VIDEO- House & Senate Dems On Public Lands
Salt Lake City – House and Senate Democrats held a press conference today, responding to proposals by House Republicans on Utah public lands. Watch the video below!
Representative Joel Briscoe (D-25) pointed out today that the attempt by Republican Representatives Sumsion, Ivory, Herrod, Cox and Barrus to force the United States to relinquish title to lands they own within the state of Utah is “extremely concerning.”
“It has been pointed out by the legislature’s own attorneys and by constitutional scholars that this drive by Republicans to seize control of land owned by the United States may likely be unconstitutional, and the inevitable lawsuit is likely to fail, leaving Utah citizens out Millions in tax dollars which could have gone to vital help for citizens.” said Representative Joel Briscoe.
He continued, “Currently, Utah receives $1.7 Billion dollars a year in tourist revenue, ” but it is unlikely that much of that revenue would continue if Utah is allowed to drill on these lands, or sell them off to private corporations. “As Democrats, we place high value on the ability of our citizens to use their ATV’s, to go off-roading, horseback riding, hiking and camping. And we’re concerned about what would happen if the Utah Legislature had the power to sell off our open spaces to corporations who would fence them in.”
Senator Ben McAdams called the Republican proposals a “Bait and Switch.” Arguing that while Republicans are claiming that selling off public lands would fund education, it is highly unlikely that their bills would result in anything other than a decade-long lawsuit which would cost Utah millions in taxpayer money. “They said this morning [in the House Natural Resources Committee where the bills were heard] that these proposals could eliminate the Income Tax. Well if that’s their intention, then they aren’t even planning on putting any money into education anyway.”
Representative Brian King expressed concern that the Legislature is “wasting out time on this.” and that legislators are only “chasing mirages.” He says “the lawsuits [arising as a result of the legislation if the bills pass] would be expensive, not just time consuming, expensive. Chasing this dream of access to [United States-owned] lands instead of working out reasonable solutions for our neighborhood schools isn’t a good use of our time.”
House and Senate Democrats have already made sensible proposals this year in the Best Schools Initiative which would greatly increase the amount of funding for our neighborhood schools, without even raising taxes.
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Capitol Window! Week 4 Legislative Review
Capitol Window
Week: Feb 13 – Feb 17, 2012
Welcome to Issue #4 of the Capitol Window from the Utah State House Democratic Caucus! With each weekly newsletter, we’ll bring you up to date information on the House Democrats’ efforts on Capitol Hill during the 2012 Legislative Session.
Common-sense Solutions
You may have noticed this year that we’re talking a lot about “common-sense solutions,” and there’s a reason for that. As the legislative session continues, a number of bills and issues inevitably arise which don’t meet that sensible mantra.
In the deluge of political rhetoric we are faced with, we constantly here arguments urging our governments to make us less of a “nanny state.” But on Thursday this week, we heard a proposal from Representative Jim Nielson (R) which goes against that very principle. HB 290 would have forced couples with children to go through a mandatory “divorce orientation class” prior to filing for divorce, and would make the 90-day waiting period on divorces (before they can be finalized) mandatory for all.
Representative Nielson argued on the floor of the House that couples may change their minds if they are required to wait out the 90 days.
Representative Janice Fisher (D) spoke against the bill, pointing out the problems the bill could cause – such as situations where spousal or child abuse is involved. Representative Nielson attempted to assuage that concern, however, pointing out that the bill actually exempts abusive situations, but only when there is “clear evidence” of abuse.
Representative Brian King (D) also pointed out that the State of Utah should not be involved in influencing the private marriages of citizens.
Representative Carol Spackman Moss (D) also spoke against the bill, giving her “Happily Divorced, Happy Remarried” speech to counter Rep Nielson’s arguments that people can’t be happy after a divorce.
In the end, Democratic common-sense arguments carried the day, and HB 290 was defeated 56-14.
Bills On The Move
House Democrats continue to have a wide range of bills successfully moving through the legislative process. Here are a few of our favorites from this week:
- HB 263 – “Unemployment Benefits For Military Spouses” from Representative Lynn Hemingway extends unemployment benefits to the spouses of military personnel who are transferred out of state and are forced to quit their jobs. It passed the Senate on Friday and is on its way to the Governor for signing!
