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Civil Air Patrol asks legislature for ongoing $250,000 in operating aid; committee deferred bill to appropriations
Summary
Lieutenant Colonel James Nova and Civil Air Patrol witnesses told the committee that CAP provides search-and-rescue and disaster-support services across Arizona and requested $250,000 in ongoing funding. Committee members praised the volunteer organization and agreed to move the matter to appropriations for further consideration.
Lieutenant Colonel James Nova, Government Relations Advisor for the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), spoke to the committee about SB 17-14, a bill to appropriate $250,000 from the State General Fund in FY 2026 to the Department of Public Safety for the maintenance and operation of the Civil Air Patrol and the legislature's intent to make the appropriation ongoing.
Nova described CAP as a 100% volunteer organization that supports search-and-rescue missions, Goldwater Range monitoring, STEM education and disaster relief across Arizona, with roughly 1,300 members in the state. He said prior appropriations had varied, that CAP received $150,000 annually from 2016 onward after an earlier gap, and that membership growth and inflation have strained volunteer finances: "All of that comes out of the pockets of the members," Nova said.
Committee members thanked CAP for volunteer public-safety support and agreed the appropriation should be considered, but the chair indicated the bill would be sent to the Appropriations Committee for consideration of funding and budgetary placement. The sponsor or proponents were allowed to present but the committee did not take a final vote at this hearing.
