Arizona committee advances bill to fund Wi‑Fi, lodging and HVAC at guard and reserve training sites

House Bill 2348, described in committee as the Arizona National Guard Service Member Morale and Readiness Act, advanced out of the House Committee on Federalism, Military Affairs and Elections on a 4–3 vote after more than two hours of testimony and discussion.

Committee staff told members the bill would appropriate four unspecified FY2027 General Fund amounts to the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA) for: wireless networking at training centers; a nongovernment laptop reimbursement program; a lodging‑in‑kind program to house service members on drill weekends; and upgrades and ongoing maintenance for deficient HVAC systems. The Marquez amendment proposed specific dollar figures; the Gillette amendment added procurement restrictions tied to national‑security standards and struck some reimbursements while retaining lodging and HVAC language.

Representative Marquez, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure grew out of his experience in the Army Reserve and titled the measure the "Arizona National Guard Service Member Morale and Readiness Act." He said reservists frequently lack basic infrastructure while using jointly owned Guard facilities and that the lodging and HVAC provisions are aimed at safety and retention.

"Soldiers must access these platforms while in an unpaid status or leave the unit during a training weekend to access Wi‑Fi at a local library or Starbucks," Kelly Soldati, a major in the Army Reserve, told the committee during public comment in support. She described classrooms at the Bob L. Stump Reserve Center in Buckeye exceeding 90 degrees in summer and said the lack of on‑site internet and reliable HVAC forces service members to spend unpaid hours off site to meet mandatory online training.

Other witnesses — including retired Guard members and unit commanders — echoed safety and retention concerns. Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Weinberg described training travel across the state and urged that modest state investment would reduce churn and preserve federally funded training investments. Dan Dvorak, a retired Arizona Guard member, framed lodging in kind as a safety measure for long‑distance travel.

Committee members pressed on implementation details, federal/state roles and procurement. Representative Collin and others raised questions about whether the state should fund facilities used by units under federal authority; the chair and sponsor responded that many reserve units rent space from the National Guard and that service members assigned to joint facilities lack consistent access to Guard networks.

The committee adopted the Gillette amendment, which adds procurement restrictions intended to align purchases with national‑security/DoD standards, and the Marquez amendment with dollar figures (the committee debate earlier addressed offsets and sources). Vice Chair moved and the committee returned HB2348 as amended with a due‑pass recommendation (roll call: 4 ayes, 3 nays).

Next steps: the committee report moves HB2348 as amended to Appropriations for potential funding details and additional oversight language; committee members asked DEMA and the governor's office to refine cost estimates and coordination plans.