Category

State Budget

Feb 17
Love5

Working on the Budget

By Legislation, Legislative Update, State Budget No Comments

CurtBramble2015-7591

There are many very important issues that we will address in the coming weeks. But top among those issues is the budget. In Utah, we are known for exercising fiscal caution. We are required by our state Constitution to pass a balanced budget, something that many other states and obviously our federal government does not do. One thing that we do during the legislative session is spend a lot of time deliberating expenditures and procurement. We do this in the appropriations committees. Another key element to our budgeting is the requirement of fiscal notes. Every bill is essentially given a “price tag” letting us (and you) know just how much it would cost the state (and therefore all of us as we pay taxes) to implement the bill if it were to become law.

The Legislature’s website has several useful tools to track spending through committees and help you to understand the issues we work to deal with as we match needs in our state to available funding.

I serve on the three of the nine appropriations committees and have included a link to our budget page for each one. You can view the purpose and requests, as well as the trend in funding each of these areas.

Business, Economic Development, and Labor Appropriations Subcommittee

Executive Offices and Criminal Justice Appropriations Subcommittee

Retirement and Independent Entities Appropriations Subcommittee

On the Senate Blog, Senator Hillyard’s provides an explanation of the budgeting process that may be helpful.

Issues we are discussing this Session

Education Funding. There’s always a request for more funding. However according to this poll, most do not believe that raising taxes is the answer. Please take my survey and share your thoughts about education funding with me.

School Board Election. We are discussing restructuring the way our school boards are elected. Last year, a judge rulled that our current method – the Governor selecting two names from each district’s list for the ballot — was unconstitutional. There are discussions about whether it should be partision, non-partision, appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the the Senate. I’d like to hear your thoughts. Please include them on the survey.

Medicaid Expansion. A Task Force has been sifting through multiple Maidicaid Expansion options. There are two plans endorsed by the committee to expand the coverage definition of “medically frail.” The Task Force committee did not advocate the Governor’s Healthy Utah plan as a practical solution.

The Committee found Healthy Utah to be untenable for a number of reasons, but the most alarming is the unpredictability of our future funding needs. Other states have staggered under covering the cost of the more than double the predicted enrollment of those who are in “the gap.” Further, even if our assumed enrollment numbers are correct, in a mere four years, the cost to cover those able-bodied individuals within that “gap” could easily exceed $80 million. In six years the cost would be close to $100 million.

For those reasons, the Task Force did not feel they could recommend such an open-ended payment stream with no dedicated funding source.

Here is a link to the recording of the Task Force meeting where the recommendations were given.

Gas Tax Revenue. Revenue from gas tax is dedicated to construction and road maintenance. Currently, gas tax is assessed on a per/gallon purchase basis. But as consumption decreases, it erodes the revenue stream and when that is coupled with inflation, the real purchasing power of the gas tax revenue is decreased even further. Right now gas tax revenue has lost close to half of its purchasing power since the tax was last increased in 1997, but during those same years, the construction costs for road building and maintenance has increased nearly 300%. The Legislature’s Interim Transportation Committee held a special meeting in Vernal last month to consider how to cover what could be an $11 billion shortfall for priority projects needed by the state to keep up with growth and maintenance in the next 25 years.

The committee has been working on this problem for well over a year. We will look at the different funding/taxing options as the session progresses. I would appreciate your thoughts. Please take the survey.

Working to keep you informed

Thank you for your interest and for the emails you send. I would appreciate you taking a few moments to fill out this year’s Legislative Survey. Just click the link above.

Sincerely,

Curt_signature_red

Feb 06
Love2

Utah’s Economy, Healthcare Issues and Following the Legislature

By Economy, Federal Money, Legislative Update, State Budget, Transparency No Comments

Utah’s Strong Economy

Helping you stay informed and educated.

Here are my thoughts about upcoming legislation that keeps our state healthy for the long term. I hope you will watch:

Sound Policy and Sound Management

Utah continues to recover from the last recession in an admirable position, #4 in the nation.

