The Arizona Technology Council praised Gov. Doug Ducey and the Arizona Legislature for the fiscal year 2022 budget proposal. The proposal includes many of the Council’s key priorities outlined in their Public Policy Guide.
Steven G. Zylstra, president and CEO of the Council, said the budget includes funding to keep Arizona competitive in the tech industry on a global scale.
“Arizona is growing at an incredibly fast pace, especially in technology-related fields, and this budget will ensure Arizona maintains and accelerates its competitiveness on a global scale while making substantial payments towards the state’s debt and giving Arizonans a tax cut,” Zylstra said in a statement. “The Arizona Technology Council thanks Gov. Ducey and the Legislature for including the Council’s key education, infrastructure and tech-focused priorities in this proposal, and encourages members to support these provisions in the final budget package.”
The state budget proposal lists a number of higher education priorities also important to the Council, like increased funding for universities, including $130 million in new higher education investments, and restored fourth-year funding for Career Technical Education Districts.
Both the Council’s Public Policy Guide and the state budget proposal also includes K-12 education investments, like constructing new schools, creating a building renewal fund, full funding for district and charter assistance, and gap funding for schools to address budget issues created by the pandemic.
Infrastructure is also a priority for both the Council and state legislature. The budget proposal includes $140 million for broadband infrastructure across the state, especially focusing on rural Arizona, and investment in Arizona’s highway infrastructure to support commerce.
Additionally, the state budget proposal includes a $50 million appropriation for the Arizona Competes Fund and $2.5 million for a Dark Skies Discovery Center.