But lawmakers have reduced that amount, targeting $209.5 million for housing initiatives, but limiting rental assistance efforts to about $100 million, with another $100 million establishing a hometown heroes program helping first responders, teachers and nurses with down payment assistance. This equals the increase in the Consumer Price Index, a key measure of inflation. Districts lose dollars because of masks: GOP lawmaker aims to strip state funding from school districts that defied Gov. Gov. Tuesday, November 8, 2022, is the General Election and all state government employees are encouraged to vote. A proposed expansion of a tax credit to subsidize private school tuition was removed from the must-pass budget, likely dooming it. Arizonas individual income tax rates were substantially reduced starting with the 2022 tax year. The Arizona Freedom Caucus announced it would be filing a lawsuit challenging Gov. Pass it along to the KTAR News team here. PHOENIX (AP) Arizona's legislature approved a bipartisan $18 billion spending plan early Thursday that will make substantial investments in public schools, build new highways and pay down long-term debts. 2305. Ducey proposes pay raises for nearly half of state employees in $11.4 billion budget Gov. All rights reserved. That includes money for grants to schools for needed repairs as well as cash to begin three new high schools at Marana, Pima and Nadaburg school districts. Virtual meetings will be held at various times throughout February, March and April 2023. The fiscal year 2023 budget was. Republicans last year cut $1.7 billion in income taxes. Every single budgets bad, Gray said. $400 million to complete another 20 miles of upgrading I-10 to three lanes in each direction between Casa Grande and Sun Lakes; $50 million for communities outside Pima and Maricopa counties to leverage federal dollars for shovel-ready transportation projects; $92 million for building repairs and upgrades in the state prison system; $8.2 million to increase the number of Adult Protective Services caseworkers; $177 million for projects at state parks, about half for sewage treatment systems, though $118 million of that is coming from federal cash. Ducey is seeking a permanent 15% raise for state troopers, 20% for juvenile and adult corrections employees and pay boosts for several other agencies that total nearly $250 million a year. This is really just getting on a soap box and vilifying immigrants and creating a political point, Quezada said. Ducey released a 'recovery-focused' budget for Fiscal Year 2022, and he plans in making investments in K-12 education, public health, public safety, wildfire prevention, infrastructure and more, while also providing tax relief to residents. Karamargin, Duceys spokesman, said there is increasing competitiveness in all sorts of jobs. About one-third of the top positions for Arizona state agencies received a boost in pay for 2015, with many of Governor Doug Ducey's new hires now getting paid substantially more than their . (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin), 3 Kansas City Officers Who Were Shot Released From Hospital, 1 Killed When Business Jet Encounters Severe Turbulence, Pot Vote Has Oklahoma Hungry to Rake in Green From Texas. The firings of more than 100 auditors and collectors, who were among the lowest-paid employees at Revenue, ended up costing the state $83 million in lost revenue. State employees will get a raise, many for the first time in a decade. GOP and Democratic leaders agreed to add $526 million in new ongoing funding for K-12 schools, a substantial increase from the GOPs initial proposal. The Associated Press learned of the moneys use when an updated report on the governors use of virus relief funds was posted by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, which provides non-partisan analysis of state finances to lawmakers. The 12 districts are Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Indian River, Leon, Miami-Dade, Orange, Palm Beach, Sarasota and Volusia counties. Please take this into consideration when planning for the avoidance of forfeiture of excess hours. Sen. Martin Quezada, a Glendale Democrat, spoke out against plans to spend $335 million for a wall on the southern border, which he said would be useless in stopping people from crossing. "Arizona is resilient, and we . Arizona has a legal right to challenge a federal provision that forbids using COVID relief money for tax cuts, appeals court rules. Average annual pay before overtime for non-supervisors is just over $70,000. If prompted, enter your YES Username and Password. AZPerforms was successfully upgraded and is now available. The budget also includes $160 million to start work on increasing the states water supply. Senate Bill 531 applies to teachers, school counselors, school service personnel and State Troopers. has given 44 of his staff members raises of up to 20 percent each. Meanwhile, caseworkers dealing with the state's foster-care crisis got a $1-a-day raise. Both measures will allow laid-off . Any hours in excess of the maximum carryover limits are subject to forfeiture. For the latest local news, download the FOX 10 News app. The Arizona Board of Regents approved the University of Arizona's . The other two aircraft would be available to the lieutenant governor, Cabinet members, Supreme Court justices, the House Speaker, Senate president and chairs of legislative committees and agency officials. Due to this change, every employee isrequiredto fill out a new Arizona A-4 form effective for wages paid after January 1, 2023 unless they qualify to complete: A-4VVoluntary Withholding Request for Arizona Resident Employed Outside Arizona, WECWithholding Exemption Certificate for Arizona Nonresidents, WECIWithholding Exemption Certificate, Native Americans with Instructions, WECMWithholding Exemption Certificate for Military Spouses. Arizona tax rates have decreased and as a result, AZDOR has revised withholding percentages and is requiring taxpayers to complete a new Form A-4 for 2023. Doug Ducey was expected to approve it. Likely there will be some sort of compromise concerning the two state bills. