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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, Second Regular Session
appropriation; schools; trees
Purpose
Appropriates $400,000 from the state General Fund (state GF) in FY 2025 to the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) to distribute to public schools to plant low-biogenic volatile organic compound-emitting trees on school campuses.
Background
Volatile Organic Compounds means any compound of carbon that participates in
atmospheric photochemical reactions, excluding: 1) carbon monoxide; 2) carbon
dioxide;
3) carbonic acid; 4) metallic carbides or carbonates; and 5) ammonium carbonate
(A.A.C. R18-2-101).
In FY 2024 the state appropriated $300,000 from the state GF for public school campus trees (JLBC).
S.B. 1346 appropriates $400,000 from the state GF in FY 2025 to ADE.
Provisions
1. Appropriates $400,000 from the state GF in FY 2025 to ADE to distribute to public schools to plant low-biogenic volatile organic compound-emitting trees on school campuses that are appropriate to each school's reflective climate.
2. Directs ADE to distribute the monies on a first-come, first-served basis:
a) only to Arizona public schools at which 75 percent or more of students are eligible for the Free-and-Reduced-Price Lunch Program until December 31, 2024; and
b) if any monies remain undistributed after December 31, 2024, to Arizona public schools.
3. Authorizes ADE to require each public school that receives monies to issue a report regarding the school's use of the monies.
4. Allows a public school that receives monies to partner with a nonprofit organization to plant the trees on the school's campus.
5. Exempts the appropriation from lapsing.
6. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
January 27, 2024
MH/slp