Arizona Heritage Alliance

Janice Miano, President, Arizona Heritage Alliance

On behalf of the entire Alliance Board, I am pleased to let you know that House Bill 2701 (HB2701) has been introduced to restore the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund ("Fund") with $10 million each year in Arizona Lottery funds (as originally conceived by Arizona voters in 1990). Sponsors of the bill are Representatives Osborne, Cano, Cobb, Dunn, Fernandez, Kavanagh, Toma and Senator Kerr.

HB 2701 (state parks; lottery; heritage fund) has been assigned to the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee and is on the agenda to be heard this Tuesday, February 19 at 2:00 p.m. in HHR1. Here is a one page summary of HB2701 for your reference.

You can communicate your position through the Legislature's Request to Speak (RTS) system. If you don't have an account for the Legislature's Request To Speak System, please link here for detailed instructions. You can also call or email the House Committee members directly and let them know you want them to SUPPORT HB 2701.

State Senators Phone and Email

Russell " Rusty" Bowers 602-926-3128 rbowers@azleg.gov

Andres Cano 602-926-3027 Acano@azleg.gov

David L. Cook 602-926-5162 Dcook@azleg.gov

Timothy M. Dunn, Vice Chair 602-926-4139 Tdunn@alzleg.gov

Kirsten Engel 602-926-5178 kengel@azleg.gov

Mark Finchem 602-926-3122 mfinchem@azleg.gov

Rosanna Gabaldon 602-926-3424 rgabaldon@azleg.gov

Gail Griffin, Chair 602-926-5895 ggriffin@azleg.gov

Jennifer Longdon 602-926-3264 jlongdon@azleg.gov

Becky A. Nutt 602-926-4852 bnutt@azleg.gov

Thomas "T.J." Shope 602-926-3012 tshope@azleg.gov

Myron Tsosie 602-926-3157 mtsosie@azleg.gov

Michelle Udall 602-926-4856 Mudall@azleg.gov

Senate Bill 1241 which was introduced earlier this month, restores the Fund, but only allows for grants, donations, and direct appropriations. SB1241, which received a 7-0 favorable vote of the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee, will now be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at 2 p.m. in Senate Room 109. You can communicate your position by using the Legislature's Request to Speak (RTS) system or contact the following Senate committee members directly and let them know you want them to SUPPORT SB 1241.

State Senators Phone And Email

Lela Alston 602-926-5829 Lalston@azleg.gov

Sean Bowie 602-926-3004 sbowie@azleg.gov

Heather Carter 602-926-5503 hcarater@azleg.gov

David Gowan, Chair 602-926-5154 dgowan@azleg.gov

Sine Kerr 602-926-5955 skerr@azleg.gov

Vince Leach, Vice Chair 602-926-3106 vleach@azleg.gov

David Livingston 602-926-4178 dlivingston@azleg.gov

Lisa Otondo 602-926-3002 Lotondo@azleg.gov

Michelle Ugenti-Rita 602-926-4480 Mugenti-rita@azleg.gov

From the time Arizona voters approved the creation of the Fund to the Great Recession when it was defunded and removed from statute, the Fund served our state well with its dedication to parks, outdoor recreation, open space, non-motorized trails, outdoor and environmental education, and historic preservation. It is our hope that this Legislature restores the Fund after satisfying all other current encumbrances, and to bring the Fund back to effect in a responsible and deliberate manner.

Why the Fund is important. Arizona's local, regional, and state parks and recreation facilities are economic development generators that encourage the spending of tourist dollars, attract businesses whose workforce choose jobs in locations with quality of life benefits, strengthen community cohesion, and increase property values. Historic preservation initiatives in our rural communities and urban areas promote economic development by creating jobs, revitalizing historic areas, increasing property values, and promoting heritage tourism.

Thank you for all the work you do to improve our state's quality of life and to support the reinstatement of the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us at mail@azheritage.org or call 602-528-7500.

Janice Miano

President, Board of Directors

The Arizona Heritage Alliance

azheritage.org