Here are a few statistics that may be of interest:

Unemployment decline from recession peak: 3.1 percentage points
Peak unemployment: 8.3%
Current unemployment: 5.2% (tied-5th lowest)
GDP growth 2011: 2.0% (8th highest)

You can read more about Utah’s recovery in the The States That Recovered Most (and Least) from the Recession.

For the third year in a row, Forbes named Utah as America’s “Best State for Business”. Since 2006, our economy’s annual expansion rate has averaged at 2.3%. The national average for the same years is .05%. Our energy costs, which are 27% below the national average and the fact that we are one of only seven states who still has an AAA bond rating–something that even the United States no longer has–are two of the factors that have given us that number one ranking. Here is the link to Forbe’s article Utah Tops the list of Best States for Business.

I am optimistic about our revenue because of our sound management practices. We are a well-managed state, however, we are still part of the national economy. The federal government currently borrows 46 cents of every dollar they spend. That is not sustainable. 40% of Utah’s spending is from federal money, so that means that just over one-third of what we use as spending money on our state programs comes from a source that is not financially sound and over which that we have no control. As a result, we must be especially prudent. It seems that the wisest thing to do right now is adopt a “wait and see” approach until we see what happens at the federal level before approving new expenditures.

Healthcare’s Challenge

Another area of focus will be healthcare options. The health exchange system created by Utah several years ago was just given preliminary approval by the federal government. I am pleased that we have been granted that provisional waiver. It gives us some options we would not otherwise have had. However, the final decision has not been made as to which exchange system we will use.

Currently there are two camps of thought on this subject. One is that Utah can indeed do this on our own. We have done a good job with what we have done so far. Our health exchange (called Avenue H) is market based, which is important for our economy and if we take this option we will have the flexibility to make the program work for the individual needs of our state. The other line of thought is that the mandate for health care was a federal initiative and therefore the federal government should have to deal with the implementation and administration and any problems that come with that.

Utah is under a rather intense time frame to make this critical decision. If we do decide to use our own exchange, it will actually take quite a bit of work and money to get it to exactly the point where the federal government will fully accept it.

As you can see there will be many things to consider. I will do my best to represent you in the decisions we need to make.

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Tracking Bills in the Session

The bills to be discussed during the session are being written everyday. If you would like to keep track of any sort of legislation or any particular bill you can do it very easily on our website. Here is the link to the bill search page.

There are plenty of ways for you to keep track of what is going on during the session.

Every floor session of both houses is live streamed and every committee meeting is broadcast. The links will be on the main web page each day under the Audio/Video tab. (On that same tab you can even hear archived recordings from past sessions.)

You can follow the Senate on Facebook or the Senate Republicans on Facebook.

Here is my Facebook page.

The Senate Twitter handle is @utahsenate.
The Senate Majority Twitter handle is @utahsenategop.

The Senate also has a blog where you can read some more in-depth explanations about what we are doing and leave your comments.

Click this link to email me. My phone is 801-361-5802.

Let me know if you have any concerns or questions. Because session can get very busy, please be patient if it takes me a while to respond. I will do my very best to answer whatever question you have as soon as possible.

We are working harder than ever to make government open, transparent and accessible.

It is an honor to represent you. In my next email home, I’d like to introduce you to some of the bills and issues, I’m working on including an additional measure to increase accessibility for the public to public records through enhanced GRAMA efforts.

Jan 29
Love2
Senator Curt Bramble - District 16 Utah

The 2013 Legislative Session has Begun

By Legislative Update, State Budget No Comments

Yesterday was the first day of the 45-day session and I’m working to keep you informed throughout. Legislative sessions are always fast-paced, packed with information and hard work. I’m hoping to share weekly updates and information so that you can feel confidence that we are working diligently to represent District 16’s interests.

The Budget – Our Most Important Task

Creating, adjusting, and then adopting a Budget is our most important task. It gives us the roadmap to see where we are going, set goals for the future through policy and funding and track where we have come. Here’s how the budget process works in Utah:

First, each Legislator receives a copy of the base budgets for their committee. We immediately vote to approve those budgets, so we at least have a skeletal budget in place at the end of the session. It’s a safeguard, if we cannot come to an agreement on the final budget.

