This bill proposes several updates to current statutes regarding the management of state monies and the accountability of local governments in Arizona. It introduces new provisions that allow any member of the legislature to file a complaint with the attorney general if a county, city, or town misuses legislative appropriations. The attorney general is granted the discretion to take legal action to enjoin illegal expenditures and recover misappropriated public funds, which must be returned to the state treasury. Additionally, if a local government fails to return the full amount of misspent funds, the attorney general is required to notify the state treasurer, who will withhold and redistribute state shared revenues from the offending entity until the funds are recovered.

Furthermore, the bill establishes specific procedures for withholding distributions of state funds to counties, cities, and towns that are found to have misused public monies. The state treasurer is mandated to withhold these distributions until the attorney general certifies that the misappropriated funds have been fully recovered. However, the bill also includes protections for local governments by allowing them to certify necessary amounts for debt service payments on obligations incurred prior to the violation, ensuring that essential financial commitments are not jeopardized.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 35-151, 35-216, 42-5029, 43-206, 35-191, 35-190, 35-146, 35-147, 42-1116, 42-5014, 42-5070, 42-5010, 42-5155, 42-5010.01, 42-5061, 42-5164, 42-5205, 42-1118, 42-1254, 42-5030, 42-5030.01, 42-5031, 42-5032, 42-5032.01, 42-5032.02, 42-5032.03, 49-282, 17-273, 15-2084, 15-1648, 15-1472, 42-5031.01, 15-971, 2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2003-2004, 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 15-154, 15-154.01, 15-241, 43-1072.01, 15-977, 41-2257, 41-2258, 42-5033, 42-5033.01, 42-6010, 9-626, 41-194.01, 15-1402, 15-1403, 15-1409