This five-year update of Arizona’s Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) is in accordance with the provisions of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act, which was enacted in 1964 to encourage the provision of greater recreation opportunities for American citizens. Arizona receives annual congressional appropriations administered through the Arizona State Parks Board to fund state and local government sponsored outdoor recreation projects.

The Agency staff supports two Boards – the Arizona Medical Board, which licenses and regulates all physicians, and the Arizona Regulatory Board of Physician Assistants, which licenses and regulates physician assistants. The Agency processes applications for licenses, handles public complaints against licensees, and disseminates information pertaining to licensees and the regulatory process. The two Boards determine and administer disciplinary action in the event of proven violations of their respective practice acts. Together, the Boards regulate over 24,000 licensees.

The Board changed its name from the Board of Medical Examiners to the Arizona Medical Board in August 2002 and the opportunity to build on a foundation of greatness while developing a vision for the future. This report outlines some of the agency successes in the previous year and highlights the Boards ongoing efforts to improve its licensing and adjudication processes making it one of the top rated medical boards in the nation.

The American Indian Students United for Nursing Project was established in the fall of 1990 by a grant from the Indian Health Service. The purpose of ASUN is to increase the number of American Indians/Alaskan Natives studying nursing at ASU and the number of nurses providing care to American Indians/Alaskan Natives. ASUN is not a separate nursing program but rather provides scholarship support to American Indian/Alaskan Native students studying nursing at ASU.

The Joint Legislative Committee on School Safety was originally established in 1994. Its charge was to review school district applications and select the applicants that were eligible to receive funding for participation in the School Safety Program. The Legislature prescribed the method by which school districts applied to the Committee and defined the purpose and content of the School Safety Program. In 1997, the School Safety Program and related legislation were repealed and replaced by the School Safety Program Oversight Committee, composed of the same membership. The School Safety Program Oversight Committee's charge remained the same as the JLCSS's mission.