Then during the first 4 or 5 weeks of the session the appropriations committees meet to hear testimony, review priorities, and recommend decisions. They submit their budget request to the Executive Appropriations committee, which is tasked to bring all the various budgets together and create the full budget. Then the final budget is presented to the body to be voted on, and amended like any other bill. When it is passed, it becomes the working budget for the next fiscal year.

We receive final revenue numbers in mid-to-late February, so until that time we operate on our best estimates of actual numbers. Not knowing the federal levels of funding and if Congress does not act until March, it will create challenges in balancing our numbers and our ability to the holes the Federal budget may create. If this occurs, we may need to pass our final budget in a special session later in the spring.

Managing our Federal Funds

Our funding from the federal government can vary significantly from year to year and needs to be allocated appropriately. For example, money received from the 2009 American Recover and Reinvestment Act was one-time federal money. As we allocated that money, we were careful not to create new or one-time programs. Other states were not so careful and it caused problems for their current state budgets. We require that each department and the governor’s office submit a plan of how they would cut their budgets in the event of a 5 percent or a 25 percent reduction of federal funds. We completed this task in FY2012 to create a good starting point. The report of this action is found here.

Budgeting is Difficult

You elected me to remember foremost that the budget money we are allocating is tax money from your pocket to be used prudently to provide the services needed most by our state. It is heart wrenching to hear passionate supporters advocate for every dollar and every program. There are just as many advocates who can explain why higher taxes would burden struggling people at the lower end of the economic scale and the “job creators” at the higher end. Working for the right balance is foremost in my mind.

Dec 07
Love2

November Budget and Fiscal Report

By Fiscal Responsibility, Revenue, State Budget No Comments

During the session, there are many many important issues that we discuss, but by far the most important job of the legislature is the allocation of the budget. As you are already aware, this year’s budget discussion will have many challenges because there are still so many unknowns. We do not know what will be decided in Washington or how those decisions will affect us. Predictions are grim no matter what they decide. If the sequestration is allowed to happen and the spending cuts take place, our state budgets will be affected. If some agreement is not reached and the debt reduction measures are essentially postponed, economist say that there could be extreme financial consequences within a few years.

You are also probably aware, that in spite of all the recent economic problems, Utah is doing better financially than most other states. Utah’s financial stability is not necessarily due to our Constitutional requirement to balance the budget each year. Forty-eight other states actually have that requirement in their Constitutions. But many of those states have found ways to work around that requirement. Utah’s level of fiscal stability comes from the legislature making responsible, informed decisions and the fact that we fund realistic budgets with the money we have available.

The only way the Legislature has money to spend on anything is if that money is taken from us as citizens in the form of some tax. It is always interesting to me how many times I hear, “The Legislature needs to spend more money on…” But I don’t hear, “The Legislature should raise taxes so that they can spend more on…” People seem to forget that first part about where the money actually comes from.

Careful Oversight of Tax Dollars

The majority of the Utah Legislature is not of a tax-raising mindset. Occasionally, as may need to be discussed this year, the incoming tax revenue is simply not high enough to cover the existing needs of the state. In that situation, the choices are simple: eliminate and/or reduce existing programs and/or increase taxes. Over the past few years, departments have been asked to cut and trim internally so that budget dollars can stretch and for the most part they have done a good job. But our state’s needs continue to increase, our school populations are growing and federal requirements are creating more of a strain. All of these elements add up to the possibility of increasing taxes.

Oct 25
Love1

Town Hall Meeting

By Economy, Fiscal Responsibility, Governance, Legislative Update, State Budget No Comments

Senator Bramble, Speaker Lockhart, Representative Sanpei and Representative Stratton joined together to hold a Town Hall Meeting. Thank you to all the people who came. We had an engaging and interesting discussion about upcoming policies, economic development, education, federal mandates, taxation, states rights, federal lands, revenue, Medicare, healthcare and more.

