Day 131 – We are happy to report that on Wednesday, HB2123: FUNERALS; REGULATION; CONTINUATION, unanimously passed the full Senate by a vote of 25-0-5. The bill is now being transmitted to the House for concurrence. Once the House concurs with the amendments, it will then receive a final vote in the House. We will continue to meet with House members to explain the importance of the bill. As for Rep. Michelle Udall’s (LD-25) HB2024: …

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Day 124 – Continuing a trend of the past few weeks, both chambers adjourned early this week. After calendaring only two bills, the House adjourned for the week on Monday, with the Senate following suit on Tuesday after calendaring four bills. This is primarily the result of stalled budget negotiations which seem to have made little progress over the past month. Late last week, the Governor signed a bill placing additional checks and balances on the Executive’s emergency powers. Introduced …

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This update is provided by Courtney Gilstrap LeVinus Capitol Consulting, LLC Courtney@azcapitolconsulting.com Day 117 – Another very slow week at the Capitol.  In fact, in what seems to be a trend lately, the Senate adjourned for the week on Wednesday after only calendaring nine bills.  All of this is due to a budget impasse within the majority party.  Because of this slowdown, both AZFCCA priority bills are in limbo like many other bills in the Senate.  Making …

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The legislature once again had a very slow week. Yesterday, both the House and Senate adjourned early and won’t be back until Monday. The slowdown is largely attributed to the budget standstill, though there are some rumblings that the budget could pick up some steam in the next couple of weeks. One of the bigger developments for the budget was last week’s AZ Supreme Court ruling that rejected the November referendum related to last year’s …

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April 18, 2022 HB2123 Funeral Board Extension Bill passed unanimously through Senate Rule with no comments or discussion. It is scheduled to be heard in caucus on April 19, which does not require a vote, it is an opportunity for the bill to be heard by all the members of the Senate. There are no actions to be taken at this time. April 15, 2022 HB2123 Funeral Board Extension Bill is on the Senate Rules …

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Today, we met with Senate Majority Staff to discuss HB2123, the implications of the bill, and most importantly, the bill’s intent.  As you know, HB2123 continues the State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers, but only until March 31, 2023. The bill also redefines “licensed” persons as “registered” persons. Initially we were under the impression that bill was introduced with the sole intention of deregulating the industry, similar to what has happened with several regulatory …

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Good Afternoon,Please accept my heartfelt thanks for your support of me as the AFCCA President.  I have and always will support the best interests of the funeral profession.  Your AFCCA board of directors has had the opportunity to present the best of themselves and made a contribution toward meaningful dialogue.  Being present and being heard is the only way change is made. Today, through a continuing resolution, the Arizona State Senate, specifically the appropriations committee, Unanimously …

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After many months of asking for a continuation bill for the Arizona Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers, today we received the language for the Board’s proposed continuation bill. Important pieces to note: Legislatures would like to move the Funeral Board to a similar model like Colorado. They do not agree with the overreach and licensing the Board imposes on the industry and want to move away from licensure and more to registration and certification. …

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Monday, January 10, 2022 marked the beginning of the Arizona – Fifty-fifth Legislature – Second Regular Session (2022).  On Tuesday, January 11, 2022 the Arizona House of Representatives Interim Commerce Committee met with the Sunset Review of the Arizona Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers on their Agenda. After reviewing  the Arizona Auditor General report and the Arizona State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers report, the committee’s  largest concern was that within the audit …

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