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Dear Neighbor, This week we were fortunate to celebrate President’s Day on Monday, and then move into a session on double time on Tuesday. In an attempt to ensure that all bills are heard and have time to be discussed, the Legislature has expanded floor time hours in both the House and Senate as will be the case for the rest of the session. I presented a resolution to the Public Utilities and Technology Committee on Friday morning, HCR012—Printing and Graphic Arts Recognition Month Concurrent Resolution, which passed unanimously and was put on the consent calendar. HCR designates April 2010 as Printing and Graphic Arts Recognition Month in the state of Utah and recognizes the contributions made by the printing and graphic arts industries and encourages institutions of learning to continue education in this field. My three prescription drug abuse bills were intended to pass through the Senate floor this week, but like always, there was a bump in the road regarding the fiscal notes attached to these bills, so they were temporarily tabled. Due to the state’s budget deficit, any bill that has a small fiscal note attached to it has a much smaller chance of passing through the Legislature. I was able to meet with the fiscal analyst, drafting attorney, and the Department of Commerce to negotiate the bill’s necessary money’s appropriated. After much discussion, we were able to come up with a way to ensure that the fiscal notes would be zeroed out on all three bills. HB0110, County Jail Inmate Medical Costs, passed through the Senate without any delay, and HB0254, Voter Identification Amendments, was presented to a Senate committee on Friday and passed through with a favorable recommendation. In other news, sponsor, Representative Sandstorm presented 1S.H.B. 234 – Opting out of the Real ID Act, to the House floor on February 18th, and had the bill pass with a 68 to 3 vote. This is another bill that fights for the sovereignty of the state of Utah. It provides legislative findings regarding the federal REAL ID Act of 2005 and prohibits the state from participating in the implementation of the Real ID Act, any national identification card system that may be enacted by the US and Congress. Here’s an article in the Salt Lake Tribune covering the passage of the bill through the House—House votes to opt out of REAL ID Act - Salt Lake Tribune. A modest proposal to the federal government: Let Utah do it, written by Senate President Michael G. Waddoups and House Speaker David Clark published in The Washington Post this week, discusses “a modest experiment” concerning the expansion of the federal government over the years. Their proposal focuses on the state working to regulate important programs such as health care, education, and others that are being heavily funded by the federal government (http://www.washingtonpost. com/wpdyn/content/article/ 2010/02/18/AR2010021803978. html). Once again, I thank you for your support. I will continue to do my best in representing the best needs of our district as I enter the fifth week of the 2010 Legislature session. And as always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. Sincerely, Brad Daw
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