If you would like to join us for our next Town Hall meeting please be sure to register for my emails and we’ll send you an announcement.

Oct 20
Love4

Interim Committee Summaries

By Economy, Education, Fiscal Responsibility, Governance, Legislation, Legislative Update, Revenue, State Budget No Comments
August:

The Executive Development and Workforce Services Committee heard a report from Kristen Cox, the executive director of the Department of Workforce Services on SB 37, “Intergenerational Poverty Provisions” passed by Senator Reid in the 2012 session. Ms. Cox reported on the department’s plans to create a tracking system that will identify trends and assist case workers as they pinpoint children who are at risk of being trapped in intergenerational poverty. The new research they are collecting will set a benchmark so that we can see what the best strategies would be to help break this cycle. The final results of their study will be made public in October.

The Health and Human Services Committee heard testimony on the parental rights of biological fathers in the adoption process and a report from the Utah Department of Health on efforts that are being made to promote wellness strategies among Medicaid enrollees. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the biggest expenditures in health care (at least 75%) goes to treating heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and cancer–all of which are generally preventable. They estimate that more than $16 billion could be saved annually by preventing or delaying the onset of these chronic diseases. In Utah we are establishing several programs to help encourage better health practices such as a smoking sensation program, a chronic disease self-management program and preventative dental care program. These sorts of programs teach healthier behaviors and accountability to people, reducing many of the problems that cost so much in healthcare.

The Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee identified capital punishment as the highest priority for the committee to study this year. In June’s discussion of the issue the committee was presented with a comparison of Utah’s capital punishment execution rate, number of death row prisoners and expenses, with those of other states. This month the discussion continued, with testimony that focused on the fiscal costs (not the pros and cons) of capital punishment versus life in prison without the possibility of parole; the capital offense punishment process and the appeal process. It was a very interesting discussion. You can listen to it here if you would like.

The Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee had a report on the Children’s Land Alliance from director, Margaret Bird. This is a multi-state non-profit corporation that helps to manage the school trust lands in Utah and lands in other states, some of whom do not have trust lands. School trust lands are an important part of our discretionary school funding and must be managed carefully.

They also heard a report from the Division of Wildlife Resources on how tags and licenses for big game hunting are administered and what sort of opportunities the state has for promoting those hunts. This year thousands of acres of prime game habitat was burned. The reseeding program will help recover the damaged rangeland, but in the meantime there will be many displaced animals, which will likely affect the hunting season.

Tax funding for roads is always a major subject of discussion. The Revenue and Taxation Committee took public comment on that issue this week. Some of the concerns that were brought up were the problems that local municipalities are having with road bonding for maintenance purposes and the decreased funding from gas tax revenue. The committee voted to hold a daylong summit to discuss possible ways to address these problems and help fund transportation in Utah.

Along the same lines, the Transportation Committee heard an update from UDOT’s Linda Hull on the federal highway program. They also discussed the need for increased transportation options in the Uintah Basin area.
Here is a link to the meeting.

September

One of the items the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee discussed was seat belt compliance law. In Utah, 70% of all crash related fatalities occur in high-speed crashes. However, people involved in those high-speed crashes are 13 times more likely to survive if they are using seat belts. Please be careful as you drive and always wear your seatbelt.

A presentation on water rights issues took place in the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee. Michael Styler, the Department of Natural Resources Executive Director presented 12 proposals for legislation that would clarify the use of water rights in the state.

Both the Political Subdivisions and the Revenue and Taxation Committee heard reports on the recent UTOPIA audit. Eleven Utah cities formed a consortium, pledging about $500 million over the next 32 years to back the necessary bonds to finance the Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA), an organization that would build a high-speed fiber-optic network. However, the network has yet to make a profit. The legislature requested that an audit be done to see what the ramifications will be to the cities in the consortium and the results are not good. According to the audit, UTOPIA is failing because of poor management and wasteful spending. So the cities (actually the taxpayers) are left on the hook to pay for a failing company. Sadly there is very little that the state can do to remedy this situation for the cities. Here are some thoughts that Senator Valentine had on the problem.

