Arizona lawmakers plan to adopt basic budget, then recess during COVID-19

PHOENIX — State lawmakers plan to adopt what might be called a no-frills budget for the coming year and then go home, at least temporarily, according to the House leader. The Senate president has a different idea, however.

House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, said Monday the budget plan would ensure the continued functioning of state agencies for the new fiscal year that begins July 1, if for some reason lawmakers cannot return before then.

He also said there are 26 separate and “non-controversial” bills that will be approved in the next day or two.

The idea would be to return, “hopefully soon.” But he said the delay will give the situation with COVID-19 a chance to settle down.

He wants a better estimate of revenues the state will bring in, numbers that are in flux given the effect of the virus on the economy.

There’s also a lack of enough lawmakers present to do the state’s business.

“Some of us have underlying health conditions or families,” Bowers said. Republicans have just a one-vote edge in the House.

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The same problem exists in the Senate, where several lawmakers already opted to stay away, including two Republicans in the chamber’s 17-13 majority.

Senate President Karen Fann, R-Prescott, said she, too, wants to adopt a basic budget this week. But unlike Bowers, she sees no reason for lawmakers to go home.

She wants a spending plan in the can in case a point comes when too many lawmakers are sick or unwilling to come to the Capitol.

But if lawmakers are available, she said there is no reason not to continue with legislative business.

Among the unanswered questions is whether lawmakers will approve help for people affected by the outbreak, including eligibility for unemployment benefits. Only those laid off through no fault of their own are eligible, but they also must actively look for work.

That presents problems for those who are home, without pay, because an employer has shuttered due to the virus but will want employees to come back at some point. And there are questions about whether anyone sick with the virus should be out job hunting.