Representative Carol Spackman Moss (D)

Salt Lake City – Representative Carol Spackman Moss is proud to announce the latest piece of legislation from the House Democrats in the Best Schools Initiative. The new bill would tackle head-on the problem of ineffective teachers.

HB 115 creates a pilot program called Peer Assistance and Review using expert teachers to conduct regular evaluations for novice teachers and under-performing veteran teachers.

“Nearly half of all teachers leave the profession within the first 5 years,” said Representative Moss. “We also have a growing concern about the continued employment of ineffective teachers.”

According to Representative Moss, Utah schools need to offer more support for struggling teachers.

“We have wonderful teachers here in Utah,” continued Representative Moss. “But how can we expect the best from them if we’re not willing to provide the necessary tools to help them be their best?”

Representative Brian King (D)

While many here in the Utah Legislature are insistent with their anti-Federal Government and anti-Health Care Reform rhetoric, perhaps we should take a moment to examine what effect the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is actually having on Americans.

Representative Brian King found this outstanding article on the true effects of Federal Health Care Reform this morning, and he wanted to share it!

We understand why President Obama trumpeted the killing of Osama bin Laden while barely mentioning health reform, his most significant domestic accomplishment in his State of the Union address last week. Ten years after 9/11, the killing of Bin Laden was an indisputable triumph for President Obama, welcomed by almost every American. In contrast, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), enacted with only Democratic votes by the scarcest of margins in 2010, remains a complex, highly controversial piece of legislation with outcomes and costs that remain to be seen in the years ahead.

Yet surprising even to many advocates of health care reform, evidence is emerging that the ACA is already improving life for millions of average Americans. It is promoting long-overdue fundamental changes in our dysfunctional medical system. Moreover, because those reforms are starting to directly address heightened economic insecurities of average families – the personal financial conditions that will largely determine this year’s election outcomes – President Obama would be wise to more forcefully and more specifically explain how his health care bill is already helping millions of vulnerable families and the country as a whole. Sure, financially-pressured families will celebrate the derring-do of Seal Team Six. They should directly appreciate the immediate impact of improved insurance coverage and reduced medical costs.

Here are five concrete realms in which the Affordable Care Act, which won’t even take full effect until 2014, has already had an impact:

Read the rest of the article HERE

House Democratic Leader David Litvack, Representatives Patrice Arent and Carol Spackman Moss, and Senator Karen Morgan

Salt Lake City – Today at their weekly press briefing, House and Senate Democrats laid out their plans for the Health Of Utah Families. Watch the video below!

“Few issues are as important for our local State Government to address as the health of the citizens of Utah.” said House Democratic Leader David Litvack. “Whether it be the quality of the air we breathe or the diseases we live with, these are things that we all face on a daily basis and it is a common-sense principle of Democrats in the Legislature to listen to the problems of Utah citizens and address those problems to protect both this generation as well as the future of our children.”

Representative David Litvack, House Democratic Leader

Salt Lake City – HB48 (Barrus -R) creates a committee of Utah Legislators to participate with representatives of other states in national talks on energy. Last year the committee of 4 was required to have at least one Democrat, but this year Republicans voted against Democratic participation.

On Monday, House Democratic Leader David Litvack moved for an amendment to HB48, reinstating last year’s rule that no more than 3 of the committee of 4 could be from the same party. “This is about bringing in all sides of the conversation,” said Litvack after the vote. “The people of Utah aren’t being represented when you silence voices just because you don’t want to hear what they have to say.”

All 17 Democrats in the House voted for Representative Litvack’s amendment, as well as a handful of Republicans, including House Speaker Lockhart (R). However the amendment still failed by 46-25.

Democrats accused Republicans on Monday of abusing their huge 80-24 margin in the Legislature to try to strip Utah Democrats of representation on an interstate group that seeks to help states develop their energy resources.

The House voted 57-16 along party lines to pass, and send to the Senate, HB48 by Rep. Roger Barrus, R-Centerville. It changes a provision that had required members of both parties to be among four legislators appointed by leaders to represent Utah on the Coalition of Energy Producing States.

Barrus, a member of the coalition, said some unnamed members of both parties had failed to actively participate in that coalition. He said the change allows leaders to more easily find people who have the time, interest and experience to serve without looking at their party affiliation.

But House Democratic leader David Litvack, D-Salt Lake City, said it was aimed to take away his party’s seat at the table. He said the appropriate way to handle a problem if a member is not attending is to talk to their leader to appoint someone else, and not to allow stripping a party of all representation.

