The Minority Report – February 12, 2010
Legislative Update from the Utah House Democrats
for the week of February 8-12, 2010
Welcome to Issue #3 of the Legislative Report from the Utah House of Representatives Democratic Caucus.
Here are some highlights from this week:
Retirement Reform
Over 4,000 teachers, fire fighters, police officers, and other state employees met at the Utah State Capitol on Saturday, February 6 to tell the Utah Legislature to slow down and proceed cautiously when making changes to the Utah Retirement System. Click here to see some photos from the event.
On Wednesday, February 10, Senator Dan Liljenquist, R–Davis County, introduced his bills to the Senate Retirement Committee. Many constituents were present and expressed concern over his proposed changes, which would address the funding instability of the state retirement program. Each bill addresses the issue in a different way. There are proposals to prohibit retired public employees from both receiving a pension and a salary if they re-enter the workforce, re-structure the benefit package for future eployees, and adjust 401k contributions.
SB00430S01- Post-retirement Employement Amendments
SB0063 – New Public Employees Tier II Contributory Retirement Act
SB0094 – Supplemental Benefit Amendments for Noncontributory Public Employees
Democrats in the Utah House of Representatives are working hard to ensure that we do not make any rash decisions that will affect the state's ability to attract qualified people to teach our kids, police our streets, and service our communities.
Click here to read more on our position regarding this subject.
FY2010 Budget Shortfall / FY2011 Projections
The Utah Legislature released final recommendations to shore up the 2010 budget, which faced a nearly 200 million dollar shortfall. Using a combination of Rainy Day funds and other one time sources, we were able to mitigate serious cuts to public education and services that protect children and seniors.
The good news is that for now, state departments will be able to finish out the 2010 fiscal year with little impact. What remains to be seen, however, is how things will materialize for the FY2011 budget. The recommendation is that all state departments will take a 5% cut in order to balance the budget. We are in the process of examining these recommendations and plan to release our own budget proposal in the coming weeks.
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Democratic Bills that Have Passed This Session
HCR 003 – Italian American Heritage Month Concurrent Resolution (Watkins, Christine)
The Italian-American Heritage Month Concurrent Resolution designates October as Italian-American Heritage Month, and recognizes the many contributions made by Italian-Americans to the history and development of the state of Utah.
HB 11 – Licensensing of Elevator Contractors (Wiley, Larry)
This bill provides for the licensing and qualifications for licensure of elevator contractors and elevator mechanics by the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing.
HB 23- Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing (Beck, Trisha)
This bill modifies provisions related to an employer testing for drugs and alcohol. The bill clarifies current legislation and addresses grounds for employer action and liability.
HB 29 – School District Division Amendments (Black, Laura)
This bill modifies the procedures for creating a new school district. The bill also requires voter approval at the next general election.
HB 30 – Drug Law Amendments (Beck, Trisha)
This bill adds carisoprodol, which as the brand name of Soma, as a Schedule IV drug.
HB 69 – State Engineer's Plugging of Wells Repair (Gowans, Jim)
This bill repeals a provision concerning the state engineer's power to plug certain artesian wells.
HB 97 – Amendments Relating to Deceptive Practices Involving Consumers (Poulson, Marie) This bill provides that certain false expressions in an advertisement are deceptive acts or practices for purposes of the Utah Consumer Sales Practices Act and truth in advertising provisions.
HB109 – Volunteer Government Workers Act Definitions (Biskupski, Jackie)
This bill modifies the Volunteer Government Workers Act by amending the definition of "compensatory service worker."
HB 124S1 – Campaign Funds Expediture Restrictions (Cosgrove, Tim)
The bill amends provisions in the Campaign and Financial Reporting Requirements related to the personal use of campaign monies and provides for enforcement, investigation of complaints, and assessment of administrative penalties by the lieutenant governor. The bill defines "personal use expenditure," and prohibits a candidate, a judge, or an officeholder from using campaign contributions for a personal use expenditure. The bill also provides a list of authorized and prohibited uses of campaign funds.
HB192 – Methane Gas / Renewable Energy (Watkins, Christine)
This bill provides that electrical energy derived from methane gas from certain coal mine facilities is among the types of waste gasses considered as a renewable energy source.
HB232 – Medical Language Interpreter Amendments (Chavez-Houck, Rebecca)
This bill recodifies the Medical Language Interpreter Act and amends the act by providing for expiration and renewal of certification, denial of certification, and for disciplinary actions.
Things to watch in the coming weeks:
- Budget decisions affecting children, seniors, and our neighbors with disabilities
- Legislation that will impact public employees
- Legislation in ethics reform
As we proceed through this legislation, we are interested 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
