Thursday, March 11 , 2010

WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY

The 2010 General Session of the 58th Legislature ends today.  It could be a long day.  Floor time goes from 8 am to 6 p.m. with a 12-2 break for lunch.  The final session is from 7:00 p.m. until midnight if needed.  

The house has 45 Senate bills on the board and the Senate has 47 House bills.   And many more bills are sitting in the House and Senate Rules Committees.
 
IN THE HOUSE
The House will likely start on the Concurrence Calendar.  The Senate amended Substitute HB 166, Reductions to Education Mandates , to replace the tenth grade basic skills test with computer adaptive testing of basic skills.   Also, the Senate decided school bus service should begin two miles from school instead of the original 3 miles.  

The Senate also amended HB 343, under which the Great Salt Lake Advisory Council would include a representative of migratory bird protection instead of a representative of recreation for sportsmen.
On the House Senate Bill Calendar, SB 32 Judicial Administration Amendments is circled.  The bill currently authorizes a judicial hiring freeze during a General Fund deficit with the unanimous consent of the Governor, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House and chief justice of the Supreme Court.  The freeze must last at least 90 days, but not longer than the last day of the legislature.  At issue is whether a majority vote or a unanimous vote of the group is required.  A majority vote
could mean that not all three branches of government would have a say in the decision, which concerns legislative supporters of the judicial branch. Third Substitute SB 175 permits property tax collected for school buildings to be used instead for school operating expenses for two years.  It also phases out the capital outlay equalization program currently being used to help Jordan School District.

IN THE SENATE
On the Senate Second Reading Calendar, SB 194 would allow towns to finance energy efficiency upgrades or renewable energy systems in a voluntary assessment area.  

HB 456 adds an environmental or public health physician plus a transportation planning representative to the state Air Quality Board .

On the other hand HJR 21 urges the Governor to withdraw Utah from the Western Climate Initiative to avoid the cost of cap and trade regulation of carbon.  The air war continues.  
 
 
WHAT HAPPENED WEDNESDAY?
In the Senate
Kathy Van Dame reporting

Yesterday, Senate Sponsor Stephen Urquhart, R-St George asked the Senate to vote for Renewable Energy Financing, HB 145, which they did unanimously.  Next stop the Governor's desk.
 
This bill allows a 3rd party to install a solar system, for example, on non-taxpaying property and sell that energy to the property owner.   This gives the  owners of these properties a way to realize the tax benefits,
as the 3rd  party would pass their tax credit savings to the property owner in low electricity rates.  This bill exempts the 3rd party in this case from definition of a utility and regulation by the Public Utility Commission, and Senator Urquhart assured the utilities that net metering implications will be studied in Interim, and the utilities & customers will be held harmless of any excess costs incurred.
 
 HB 145 Second Substitute Renewable Energy Financing Provisions
     http://le.utah.gov/~2010/htmdoc/hbillhtm/hb0145s02.htm < http://le.utah.gov/%7E2010/htmdoc/hbillhtm/hb0145s02.htm >
 

Sandy Peck