Dear Friends and Neighbors,
This session is flying by! We have already completed week 4 of the legislative session which means we are more than halfway through the entire session. We have passed a total of 88 bills so far and still have hundreds more to consider. Here are some of the highlights from week 4:
Budget Update
This week we received an updated state revenue forecast. Thanks to hard-working citizens throughout the state, Utah’s economy continues to expand, and the most recent forecast indicates higher revenue numbers than previous forecasts.
The ongoing General Fund forecast indicates an available $92 million. Previously, we were on track for a $51 million deficit for our one-time General Fund needs, but recent collection numbers increased by $38 million, leaving us with a $12 million deficit for one-time General Fund needs.
As we have seen for several years now, Education Fund revenues outpace General Fund revenues. One-time funds in the Education Fund are estimated at $323 million, with $518 million in ongoing education funds.
These are great numbers, but they do highlight a structural imbalance in our State budget. The ongoing Education Fund is five and a half times that of the ongoing General Fund. Budget requests seeking money from the General Fund are quadruple available revenue, and that is not even considering bills with fiscal notes, cost of living expenses, and big budget items like Medicaid. We are not in a crisis state at this point, but the structural issues with our budget are notable even in a good year.
You can learn more about the budget here.
Passing School Buses
Current Utah law states a driver cannot pass a school bus when it is stopped and its stop-sign-arm is extended. Last year, the transportation department of the State Office of Education conducted an informal study. On a single school day, all school bus drivers were asked to write down how many times drivers failed to stop for their school buses. On that single day, bus drivers documented over 900 violations of this law.
H.B. 84, Traffic Code Amendments increases penalties for motorists who pass a stopped school bus. As frustrating as it may be for drivers to wait a few extra seconds, it is vital to ensure the safety of Utah’s school children as they enter and exit school buses. This bill passed in the Senate this week and returned to the House for concurrence.
You can listen to the bill presentation on the House floor here.
Personalized License Plates
Amid a controversial license plate debate in Utah that made national headlines, S.B. 97, Personalized License Plates Amendments gives Utah’s Motor Vehicle Division added clarification and authority regarding what is admissible on personalized Utah license plates. For example, it allows the Motor Vehicle Division to refuse to issue license plates with combinations of letters and numbers disparaging an ethnic group. The bill allows combinations of letters or numbers referring to an official state symbol. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that specialty license plates constitute government speech because they are state issued. This bill includes an amendment to recognize and consider Utah’s non-discrimination law. The Motor Vehicle Division brought forth concerns about offensive and otherwise problematic personalized license plates during Rules Committee review with suggested language and other recommendations. This bill will give the Motor Vehicle Division broader authority to approve or deny personalized license plate requests. This bill passed in the Senate and will be considered in the House.
You can listen to the floor presentation here.
Higher Education Amendments
Last year we made changes to the Regent’s scholarship to address diminishing funds for qualifying students. These changes included removing private institutions from acceptable schools for the scholarship. I heard from several constituents concerned about this chance. After much work and negotiation, SB117Higher Education Financial Aid Amendments, would allow the Regents’ scholarships to be used at any Northwestern accredited non-profit institution located within Utah. This expands the scholarship eligibility from only state schools to include Western Governor’s University, Westminster College, Brigham Young University, and LDS Business College. There are cost control protections in place. The Regent scholarship money would be used as last dollars in – meaning other qualifying scholarships would apply before the Regent scholarship, the funds are limited to cover only tuition and fees, and no recipient attending a private institution can receive an award larger than the average award going to students attending public universities. This bill passed unanimously on second reading in the Senate this week.
You can listen to the floor presentation, here.
What do you think?
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to represent you in the Utah State Senate. I hope you will reach out to me with your thoughts on the issues we are considering this session!
Thank you,
Curt Bramble
Senate District 16
Curt@cbramble.com
801-361-5802
