Arizona
Senator Kate Brophy-McGee (R, D-28, Phoenix) and Representative Kirsten Engel
(D, D-10, Tucson) have introduced a pair of bipartisan bills to restore the
Arizona Heritage Fund. The Arizona Archaeological Council (AAC), a non-profit
organization of more than 200 heritage professionals, avocationalists, and
enthusiasts strongly supports this legislation.
Enacted
by voters in 1990, the Heritage Fund allocated $10 million of State lottery
proceeds annually to benefit historic preservation and archaeology. The fund
was swept into the General Fund in 2010 and eliminated by the Arizona
legislature in 2011. According to the Arizona Republic, 224 heritage jobs were
supported by the fund and the economic impact of fund-supported parks and projects
added $226 million dollars to the state's economy each year.
Senate
Bill 1241 and companion House Bill 2390 would restore the fund as mandated by
the people of Arizona and would, if passed as currently drafted, provide for
$10 million dollars of investment in Arizona's Heritage.
The Arizona Archaeological Council is a non-profit voluntary association that promotes the goals of professional archaeology in Arizona.
