The Democratic response to Governor Herbert's State of the State
The Democratic Response to the Governor’s State of the State Address
By Senator Pat Jones, D—Holladay
Good Evening. I’m Senate Minority Leader Pat Jones.
First, I would like to thank the Governor for his presentation tonight. We share his concern about the needs to keep our economy strong, invest in public and higher education, and to enhance Utah’s important energy resources.
Legislators receive an abundance of emails and calls begging us to protect services. Programs that help serve the disabled, assist those who otherwise may have no options, allow caregivers much-needed respite care, keep our best and brightest students stay in Utah with scholarships, and provide programs that help our young people learn to read are just a few of the programs that have served us well, but are in jeopardy because of limited funds.
Utah’s Democrats believe in fiscal responsibility. We must first look at every way to improve efficiency in government. These efforts have taken place over the past several years, as budgets have been slashed and department heads asked to judiciously cut personnel and services. We are now at a critical juncture.
Tonight, I’d like to ask YOU, our citizens, some hard questions.
- Are you okay with increasing the class sizes in our schools because we are NOT paying for the 11,000 ADDITIONAL students that are flooding our public schools this year alone?
- How important is it that our schools expose our young people to music, foreign languages, and the arts?
- Is it acceptable for your college student to be blocked out of classes because funding is not there?
- Is it okay that more college-bound students are NOT choosing to become teachers because statewide low pay and increasingly difficult conditions?
- What do you want to do about the growing number of dentists who donate their services to children on Medicaid but who are dropping out of the program because they simply cannot afford to meet the growing demand?
- Half of Utah’s Medicaid recipients are children. Which children do you want to turn away?
- Shall those who devote their lives to serve people with disabilities and earn less than $9 an hour be cut back on hours in order to accommodate budget cuts?
- Would you rather invest in helping the frail elderly remain in their homes by providing such services as in-home care, wheelchair ramps and grab bars, or would you prefer to send them to nursing homes at FIVE TIMES the cost?
- Substance abuse is a growing problem for Utah’s families, would you rather put the sick in jail cells, or put them through the drug court systems that have been proven effective at a fraction of the cost?
Utah has the youngest population in the country. We also have one of the highest elderly populations. Both are valuable assets. Unless we invest in our most important resource – our HUMAN CAPITAL, we are at risk of falling to average, to mediocrity. I know that average is NOT acceptable to our state, our communities, or our kids.
We cannot tax our way out of this problem, nor do we want to. However, raising the tax on tobacco is one responsible way to increase revenues to address the critical needs in Health and Human Services. Other alternatives for new revenues are being floated by organizations such as the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, who as much as anyone, understands the connection between a quality education system and economic viability.
I hope you will consider these hard questions. I would encourage you to contact your state representative and senator to let them know what is important to you. Good night.
Read MoreRepresentative Marie Poulson – Bill would allow Medicare card as valid voter ID
Bill would allow Medicare card as valid voter ID
From the Provo Daily Herald, by Joe Pyrah
Utah's law to erect barriers against voter fraud may be hurting the very people who vote the most.
A number of p
eople in their 80s and 90s have come forward to say they can't vote because they don't have a picture ID — such as a driver's license — because of their age, says Rep. Marie Poulson, D-Salt Lake City. (The U.S. Census shows the highest voting age group is those over the age of 65.)
They are those "who are mentally active, civically aware and very interested in participating in the process as voters," said Poulson, who is sponsoring a bill that would allow those older than 65 to use a Medicare card as valid voting ID.
Jason Yocum, Salt Lake County Recorder deputy, said his office has received a number of calls from older voters that they were turned away at the polls.
"Many of these people I understand left frustrated and never returned," he said.
The proposal comes with some heartburn for those who say the Medicare card doesn't have picture ID on it, which was a main thrust of recent legislation to prevent voter fraud. The Eagle Forum opposes the bill — though would support efforts to provide pick-up services to get voters to the polls.
Rep. Craig Frank, R-Cedar Hills, said the state already provides for those who don't drive.
"I think there's a provision in our current code … that allows for them to receive a state identification card," he said.
That argument, too, was poked at, given the recent woes at the Driver's License Division because of changes to the process to comply with the Real ID Act that have resulted in day-long lines.
"Getting a picture ID or driver's license has become much more difficult in the state of Utah," said Marina Lowe, legislative and policy counsel for the ACLU of Utah.
The bill was passed out of the House Government Operations Committee by a 5-3 vote and will be debated on the floor of the House.
Representative Trisha Beck – Press Conference
For more information, contact:
Emily Bingham Hollingshead
House Democrats Communications Coordinator
Utah House of Representatives
Ph: 435.590.9961
Fax: 801.326.1539
houseminmedia@utah.gov
http://www.utahhousedemocrats.
Representative Trisha Beck: "Responsible use of RX medication saves lives!"
SALT LAKE CITY, January 25, 2010 — Representative Trisha Beck, D–Salt Lake City, will join with Representative Brad Daw, R–Salt Lake City, and Senator Patricia Jones, D–Holladay to introduce legislation to address the growing misuse and abuse of prescription narcotics in Utah.
Representative Beck has introduced HB 30, which would place cardisoprodol, sold under the brand name Soma, as a Schedule IV drug.
In 2007, Representative Beck's nephew, Denver Daniel Snarr suffered a fatal overdose after being prescribed powerful medications for pain.
"At the time of his passing, we as a family vowed that we would take our pain and do everything in our power to ensure that other families would not need to suffer as we have," said Representative Beck.
"We vowed to promote responsible use of RX pain medications. Hopefully, the passage of these bills will reduce irresponsible use of RX pain medications and save lives," she said.
If Beck's bill is passed by the 2010 Legislature, the drug would be added to Utah's Controlled Substance Database Program, allowing tracking of prescriptions and creating penalties for unlawful possession or distribution of the drug. Refills would be limited to five times within six months.
WHO: Representative Trisha Beck, D–Sandy, Senator Pat Jones, D?Holladay,
Representative Brad Daw, R–Orem, members from the Substance Misuse and Abuse
Reduction Team (SMART) of Utah County, and members of the Pharmaceutical Drug
Crime Project.
WHAT: Press conference and photo op.
WHEN: Tuesday, January 26th 9:30 a.m.
WHERE: Utah Capitol Building, Capitol Board Room
Read More