The Business and Labor Committee heard a follow-up from last month’s discussion on Alarm System Security Licensing. The language in the current law needs to be clarified because right now, people who work for alarm system companies such as janitors or human resource agents are required to hold a license. The Alarm System Security Licensing Board has indicated that this is unnecessary and so the language needs to be clarified. They also heard recommendations for procedural changes from the Uniform Building Code Commission and the Utah State Fire Prevention Board.

A report on the state’s Tourism Development plan was given to the Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee. The good news is that tourism related taxes are continuing to rise. This is due in part to the hard work of our tourism development team that has placed representatives in several European nations and makes a considerable effort to promote the wonders of our state around the world.

Last month that committee had a discussion on intergenerational poverty. S.B. 37, passed last session by Senator Reid, provided for a study on the intergenerational poverty in our state. The results of the study will be presented at a conference on October 9th. You can find details about the conference on this pdf.

The Education Committee was long this month. There was a discussion on the Replacement of the State Superintendent, a report on teacher quality and employment reform, discussion on the possibility of funding a state preschool and a report on the UPSTART program. (UPSTART is a computer pre-school readiness program that can be done at home.) If the state decides to implement a pre-school program it would be contingent on such requirements a small class sizes, trained teachers and use of a research-based curriculum. Senator Osmond is proposing the legislation. There was also a report given to the committee about what will happen as a result of federal sequestration to our education budgets. As part of the Budget Control Act of 2011, Congress was required to reduce the deficit by at least $1.2 trillion by January 15, 2012. Because they failed to do so, automatic across-the-board spending reductions will be instated in the FY2013 federal budget. The mandatory reduction rate will be either 8.2% or 7.6% depending what is being funded. If you would like to hear any of these discussions you can listen from this link.

A very interesting report was given to the Public Utilities and Technology committee on Utah’s coal industry. Last year 20 million tons of coal was extracted from Utah mines. There are nearly 5000 jobs in our state that are directly or indirectly related to our coal industry. This puts $600 million into our local economy. Some of Utah’s highest paying jobs are directly related to coal mining. This is a great boon to many of Utah’s rural areas. Additionally, because coal based electricity is so inexpensive here, it is a great incentive to entice business to build here.

The Transportation Committee heard reports on the results of a pilot program that increased the speed limit to 80 mph. in certain sections of the state. The results were good, showing enough of a decrease in accidents that the Department of Transportation is considering the change for other parts of the state as well. The Department also reported that it is looking into increasing the number of carpool lanes in the state as well.

The Senate also met quickly on the floor to confirm gubernatorial appointees. Here are the names of the appointees.

Mar 05
Love1

Update 2012-Week 5

By Education, Governance, Legislative Update, State Budget No Comments
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I hope you had a great Washington and Lincoln day with your family. It was nice to have a short break. I spent the day skiing with my family at Solitude and then enjoyed a night with my grandchildren.

The third Tuesday in February is a federal holiday that recognizes George Washington’s birthday. States can choose to observe federal holidays, but are not required to do so. In Utah, we recognize the day as a holiday, but have chosen to call it Washington and Lincoln Day, so that we can Honor President Abraham Lincoln as well.

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Working on the State Budget

The completion the fifth week is bringing the budget numbers into clearer perspective. The good news is the revenues have not dropped, but the bad news is that they have not increased very much. Here is an explanation from Senator Lyle Hillyard, the Executive Appropriations chair, on what the numbers will actually look like:

The budgeting process is very methodical. We begin with seven separate committees made up of members from both houses who meet regularly for the first month and listen to public testimony regarding the needs from those who fall within their budget jurisdiction. After many many hours of public meetings, the committee members, through an open voting process, make a list of expenditure recommendations.