Read the full Trib story HERE

“For 12 years that I’ve been up there this has always been the standard that when we have a committee, when we form an official legislative committee, that we always have proportional representation between both parties,” said Litvack.  “I understand the frustration that if members were not showing up, that’s not ok.  If we’re going to be at the table then we need to be there, and I get that.  But the solution is not to remove the Democrat from the committee.”

Read the full KCPW story HERE

Representative Lynn Hemingway (D)

Salt Lake City – What happens to the spouse of a Utah soldier when they’re transferred to a base out of state? Current law allows for no help, but Representative Hemingway (D-HD40) is running a bill to protect those who protect us.

“Currently, when an active duty soldier in Utah is transferred to another state, their spouse has to quit their job to follow them, but because their spouse quit and wasn’t fired, they don’t get unemployment. ” says Representative Lynn Hemingway.

After receiving several calls and emails from constituents who have faced these dire circumstances, Rep Hemingway says he decided a bill was necessary to prevent such needless hardship on military families. HB 263 would extend unemployment benefits to the spouses of military personnel to protect them in the event that the soldier is transferred out of state.

“These are not people who are quitting their jobs for no reason,” says Rep Hemingway. “When a soldier is transferred there is no option to turn it down, they have to go and obviously their families are going to go with them. That can be extremely difficult on these young families to lose that income with no safety net to help.”

HB 263, has been endorsed by the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense of the United States, and has also received support from the Department of Workforce Services (who oversee unemployment benefits). It also passed through the House Workforce Services Committee with a unanimous vote.

“We are 1 of only 10 states in the entire country that don’t provide these protections for our military families,” continued Representative Hemingway. “As a Democrat, I believe that this is the very least we can do for those who do so much for us.”

Welcome to issue #1 of the Capitol Window! 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.

The Best Schools Initiative

Democrats in the Legislature are making Education the hot topic of the year. Several weeks ago, we announced our Best Schools Initiative – a comprehensive package of legislation from both House and Senate Democrats designed to get our schools back on track.

Although many people across our beautiful state don’t realize it, the quality of our education has been slipping. According to the Quality Counts annual report, we’ve fallen to 42^ndin the nation in terms of the quality of the schooling we provide our children, and dead last on the amount of money we spend. Not surprisingly, the lack of commitment for quality neighborhood schools from many in the Utah Legislature has caused our state’s graduation rate to fall 7.9% over the past 10 years (according to the 2010 National Education Association report).

But the Best Schools Initiativeis will change the future for our children. Its goal is to provide every child with 4 things:

• A Great Teacher
• Individualized Attention
• World-Class Curriculum
• Family & Neighborhood Support

The best part is that our message is beginning to resonate with our Republican colleagues. We’re now hearing our talking points and common-sense solutions coming from across the aisle in both the House, the Senate, and even from Governor Herbert in his State of the State speech. This may finally be the year that we get something done to ensure the future of our children and create the economic strength that comes from well-educated students.

For more information on the Best Schools Initiative, please visit utahhousedemocrats.org

Common-Sense Solutions

From the health of Utah families to smart tax policies, House Democrats have got your back. Representative Patrice Arent has passed a bill out of committee that will finally get the Legislature to address Air Quality issues that have plagued much of our beautiful state. Representative Marie Poulson’s bill, creating a system for emergency responders to access your (optionally) provided emergency contact information, passed the House and is on its way to the Senate. And Representative Lynn Hemingway just saw his bill giving unemployment benefits to the spouses of transferred military service-members pass unanimously out of committee.

Check out our social media sites

Have you seen our new website? We’re posting daily updates and pics from the Hill and it’s well worth following along for all the inside scoops. Plus, our Facebook and Twitter pages are running at full steam. Join the conversation.

Facebook: Utah House Democratic Caucus

Twitter:    @utahhousedems

Website:   http://utahhousedemocrats.org

Join us

We meet as a full Caucus every Tuesday and Thursday from 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. Our meetings are open to the public. Please join us in room 400 of the State Capitol.

Track legislation

The Legislature has an award-winning website with which you can track a bill’s progress, locate committee meetings and find contact information for all lawmakers. Go to http://le.utah.gov

Legislative Survey

Our annual legislative survey is online and available. This quick survey is a great way for you to let us know what issues are important to you, and once completed is sent directly to your Representative. Please go to our website www.utahhousedemocrats.org and click the link for the Survey at the top.

