Thursday, February 18, 2010

WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY

Standing committees are meeting this morning between 8 and 10.  Floor debate will be from 10 to noon and again from 2 to 5 this afternoon. 

Today is a caucus lunch day, when Republicans and Democrats meet separately over lunch to discuss issues from 12:30 to 2:00.  Caucuses are usually open – not always - and are interesting to sit in on.

IN MORNING COMMITTEES  
SENATE EDUCATION will consider SB 52, which calls for at least one individual from each county that contains a credit-granting institution of higher education to serve on the Board of Regents.  The Board has 19 members appointed by the governor, including a student nominated by the student body presidents’ council.  SB 52 says other appointments should also take into due consideration full-time equivalent student enrollment at Utah institutions of higher education.

          Also in committee is a school district capital outlay equalization bill, SB 175. It requires a school district in Salt Lake County that receives property tax revenue from a capital outlay levy equalization program to report to the Education Interim Committee, on or before the Committee’s November meeting, reporting how the district spent those funds and its short-term and long-term plans to increase its school building capacity.
 

SENATE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES is considering SB 213, which creates an advisory council to the Division of Services for People with Disabilities.  The council would serve without compensation and advise the Division on services, budget and administrative matters.

HB 315, in HOUSE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS, would somewhat limit public information on the Utah Public Notice Website, which posts public notices such as meeting dates and deadlines for state and local government bodies:  A body with an annual budget of less than $1 million would be encouraged, but not required, to publish or post a notice to the website.  The bill’s title says this exemption would be temporary, although no time line is stated.

          Substitute HB 266 would require government entities to publicly disclose gross compensation earned by elected or appointed employees by name.  For employees not elected or appointed, the employee’s name would be protected under GRAMA.  Only the job title would be public.

 WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY? 

Kathy Van Dame & Sandy Peck reporting

In the House   

 HJR 5 passed the House yesterday.  It’s a resolution encouraging Utahns to eliminate unnecessary idling by their motor vehicles in order to protect health

 and environment, reduce air pollution, conserve fuel, and protect motor vehicle performance.

Sponsor Carol Spackman Moss ( Salt Lake ) recognized Morningside School 's 6th grade, who had asked for this resolution and researched it. 

            Before the bill passed, Reps Mike Noel (Kanab) and Greg Hughes ( Salt Lake ) moved that references to carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas

be removed.   Saying she’s an English teacher, not a science teacher, Rep. Moss declined to argue against the amendment.

However, Rep David Litvack ( Salt Lake ) noted that since more than 90 percent of scientists agree on the effects of carbon dioxide he trusts their conclusions.

            The amendment passed 47 to 24.  Rep Moss said she would go back to the Morningside class and explain how the amendment was part of the democratic process.

Final vote on the bill was 66-8-1.

Reps Bradley Daw ( Orem ), Richard Greenwood ( Roy ), Curtis Oda Clearfield), Carl Wimmer (Herriman), Craig Frank (Cedar Hills),

Mike Morley (Spanish Fork), Kenneth Sumsion (American Fork), and Bill Wright (Holden) voted no with Rep. Patrick Painter (Nephi) absent or not voting. 

In House Natural Resources Agriculture and Environment

Ann O’Connell Reporting 

SB 104 Renewable Energy Modifications (Stephen Urquhart – St. George), passed out of committee unanimously.  It recognized the storage of compressed air storage (in underground caverns) as a renewable energy.  The sponsor did explain it was not double dipping for green credits.  A company could not get them for production and then storage.  The bill does not address either specifics of a project or general restrictions for projects in general.  It is limited to the classification as a renewable.

 HB 231 Water Rights Priorities in Times of Shortage. (Francis Gibson – Mapleton) replaces wording removed from statutes last year.  The prior appropriation wording is found elsewhere in statute.  It evidently was the definition of an emergency or drought, etc. that was considered to be vague and needed to be rewritten. Evidently all the players are content.  The more important factor is that this bill was vetted by the Executive Water Task Force.  No one I know has access to this committee.  I cannot claim it is not open to the public but seems to be mysterious but powerful. 

HB 102 Agriculture Sustainability Act, (Jack Draxler – Cache) is still stuck in committee.  I was told that the committee did not act to take an actual vote because they do not want to have to vote on it.  Rep. Gibson (Mapleton), a dairy farmer as you may know, gave a moving speech about our dependence on imported food.  I agreed with every word he said.  To give him credit he voted not to keep the bill back. 

Rep. Draxler explained to me that it is now up to him to get the votes to move the bill out of committee.  I think saving farmland is very important to him.  Neal Hendrickson ( West Valley City ), a Democrat on the committee, also supported moving forward with the bill.  I was surprised, and delighted. He is usually a firm member of the cowboy caucus and votes with the majority.  Phil Riesen ( Salt Lake ) appeared to say neither nay or yea which is often his behavior on that committee. 

Also in the House 

Sandy Peck reporting

 HB 113 Child Restraint Device Amendments (Herrod, C) failed 24-47-4.  The bill would have exempted for close-to-home trips the use of booster seats used for children age 5 to 8.  These boosters protect the soft abdominal tissue and neck by keeping children’s seatbelts from sliding.  This was explained by Rep Tim Cosgrove (Murray) who had sponsored the original bill requiring boosters.  He described the victims of accidents when children do not wear these restraints based on his experience working at Primary Children’s Hospital, and provided statistics, as did several other representatives. Some recounted personal experiences of children killed.

Supporters of the bill said they voluntarily use restraints but don’t need a law to tell them to (Mike Morley – Spanish Fork).  Others said the question is not safety but whether the legislature should tell families what to do.  Sponsor Herrod summed up by saying we recognize the danger of alcohol, high calorie foods and going without child restraints, but must respect parental rights.

Sandy Peck