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Week One Utah State Legislature |
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Written by Micah Olson
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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
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