- HJR 2 – “Joint Resolution on World Class Curriculum” from Representative Marie Poulson urges Utah’s public schools to provide their students with reading, writing, and math competency, as well as broad enrichment opportunities in other subjects. It passed the House successfully, and is moving on to the Senate.
- HB 225 – “Child and Family Service Providers” from Representative Christine Watkins requires DCFS to post the name of a private service provider on the division’s website. It passed the House Friday.
Bills To Watch
HB 511 – “Eminent Domain of Federal Land” from Representative Ken Sumsion (R). The bill would authorize cities and counties in Utah to seize control of federal land through the process of “eminent domain.” The Office Of Legislative Research and General Counsel pointed out to Representative Sumsion that his bill may be unconstitutional, and that cities and counties (and the State of Utah for that matter) have no legal standing to seize control of land owned by the United States. Nevertheless, the bill passed the House Natural Resources committee on Friday by a vote of 9 to1.
Follow Us Online
Every day of the session, our website, Facebook page and Twitter stream flow non-stop with up-to-date information, pics and stories from the Hill. During hotly-contested moments, we’ll live-tweet it so you can watch the drama unfold as it happens! Join the conversation.
- Facebook: Utah House Democratic Caucus
- Twitter:@utahhousedems
- Website:www.utahhousedemocrats.org
Join us
We meet as a full Caucus every Tuesday and Thursday from 12:30 PM to 1:45 PM. Our meetings are open to the public. Please join us in room 400 of the State Capitol.
Sincerely;
David Litvack
Utah State House Democratic Leader
Utah State House Democratic Caucus | www.utahhousedemocrats.org
Read MoreVIDEO – UT Legislators Talk Issues On The Hill
Democratic Representatives Jennifer Seelig, Joel Briscoe and Sue Duckworth
Salt Lake City – Representatives Jennifer Seelig, Joel Briscoe and Sue Duckworth jumped onto Comcast this past week to talk about current legislation, the budget and the importance of staying involved. Watch them below!
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Op-Ed: Gambling On Oil Shale In Utah
Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck (D - District 24)
Representative Rebecca Chavez-Houck wrote a great Op-Ed in the Salt Lake Tribune this weekend about the pitfalls and dangers behind oil shale and tar sand development in Utah, calling it a “game of poker.” Read it below!
I am not good at playing poker. I can’t bluff and am totally inept in figuring out what other players have in their hands. The ongoing debate about the economic benefits of investing in oil shale and tar sands development is like playing a game of poker, where one side may be a bit more adept at bluffing than the other.
Gov. Gary Herbert and our congressional delegation have objected to the Bureau of Land Management’s recent proposal to lease public lands in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado for oil shale and tar sands development. They accuse the agency of exerting heavy-handedness with no scientific backing.
It’s time for a fact check. In a recent study, the BLM proposed several options to allow the leasing of federal lands in the three states for further research and development. The options would leave open anywhere from 5,700 to 253,000 acres in Utah for R&D on oil shale, and more than twice that in the entire tri-state region when tar sands leasing is included.
That’s right. More than half a million acres of public lands would be made available for two sources of energy that have so far not been proven to be financially viable or safe. The BLM is being extremely patient and generous. In essence, they’re saying, “We’ll give you up to half a million acres to prove this process is viable. When you do, we’ll then talk about more leasing.”
A process for extracting fuel from shale rock has been elusive for more than a century. Why is it so difficult? Partly, it’s because oil shale doesn’t…
Read the rest of Representative Chavez-Houck’s OpEd HERE
Read MoreDemocratic Legislators Holding 2 Public Town Halls This Week
Representatives Tim Cosgrove, Marie Poulson, Carol Spackman Moss and Mark Wheatley all have public Town Halls coming up this week! This is how you make your voice heard, join us!
Don’t know who’s district you’re in? Click HERE to find out. But regardless of what district you live in, all are welcome at the town halls!
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