After that process has been completed and the revenue numbers are in, all the priority lists are sent to the executive appropriations committee and the refining continues. The priorities lists always exceed the available amount and it is the job of the Senators and Representatives on the executive appropriations committee to whittle down the lists so they match the available expenditures.
[quote align=”right” color=”#062F6″]The priorities lists always exceed the available amount and it is the job of the Senators and Representatives on the executive appropriations committee to whittle down the lists so they match the available expenditures.[/quote] There are the obvious financial priorities of education (over half of the budget is spent there), social services, the justice system, higher education, and natural resources. Additionally there are critical ongoing funding needs for transportation infrastructure and building maintenance (roads and buildings are expensive to maintain but even more expensive to re-build). And then there are numerous special funding requests for everything from historic foundations and libraries to theaters and the planetarium. The question that first the sub-committees and then the executive appropriations committee must answer is a matter of appropriate appropriation; what is the best and most prudent use of your taxpayer dollar. This allocation process is something that I take very seriously.

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Overview of work and floor activities

Fight for Federal Lands

On Tuesday, a slate of bills dealing with Utah public lands were discussed in the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee. There are two resolutions and two bills that work together giving the federal government a deadline to return the federally held lands in Utah to state control. Governor Herbert, The Utah Association of Counties, Utah School Boards Association, and the Utah Farm Bureau support the set of bills and the Attorney General¹s office will defend them. The federal government owns and controls 60 percent of Utah land. Controlling those lands means controlling the use and therefore the funds generated from those lands. There are many states struggling with this problem.

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Utah-Israel Trade Mission

Also on Tuesday we heard from Congressman Matheson and passed a resolution to strengthen the bonds between Israel and Utah, which I sponsored and had the opportunity to meet with influential Jewish leaders in Utah.

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Honoring Ogden’s Fallen Officers

On Wednesday Senator Mike Lee addressed us and we honored some outstanding art students and Ogden’s fallen officers. Utah¹s fallen solders were honored on Thursday and Congressman Bishop spoke to us. On Friday we had a report from Senator Hatch.

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The Process of Legislation

It was busy on the floor this week. We met twice each day to discuss and debate bills. This is the process that the bills follow: First the bill is introduced on the floor. That is called the “first read” and it is nothing more than introducing the bill by reading the title and the sponsor. Then the bill is sent to the rules committee. That committee assigns the bill to an appropriate standing committee where its sponsor presents it and testimony is taken either for or against the bill. Anyone can participate and speak to the bill in the committee. If the bill passes with a favorable vote out of the committee it is returned to the floor and placed on the “second reading calendar” for its “second read.”
[quote align=”right” color=”#062F6″]It is a long process, but it ensures that each idea is carefully considered and vetted.[/quote] At this point, the bill is debated on the floor. If it passes this vote it is advanced to the “third reading calendar” for a final vote. If this vote is successful, it is passed to the other body where the entire process is repeated. Occasionally, amendments to the bill are made when it is on the non-originating body, if that happens, the bill must be returned to the floor where it originated, so that the changes can be discussed and voted on, but when the bill is returned to its original floor it is sent directly to the third reading calendar. Once the bill has passed successfully off of both floors it is sent to the governor for his consideration.

It is a long process, but it ensures that each idea is carefully considered and vetted.

This week, my bills SB 177, SB 86, and SB 161 were on the 2nd and 3rd reading calendar/calendars and all passed out of the Senate.

Senate Interns

The Utah Senate has 5 full time and one part time staffer. During the session we hire security, pages and committee secretaries. Also, each legislator is assigned an intern. The interns come from various universities across the state. They are invaluable. My intern, is my daughter this year. I believe that for Kimmy, this is a good life experience for her and although she is attending BYU, she will learn valuable lessons through hand on experience here which she can’t aquire at that great institute.

  • Here is a video with comments from some of this year’s interns.
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Some interesting news items:

Last year, concerned about the strength of the U.S. dollar, Utah passed HB 317 recognizing gold and silver coins as legal tender. This year, Colorado and 12 other states are considering putting a similar measure into place. The new bill dealing with GRAMA (Government Records Access and Management Act) has begun to work its way through the process and passed through the senate unanimously. I had the privilege of working with many interest groups, media, and concerned citizens to bring consensus on this controversial issue from last year. Through the work of many, we were able to come up with a strong bill to support transparency into our government officials.

