HB 2638 — on-farm irrigation efficiency program; continuation

HouseSenate Engrossed House Bill on-farm irrigation efficiency program;

continuation State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session CHAPTER 219 HOUSE BILL 2638 AN ACT AMENDING LAWS 2022, CHAPTER 322, SECTION 1;

The applicant provides A record of active farming for three of the previous five years for the proposed acreage at the time of application.

Before December 31 of each year, the university of Arizona cooperative extension shall submit to the JOINT LEGISLATIVE BUDGET COMMITTEE, THE speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the senate a written report describing the activities of the university of Arizona cooperative extension for the preceding fiscal year related to expenditures from the on-farm irrigation efficiency fund for on-farm irrigation efficiency systems and shall provide a copy of the report to the secretary of state.

The report shallshall: identify at least the following:

TheIdentify specificat fieldsleast wherethe implementationfollowing: occurred.

(a) THE TOTAL NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AND APPROVED.

(b) THE TOTAL MONIES AWARDED AND THE TOTAL MONIES ENCUMBERED PER APPLICATION.

(c) THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ACRES SUBJECT TO APPLICATION AND THE TOTAL NUMBERS OF ACRES SUBJECT TO AWARDED AND ENCUMBERED MONIES.

(d) THE TYPES OF PROPOSED TECHNOLOGY.

(e) FOR EACH APPROVED APPLICATION:

(i) THE AMOUNT OF MONIES AWARDED.

(ii) THE NUMBER OF ACRES APPROVED.

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(iii) The specific fields where implementation occurred.

(iv) The legal character of the water used on those fields.

(v) The soil type and types of crops produced.

(vi) The quantity of water conserved by the implementation of the system.

(vii) Any other relevant data to better inform future decisions on strategically deploying on-farm irrigation efficiency systems or programs to more efficiently use agricultural water in this state.

(f) THE TOTAL ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS OF THE PROGRAM IN THE PREVIOUS FISCAL YEAR.

(g) IF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION ACHIEVED ANY ADMINISTRATIVE SAVINGS IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR, THE TOTAL MONIES SAVED AND A DESCRIPTION OF HOW THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION USED THE SAVINGS TO ADVANCE THE PURPOSES OF THE PILOT PROGRAM.

2.

INCLUDE AN OVERVIEW OF ANY MONIES USED FOR IRRIGATION EFFICIENCY DEMONSTRATION, RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION C OF THIS SECTION.

K.- 3 - H.B.

2638 K.

"Qualified applicant" means an agricultural landowner, or lessee of agricultural land with the landowner’s consentconsent, THAT IS required by state law to hold a grower permit issued by the Arizona department of agriculture pursuant to section 3-363, Arizona Revised Statutes, AND that has actively farmed the land in three of the five calendar years immediately preceding the date of the application using some quantity of groundwater, surface water, Colorado River water or water delivered through the central Arizona project.

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2.

Applicability Within ninety days after the effective date of this act, the university of Arizona cooperative extension shall provide an aggregate report consistent with the requirements of Laws 2022, chapter 322, section 1, as amended by this act, for each year since the inception of the on-farm irrigation efficiency pilot program.

APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR JUNE 10, 2025.

FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE JUNE 10, 2025.

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