Out of the Mouths of Babes…

by Senator Scott McCoy
District Two

According to The Salt Lake Tribune, the student legislators of the 19th annual 4-H Mock Legislature (and, no, they weren’t mocking the Legislature) rightly passed SB 14 which prohibits smoking in a car when a child is present. I only hope we don’t have to wait for these young people to replace the naysayers in the Legislature before we can get this commonsense measure enacted into law. Thanks for the vote of confidence. I feel vindicated. Now contact your Senators and Representatives and tell them to follow your lead.

Views on Health Care Reform

by Senator Gene Davis
Senate Minority Whip

In Utah as well as elsewhere in this country, our health care system is in crisis. We applaud the fact that Governor Huntsman and the Legislature (HB 133) are willing to look at this issue, but we have to be cautious in our fix so that we keep the health care stool on a level playing field (legs of this stool are access, cost and quality). It is important that we find ways to encourage all citizens in the state to have adequate health care. We must address the issue that all cannot afford insurance. Whatever we do, it cannot be a plan that mandates and thus rewards the insurance industry; the rewards should go to the consumer. Providers should be paid adequately across the board so we don’t shift the burden to consumers. We must address the shortage of health care professionals. Whatever program is ultimately adopted, it must be health care that addresses medical, dental, vision and mental health, as well as giving all providers access to all patients. We believe we can improve the system if we are willing to address disease management, best practice guidelines, and evidence-based medicine and to encourage the teaching of healthy lifestyles without bias.

Equalization of School Capital Funding

by Senator Mike Dmitrich
Senate Minority Leader

In the past general election, east side Salt Lake County voters approved the split of Jordan School District, the largest school district in the state. The district split created capital outlay inequities among school districts, some experiencing increasing enrollment and others decreasing enrollment, resulting in greater or lesser needs for school buildings. Last year, I served on the Equalization Task Force, the objective of which was to design a fair method of equalizing the statewide financial burden of constructing school buildings. Senate Bill 48 emerged from the Task Force, and we support this proposal as a viable plan.

The bill, now SB 48, Second Substitute, “Equalization of School Capital Outlay Funding” (Sen. Dan Eastman), increases by $28.5 million the ongoing funding to the Capital Outlay Foundation Program, which provides state funding to school districts that receive less property tax revenues per pupil due to their smaller property tax base per pupil. The bill also increases the combined capital-related property tax rates a school district must impose to receive full funding from .0024 to .0030 and allows for proportional funding if a district imposes a rate below .0030.

Responsible Transportation Policies

by Senator Karen Mayne
District 5

Transportation is the life stream of our citizens. Without dependable and accessible transportation, commerce and our quality of life would be in jeopardy. We as citizens require and deserve affordable and effective modes of mobility. Keeping our highways in good repair is a must. Encouraging and supporting all avenues of transportation are critical. Our goal is to maintain free-flow travel for our state. Planning ahead, making wise and bold decisions, will guarantee good transportation policies. We favor more east-west highways in Salt Lake County and toll-free travel.

SB60-Repealing Labor Commission Responsibilities

by Senator Ross Romero
District 7

Senator Ross Romero sponsored Senate Bill 60 to eliminate the obligation of the Utah Labor Commission, through the Anti-discrimination and Labor Division, to gather information regarding the fee charged to employees by employment agencies. The bill unanimously passed in the Utah State Senate and is now working its way through the House of Representatives.

Currently, the Utah Labor Commission is obligated to maintain an oversight role over the fees individuals pay to employment agencies. The bill’s purpose is to repeal this responsibility of the Labor Commission since in recent years the practice of charging employees fees by temporary agencies has been eliminated. The law still requires city and county oversight and regulation over employment agencies. In addition, the employment agencies are still obligated to post a bond as part of their licensure.

The purpose of SB 60 is to address a resource issue confronting the Utah Labor Commission. The current process demands the use of unnecessary man hours for an outdated process. Passage of this bill will help alleviate some work to an already busy Labor Commission while also ridding the Commission of unnecessary regulatory responsibility.
SB 60 will now be heard in House of Representatives with Representative Chavez-Houck as the House sponsor.

