Official Summary Text
SB1332 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet
Assigned to
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PASSED BY COW
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session
REVISED
AMENDED
FACT SHEET FOR
S.B. 1332
light
rail expansion; participation; prohibition
Purpose
Requires the Auditor General to conduct a comprehensive feasibility
review of light rail expansion in Maricopa County.
Background
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) is tasked with providing
an integrated balanced state transportation system and has exclusive control
and jurisdiction over all: 1) state highways; 2) state roads; 3) state-owned
airports; and 4) state-owned transportation systems or modes. ADOT is
responsible for the design and construction of transportation facilities in
accordance with a priority plan and to maintain and operate all state-owned
highways, airports and public transportation systems (A.R.S. ��
28-331
and
28-332
).
Public monies may not be used to extend light rail service in Phoenix to
the area outside of the boundary of 17th Avenue on the east, Adams Street on
the north, 18th Avenue on the west and Jefferson Street on the south (
A.R.S.
� 28-9204
).
Laws 2003,
Chapter 217
established the Regional Planning Agency Transportation Policy
Committee (TPC) which is tasked with the approval of a 20-year comprehensive,
performance-based, multimodal and coordinated Regional Transportation Plan
(Plan) for Maricopa County. In 2024, voters in Maricopa County voted to
continue the one-half cent transportation tax for 20 years and to distribute
and deposit the annual net revenues from the transportation tax for uses
specified by the Plan as follows: 1) 40.5 percent to the Regional Area Road
Fund (RARF) for freeways and other routes in the state highway system; 2) 37
percent to the Public Transportation Fund for public transportation; and 3)
22.5 percent to the RARF for major arterial streets, intersection improvements
and regional transportation infrastructure, including capital expense and
implementation studies (
Laws 2023, Ch. 203
;
Prop
479 Maricopa County
).
The Joint Legislative Budget Committee fiscal note estimates that S.B.
1332 will result in a one-time cost to the Auditor General of between $900,000
and $1,500,000 to conduct the feasibility study (
JLBC
fiscal note
).
Provisions
1.
Requires
the Auditor General, by December 31, 2027, and in coordination with an
independent transportation research entity, to:
a)
conduct a comprehensive feasibility review of light rail expansion in
Maricopa County;
b)
submit a report on the findings of the review to the President of the
Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Governor; and
c)
provide
a copy of the report to the Secretary of State, Mayor of Phoenix and each
Phoenix city councilmember.
2.
Prohibits the feasibility review from presuming the superiority of any
mode of transit.
3.
Requires
the feasibility review to include:
a)
capital and operating cost comparisons between a light rail and
autonomous or
semi-autonomous transit vehicles, including bus rapid transit, passenger vans
and shuttle systems;
b)
a comparison of the environmental impact per dollar invested for
acquiring, constructing and operating a light rail;
c)
an analysis of the long-term economic benefits and costs between light
rail and autonomous or semi-autonomous transit vehicles, including bus rapid
transit, passenger vans and shuttle systems;
d)
flexibility, scalability and adaptability to population shifts;
e)
policy recommendations regarding future state involvement in light rail
construction;
f)
long-term maintenance and replacement costs;
g)
an analysis of whether continuation, modification or discontinuation of
state participation in light rail expansion is warranted;
h)
the short-term economic effects of construction on small and locally
owned businesses located within or adjacent to proposed transit corridors; and
i)
an
evaluation of the extent to which construction activity may impair visibility,
access, parking availability, pedestrian traffic and vehicular traffic to
affected businesses and that estimates the potential for lost revenue,
workforce reductions, relocation or business closure during the construction
period.
4.
Repeals the light rail feasibility review requirements on July 1, 2028.
5.
Defines
light rail construction
as the planning, permitting or
physical construction of new fixed-guideway rail transit lines or extensions.
6.
Defines
state participation
as:
a)
appropriating
state monies;
b)
issuing
state bonds or guarantees;
c)
approving,
certifying or matching monies by ADOT; and
d)
approving state permits or other authorizations.
7.
Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee
1.
Removes the prohibition on the state from providing state participation
for any light rail construction project.
2.
Makes technical changes.
Amendments Adopted by
Committee of the Whole
1.
Requires the Auditor General, rather than ADOT, to conduct the
comprehensive feasibility review of light rail expansion in Maricopa County.
2.
Modifies the information that must be included in the light rail
comprehensive feasibility review by adding:
a)
the
short-term economic effects of light rail construction on small and locally
owned businesses;
b)
an
evaluation of the extent to which construction may impact affected businesses,
including visibility impairment, access and parking availability; and
c)
an
analysis of the long-term economic benefits and costs between light rail and
autonomous or semi-autonomous transit vehicles.
3.
Removes ridership trends and post-pandemic usage patterns from the
information that must be included in the feasibility review.
4.
Makes conforming changes.
Revisions
1.
Corrects the provisions to accurately reflect the amendments adopted by
Committee of the Whole by:
a)
requiring the Auditor General, rather than ADOT, to conduct the
comprehensive feasibility review;
b)
removing the prohibition on expending public monies relating to new
light rail expansion; and
c)
removing the appropriation of $300,000 and the exemption from lapsing.
2.
Updates the fiscal impact statement.
Senate Action
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Prepared by Senate Research
April 7, 2026
LMM/KS/ci
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
SB1332 - 572R - S Ver
Senate Engrossed
light
rail expansion; participation; prohibition
(now:
�light rail expansion; feasibility review)
State of Arizona
Senate
Fifty-seventh Legislature
Second Regular Session
2026
SENATE BILL 1332
AN
ACT
providing for a comprehensive feasibility
for light rail expansion.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1.
Light rail
construction; state participation; prohibition; report; delayed repeal;
definitions
A. On or before December
31, 2027, the auditor general, in coordination with an independent
transportation research entity, shall conduct a comprehensive feasibility
review of light rail expansion in Maricopa county and submit a report on their findings. The
report shall be submitted to the governor, the president of the senate and the
speaker of the house of representatives and a copy
shall be provided
to the secretary of state and to the mayor of Phoenix and
each member of the Phoenix city council. The comprehensive
feasibility review may not presume the superiority of any mode of transit and
shall include:
1. Capital and operating
cost comparisons between a light rail and autonomous or semi-autonomous transit
vehicles, including bus rapid transit, passenger vans and shuttle systems.
2. A comparison of the
environmental impact per dollar invested for acquiring, constructing and
operating a light rail.
3. Analysis of the
long-term economic benefits and costs between light rail and autonomous or
semi-autonomous transit vehicles, including bus rapid transit, passenger vans
and shuttle systems.
4. Flexibility, scalability
and adaptability to population shifts.
5. Long-term
maintenance and replacement costs.
6. Policy recommendations
regarding future state involvement in light rail construction.
7. Analysis of whether
continuation, modification or discontinuation of state participation in light
rail expansion is warranted.
8. The short-term economic
effects of construction on small and locally owned businesses located within or
adjacent to proposed transit corridors.
9. An evaluation to the
extent to which construction activity may impair visibility, access, parking
availability, pedestrian traffic and vehicular traffic to affected businesses
and that shall estimate the potential for lost revenue, workforce reductions,
relocation or business closure during the construction period.
B.
This
act is repealed from and after June 30, 2028.
C.
For
the purposes of this section:
1. "Light rail
construction" means the planning, permitting or physical construction of
new fixed-guideway rail transit lines or extensions.
2. "State
participation" means any of the following:
(
a
) Appropriating
state monies.
(
b
) Issuing
state bonds or guarantees.
(
c
) Approving,
certifying or matching monies by the department of transportation.
(d) Approving state permits
or other authorizations.