HB 2598
Initials PAB/AH Page 1 Caucus & COW
ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Fifty-sixth Legislature
First Regular Session
House: LARA DP 8-0-0-1
HB2598: agricultural workforce program; apprentices; appropriation.
Sponsor: Representative Peña, LD 23
Caucus & COW
Overview
Annually appropriates $500,000 from the state General Fund (GF) to the University of Arizona
Cooperative Extension Office to implement the Agricultural Workforce Development Program and
exempts this appropriation from lapsing.
History
The Program was established in 2021 to incentivize food-producing agricultural organizations to
hire apprentices by partially reimbursing them for apprenticeship costs (Laws 2021, Chapter 410).
The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Office administers this Program and is
responsible for:
1) Establishing qualifications for agricultural organizations who wish to participate in the
Program, including providing preference to historically underserved farmers and ranchers;
2) Requiring that apprentices be paid an hourly wage;
3) Establishing apprentice-selection criteria;
4) Creating a selection time frame;
5) Establishing accounting requirements;
6) Establishing reimbursement processes; and
7) Seeking input from the community on the administration of the Program.
The Cooperative Extension Office is also required to submit an annual report on the Program's
effectiveness (A.R.S. § 3-127). As of February 2023, there have been 37 apprentices placed
throughout the state with 20 agricultural food producers. The average length of apprenticeship
has been 6-8 months.
In FY 2022 and 2023, the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Office was appropriated
in $500,000 in state General Fund monies for this Program (Laws 2021, Chapter 408 and Laws
2022, Chapter 313).
Provisions
1. Appropriates $500,000 from the state General Fund in each fiscal year to the University of
Arizona Cooperative Extension Office to implement the Program. (Sec. 1)
2. Exempts this appropriation from lapsing. (Sec. 1)
3. Makes technical and conforming changes. (Sec. 1)
☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal Note