appropriation; salt cedar mitigation

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date is listed in the source as the general effective date, but no specific calendar date is provided in the text.

Funding for Salt Cedar Removal on the Gila River

This bill gives $3 million from state funds to remove invasive salt cedar trees along specific parts of the Gila River.

What This Bill Does

• Sets aside $3,000,000 from the State General Fund for fiscal year 2026-2027.
• Sends this money to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM).
• Requires DFFM to use funds for salt cedar mitigation along specific parts of the Gila River.
• Allows any unused money from this fund to carry over instead of expiring at the end of the year.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM)
• Land along the Gila River west of State Route 85 to Gillespie Dam
• Land along the Gila River west of McPhaul Bridge to where it meets the Colorado River

Terms To Know

Salt cedar mitigation

Actions taken by DFFM to manage or remove salt cedar trees, which are invasive plants that lower water tables and add salt to soil.

Appropriation

The official act of setting aside a specific amount of money from the government budget for a certain purpose.

Exempt from lapsing

A rule that allows an agency to keep and use leftover funds in future years instead of losing them when the current year ends.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not list specific methods DFFM must use for mitigation.
• The text does not state a deadline for finishing the work within fiscal year 2026-2027.
• No information is provided about how much of the $3 million will be spent in each section of the river.

Official Summary Text

SB1677 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet

Assigned to
ATT������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ AS
PASSED BY COMMITTEE

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session

AMENDED

FACT SHEET FOR
S.B. 1677

appropriation;
salt cedar mitigation

Purpose

Appropriates $3,000,000
from the state General Fund (state GF) in FY 2027 to the Department of Forestry
and Fire Management (DFFM) for salt cedar mitigation.

Background

DFFM, directed
by the State Forester, must provide for land management and the prevention and
suppression of wildland fires on state land and private property in
unincorporated areas (
A.R.S.
� 37-1301
). The salt cedar tree is an invasive species that was introduced
during the 1800s as an ornamental plant for erosion control. The salt cedar
lowers water tables through its deep roots and creates large deposits of salt
in the soil by taking up salt from deep underground then filtering out the salt
through the leaves that are then dropped on the ground which builds up salt on
top of the soil (
USDA
;

USFS
).

S.B. 1677 appropriates $3,000,000 from the state GF in FY 2027 to DFFM.

Provisions

1.

Appropriates $3,000,000 from the state GF in FY 2027 to DFFM for salt
cedar mitigation along the Gila River in the area west of State Route 85 to
Gillespie Dam and west of McPhaul Bridge to the confluence of the Gila River
and the Colorado River.

2.

Exempts the appropriation from lapsing.

3.

Becomes effective on the general effective date.

Amendments Adopted by
Committee

�

Inserts the $3,000,000 appropriation in the blank space provided
for that purpose.

Senate Action

ATT������� 2/17/26�������� DPA������ 10-0-0

Prepared by Senate Research

February 12, 2026

LMM/ci

Current Bill Text

SB1677 - 572R - S Ver

Senate Engrossed

appropriation; salt
cedar mitigation

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SENATE BILL 1677

AN
ACT

Appropriating monies to the arizona
department of forestry and fire management.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

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

Section
1.
1.
Appropriation; Arizona department of forestry and fire
management; salt cedar mitigation; Gila River; exemption

A. The sum of
$3,000,000 is appropriated from the state general fund in
fiscal year 2026-2027 to the Arizona department of forestry and fire management
for salt cedar mitigation along the Gila River in the area west of State Route
85 to Gillespie Dam and west of McPhaul Bridge to the confluence of the Gila
River and the Colorado River.

B. 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.