ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Fifty-sixth Legislature

First Regular Session

House: LARA DP 8-0-0-1

HB2598: agricultural workforce program; apprentices; appropriation.

Sponsor: Representative Peña, LD 23

House Engrossed

Overview

Annually appropriates $500,000 from the state General Fund (GF) to the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Office to implement the Agricultural Workforce Development Program and exempts this appropriation from lapsing.

History

The Program was established in 2021 to incentivize food-producing agricultural organizations to hire apprentices by partially reimbursing them for apprenticeship costs (Laws 2021, Chapter 410). The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Office administers this Program and is responsible for:

1) Establishing qualifications for agricultural organizations who wish to participate in the Program, including providing preference to historically underserved farmers and ranchers;

2) Requiring that apprentices be paid an hourly wage;

3) Establishing apprentice-selection criteria;

4) Creating a selection time frame;

5) Establishing accounting requirements;

6) Establishing reimbursement processes; and

7) Seeking input from the community on the administration of the Program.

The Cooperative Extension Office is also required to submit an annual report on the Program's effectiveness (A.R.S. § 3-127). As of February 2023, there have been 37 apprentices placed throughout the state with 20 agricultural food producers. The average length of apprenticeship has been 6-8 months.

In FY 2022 and 2023, the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Office was appropriated in $500,000 in state General Fund monies for this Program (Laws 2021, Chapter 408 and Laws 2022, Chapter 313).

Provisions

1. Appropriates $500,000 from the state General Fund in each fiscal year to the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Office to implement the Program. (Sec. 1)

2. Exempts this appropriation from lapsing. (Sec. 1)

3. Makes technical and conforming changes. (Sec. 1)

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7. HB 2598

8. Initials PAB/AH Page 0 House Engrossed

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