Arizona lawmakers pass budget closing $1.4 billion deficit

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona lawmakers approved a bipartisan budget deal Saturday that erases a $1.4 billion shortfall by curbing spending on higher education, trimming funding for state agencies and raiding a host of special funds.

The spending plan is the result of weeks of negotiations between Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and Republican legislative leaders. Some conservative Republicans say the plan still spends too much money, while some Democratic lawmakers were disappointed they were not part of the negotiations. “This is a product of a divided government and some compromise — and sometimes if you can’t find something good in this budget, you will not find anything good in any budget,” said Republican Rep. Travis Grantham of Gilbert. In a statement Saturday, Hobbs said, “Arizonans can rest assured that their state has a balanced budget. I’m thankful for members of the legislature who came together, compromised, and passed this bipartisan agreement.” The budget retrenchment marks an extraordinary turnabout from just a year ago, when Hobbs and lawmakers projected a massive surplus and secured overwhelming support for the budget by letting lawmakers dole out money to their own priorities pet projects. But it soon became clear the state was taking in far less money than expected. Much of the reduced spending in the current budget proposal comes from delaying or eliminating some of the expenditures approved last year.

Nearly all state agencies will take a lump-sum cut, most of them 3.45%, though public safety agencies including the state police and prison system are spared.

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