appropriation; Gila county; flood relief

Plain English Breakdown

The official text states the bill is an emergency measure operative immediately upon passage, but no specific calendar date for enactment is provided in the source material.

HB2070: $25 Million for Gila County Flood Relief

This bill gives Gila County $25 million from the state General Fund to pay for flood cleanup, repairs, prevention projects, and emergency liabilities.

What This Bill Does

• Appropriates $25,000,000 from the state General Fund in fiscal year 2026 to the Arizona Department of Administration for Gila County.
• Allows funds to be used for flood prevention, debris removal, infrastructure repairs, mitigation projects, and economic development infrastructure in areas impacted by flooding.
• Limits administrative spending on management, compliance, and reporting costs to no more than 3% of the total appropriation.
• Requires that these state funds supplement federal money rather than replace it.
• Mandates monthly reports to legislative leaders detailing how much was spent and reimbursed.

Who It Names or Affects

• Gila County government
• Public and private landowners in Gila County with flood-damaged infrastructure
• The Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA)
• State legislative leaders who receive monthly spending reports

Terms To Know

Appropriation

An official act by the legislature that sets aside a specific amount of money for a certain purpose.

Payor of last resort

A rule requiring this fund to be used only after all other payment sources, like insurance or federal aid, have been fully used up.

Supplement and not supplant

State money must add to existing funds rather than taking the place of money that would otherwise come from another source, such as the federal government.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify an exact effective date in the provided text.
• Gila County cannot use more than 3% of the funds for administrative tasks like management and reporting.
• Funds must be used to supplement federal allocations, meaning they cannot replace money already promised by the federal government.

Official Summary Text

HB2070 - 572R - House Bill Summary

ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

57th
Legislature, 2nd Regular Session

Majority Research Staff

HB
2070
: appropriation; Gila county; flood relief

Sponsor:
Representative Blackman, LD 7

Committee
on Government

Overview

An emergency measure that appropriates
$25,000,000 from the state General Fund (GF) to the Arizona Department of
Administration (ADOA) in FY 2026 for Gila County flood relief efforts.

History

The Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs
(DEMA) administers the division of emergency management. The DEMA Director is
appointed with the approval of the Adjutant General. The DEMA Director must: 1)
develop and test plans for meeting any condition constituting a state of
emergency; 2) coordinate the emergency activities of all state agencies; and 3)
coordinate the use of personnel, equipment, services and facilities in support
of emergency management activities (A.R.S. ��
26-305
,
26-306
).

Provisions

1.

Allocates
$25,000,000 from the state GF to ADOA in FY 2026 to Gila County for flood
relief efforts.

2.

Allows Gila
County to spend the monies for the following:

a.

flood
prevention;

b.

capital
expenditures and equipment related to flood prevention;

c.

mitigation
projects to address flooding;

d.

debris
removal, sediment clearance and environmental cleanup activities directly
related to flood damage;

e.

Gila
County's or a local government agency's emergency liabilities resulting from
flooding;

f.

engineering,
design, permitting and project design costs;

g.

financial
assistance to public and private landowners for emergency infrastructure damage
repairs caused by flooding;

h.

matching
monies for federal or state grant programs addressing flood damage, mitigation
or resiliency;

i.

reimbursement
to a state agency or political subdivision for eligible claims costs from an
emergency or federal declaration of emergency or major disaster; and

j.

economic
development infrastructure in areas impacted by flooding. (Sec. 1)

3.

Prevents
Gila County from spending more than 3% of the appropriation on administrative
expenses incurred for the management, compliance and reporting required by this
act. (Sec. 1)

4.

States that
the appropriation must be used to supplement rather than replace monies
allocated by the federal government. (Sec. 1)

5.

Directs Gila
County to seek federal reimbursement for expenditures made from this
appropriation and to credit any reimbursements to this appropriation. (Sec. 1)

6.

Stipulates
that Gila County must only use monies for financial assistance to public and
private landowners for emergency infrastructure damage repairs caused by
flooding as a payor of last resort after all other payment sources have been
exhausted. (Sec. 1)

7.

Requires
Gila County to submit a report within 15 days after the end of each month to
the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives and the
Joint Legislative Budget Committee on expenditures from and reimbursements to
the appropriation for the prior month and provide a copy to the Secretary of
State. (Sec. 1)

8.

Outlines the
information in the monthly reports, including listing total expenditures,
reimbursements and the amount of monies left in the appropriation. (Sec. 1)

9.

Exempts the
appropriation from lapsing. (Sec. 1)

10.

Contains an
emergency clause. (Sec. 2)

11.

12.

13.

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FOOTER ---------

14.

Initials ML/MN�������������� HB
2070

15.

1/28/2026� Page 0 Government

16.

17.

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FOOTER ---------

Current Bill Text

HB2070 - 572R - I Ver

PREFILED��� DEC 16 2025

REFERENCE TITLE:
appropriation; Gila county; flood relief

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HB 2070

Introduced by

Representative
Blackman

AN
ACT

Appropriating monies to the DEPARTMENT of
administration.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.
Supplemental
appropriation; Gila county; flood relief efforts; reports; exemption

A. In addition to any other
appropriation made in fiscal year 2025-2026, the sum of $25,000,000 is
appropriated from the state general fund in fiscal year 2025-2026 to the
department of administration to distribute to Gila county for flood relief
efforts. Gila county may spend the monies for:

1. Flood prevention.

2. Capital expenditures and
equipment associated with flood prevention.

3. Mitigation projects to
address flooding and other damages as a result of flooding.

4. Debris removal, sediment
clearance and environmental cleanup activities directly related to flood
damage.

5. The county's or a local
government agency's emergency liabilities as a result of flooding, including
intergovernmental agreements or contracts with cities, towns or special
districts.

6. Engineering, design,
permitting and project management costs.

7. Financial assistance to
public and private landowners for emergency repairs for infrastructure damage
caused by flooding.

8. Matching monies for
federal or state grant programs that address flood damage, mitigation or
resiliency.

9. Reimbursement to a state
agency or political subdivision for costs for eligible claims arising from an
emergency declaration pursuant to section 35-192, Arizona Revised
Statutes, or a federal declaration of emergency or major disaster.

10. Not more than three
percent of the appropriation made in this subsection may be spent by Gila
county for administrative expenses incurred for the management, compliance and
reporting required pursuant to this section.

11. Economic development
infrastructure in areas impacted by flooding.

B. The appropriation made
in subsection A of this section shall be used to supplement and not supplant
any monies allocated by the federal government for this
purpose. Gila county shall seek federal reimbursement as appropriate
for expenditures made from this appropriation. Any reimbursements
shall be credited to this appropriation.

C. Gila county shall
distribute monies pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 7 of this section only as
a payor of last resort after all other sources of payment, including any
federal and insurance reimbursements, have been exhausted.

D. Not
later than fifteen days after the end of each month, Gila county shall submit a
report to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of
representatives and the joint legislative budget committee on expenditures from
and reimbursements to the appropriation made in subsection A of this section
for the prior month and shall provide a copy to the secretary of
state. Each report shall include information regarding the total
expenditures and reimbursements for each paragraph listed in subsection A of
this section and the amount of monies remaining in the appropriation.

E. The appropriation made
in subsection A of this section is exempt from the provisions of section 35-190,
Arizona Revised Statutes, relating to lapsing of appropriations.

Sec. 2.
Emergency

This act is an emergency measure that
is necessary to preserve the public peace, health or safety and is operative
immediately as provided by law.