A GOP-sponsored bill seeking to eliminate certain state boards, commissions and councils was halted Wednesday in the Arizona House.
HB 2031 targeted agencies such as the Arizona Commission on the Arts, which provides grants to non-profits, groups and schools.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Alexander Kolodin, suggested that art funded by the commission is “propaganda.”
Spokesman Steve Wilcox says that’s a misunderstanding of what the commission does.
"The vast majority of our funding is in the form of general funding support for organizations. So that is left to their discretion within the parameters of our funding restrictions," Wilcox said.
Wilcox also says the grants have limited but common restrictions.
“Any content created with grant funds cannot abuse the flag of the United States. We also have certain stipulations that are very common in state funding that it can’t support religious indoctrination," Wilcox said.
Grant guidelines are publicly available on the commission’s website, as are the names of the grantees.
Though the bill was soundly rejected, GOP lawmakers left open the possibility that it could be brought back for another vote at a later date.
