|
Utah Matters
|
Utah State Legislature Week 2 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Written by Micah Olson
|
|
Monday, 08 February 2010 14:50 |
Dear Neighbor,
Once again, another week has passed and I am happy to inform you of the work of the legislature. Several key issues have been discussed this week, attracting more attention from the media and public. Additionally, I have experienced success with pushing my legislation through the bill process.
One of the major bills discussed this week is HB 67 sponsored by Representative Wimmer. HB 67 addresses a possible federal healthcare plan and calls on Utah agencies to consult with the Legislature before automatically implementing the federal plan. On Wednesday this issue was brought to the Health and Human Services Committee where it was passed with a favorable recommendation. However, this outcome was not without debate from both legislators and public commentators (Deseret News- Utah bills hit back at federal mandates). As a strong proponent for states’ rights, I made the motion to pass this bill, justifying that we cannot rely on the federal government to fund our programs when the federal government has no money to give. Concluding the statement, I drew from the quote by Admiral David Glasgow Farragut where he shouts to disregard the torpedoes, and go “full speed ahead.”
My three prescription drug bills have now made their way through the senate committees and are on the agenda to be discussed in the senate floor session. I was fortunate to have Lindon police officer, Darrell Bingham, at my side to present HB 36 to the senate Law Enforcement committee. A brief explanation of this bill and its presentation in the senate committee can be found here – Utah Legislature – Committee OKs doctor notification bill.
I also presented HB 110 in the house Law Enforcement committee on Thursday. This bill, County Jail Inmate Medical Costs, allows the county to look towards inmate’s private health insurance to pay for medical fees. In the absence of private healthcare, the county will pay for the medical costs but can look towards reimbursement from the imamate’s cash account or possible private property in the jail’s possession. This bill will save the county money by utilizing the inmate’s resources. Another bill I sponsor, HB 254, was heard by the house Government Operations Committee on Friday. This bill amends the voter identification bill I passed last session. It makes a few technical changes on last year’s bill and specifies that current military IDs, Bureau of Indian Affairs cards, and tribal treaty cards will count as a primary form of identification at voting polls.
Lastly, a group of eventful legislation passed through the Health and Human Services Committee Friday afternoon. The three bills map out Utah’s health care reform, providing for a 10 year map to solve Utah’s health care problems. HB 25 and HB 52 simplify a system in which health care can be bought and paid for. HB 294 is the main focus of the reform and provides for a way to “move to a customized, competitive model that allows consumers to pick more suitable plans, carry coverage with them between jobs and sets options for employers who offer plans”(Utah Legislature: 3 bills blueprint new Utah health plan).
I have received many e-mails and thank you for taking that time to respond to these updates and voice your comments and concerns. I welcome all input as I continually strive to do my best to represent our district. Have a great week.
Sincerely,
Brad Daw
|
|
|
Week One Utah State Legislature |
|
|
|
|
Written by Micah Olson
|
|
Tuesday, 02 February 2010 02:29 |
Dear Neighbor,
The first week of session at the Utah State Legislature has come to a close, but not an uneventful one. This past week numerous strides have been made in accomplishing our goals to strengthen the sovereignty of our state as well as protect the safety of our citizens.
One of the exciting events which took place this past Tuesday was the passing of my prescription drug bills through the house. Here is an article from the Daily Herald covering the bills: Bill to tackle prescription drug abuse problems. On Tuesday morning I held a press conference to explain the importance of this legislation. Articles covering this conference as well as reporting on their passing through the house can be found by following these links: Lawmaker introduces 3 bills targeting prescription drug abuse, Utah Legislature: House approves prescription drug abuse bills.
Legislators have also been busy preparing legislation to protect the rights of the state. The following is a list of legislators and the bills they are running dealing with these issues, as well as the links that will take you to the bill:
Representative Frank - HB 210 Eminent Domain Modifications; Representative Noel - Federal Law Enforcement Bill, State energy policy Amendment; Representative Morley- HJR 10 Joint Resolution Opposing the Establishment of a Federal Commission on State Workers' Compensation Laws, HJR 11 Joint Resolution Regarding Federal Health Insurance Reform; Representative Sandstrom - HB 234 Opting Out of the Real Id Act, SB 11 Utah State-made Firearms Protection Act; Representative Wimmer - HB 264 Law Enforcement Amendments, HB 67 Health System Amendments.
A few other initiatives I have going include a moist snuff taxation revision bill and a county inmate medical costs bill. The Moist Snuff bill amends the definition of “moist snuff” so that dry tobacco products are not based on weight for tax but only tobacco products containing 45% moisture content. The County Inmate bill specifies that the county will only cover medical expenses if the inmate is unable to cover it themselves through private healthcare or other funds. A similar bill is being run on the state level by Representative Ray. An article discussing his bill can be found at the Deseret News.
