An Overview of the State Budget Process

During each legislative session, the Legislature must enact a budget for the next fiscal year, which begins annually on July 1st. Both the Governor and the Legislature are required by law to enact a balanced budget.

There are some key steps and important dates in the state budget process:

1. State agencies must submit their budget requests to the Governor by September 1st.
2. The Governor submits their proposed budget to the State Legislature on the 2nd Friday in January. 
3. From January through May (sometimes shorter or longer), the Legislature debates the budget. A simple majority is necessary to pass the budget.

How an Idea Becomes a Law

Every bill starts as an idea or concept. After the bill is written in proper form by Legislative Council, a legislator and co-sponsors if applicable, introduces the bill in the chamber of origin. Meaning, if the legislator is a member of the House of Representatives the bill will start in the House, and vice versa with the Senate. 

During the process, the bill is assigned a number (House Bills are numbered starting with 2001 and designated “H.B. ____” and Senate Bills are numbered starting 1001 and designated “S.B. ____”). The Speaker of the House or the Senate President, depending on the chamber of origin, will conduct First Readings and will refer the bill to the appropriate standing committees and the Rules Committee. 

Should the committee chair give the bill a hearing, the committees will consider bills via scheduled hearings. The schedule will be posted in advance on the Arizona Legislative Website. The committee hearing will likely include expert testimony and statements from citizens. After consideration of the bill, the committee reports its recommendations to the entire legislative body. The Rules committee will determine the bill’s constitutional standing and ensure the bill is in proper form.

The bill is then heard in the Committee of the Whole (COW), an informal session where members debate, amend, and make recommendations on bills on the COW calendar.

Third Reading of the bill is the next step of the legislative process. This procedure includes an electronic vote where all members present must vote (unless excused); no member can vote for another member. Members may explain their votes during this stage if they choose to. 

If the bill passes the House, it moves on to the Senate or vice versa. Once the bill is transmitted to the other chamber, it will go through the same process on the other wise. 

A bill must pass both chambers in identical form. If the bill comes back to either chamber in a different form with amendments, the originating chamber may either accept the new form and sent the bill to the Governor’s desk or reject it and send the legislation to a conference committee.

If the bill goes to conference committee…

A conference committee is made up of representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House and senators appointed by the Senate President. The members of the conference committee debate whether to accept the changes or to make further edits to the bill. The conference committee reports back to both the House and Senate for adoption. After final passage in both chambers, the bill is sent to the Governor.

When the bill goes to the Governor…

After the bill passes both the House and Senate, it is sent to the Governor for consideration. The Governor has three options for each bill presented:

1. They may sign the bill into law within five days (10 days if the Legislature is adjourned). If they do so, the law takes effect immediately if the bill has an emergency clause or Proposition 108 legislation; otherwise the law takes effect on the general effective date which is 90 days after the Legislature adjourns. The bill then becomes law and a part of the Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.)
2. They can refrain from signing the bill, in which case it becomes law without their signature after the five or 10-day period and becomes effective as described above.
3. They can veto the bill. If the legislature is still in session and they seek to override a Governor’s veto, a two-thirds vote (or three-fourths if the bill is an emergency measure or Prop 108 legislation). If the Legislature has already adjourned, the bill is dead.

If you know who your legislators are, please click here for a list of names, email addresses and phone numbers.

If you do not know who your legislators are, please click here and enter your physical address and zip code. Once you find your district, click here for a list of legislator names, email addresses and phone numbers.

The Governor of Arizona, currently Katie Hobbs, is the head of the executive branch of Arizona's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The Governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Arizona Legislature, to convene the legislature, and to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment.

The State of Arizona has more than 200 Governor-appointed boards and commissions that regulate and license professions and occupations. In addition, the Governor’s Cabinet is made up of over 40 state departments and agencies. While these entities cannot make laws, they are often given the power to create, modify and examine the specific rules used to implement laws and often their decision have significant effects on the people they regulate.  Additionally, members of these agencies are experts in the areas they oversee and are used as resources by the Governor in creating new policy and direction as the Governor formulates the state budget and works to implement his vision for the state.

Email: https://azgovernor.gov/office-arizona-governor/form/contact-governor-hobbs

Mail: 1700 West Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85007

Phone: Phoenix – 602-542-4331