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Please let me know how you feel about these important issues.

  • There are some important organizational changes being addressed for the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Click here for an explanation of what those changes might look like.
  • The amount of time and money spent on something is a good indicator of urgency and importance. Education is top on both fronts for legislators during the session. Learn more here.
  • Creating a preferred drug list is a way to help curtail costs and fund needs. Learn more here.
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I appreciate your input and thoughts on any issue. Just click on my contact form or call: 801.361.5802

You can receive these updates via email by signing up for my email list. Thanks for all of your support.


Curt Bramble

Feb 13
Love1

Update 2012 – Week 3

By Economy, Fiscal Responsibility, Legislative Update, State Budget No Comments

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We have completed week three. This week like the last two, we spent a lot of time in committees.

Committees are where bills go through their first vetting. Each legislator is a member of at least two standing committees and one appropriations committee. President Waddoups assigns a chair to each standing committee and a co-chair to each of the appropriations committee. (The appropriations committees are co-chaired by a House member and a Senate member.) The committee chairs, run the meetings, set the agenda and oversee the hearing process that the bills receive.
[quote align=”right” color=”#0D3F7C”]Our state Constitution requires that we run on a balanced budget.[/quote] A standing committee hears debate on bills that relate to their assigned emphasis and topics.  In the meeting, the bill sponsor presents the bill and what it will accomplish, then members of the committee ask clarifying questions. If you have a concern with or are in favor of a bill, this is a great place for you to participate. Members of the public are invited to comment and testify in behalf of or in opposition to a bill. Committee members ask clarifying questions of public witnesses as well. After the bill as had its hearing, committee members vote on its merit. If it passes, then it is sent to the floor for further debate. If it fails it does not go to the floor. However, if a bill fails, it can still be brought back to the committee at a later date.

The appropriations committee set the budget priorities for their areas. Our state Constitution requires that we run on a balanced budget. So each appropriation committee begins with a base budget, hears from the different entities as to their financial needs and then votes on how they will distribute the available funds.

I serve on the Tax and Revenue and Business and Labor standing committees and the Business, Economic Development, and Labor appropriations committee.

Here is a link where you can find the different committees and the bills they are discussing.

We did do quite a bit of work on bills that have reached the floor this week. Here are some bills that might be interesting to watch.

SB 156 (Senator Valentine) this bill makes the post-retirement benefits for all state elected officials the same as other state employees.

SB 17 (Senator Jenkins) makes the process of getting ballot initiatives on municipal ballots less cumbersome and SB 46 (also Senator Jenkins) provides a way to preserve Utah farmlands.

Senator Stevenson is sponsoring SB 49 that will help keep Hill Air Force Base productive and protected from federal cuts.

SB 31 (Senator Morgan) deals with classroom sizes.

SB 128 (Senator Romero) address teenagers using cell phones while driving.

SB 112 (Senator Niederhauser) looks at changing the taxing structure of cable television.

SB 161 (Senator Bramble) makes Oncology drugs available to patients through their specialized doctor to save them a trip to the pharmacy while they are going through the horrible side effects of cancer.

You can find information on these bills and any other bill that interests you by going to the legislative website. 
type the number of the bill (for example SB 111 or HB 111) in the search box on the right side of the page and you will be directed to the information page for the bill. You can also search for bills by typing in a subject or the name of a legislator.

Each week on the senate floor, we honor Utahns who have done remarkable things. This week we honored Utah’s Teacher of the Year, Leigh Vanden Akker and eight rodeo champions, including the 2011 Bareback Riding World Champion, Kaycee Fields. You can see pictures of these and other events that have happened at the capitol this week on our Facebook page.

