ARIZONA STATE SENATE
RESEARCH STAFF
TO: MEMBERS OF THE SENATE
APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
DATE: March 25, 2022
SUBJECT: Strike everything amendment to H.B. 2111, relating to appropriation; learning;
workforce; STEM
Purpose
Appropriates $3,000,000 from the state General Fund in FY 2023 to the Arizona
Commerce Authority (ACA) to administer a grant program to cultivate STEM learning and
workforce development opportunities with funding that gives priority to rural and semirural areas.
Background
The ACA promotes economic, community and workforce development. The ACA's duties
include the support of statewide business expansion, retention, attraction, workforce development
and job training and online assistance for new business start-ups and tax credit administration
(A.R.S. ยง 41-1502).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Rural-Urban Continuum Codes classify:
1) metropolitan counties by the population size of the metro area; and 2) nonmetropolitan counties
by degree of urbanization and adjacency to a metro area. The categories are subdivided into three
metro and six nonmetro categories, allowing researchers to break county data into finer residential
groups particularly for the analysis of trends in nonmetro areas related to population density and
metro influence. The next update is planned for mid-2023 (USDA).
The strike-everything amendment to H.B. 2111 appropriates $3,000,000 from the state
General Fund in FY 2023 to the ACA and declares an intent that the appropriation be considered
ongoing funding.
Provisions
1. Appropriates $3,000,000 from the state General Fund in FY 2023 to the ACA to administer a
grant program:
a) to cultivate STEM learning and STEM workforce development opportunities in Arizona;
and
b) with the intent to build STEM networks and hubs to leverage assets on every level of a
community with this funding that gives priority to rural and semirural areas.
2. Directs the ACA, for categorizing rural and semirural areas, to use the USDA's most recent
Rural-Urban Continuum Code scheme and to consider:
a) Codes 1 and 2 as urban;
b) Codes 3, 4 and 5 as semirural; and
c) Codes 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 as rural.
LAURA BENITEZ
LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH ANALYST
EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Telephone: (602) 926-3171 STRIKER MEMO
H.B. 2111
Page 2
3. Requires the ACA to attempt to maximize and connect STEM learning and STEM workforce
development opportunities that are provided by:
a) entities in a county that have an established network of cross-institutional partners from
business, education, community and government;
b) schools and school districts for teacher training in STEM literacy;
c) out-of-school programs that cultivate a community STEM network;
d) museums and science centers with expertise in science, technology, engineering or
mathematics;
e) higher education institutions that offer workforce development in STEM fields; and
f) other entities that recognize the need for STEM competencies as recognized by the ACA.
4. Specifies that the Legislature intends the STEM grant program be considered ongoing funding
in future years.
5. Exempts the appropriation from lapsing.
6. Directs the ACA to submit, by December 31, 2022, a report to the President of the Senate and
the Speaker of the House of Representatives on the distribution of the grant monies and provide
a copy of the report to the Secretary of State.
7. Becomes effective on the general effective date.