Issues of Utah’s Seniors

by Senator Fred Fife
District One

For many Utahns becoming a senior is an enjoyable, rewarding time of life. For others it is not. Some seniors struggle to meet their basic needs: food, shelter, health care, and the necessities for combating isolation. There was a report recently that Utah Food Bank delivered 300 food boxes to needy seniors as part of recognizing Martin Luther King Day. Many others were not so lucky.

Affordable housing is a major issue for seniors forced to relocate. Rents and housing costs have escalated far beyond increases in Social Security benefits. When a mobile home park is converted for commercial or condominium development, a senior mobile homeowner is faced with $20,000 to $25,000 in moving costs, if they can find a new location for it. Many cannot afford to keep their homes.

Seniors are the fastest growing segment of our society and are in more need of health care than any other segment of society. Affordable health care is out of reach for many seniors, resulting in complications and isolation. These seniors become disabled because of old age.

Native Americans look at life and living as coming full circle. They recognize that infants are fully dependent on others, and so, too, are elders. Our society needs to ensure that our seniors are provided with the basics of food, shelter, health care, and the necessities for combating isolation.

We, this 57th Legislature have the opportunity to play a major role in this effort.

Financial Literacy-Skills for a Lifetime

by Senator Patricia Jones
Assistant Senate Minority Whip

This session, I am sponsoring legislation which, if passed, will greatly broaden Financial Literacy Education in our public schools. It’s practical and smart. It was editorialized recently in the Deseret Morning News.

More than ever before, parents and grandparents believe it is vital to educate our young people to be financially responsible. Just take a look at today’s economy and you will see dire consequences of financial irresponsibility. It is critical for the stability of our families and will give our kids the ability to compete in today’s economic world.

Currently, there is a financial literacy requirement in our high schools, a half-year course in the sophomore or junior year. But it’s too little, and often too late. In addition to the half-year course, my bill integrates practical financial lessons into the math and social studies curricula in grades K-12 in areas such as:

Credit Card Debt: How much does it really cost you to buy on credit?
Investments: How do you choose a wise stock market investment?
Home Ownership: How much can you really afford for your home?
Foreclosure: If it happens, how will it impact your family?
Budgeting: How do you wisely spend your money?
Savings: Why is it important to save for a rainy day?
Retirement: How much money will be needed and for how long?
Gambling: Is it worth the risk?
Payday Loans: Do you understand the exorbitant interest rates?
Bankruptcy: How does it impact your future?

The bill provides funding to teach teachers the concepts and to assess students’ understanding of the concepts. Also proposed is a Financial Literacy Passport, a checklist of financial literacy goals which students can complete in conjunction with their required Financial Literacy half-year course in high school.

An education in financial matters for our children is a wise investment in their future.

Don’t Waste Utah

by Senator Patricia Jones
Senate Minority Caucus Manager

I plan to sponsor legislation this next session to address the problem of litter and debris on Utah’s highways (for the Department of Transportation). Here are the reasons for the legislation.

See if you can answer the following questions:

1) How many dispatch calls did the Highway Patrol receive last year to handle DEBRIS ON HIGHWAYS? Answer: 6,357 in SALT LAKE COUNTY ALONE!

2) How many reported accidents in Utah were caused by debris on the highway last year? Answer: About 1,000

3) Once litter has been cleaned up, how long does it take to “re-litter” and need cleanup again? Answer: About 6 weeks!

4) How much money has it cost taxpayers SO FAR THIS YEAR to clean up litter on Utah’s highways? Answer: MORE THAN
$2 MILLION! This does not include fixed equipment costs, administrative costs, facility costs, contracts or training.

5) Do you remember the “Don’t Waste Utah” anti-litter campaign? Our young people probably do not. Littering and unsecured loads destroy the beauty of our landscapes, and they cost ALL of us money.

In 2006, UDOT used 99,600 trash bags. Each bag holds 12.2 cubic feet of litter. Our “haul” in FY2006 was 45,000 cubic yards of litter. That’s enough litter to cover a football field 45 feet deep.