(The Center Square) – State Sen. Vince Leach, R-Tucson, told The Center Square he was confused as to why Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed his bill, Senate Bill 1050, which sought to provide additional funding for state K-12 classrooms.
SB 1050 would have prevented the decrease of tax revenues meant for school districts within the Government Property Lease Excise Tax program.
This program permits Arizona towns and cities to lease state-owned property to private parties for commercial, residential or industrial purposes. GPLET also allows these private parties to have certain tax exemptions.
Leach’s bill would have removed the tax exemptions designated for school districts, which would have allowed more money for public schools.
The senator said the money that schools don’t get from property taxes is made up by the state government using its general fund.
”When they don’t pay the school tax, that comes back in and goes into the formula, and we here at the state have to pay for that,” he said.
He added that Arizonans “will have to pay that tax to make up for what’s not collected from the developers.”
“That’s just wrong,” he said.
According to the Arizona Center for Economic Progress, 49% of property taxes in Arizona fund public schools.
On Monday, Hobbs sent a letter to Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, stating that she vetoed SB 1050 because it could “negatively affect opportunity in the state” and “Arizona’s economic development.”
“Gov. Hobbs continuously preaches she wants more money for public schools, but when my bill to provide just that was sent to her desk, her response didn’t match her constant virtue signaling,” said Leach. “Vetoing SB 1050 was a missed opportunity by the governor, and it was likely driven by partisan motivations.”
Despite SB 1050 being vetoed, the state senator told The Center Square he will continue working on this area of GPLET.
Arizona ranks 49th in America in public school funding. Consumers Affairs released a report last year showing Arizona ranked dead last in America for states for public education.
