Committee votes: groundwater, Game and Fish commission and water program measures receive recommendations

The Arizona Senate Natural Resources Committee considered a package of bills and one concurrent resolution involving groundwater rules, Game and Fish Commission membership, and county water-improvement programs. The committee recommended due-pass action on multiple items; votes and key details are below.

Votes at a glance - House Bill 25-51 (grandfathered groundwater application deadline, Wilcox AMA): Committee recommended a due pass. Motion: “House Bill 25 51 receive a due pass recommendation.” Final tally announced: 5 ayes, 2 nays, 1 not voting. The measure extends the application window from 15 months to 21 months for persons claiming a grandfathered right in the Wilcox Active Management Area to apply for a certificate with the Arizona Department of Water Resources. The bill sponsor said the extension is intended to allow farmers and other rightsholders additional time to file applications.

- House Bill 22-03 (historical look-back for certain non-irrigation grandfathered rights): Committee recommended a due pass. Motion: “House Bill 22 0 3 receive a due pass recommendation.” Final tally announced: 5 ayes, 2 nays. The bill would change the historical look‑back period from five years to ten years for calculating type 1 and type 2 grandfathered groundwater rights (non-irrigation categories) and contains a retroactivity date referenced in testimony. Department of Water Resources staff testified that retroactivity could require restarting some application processes in recently designated AMAs and noted administrative costs for notices.

- House Bill 20-83 (Game and Fish Commission membership): Committee recommended a due pass. Motion: “the house bill 20 8 3 receive a due pass recommendation.” Final tally announced: 5 ayes, 2 nays. The bill would require at least one commission member to be a rancher; opponents, including the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon chapter, testified that the commission currently has no required seats and that existing appointment processes already provide livestock-industry representation on a separate nomination board.

- House Bill 20-86 (County Water Improvements Program): Committee recommended a due pass. Motion: “house bill 20 86 receive a do pass recommendation.” Final tally announced: 5 ayes, 2 nays, 1 not voting. The bill would allow program funds to be used for gifts, grants or donations to owners of residential property for water hauling and for acquiring or installing storage tanks used to receive hauled water; sponsors said the change would help households that lack reliable domestic wells and prefer hauled-water options.

- House Concurrent Resolution 20-16 (WIFA long-term water augmentation commitment): Committee recommended a due pass. Motion: “h c r 2 0 1 6 receive a due pass recommendation.” Final tally announced: 6 ayes, 1 nay. The resolution expresses legislative commitment to reinstating full appropriations for the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority’s long-term water augmentation fund when fiscal conditions allow; WIFA staff said the authority will present tangible project proposals to inform that commitment.

What the committee heard Committee discussion ranged from procedural concerns about retroactivity and administrative costs to policy questions about long-term groundwater management. Department of Water Resources staff repeatedly noted administrative burdens for restarting application processes and the cost of noticing property owners when deadlines change. Opponents of the Game and Fish Commission change argued that designating a required seat could reduce broad public representation; supporters said ranchers are often affected by wildlife policy and should be represented.

Next steps All items that received a due-pass recommendation advance to their next legislative step; the reports reflect committee recommendation, not final enactment. The committee record shows motions and roll calls for each item and named presenters and witnesses for the public record.