The Department of Environmental Quality monitors and enforces regulated facilities’ compliance with environmental laws and regulations to control or prevent the release of contaminants into the environment that may have negative effects on the public’s health. Regulated facilities include power plants, wastewater treatment plants, dry cleaners, construction equipment, and other portable pollution sources. Although the Department monitors compliance by conducting inspections of regulated facilities, it can more effectively protect public health and the environment by targeting inspections of facilities based on risk. Additionally, the Department needs to take more consistent, timely, and effective enforcement actions.

Created in 1990, the Arizona Board of Appraisal regulates real estate appraisal in Arizona by licensing and certifying appraisers, registering appraisal management companies (AMCs) and property tax agents, investigating complaints, and issuing discipline for violations of board statutes and rules. The Board’s complaint resolution process has several weaknesses that contribute to potentially untimely and/or inappropriate complaint resolution, such as insufficient documentation regarding some board decisions, delays in assigning complaints for contract investigations, and inadequate monitoring of complaints to ensure timely resolution. Although the Board has taken steps to improve its process, it should develop and implement policies and procedures to address these weaknesses. The Board should also comply with statutory requirements for registering AMCs and develop and implement policies and procedures for providing timely and complete complaint and disciplinary information to the public.

Created in 1952, the Arizona State Board of Physical Therapy regulates the practice of physical therapy by licensing physical therapists and certifying physical therapist assistants, registering certain physical therapy businesses, investigating complaints, and imposing discipline for violations of board statutes and rules. The Board should continue to improve its complaint resolution timeliness. Although the Board resolved the majority of the complaints it received between fiscal years 2009 and 2011 within the 180-day standard for health regulatory boards, 43 percent of the complaints took between 181 days to 18 months to be resolved. Factors contributing to lengthy complaint resolution included lengthy investigations and delays in holding formal and informal hearings. The Board has taken steps to improve complaint resolution timeliness, which it should continue to monitor.

The Registrar of Contractors licenses and regulates residential and commercial contractors. The ROC can improve the regulation of contractors and better protect the public by adequately addressing construction complaints and disciplining contractors when warranted. The ROC should promote earlier resolution of construction complaints by monitoring complaints as they move through its complaint-handling process and by adding time frames to this process, and it should ensure that discipline is imposed in a timely manner. Also, regardless of whether the ROC replaces its current data system, the ROC should take key actions to enable its data system to perform agency functions efficiently and effectively. This report also provides information about the Residential Contractors’ Recovery Fund.

The Department of Environmental Quality is responsible for ensuring that owners and operators of petroleum underground storage tanks comply with federal and state financial responsibility requirements. These requirements help ensure that UST owners and operators can pay to clean up leaks and spills and compensate third parties for bodily injury and any property damage incurred. Sites and/or operators of petroleum USTs include service stations, convenience stores, and local governments. The Department continues to fail to ensure that UST owners and operators meet financial responsibility requirements. Although the Department has begun to take steps to identify and address some of the weaknesses with its financial responsibility program, it should take additional steps, including developing policies and procedures to ensure UST owners and operators comply with financial responsibility requirements.

The Arizona Chronic Disease Strategic Plan is a 3-year plan designed to address chronic disease prevention and control. The plan was developed by Arizona stakeholders, both those who currently are and are not engaged in chronic disease prevention and control. To ensure the plan is not “top down” and driven by priorities identified by the state health department, community stakeholders were engaged in developing this strategic plan from the start. This plan was created through a community process and represents voices from across the state.