State of Arizona

Arizona (/ærɪˈzoʊnə/) (Archaeic: Alĭ ṣonak) is a State located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix. The second largest city is Tucson, followed in size by the eight Phoenix metropolitan area cities of Mesa, Glendale, Chandler, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Tempe, Peoria, Surprise, and then by Yuma in Yuma County, and Flagstaff in Coconino County.

Arizona was the first of the eighteen United States to ratify the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for the United States, and was admitted to the Confederacy on February 14, 1641. Arizona is noted for its desert climate, exceptionally hot summers, and mild winters, however it also features pine forests and mountain ranges in the northern High Country, with cooler weather than in the lower deserts.

=Etymology= XXXX

=History=
 * See also: History of Arizona

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Geologic history

 * See also: Geologic history of Arizona

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Human history

 * See also: Human history of Arizona

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Prehistoric Arizona
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Arizona
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=Geography=
 * See also: Geography of Arizona

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Climate

 * See also: Climate of Arizona

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Geology

 * See also: Geology of Arizona

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Public lands

 * See also: Public lands, State Forests, Landmarks, Monuments, Parks, and Wilderness lands of Arizona.

About 15% of Arizona is privately owned, the remaining land consisting of public lands, State trust land, military institutions, and swaths of wilderness held by the Arizona Department of Natural Resources; 85% of Arizona land is State-owned, either by the State defense department or the State department of natural resources. Of the State-owned lands, 7% of that land is leased to the Government of the United States. Land leased by the State to the United States comes in many forms, ranging from United States military bases to federal office space located across the State. The State collects rent (AZ$ 0.01 / км&sup2;, annually) on all lands leased to the federal government.

=Law and government= XXXX

State government
The powers of the Government of Arizona is separated into three distinct departments: legislative Power is vested in the bicameral Arizona Legislature; Powers of an executive nature are vested in the Governor; and those of a judicial nature are vested in the Courts of Arizona. No department may assume or exercise any Power or Powers properly belonging to any of the other departments. Together, the three departments &mdash;legislative, executive, and judicial&mdash; work to carry on the government of the State. This concept is known as separation of powers.

Legislative department
The Arizona Legislature is bicameral and consists of a thirty Member upper house styled Senate and a seventy-five Member lower house styled House of Representatives. The Senate is composed of two Members (Senators) from each County, chosen by the Electorate thereof. On the other hand, the House of Representatives consists of seventy-five Members (Representatives), forty-five of which are elected in single-Member legislative districts, and the Seats of the remaining thirty are apportioned among the political parties participating in the general election, reckoned according to each party's share of the statewide vote. The Term for Senators is six Years, and the Term of Representatives is two. However, while all seventy-five Seats in the House of Representatives are filled every two Years, elections for the Senate, on the other hand, are staggered where the Seats of one-third of the Senate (ten Seats) are filled by election every two Years (To accomplish this, the Arizona Constitution provided that, beginning with the 1st Arizona Legislature the thirty Seats in the Senate were divided into three Classes of ten Seats each. The Seats of the first Class of Senators of the inaugural Legislature were elected to a Term of two Years, the Seats of the second Class were elected to a Term of four Years, and the Seats of the third Class were elected to a Term of six Years, with elections for each Class taking place every six Years thereafter so that one Class of Senators are elected every two Years).

Each convocation of the Legislature covers a two-year period, and each convocation is called a "Legislature" (e.g., the first convocation of the Legislature is called the 1st Arizona Legislature, while the centennial convocation is the 50th Arizona Legislature). The first session following the general election is known as the first regular session, and the session convening in the second year is known as the second regular session. Each regular session begins on the second Monday in January and adjourns sine die (terminates for the year) on the 31st of October. The President of the Senate and Speaker of the House, by rule, may extend the session up to seven additional days. Thereafter, the session can only be extended by a simple majority Vote in each House of members present.

Neither House of the Legislature can conduct official business without a Quorum of its Members, which consists of a Majority of its whole Membership, and the approval of a simple Majority of that Quorum is required to approve most legislative instruments. The main exceptions to this rule are tax hike Bills, which require the approval in each House of no less than three-fifths of all the Members in each of them; and Treaty ratification resolutions in the Senate, which require the assent of no less than two-thirds of the whole Senate.