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. The biggest share of the funds for higher education are linked to training in specialized fields. The Department of Administration, which functions as state government's human-resources department and works directly for Ducey,gave at least 245 employees roughly half of itsstaff pay raises that average 18 percent, or an $11,496 increase. MORE:After firing auditors, state's Revenue agency gave raises to select employees. Ron DeSantis spends big in $99.7 billion budget proposal. SB 1411 was introduced by Republican State Senator Karen Fann. So prior cuts to business taxes have included some compensating tax relief for homeowners. Doug Ducey has had a serious negative effect on neighborhoods. It also eliminates the state equalization tax, a property tax for education, and backfills it with $330 million from the general fund. Log in via YES. Lawmakers in the House and Senate ended a months-long impasse, working through the night to approve the budget shortly before sunrise. Arizona governor pledges $100 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding to help students catch up. The House amended the raise on March 7 and the Senate concurred this evening. There also is a $450 million deposit into the states rainy day fund, bringing it up to 10% of the total state budget, the maximum permitted by law. Doug Ducey wants to grant pay raises to nearly half of all state employees, with an emphasis on boosting salaries for law enforcement and corrections officers. Any hours in excess of the maximum carryover limits are subject to forfeiture. For the rest of Floridians, affordable housing has been the subject of calls for more money, as the states sizzling housing market has driven rents and home prices through the roof. Arizona state employee raises 2022; Arizona state employee raises 2022. by: Admin . This is what our state, where voters are nearly evenly divided by party affiliation, has long asked of us to work together, said Rep. Reginald Bolding of Laveen, the top Democrat in the House. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Duceys office routinely issues news releases when he allocates cash from the pot of COVID-19 relief money he controls, but that wasnt done this time. For example, Arizona State University is getting $21 million for new programs in engineering, Theres $415 million for the University of Arizona for its programs in health, mining, space and defense, with about $10 million for Northern Arizona University for health care professions. The Governors Office estimates that 577,000 Arizonans will qualify at a cost of $74 million a year. But with inflation rising and many state agencies struggling to hire and keep employees, lawmakers have adapted to a new political reality. Duceys plan also includes $58 million to help low-performing schools those rated D or F by the state Department of Education as well as some C-rated schools where 60% or more of the students come from low-income households. click the box below and click the Login button under Y.E.S. The State Personnel Board last week voted to add four steps of 2.5% to employees' pay structure. 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Republicans are widely expected to expand their majority in the 2022 election thanks to new district boundaries that appear to favor the GOP. Every single budget's bad, Gray said. More information regarding civic duty leave for the purpose of voting, Excess annual leave must be used on or before, to avoid forfeiture of excess hours. Few events have the potential to impact technology and the government like the appointment of a new state CIO. Several lawmakers already are angling for even bigger tax cuts. The Arizona Legislature on Tuesday began considering a $15.6 billion state budget package that pays down more than $1.2 billion in state debt but keeps in place most of a nearly $800 budget gimmick from the Great Recession, boosts road construction, border security and other spending but falls short of what education advocates say is needed to fund K-12 public schools. Under the plan, DeSantis would exclusively use the Citation. U of A's $2.3 billion budget earmarks $51.5 million for employee raises. You may add/drop dependents and change coverage or carriers. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. The maximum benefit is about $325 a year, with an average of $128. FY 2022 Appropriations Report - General Fund Salary Adjustments for State Employees Since FY 2012 and Salary Adjustments for Elected Officials Created Date 8/4/2021 4:55:37 PM KTARs Community Spotlight focuses on the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley and the work to incorporate esports into children's lives. Both measures will allow laid-off workers to take on more part-time work. The budget does have a specific sensitivity to how the COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted the shortage of nurses in the state. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. Phoenix lawmaker said that gun safety equipment would also be sold free of sales tax. But those salary adjustments aren't equal for all. This widespread removal of protections made possiblemass firings during the Ducey administration in a quest to shrink government. The Cigna DHMO Dental plan is changing to the UnitedHealthcare Solstice S800B DHMO (UHC Solstice). That includes the nearly $26 million for would-be nurses to go to the accelerated nursing program at Creighton University, with students having to promise to work at a hospital in Arizona for four years. Please review your AZ state withholding election again and make any change if you choose to. Keep reading with a digital access subscription. Much of the new money for K-12 education, above inflation and enrollment growth, is earmarked for school capital needs. It would raise payments from $240 to $320, with a second increase to $400 when the state's unemployment fund is back to its normal level. For more information, refer to the web story from AZDOR:Arizonas Employees Have New Tax Withholding Options. The package of budget bills passed with overwhelming support, highly unusual in the modern era.