Representative Brian Doughty (D)

Fantastic OpEd in the Salt Lake Tribune from Representative Brian Doughty on HB 64! Every state employee deserves the chance and freedom to use their insurance as they choose. Read it below!

Imagine that I am a state employee of Utah who has been working in the same department for 10 years. Now imagine that I have a co-worker, Bob, who has worked in the cubicle next to me for six months. I am single with no dependents, and Bob is married with five children (not an unusual number in Utah).

Bob has elected to enroll in the State’s PEHP insurance benefits program, adding his wife and five children to the plan as dependents, while I have enrolled only myself. However, my handicapped sibling, mentally disabled son, or partner, just to give a few examples, also lives with me, is dependent upon my income, and needs health insurance which I cannot afford on my income.

Even though I’ve been a state employee for a decade, I am not allowed to add them to my insurance despite the fact that they are financially dependent on me. On the other hand, even though Bob has only been working here for six months he is allowed to insure seven individuals.

While I do not begrudge Bob his access to the insurance benefits, as a state employee shouldn’t my dependents have access to the same benefits that Bob’s do? Isn’t that the purpose of a family insurance plan, to take care of our loved ones?

House Bill 64 is a common-sense bill which would give state employees more options and flexibility with their insurance benefits….

Read the rest of the article HERE

Representative Marie Poulson (D)

Salt Lake City – Moments ago, the Utah House of Representatives passed HB 21 from Representative Marie Poulson (D- HD 46). The new law will create a system for emergency responders to access emergency-contact information.

At the interim Committee Hearing for HB 21 several months ago, Cottonwood Heights Assistant Chief of Police Paul Brenneman described a situation where police responded to a car accident, and the driver involved was elderly and so shaken he couldn’t answer questions. It took several hours for the police to find the name and contact information for the man’s wife.

Other first responders have described situations where victims have lived for several hours after accidents, but because they were unable to speak, their loved ones were unable to join them in their final moments.

“This bill will create a database of emergency contact information with the DMV,” said Representative Poulson. “Any Utahn will now have the option to provide that information if they wish, which will be accessible by the police and emergency responders. This is a common-sense Democratic solution to fix a real problem in the lives of Utahns.”

The new law doesn’t require people to participate, but provides the option to do so when they apply for a new drivers license or renew an old one.

Representative Joel Briscoe (D)

Salt Lake City – Representative Joel Briscoe (D – HD 25) squared off with Representative Ken Ivory (R) yesterday on Utah Public Radio. Listen to the audio below!

Representative Ivory is planning on running a bill this session which would take land owned by the United States, like Utah’s National Parks, and give Utah the ability to mine them for oil or gas.

Listen to Representative Briscoe’s debate with Rep Ivory by clicking on the link: Brisco-Ivory-Debate

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?”

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, February 1, 2012

House Democrats Thank Federal Government For New Disaster Aid
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Salt Lake City – The House Democratic Caucus issued an official ‘thank you’ to President Obama today, after the White House announced they were providing funds and aid to assist in the aftermath of the December’s wind storm.

The White House issued a press release dated 2/1/12 announcing that President Obama declared a “major disaster” in the state of Utah and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by a severe storm during the period of November 30 to December 1, 2011.

“This is yet another example of the great cooperation between the State of Utah and the Federal Government,” said House Democratic Leader David Litvack. “Helping each other in our times of need is the very essence of democracy, and we want to thank the President and the Federal Government for acting when needed.”

It was estimated that the wind storm caused nearly $20 Million in damage, and the federal funds are desperately needed to supplement what the State of Utah isn’t able to provide on its own.

The full White House press release can be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/02/01/president-obama-signs-utah-disaster-declaration

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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

Representatives Patrice Arent, Lynn Hemingway and Marie Poulson (D's)

The Salt Lake Tribune is giving a thumbs up to bills coming from the House Democrats this year. Representatives Poulson, Arent and Hemingway are all being featured.

Rep Poulson:

A need to know » What mother hasn’t lain awake at night, wondering whether her teenage driver will make it home, and if something awful did happen, how quickly she might be notified. A bill in the Legislature would at least help alleviate the second part of that universal parental worry. HB21 would create a state database of emergency contact information supplied by Utahns voluntarily so that law enforcement officers could quickly locate family members when an accident or other emergency occurs. It wouldn’t keep young drivers, or anybody else, safe, but it would help get family members to the bedside or accident scene quickly.

Rep Arent:

Late to the party » Utahns who breathe should applaud Rep. Patrice Arent’s bill that would create an Air Quality Task Force of legislators. We only wish the effort had begun 20 years ago. Air pollution trapped in northern Utah valleys during winter temperature inversions has been a major public health issue for at least that long. It is a measure of the Legislature’s refusal to deal with the issue that a task force is only now getting a push that may have a chance at passage. The bill would create a group of 13 legislators who would examine air quality issues and suggest solutions next fall. The Legislature then could deal with bills a year from now. In the meantime, Gov. Gary Herbert has promised a voluntary air pollution reduction effort and state environmental regulators will trot out a plan to deal with pollution from fine particles in the next couple of months. Better late than never.

Rep Hemingway:

Also facing smooth sailing, so far, is HB263, sponsored by Rep. Lynn Hemingway, D-Salt Lake City. The bill would allow a spouse to collect unemployment if he or she has to quit a job when a military spouse is transferred. It easily passed the committee and is poised to go before the full House early next week.

Utah is one of just 10 states that does not presently allow the benefit, Hemingway said. Now that the Iraq War is over and military involvement in Afghanistan will be winding down, there may be more reassignments, he said.

“Usually these people being transferred are young with young families and they are giving up a job that may be most of their income,” Hemingway said.