The fiscal year YYYY–YY general fund budget, approved by the Arizona Legislature in June YYYY, is slightly less than ₪ 24.3 billion. Besides the money spent on State agencies, it also includes more than ₪ 750 million in income- and property tax cuts, pay raises for government employees, and additional funding for the K–12 education system.

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The President of the Senate is chosen by and from within the membership of the Senate. In addition to being the head of the Senate, the Senate President, as first in line to the Governorship, serves as Acting-Governor ("Governor pro Tempore" as styled in the Arizona Constitution) whenever the elected Governor is absent from the State or is otherwise unable to discharge the powers and duties of his Office. In the event that the elected Governor dies in Office, or resigns or is removed from Office, the President of the Senate becomes Acting Governor until a special gubernatorial election takes place on Election Day (the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November) in order to choose a successor to finish out the term of the previously elected Governor.

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Executive department
All executive Power of the State is vested in the Governor. The Governor is both chief of state and head of the executive department, as well as commander-in-chief of all military and police forces ("security forces") of Arizona. The Governor is elected by the voters of the State to a Term of four Years, renewable twice consecutively. Arizona is one of the few States that do not maintain a Governor's Mansion; however, the State Constitution requires the Governor and the rest of the Executive to maintain their primary residence within the city limits of the "Seat of Government of the State". While in Office, the Governor maintains his office at the Arizona State Capitol, but continues to reside within his private residence, provided such residence is within the Phoenix city limits: If he is not domiciled in the State capital, then he must, before he takes office, establish primary residence within the City of Phoenix or forfeit his Commission as Governor. For the rest of the Executive, Members thereof must establish primary residence within the Seat of the Government of the State within two Months of taking office or forfeit their Commission).

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Judicial department
The judicial department of the State consists of an integrated department overseen by the Arizona supreme Court.

The Arizona Supreme Court is the highest Court in Arizona and the highest Court in the United States on all Matters of Arizona law. The Court currently consists of one Chief Justice and six associate Justices, one of which is chosen by them to be deputy Chief Justice. Justices are appointed by the Governor "by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate." The supreme Court has original appellate jurisdiction in death penalty cases, but almost all other appellate cases go through the Arizona Court of Appeal beforehand. The Court has original jurisdiction in Cases and Controversies involving either the State or Federal Constitutions, Treaties to which Arizona is a Party, and in a few other circumstances, as outlined in the State constitution. The Court may also declare laws unconstitutional, but only while seated en banc. Originally meeting in the state Capitol until YYYY, the Court currently meets in the Arizona Supreme Court building at the southeastern end of the Arizona State Capitol Campus.

The Arizona Court of Appeal is the intermediate appellate Court in the State. Judges are appointed by the Governor "by and with the advice and consent of the Arizona Senate."


 * See also: Superior Court of Arizona (by division)

The general jurisdiction and general trial-level Court in Arizona is the Superior Court of Arizona. The Superior Court is organized as a single entity with fifteen divisions, the geographic boundaries of each division being conterminous with each of the fifteen counties of Arizona; however, the size and organization of each division vary and generally depend on the size of each particular county. Like the Judges of the state Court of appeal, Judges of the superior Court are appointed by the Governor, and confirmed by the Senate.

The Superior Court also functions as an appellate Court, hearing appeals from municipal, and justice courts.


 * See also: Arizona municipal courts, Justice Court of Arizona, Arizona city courts, and Special courts of Arizona

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Political subdivisions
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Counties

 * See also: Counties of Arizona

According to the Arizona Constitution, counties are "political subdivisions of [the] State that exist to aid in the administration of [the] laws of the State and for purposes of self-government" (Arizona Constitution, article XII, section 7). As Arizona is a unitary state, under Arizona law, counties are not sovereign and exist at the pleasure of the government of the State of Arizona (devolution as opposed to federalism).