Also, as mentioned in last week’s newsletter, the issue of ethics is receiving a fair amount of attention this session. In Speaker David Clark’s opening remarks of the Legislature he commented on the fact that Republicans have already agreed to a series of ethics reforms. Additionally, in the State of the State Address Tuesday night, Governor Herbert claimed that he has signed an executive order that “reaffirms and clarifies” ethics guidelines originally set by former Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.
Thank you for taking the time to read this update on the activities of the Utah State Legislature. I encourage you to continue to be involved in our state’s government. I also welcome comments and concerns and ask you to please feel free to contact me if I may be of assistance in any way.
Sincerely,
Brad Daw
|
|
Federal Home Buyers Tax Credit |
|
|
|
|
Written by Micah Olson
|
|
Tuesday, 10 November 2009 18:38 |
|
Have you been looking for some kind of info relating to the Federal Home Buyers Tax Credit? So has everyone else! We finally got some info from the feds (organized by the National Association of Home Builders) that should help shed some light on the new money! At first glance I am disappointed with the way the federal government has designed the expansion. People who have lived in a home for 5 of the last 8 years are not upside down, and do not really need help as badly as some others. Also, the goal of the original credit was two fold. Reduce the number of homes for sale, and stabilize American families by encouraging them to own homes. I was surprised that the current government designed a credit that did two good things. This new addition to the credit does not accomplish anything. If a home owner decides that they want to buy a home because of this credit, they will likely need to sell their current home (especially in light of Freddie / Fannie rules about including rental income in loan calculations). So it is a 1 for 1 exchange on the market and does not reduce inventory. It COULD act to take some of the higher priced homes off the market, and replace them with lower priced homes, but that seems to be the only positive aspect to the expansion. What are your thoughts?
|
|
Last Updated on Tuesday, 10 November 2009 18:53 |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by Micah Olson
|
|
Saturday, 30 January 2010 07:43 |
Dear Neighbor,
This coming Monday, January 25th, the 2010 session of the Utah State Legislature will begin. The session will last for 45 days ending on March 11th. I will be sending you weekly updates to keep you informed on the activities of the legislature. Additionally, during this time, I invite you to e-mail me with your comments and concerns; I would love to hear from you and will take all input with the utmost consideration.
During this session I am sponsoring three main bills that involve prescription drug abuse. They all deal with helping to educate and inform those that write the prescriptions. Hopefully, through this heightened awareness, preventative measures can be taken to reduce the number of unnecessary deaths resulting from prescription drug abuse. If you wish to follow these bills during the times of the session, you can find them on the quick bill search on le.utah.gov. You can also see what these bills are about by clicking on the following links: HB 28, HB 35, HB 36.
Another piece of legislation you may be interested in coming to the floor this session is an ethics bill. A great article describing this bill can be found on the Deseret News.
On the national front, some interesting events have happened as of late involving national health care reform. Scott Brown, Republican, landed the Massachusetts’ senate seat, thus representing the 41st vote in the senate against the health care bill. The LA Times summarizes the situation in the following paragraph:
“To many Democrats, the bill is a victim of simple math. All 435 members of the House and one-third of the Senate are up for reelection in November, a fact that makes them acutely tuned to shifts in public opinion. With Brown campaigning . . . against healthcare in the Senate, they're not sure they want to risk their own political necks for a proposal that is spurring a huge voter backlash.” (Does Scott Brown’s Election Doom Healthcare?)
Other insighful articles on this topic can be found at Newsmax - Scott Brown Win Is a Wake-Up Call, and the Daily Caller: What’s next for health-care reform? We are currently diligently working in the state of Utah on reform that empowers consumers to make their own health care decisions as opposed to reform that enables the government to have that right.
Once again, I welcome your comments and concerns and invite you to visit me at the capital during the session. Thank you for your support and I promise to do all that I can to make this 2010 session the best one yet in representing the needs of our district.
Brad Daw
|
|
New Federal Home Buyer Credit!!! |
|
|
|
|
Written by Micah Olson
|
|
Monday, 02 November 2009 19:20 |
|
The $8,000 credit could be expanded very soon! AND the good news is that you may actually be able to use it! Harry Reid confirmed last week that they have a bill drafted to extend the credit, and to give a portion of it to "Move Up" buyers. If they owned their previous home for at least 5 years, they should be able to qualify for up to $6,500! This announcement came after the feds noticed a 3.6% home sale drop in September. The thought is that people quit buying, thinking that the credit would be gone by the time they close on the home. The extension and expansion should have been added to an existing bill set for vote in the VERY near future. There are a few elements that conservatives wanted to add to the legislation dealing with funding to ACORN, and requiring that unemployment payouts be verified as going to US citizens prior to payment, but it is likely these will NOT be added. The extension, and the possibility for non-firstimers to get the credit is good news though regardless of where you thin politically.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Page 1 of 2 |
|
|
Subscribe to Blog
|