Sincerely;

David Litvack
Utah State House Democratic Leader
dlitvack@le.utah.gov

Utah State House Democratic Caucus | www.utahhousedemocrats.org

Representative Litvack and Senator Romero receive the DABC Review Committee's final report

Capitol Hill – The business owner-led DABC Review Committee has completed their final report of recommendations for changes in the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, and delivered their report this morning to House & Senate Democratic Leaders. Read the report below.

The DABC controls a $300 million dollar business in Utah, but recent audits have uncovered waste and possible criminal fraud. Because the funds the State receive from the DABC are so critical to funding programs like school lunches and roads, Representative Litvack and Senator Romero called for an independent committee, made up of local business owners to review the DABC processes and create a report of recommendations which would be delivered to the Utah Legislature.

The committee, led by co-chairs Peter S Cooke, Stephen Schubach and Jeff Hatch completed their task after countless meetings and public hearings, and delivered the following report this morning for consideration.

DABCReviewCommReport1-27-12

Senator Ross Romero, Democratic Leader in the Utah Senate

Good evening. I’m Senator Ross Romero, Democratic Leader in the Utah State Senate. Thank you for your civic engagement, and for tuning in tonight to learn about the important issues and unique challenges that we face as a state. I want you to know that Utah Democrats are working on behalf of you and your families. We recognize the struggles so many of us have had to endure during the economic downturn of the past few years. But, there is good news and opportunity on the horizon. We are pleased that Utah’s economy is now headed in a positive direction. For the first time in several years, our state is beginning to once again see a surplus in our state budget. Utah Democrats are excited for what the future holds, and we look forward to working with you over the next 6 weeks as we propose and pass legislation that will strengthen Utah’s economy and prepare us for the future.

At this time I’d like to introduce you to my colleague, Representative David Litvack, your Democratic Leader in the Utah House of Representatives, who will discuss some of the Democratic proposals for the 2012 Legislative Session.

Representative David Litvack, Democratic Leader in the Utah State House

Thank you Senator Romero. Tonight, I’d like to speak with you about some proposals from my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate, proposals that we believe will lead to a brighter future – a future where Utah will again realize the promise of economic strength and prosperity.

This year Democrats will introduce legislation to help Utah’s growing veteran population through increased access to higher education. We will assist working families by protecting your consumer rights. Utah Democrats will also present measures to keep all of us healthy through better cancer screening and prevention, and we will make proposals to address the poor air quality we face in our state.

Utah’s strong economy has always depended on an educated workforce. For Utah to attract further high-paying jobs, we must double our efforts to provide highly educated future employees. From our neighborhood schools, to higher education and career programs, Democrats recognize this vital importance and renew our pledge to provide a better future for our children. No less than the success of our economic development depends upon our efforts now.

I will now turn the time back to Senator Ross Romero, who will talk more about our plan for Utah’s public schools.

Senator Romero

Thank you, Representative Litvack.

For many years, the state of Utah has been #1 in business, economic development, tourism, and even #1 in science, technology and research. In many ways, we’re doing very well as a state. So why is it that our schools continue to rank 42nd in the nation? This must change! Our schools should be the very best in the nation.

This year Utah Democrats are introducing legislation designed to put Utah on a path to make Utah’s schools #1. Utah Democrats believe that every Utah child deserves four things:

• An excellent teacher
• Individualized attention
• World-class curriculum
• Neighborhood and family support

If we can reduce classroom sizes in the lower grades or give teachers a little extra help in the classroom, it can do wonders to help our students succeed. Educating Utah’s children has been and will always be our top priority.

Utah Democrats understand that while our economy is recovering, family budgets are recovering, too. But let me be very clear: we do not believe it is fiscally wise to raise taxes for Utah’s working families.

That’s why I’m pleased to announce that the “Best Schools Initiative” includes a funding plan which reprioritizes our resources and does NOT raise taxes. We simply need to change our focus in order to do what’s best for Utah’s kids.

During the economic downturn of the past several years, we have worked diligently to streamline our state budget. Due to Utah’s wise fiscal management, we are now seeing more funds coming into our state revenues. Utah Democrats believe in using these increased revenues for the long-term security of our future. The Best Schools Initiative is designed to wisely plan for Utah – to give our children the very best opportunities, to create new jobs and new businesses, and to secure our economic strength and prosperity.

Thank you again for being with us tonight. We look forward to working with our colleagues in both the House and Senate to meet these important goals. And, as always, we look forward to seeing you and working with you at this year’s legislative session and beyond.

Good night.