appropriation; subsequent AMA; assistance grants

HB 2549 appropriates state funds to the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona to provide financial assistance grants for landowners in groundwater basins designated as "subsequent active management areas" (SAMAs). These grants enable landowners to hire outside advisors, attorneys, or consultants to legally challenge either the SAMA designation itself or the groundwater management plans/goals established for their area under Arizona law. The bill specifically targets landowners who legally irrigated with groundwater for at least part of the five years before the SAMA designation. It does not change groundwater regulations but provides funding to support landowners' legal efforts to contest those regulations. The bill is currently in early legislative stages (House first and second readings).