The Minority Report – January 25-29, 2010
Legislative Update from the Utah House Democrats
for the week of January 25 – 29, 2010
Dear Friends:
This is the first issue in our 2010 "Weekly Update" series, from the Utah House Democrats in the Utah Legislature.
Utah legislators returned to Capitol Hill on Monday, January 25, 2010. We immediately began working on issues that are important to us and all Utah families.
First and foremost, we look forward to passing a good and balanced budget for the state of Utah. In the coming weeks, we will present a budget proposal that we believe will get us through these difficult times. In our budget, we will make proposals protect public and higher education, keep Utahns working, and protect services to children and the elderly. Our second priority is to ensure that a meaningful ethics reform package passes in the Utah Legislature.
We will focus on areas that have always been important to Utah Democrats: Ethics Reform, Utah's Public Employees, Education, and Services which affect children, seniors, and the disabled.
Here are some highlights from this past week:
Governor's State of the State Address
Governor Gary Herbert addressed the body of the Utah Legislature on Tuesday, January 26, 2010, and presented his plan for Utah. The full text of Governor Herbert's speech may be found here.
The Democratic Response to the State of the State may be found here.
House Minority Leader David Litvack spoke to KUER's Jenny Brundin regarding the Governor's comments:
"We have to be honest with the public. We know that there are 11,000 new students coming into public ed, 24,000 students in higher ed… if we don't fund that enrollment growth, that's a cut. Democrats are not OK with that. We have a problem with that."
The full news report may be found here.
Another article from the Provo Daily Herald reporting on the Democratic response to the Governor's speech can be found here.
Legislative Highlights – January 25 – 29, 2010
Responsible use of prescription pain medications saves lives!
Representative Trisha Beck, D–Sandy, held a press conference to promote 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.
HB is expected to be heard on the floor of the House of Representatives next week.
*****
Bill that would allow Medicare card as valid voter ID fails in the House
A bill that would have allowed Senior Citizens to use their Medicare card as valid voter ID failed in the Utah House of Representatives. The bill, HB 79, sponsored by Representative Marie Poulson, D-Cottonwood Heights, was intended to help Utah's Senior population have greater access to voting in elections.
"This bill is about easier access for persons in their 80s and 90s," argued HB79 sponsor Rep. Marie Poulson, D-Cottonwood Heights. "These senior citizens have earned the right to have some things made easier. We would not like to disenfranchise this group by throwing barriers in their path."
In 2009, the Utah legislature passed a law that made it manditory for voters to show a valid ID at the voting polls. A valid driver's license, a passport, or a concealed weapons permit are among several forms of ID that are allowed as identification at the polls. Representative Poulson's bill would have allowed a medicare card to be included on the list as an acceptable form of ID, allowing Utah's elderly to go to the polls to vote, even if they did not have a valid driver's license or other form of acceptable ID.
Unfortunately, the bill failed, with the following vote count – 27 YES, 47 NO. Opponents argued that the bill could possibly open the way for voter fraud.
All 22 Democrats supported Representative Poulson's bill, along with 5 Republicans.
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Things to watch in the coming weeks:
- Budget decisions affecting children, seniors, and our neighbors with disabilities
- Legislation to help end prescription drug abuse
- Legislation that will impact public employees
- Legislation in ethics reform
- Legislation requiring background checks for human services providers and public education employees
As we proceed through this legislation, we are interesting in learning about issues that are important to you. we invite you to visit our website at www.utahhousedemocrats.org and take our online survey. What matters to you, matters to us! We hope you will take the time to share your thoughts and opinions. We also hope you will browse through our website and read our thoughts and opinions about the legislation we are considering in the 2010 legislative session.
Best regards,
The Utah House Democrats
www.utahhousedemocrats.org
Bill to ban smoking in cars when children are present returns in 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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.org
Legislator Brings Back a Bill to Ban Smoking in Cars When Children are Present
SALT LAKE CITY, January 10, 2010 — Representative Jay Seegmiller, D—Sandy, will once again present a bill that will ban smoking in cars when children are present. The bill is similar to legislation that passed through a House Transportation committee in the 2009 session, but did not go to the full House of Representatives for a vote.
"This is not an anti-smoking bill, but a pro-children bill," said Representative Seegmiller in a a statement.
Representative Seegmiller explained that when someone smokes in the small enclosed space of a car, children are exposed to toxic air that is many times higher than what the EPA considers hazardous air quality, even when a window is down.
"Any level of second-hand smoke has harmful effects on a child's health, so it's particularly important that we protect vulnerable children who are confined in a vehicle." said Seegmiller.
