 |
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
water technology study committee
Purpose
Establishes the Water Technology Study Committee (Study Committee).
Background
The Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) has general control and supervision of surface water, its appropriation and distribution and groundwater to the extent provided by statute, except distribution of water reserved to special officers appointed by courts under existing judgments or decrees (A.R.S. § 45-103).
The Water
Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA) is a state agency authorized to provide
funding and financial assistance for water conservation, reuse and augmentation
projects for the purposes of meeting Arizona's current and long term water
needs (A.R.S. §§ 40-1203.01
and
49-1205).
WIFA is governed by a board consisting of nine appointed voting members and
advisory nonvoting members (A.R.S.
§ 49-1206).
The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) provides private sector leadership in growing and diversifying the economy of the state, creating high quality employment in Arizona through expansion, attraction and retention of businesses. The ACA is governed by a board of directors consisting of the Governor as the chairperson, a Chief Executive Officer, appointed members of the U.S. Congress, private sector business leaders and various nonvoting ex officio members (A.R.S. § 41-1502).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Establishes the Study Committee, consisting of the following members:
a) three members of the Senate appointed by the President of Senate, one of whom is designated as co-chairperson;
b) three members of the House of Representatives (House), appointed by the Speaker of the House, one of whom is designated as co-chairperson;
c) the Director of ADWR or the Director's designee;
d) the Director of WIFA or the Director's designee;
e) the Chief Executive Officer of the ACA or the Chief Executive Officer's designee;
f) a representative of a statewide association that advocates on behalf of the businesses of Arizona to be appointed by the President of the Senate;
g) a representative of a state university with experience in water conservation technology to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; and
h) a representative of a municipal water users association who is jointly appointed by the chairpersons of the House Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee and the Senate Natural Resources Committee.
2. Specifies that the President of the Senate or Speaker of the House may not designate more than two members of the same political party and must each designate a member as co-chairperson.
3. Requires the Study Committee to research and make recommendations regarding:
a) the existing application of water conservation technology across commercial and industrial property in Arizona;
b) other states' initiatives to promote water saving technology;
c) the efficacy of existing water saving technologies;
d) the correlation between sustainable water technologies and the water-energy nexus; and
e) potential uses of emerging technologies to manage the water supply of Arizona more effectively.
4. Requires the Study Committee to submit, by December 31, 2026, a report regarding the Study Committee's activities and recommendations for administrative or legislative action to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House and to provide a copy of the report to the Secretary of State.
5. Repeals the Study Committee on January 1, 2027.
6. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 14, 2025
SB/SN/slp