House & Senate Democrats On Message Bills: Enough Already!
Utah Democrats delivered a message Tuesday about the many “message bills” that Republican legislators are running this election year to attack the federal government and the Obama administration.
“Enough is enough,” House Minority Leader David Litvack, D-Salt Lake City, said in a news conference.
House Democratic Assistant Whip Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, complained that message bills take “time and the energy and the resources of the state Legislature … and divert them away from productive activity and into an attack on the federal government and an attack on the Obama administration.”
While Democrats don’t like the many message bills that attack public lands policies, they especially targeted the Senate-passed SB208, which would have Utah join a compact of states seeking to opt out of federal health care reform and, if allowed by Congress, control such programs as Medicare and Medicaid locally with federal block grants.
“This is not just a benign message bill,” said Senate Assistant Whip Pat Jones, D-Holladay. “Utah would be in charge of our own Medicaid and Medicare.”
She said Republicans are willing to take that big leap to send a message, without studying the costs and ramifications. She said she’s sure it will either raise taxes or lead to cuts in health care for seniors.
Litvack said the GOP effort is just “being driven by this desire to tell the current administration” that Republicans don’t like health reform, and “what is this, the seventh, eighth or ninth time that we’ve done that, so haven’t we sent that message?”
“If we’re serious as a legislative body and are not driven by posturing and politics and we want to talk about what’s the best way to provide health care to our citizens, then let’s do it the right way,” which he said would be to carefully look at costs and effects instead of leaving those as unanswered questions.
Read the full article HERE
Read MoreDeseret News Names Some Courageous Democrats In The House
“Are they doing any good up there?” That’s a question we frequently hear during the legislative session. Citizens often get a skewed image of the Legislature because the news media (us included) tend to focus on the unusual and inflammatory.
While it is much more fun to make snide remarks about legislative action, the truth is that almost all of what happens on the Hill is solid and sensible, and lawmakers receive little recognition for this work.
In addition, a number of legislators each session demonstrate real courage when they confront the establishment, their fellow party members, or conventional norms, sometimes putting themselves in political peril — in order to make a difference.
Here’s a short sampling of lawmakers who are sticking their necks out, for good or for bad (depending on your political perspective). Please note: Frank has a dog in almost all these legislative fights. He is more conflicted than Woody Allen.
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We often hear about attempts to reform education — but rarely from a Democrat and a teacher. Rep. Carol Spackman Moss was a well-liked instructor at Olympus High School and has been a strong defender of public education in the Legislature. She is sponsoring a pilot project that will evaluate and assist underperforming veteran teachers.
It seems that all successful alcohol beverage legislation is sponsored by Republicans. One of Frank’s favorite bills — opening liquor stores on holidays — is sponsored by Democrat Rep. Patrice Arent. In defiance of tradition, the bill actually passed the House.
Read the full article HERE
Democratic Representatives Carol Spackman Moss and Patrice Arent
House Democratic Leader Announces Retirement
Outgoing- House Democratic Leader, Representative David Litvack (District 26)
Salt Lake City – Representative David Litvack, House Democratic Leader, announced today that he will not seek reelection this fall.
“I’ve spent a long time on Capitol Hill,” said Representative Litvack, “and it has been an honor. I’ve loved every single issue that I had a chance to get involved in and advocate for, but after 12 years in the Legislature it’s time to let someone else take the reigns so I can spend further time with my family.”
Representative David Litvack was first elected to the State Legislature in 2000, and has served as House Democratic Leader for the last 4 years.
“Working with Representative Litvack has been a joy,” said House Democratic Whip, Representative Jennifer Seelig.” His abilities as a legislator and a leader have created more successes for Democrats in Utah than most people will ever realize.”
“It has been a singular honor to serve next to this incredible man,” said Representative Brian King, House Democratic Assistant Whip, “he has been an honorable leader, a hard worker, and an impassioned advocate for Salt Lake City.”
“Representative Litvack will be sorely missed,” added House Democratic Caucus Manager, Representative Christine Watkins. “His leadership has been an inspiration.”
Read MoreRep King’s OpEd – Grab of US Land A ‘Get Rich Quick Scheme’
Representative Brian King (D)
Representative Brian King had an Op-Ed published in the Salt Lake Tribune this morning. He outlines the heavy problems in the Republicans’ Land-Grab bills, calling them a “get rich quick scheme.” Read it below!
As in past years, this general session of the Legislature has produced several bills aimed at taking control of land owned by the United States and transferring it to Utah state ownership. The bill sponsors assert that if Utah were to take over this federal land with the authority to drill it, mine it, and sell it off to corporations, enormous amounts of money to fund public and higher education would appear.
Unfortunately, this quixotic endeavor has many problems. The United States is not likely to go along with Utah’s efforts to wrest control of the nationally owned real estate within Utah’s borders. Success in this venture likely will come only at the hands of sympathetic federal court judges and will undoubtedly require U.S. Supreme Court approval.
Supporters of Utah’s quest assert that public lands litigation carries the distinct possibility, even the likelihood, of victory. And with that victory they believe our ability to fund — at much higher levels — state programs, including public and higher education, will be guaranteed.
So how likely is it that the federal courts will allow us to take over national forests, BLM lands and even national parks? Not very. Our Utah Constitution states that the “people inhabiting this State do affirm and declare that they forever disclaim all right and title to the unappropriated public lands lying within the boundaries hereof . …” Article III, Sec. 2.
The founding fathers of Utah gave up any claim to…
Read the full Op-Ed HERE
Read MoreAUDIO- Rep Moss (D) Talks Anti-SexEd With Doug Fabrizio
Rep Carol Spackman Moss (D)
Salt Lake City – Representative Carol Spackman Moss (D, District 37) joined Doug Fabrizio on NPR’s Radio West to discuss Republican efforts to pass laws forbidding teachers from discussing sex education. Listen below!
>>>> Click HERE To Listen <<<<
Read MoreHouse Democrat Pushing To Bury Power Lines
Rep Joel Briscoe (D)
Salt Lake City – Democratic Representative Joel Briscoe’s HB 291 passed out of committee this morning. The bill would move Utah a step further to burying all overhead power lines.
Wind storms, snow, trees, footballs.. all create dangers to neighborhoods with overhead power lines. Representative Briscoe is hoping that Utah can move a step further to burying the lines, with his HB 291 passing out of the House Public Utilities Committee this morning.
Rep Briscoe asked the Committee to recommend the issue be studied over the summer, and if passed by the full body, the issue will be studied further before the 2013 legislative session.
Rocky Mountain Power is supporting Representative Briscoe’s bill, saying in the Salt Lake Tribune:
Brad Shafer, government-affairs manager at Rocky Mountain Power, said cities often ask the utility to bury power lines. He said the utility would be happy to do so if the cities paid for it — but no mechanism has existed to fund such efforts.
Mr. Shafer also said that buried power lines tend to be more stable than overhead lines. As the Tribune noted that the newer neighborhood developments in Utah (ie Daybreak or Saratoga Springs) are already being built with buried lines.
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