Senate Panel won't restore sheriff's funding
June 25th, 2008 @ 12:55pm
by Associated Press

Arizona lawmakers defeated an attempt to restore immigration enforcement dollars Gov. Janet Napolitano's administration cut from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

The Senate's Appropriations Committee narrowly defeated a proposal to provide $2 million in immigration funds to the sheriff's office and set aside another $2 million for an effort to find fugitives.

The governor has said she pulled $1.6 million from the sheriff's office to provide funding to clear a backlog of nearly 59,000 outstanding felony warrants across the state.

Supporters say the new money was needed to make communities safe.

Opponents say funding for the sheriff's department should be considered in the state budget, not as a freestanding item.








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