTEE

 

 

 

 


ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Fourth Legislature, First Regular Session

 

AMENDED

FACT SHEET FOR H.B. 2646

 

department of agriculture; application review

Purpose

            An emergency measure that allows an applicant for the Rural E-Connectivity Pilot Program to request the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) to review their application for accuracy.

Background

The ACA is charged with providing private-sector leadership in growing and diversifying the economy by creating high-quality employment in Arizona through expansion, attraction and retention of businesses (A.R.S. § 41-1502).

            The federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 established the Rural E-Connectivity Pilot Program (Program) to facilitate broadband development in rural areas. Broadband service is any technology with the capacity to transmit data to enable a subscriber to the service to originate and receive high-quality voice, data, graphics and video. Congress appropriated $600 million to the Rural Utilities Service for the Program.

States, local governments, Indian tribes, non-profit and for-profit entities, limited liability companies and cooperative or mutual organizations are eligible to apply to the Program. To qualify, the rural area must not have sufficient access to broadband, which is fixed, terrestrial broadband service delivering at least 10 megabits per second (Mbps) downstream and 1 Mbps upstream.

            There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.

Provisions

1.      Allows a person who is eligible to apply for funding from the Program to request the ACA to review the person's application for accuracy.

2.      Prohibits the ACA from denying a request for application review. 

3.      Becomes effective on signature of the Governor, if the emergency clause is enacted.

Amendments adopted by the Water and Agriculture Committee

1.      Transfers the application review requirement from the Arizona Department of Agriculture to the ACA.

2.      Adds an emergency clause.

3.      Makes conforming changes.

House Action                                                           Senate Action

LAG              2/21/19      DP     6-0-0-1                  WAG              3/21/19      DPA     5-0-2

3rd Read         2/28/19                 60-0-0

 

Prepared by Senate Research

March 21, 2019

KN/LD/gs