Specifically, this bill does the following:
This bill:
- Prohibits a person from smoking in a motor vehicle if a child who is younger than eight years of age is restrained or is required to be restrained in a child restraint device in the motor vehicle;
- Provides that violating the smoking prohibition is an infraction and has a maximum fine of $45;
- Provides that a court may suspend the fine for a violation if the person proves that the person has enrolled in a smoking cessation program;
- Provides that enforcement of the smoking prohibition shall be only as a secondary action;
- Provides that a violation of the smoking prohibition may not be used as a basis for or evidence of child abuse or neglect.
- Similar bills have been passed in 5 states including Arkansas & Louisiana
For information, contact Emily Hollingshead, House Democrats Communications Coordinator – 435.590.9961, or Representative Jay Seegmiller – 801.550.5649
Read MoreSeegmiller works to ban smoking in vehicles when children are present
Emily Bingham Hollingshead
House Democrats Communications Coordinator
Utah House of Representatives
Ph: 435.817.7203 801.696.9183
Fax: 801.326.1539
houseminmedia@utah.gov
http://www.utahhousedemocrats.org
Legislator Works to Ban Smoking in Cars When Children are Present
SALT LAKE CITY, February 18, 2009 — Representative Jay Seegmiller, D—Sandy, will be joined by fellow legislators, parents, children, pediatricians and child advocates to discuss the effects of smoking in cars when children are present, and to outline his bill HB 284, Smoking Ban in Motor Vehicles. The bill will be heard in committee at 2pm on Friday afternoon.
What: Press Conference and Photo Op
When: Friday, February 20, 2009, 12:00pm, immediately after floor time
Where: House of Representatives Grand Staircase
For information, contact Emily Hollingshead -435.817.7203 or 801.696.9183
Or Jay Seegmiller – 801.550.5649
Read MoreState Board of Education Member Election Process
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Emily Bingham Hollingshead
House Democrats Communications Coordinator
Ph: 435.817.7203
Fax: 801.326.1539
houseminmedia@utah.gov
http://www.utahhousedemocrats.org
State Board of Education Member Election Process bill advances
“Some have suggested that make direct election of school board members partisan races. But education is not partisan, and selection for Utah Board of Education should not be a partisan process,” said Representative Moss. “One reason this election process needs to be nonpartisan is so that federal employees would not be barred from running. In some counties, such as Davis and Weber, Hill Field employees regularly run for school board and municipal offices. If we turn this election over to political parties, many qualified people would not be allowed to run because of Hatch Act restrictions.”
The Hatch Act of 1939 is a
“The committee process is counter to the democratic process. Some have said that the committee process is necessary because it is difficult to get people interested to run for state school board. Over the past few years, however, there has been a heightened awareness that has increased involvement in public education,” said Moss.
HB 150 passed through the education committee with 11 yes votes and 4 no votes. It is on the 3rd reading calendar in the House of Representatives.
House Bill 107 – Delaying Implementation of SB81
Representative Brian S. King
District 28, Salt Lake City
Many residents in my district have contacted me expressing their concern with Senate Bill 81, a comprehensive immigration reform bill that was passed in the legislature last year. Fortunately, Representative Stephen Clark, R–Salt Lake City has brought forth House Bill 107, which delays Senate Bill 81 for a year while we study what impacts this may have upon Utah’s economy. Unfortuately, the bill has been held in the House Business and Labor Committee until further notice.
I agree with Representative Clark, and I hope we can move this bill forward. I’d like to push this off for another year in the hopes that we have a more comprehensive solution to the immigration issues from the place it should be coming from: the federal government. I think it is difficult for the states to put together anything but a patchwork solution to deal with this problem. In addition, SB 81 strikes me as a very one-sided approach to dealing with illegal immigration problems. If we are going to come down on the illegal immigrant and his or her family like a ton of bricks, we have on obligation to punish employers who hire those illegal workers with the same vigor. We both know that is not going to happen.
In addition, I believe the challenge of deputizing local law enforcement officials to enforce SB 81 will be a very expensive proposition. In my opinion, the $1.8 million fiscal note associated with SB 81, large as it is, tremendously understates the cost of enforcing the new law. Those pushing for more strict enforcement of immigration laws complain that we cannot allow continued flouting of existing laws but ignore the fact that the costs of enforcement of SB 81 all but guarantee that it too will be largely ignored.
One of the few things I think President Bush had somewhat right was his approach to immigration reform. Unfortunately, he was not able to get that off the ground at all during his second term.
Read MoreCancer Treatment, Screening, and Research
H. J. R. 3 – Joint Resolution Supporting Efforts to Increase and Improve Cancer Treatment Screening, and Research Programs — Duckworth, S
H.J.R. 3 promotes early cancer screening, treatment, and rsearch. The Joint Resolution encourages that cancer screening programs need to be available to all those who can use it. Early detection is the best treatment for cancer. A cancer caucus will be held on February 17, allowing cancer survivors and their friends and families, along with cancer treatment providers, with a forum in which they can discuss ways to increase and improve cancer treatment screening, treatment,and research programs.
Read More