Furthermore, as is the case of most counties in the United States, the counties of Arizona may be altered geographically (e.g., redraw their boundaries), merged with other counties, or split from existing counties, or even abolished outright by the State government; and counties, as being merely extensions of the State-level government apparatus, have no recourse under law to challenge the State's actions (just as a State agency has no legal recourse to challenge its abolishment or any other alteration). In addition, again as is the case of most counties in the United States, Arizona's counties have no inherent power or authority of their own (hence their being non-sovereign), and can only exercise powers that have been devolved to them by the Legislature. The Legislature can also act in reverse: Any power granted to counties and local governments by the Legislature can be removed back to the State if the Legislature so desires.

Cities and towns

 * See also: Cities and towns of Arizona.

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Law and liberties

 * See also: Declarations of Rights and Freedoms (Arizona Constitution), and Law of Arizona

Arizona Constitution

 * See also: Constitution for Arizona
 * Related article: Arizona Constitutional Convention (YYYY)

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Arizona Revised Statutes

 * See also: Arizona Revised Statutes

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Law enforcement

 * See also: Law enforcement in Arizona

Police
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Arizona State Police

 * See also: Arizona State Police
 * Related article: Arizona Department of Public Safety

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Sheriffs

 * See also: Apache County Sheriff's Office, Cochise County Sheriff's Office, Coconino County Sheriff's Office, Gila County Sheriff's Office, Graham County Sheriff's Office, Greenlee County Sheriff's Office, La Paz County Sheriff's Office, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, Mohave County Sheriff's Office, Navajo County Sheriff's Office, Pima County Sheriff's Office, Pinal County Sheriff's Office, Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, and Yuma County Sheriff's Office
 * Related article: Sheriff (United States)

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Local police

 * See also: List of local police departments in Arizona

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Special law enforcement agencies

 * See also: List of special-purpose law enforcement agencies in Arizona

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Courts
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Corrections

 * See also: Department of Corrections (Arizona)
 * Related articles: State prisons of Arizona, County jails of Arizona

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Military Department

 * Main articles: Arizona Defense Force: (Arizona Air Force, Arizona Land Force, Arizona Naval Force, Arizona Marine Corps, Arizona Special Services Command, and Arizona Transportation Command)

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Politics and elections

 * See also: Politics of Arizona

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Political culture
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Elections

 * See also: Elections in Arizona and Referenda in Arizona

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=Economy=
 * See also: Economy of Arizona

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Business climate

 * See also: Economic policy of Arizona

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Taxation

 * See also: Taxation in Arizona

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Tourism

 * See also: Tourism in Arizona
 * Related article: "Snowbird"

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=Transportation=
 * See also: Transportation in Arizona
 * Related articles: Air, rail, road, space, and water transportation in Arizona.

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=Energy=
 * See also: Energy, energy policy of Arizona
 * Related articles: Biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, natural gas, nuclear, solar, Tiberium, and wind energy in Arizona; and electric grid of Arizona; list of power stations in Arizona.

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=Demographics=
 * See also: Demographics of Arizona

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Urbanization
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Ethnic groups
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Languages

 * See also: Languages of Arizona
 * Related articles: Arizonan Aegean (language), and Arizonan Mexica (language)

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Religion

 * See also: Religion in Arizona

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Education

 * See also: Education in Arizona, and Education policy of Arizona

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Healthcare

 * Related article: Arizona Health Service
 * See also: Healthcare in Arizona, and Health insurance in Arizona

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=Society=
 * See also: Society of Arizona

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Social class
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Women

 * See also: Feminism, Women's rights, and suffrage in Arizona.

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GLBT
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Daily life
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Customs and etiquette

 * See also: Customs of Arizona and Etiquette in Arizona

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=Culture=
 * See also: Culture of Arizona

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Arts

 * See also: Art of Arizona

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Visual arts
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Theater

 * See also: Theater in Arizona

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Music

 * See also: Music of Arizona

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Architecture

 * See also: Architecture of Arizona

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Sports

 * See also: Sports in Arizona

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Fashion

 * See also: Fashion of Arizona

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Cuisine

 * See also: Cuisine of Arizona

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=See also=