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Week 4 at the Legislature |
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Written by Micah Olson
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Tuesday, 16 February 2010 23:47 |
Dear Neighbor,
At the conclusion of the first month of the 2010 session, I am happy to report on the progress of the Legislature. This week I was fortunate to have the opportunity to present a resolution on commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America , see my Voter Identification Amendment bill pass through the House, witness the success of HB 67 (Health System Amendments) in the House, and present HB 110 in front of the Senate Government Operations Committee.
On Monday, many Utah leaders representing the Boy Scouts of America joined me as I presented HCR 5. We were joined by a golden eagle named Scout as the resolution was passed through the house, senate, and then signed by Governor Herbert. This was a great time to honor the admiral values and morals that the BSA has equipped our young men with over the past century. A few pictures of the event are attached to this letter.
In Higher Education Appropriations we were faced with the task of determining this year’s budget. With the state’s deficit, a cut was unavoidable. However, we were able to scrape by with a .2% cut. In the end, we decided it was more important to subsidize with the Rainy Day Fund than to hurt the education system.
A few interesting pieces of legislation coming to the forefront of state attention include SB 11, HB 67, and HB 143. SB 11, sponsored by Senator Margaret Dayton, states that firearms made within the state of Utah are not subject to Federal regulations. This Deseret News article describes the bill in more detail: Utah Legislature hopes to hold a gun to federal law. This bill passed through the house this week, and is now being prepared to be signed by the governor. HB 67, sponsored by Representative Wimmer, passed through the House with a 53 to 20 vote. The bill’s legislation regarding the resistance of a federal healthcare plan makes its future still uncertain as it is presented to the Senate.
HB 143 appeared on national news this week as Representative Chris Herrod, sponsor, held a press conference discussing the bill’s purpose. Essentially, this bill enables Utah to claim eminent domain from the federal government. Currently, 60% of Utah is public land, this bill would enable Utah to privatize some of that land and benefit from it’s resale as well as the abundance of natural resources. The Los Angeles Times discusses the specifics of this legislation: Some Utah lawmakers want to use eminent domain to return federal land to state for development.
My prescription drug bills continue to progress as they wait for final fiscal analysis and then floor time on the Senate. A recent local news article involving this topic supports even more need for this legislation: Large Prescription Drug Bust in Orem.
Lastly, this week I welcomed a visit from sixth grade Noah Webster Academy students as we toured the capitol, learned the bill process, and met with the governor. I always enjoy seeing faces from my district and welcome all of you to share in this legislative experience here at the capitol.
Sincerely,
Brad Daw
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