[quote align=”left” color=”#0D3F7C”]I am grateful that the economy seems to be moving in the right direction. However, one of the realities that we need to deal with this year (and in years to come) as the State’s budget is crafted is the uncertainty of federal funds.[/quote] I am grateful that the economy seems to be moving in the right direction. However, one of the realities that we need to deal with this year (and in years to come) as the State’s budget is crafted is the uncertainty of federal funds. Utah’s total budget is about $12 billion dollars. But the biggest single source of our funds –just over $5 billion—comes from the federal government. Federal money is just our own money, returned back to us from the federal taxes we pay and over the past decade, Utah has received an average of $1.29 for every $1 of federal tax we pay into federal coffers, but in about half that time, our dependence on that money has risen nearly 5%. It is our dependency that is my concern.

On the federal level, things do not look good. Some have dubbed those who are currently elected as the “do-nothing” Congress. They have failed to address problems ranging from education and transportation to immigration and pensions. Despite all the talk, the debt ceiling continues to rise.

In the last two years, public dependence on federal “assistance” has gone up 23%. “Dependance programs” (housing subsidies, Medicaid, food stamps etc.) account for more than 70% of the federal budget and at the same time that rate is increasing, nearly half of all Americans (49.5%) don’t pay any income tax. (Source: Heritage Foundation) The nation will not be able to sustain this inequitable rate—not even by increasing the rate of taxes on high-income households.

One thing the 112th “do-nothing” Congress did do is give us a glimpse of what can be expected in the future. The Budget Control Act, passed last August will reduce state discretionary program funds over the next nine years. (But the states have no idea where the funds will be cut.) Congress’ inability to reach a consensus on a comprehensive federal deficit reduction plan means that some mandatory state-federal grant programs could lose as much as 9% of their funding in FY 1213 and defense spending cuts could go as high as 10%. At the same time, federally mandated Medicaid will take up a larger and larger share state budgets.
[quote align=”right” color=”#0D3F7C”]We are cognizant that we need to pay down existing debt and increase our savings as much as we can. We are trying to run the state budget the same way you run your home budget.[/quote] We are doing what we can to prepare for these reductions. Last year, HB 138 required all state agencies assess their reliability on federal funds and create contingency plans of how they would operate on 5% and 25% fewer federal dollars. (There were four senators absent for the final vote of this bill, but other than those four, it passed unanimously off the floor.) We are being cautiously judicious as we listen to the various needs presented in the appropriations committees. And we are cognizant that we need to pay down existing debt and increase our savings as much as we can. We are trying to run the state budget the same way you run your home budget.

On a more up-beat note, according to a report released this week by the Goss Institute for Economic Research, the overall business condition in Utah is at a “vigorous” level. Indicators from production, sales, inventory levels and new orders in manufacturing have ranked us at the top of the Rocky Mountain Region. (Source: Goss Report)

Utah is a great place. We work hard and expect success. We need to continue on the prudent course we have set, doing all that we can to promote growth and stability across all spectrums in the state. I am grateful to represent you in that process.

As always I welcome your opinion and input on our activities during the session.

You can contact me at (801)361-5802 or by email.

Also, please join me at our town hall meeting, Eggs and Issues, on Saturdays at  7:30am at the Urgent Care Building at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. (The old granite furniture building on the corner of Bulldog Blvd. and 500 West in Provo).

Jan 21
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The American Dream

By Citizen Rights, Governance, State Budget, US Constitution No Comments

The authors of Utah’s Constitution had been forced to flee from the United States to secure their access to the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This spirit and principle guided Utah’s leaders as they established the new State, and it continues to guide them today. The benefits of protecting Utahn’s personal liberty are clear:

  • Whereas most states are cutting everywhere, Utah has increased the education budget.
  • While the federal government and other states spiral further and further into debt, Utah is in the black.
  • Utah is nationally recognized as being the best managed state in the union.

I’m  committed to ensuring access to the American Dream for every person in Utah. I am committed to good governance and am always mindful of the fact that the Constitution is not an instrument to restrain the people, but rather an instrument by which the people restrain the government.