The Fearless Five

On the final day of the 2007 Legislative Session, we want to sincerely thank our five interns who have spent the past six weeks serving the Senate Democrats in the Utah State Senate. Without their valuable contribution, it would be difficult to fulfill our lawmaking responsibilities.

Sara Thomas from Brigham Young University is Senator Jones’ intern.
Curtis Haring from the University of Utah is Senator Dmitrich and Senator Mayne’s intern.
Brent Whitehead from the University of Utah is Senator Davis’ intern.
Porter Morgan from the University of Utah is Senator Goodfellow and Senator Fife’s intern.
Casey Jackson from Utah State University is Senator McCoy and Senator Romero’s intern.

We wish them the best in their future endeavors and hope their interest in politics continues.

The Senate Democrats

The Legal Elite and 40 under Forty

Newly elected Senator Ross Romero, one of us, is among the 2007 Utah Legal Elite according to the January issue of Utah Business magazine. Utah Business surveyed 5,000 state Bar members and asked them to vote for peers they consider to be tops in their specialties. Senator Ross Romero and his wife Cecelia, also a practicing attorney, were voted tops in Business Litigation. Senator Romero was also voted as one of Utah’s Up and Coming lawyers.

Continuing on……Senator Romero is one of Utah’s “40 under Forty” movers and shakers in the February 2007 issue of Utah Business, chosen from a list of hundreds of youthful, energetic leaders of today and tomorrow.

CONGRATULATIONS Senator Ross Romero and Cecelia Romero!

Henry’s Bill

by Senator Gene Davis
Senate Minority Whip

Each session I receive hundreds of email from constituents requesting my support on issues of concern to them. If these email are any indication of the importance of a bill, then SB 190 must be passed.

For the past two years, there have been strong efforts to pass an animal cruelty bill, but those efforts met with little success. Each year the bill has failed, the intensity and pressure to pass the bill has increased. In 2006 that pressure increased after the misdemeanor conviction of Mark Vincent. Henry, a dog abused by Vincent, has become the poster animal of the campaign supporting the animal cruelty bill. In 2007 support for an animal cruelty bill is stronger than ever. As research linking animal cruelty and domestic violence becomes more conclusive, the need for this bill grows.

This year the bill was started in the Senate to address the concerns that hindered the bill in years past. I have been working with individuals in the agricultural sector and others to resolve concerns and refine the bill. With the help of many dedicated people, and despite some setbacks, I feel confident Utah will join 41 states that have already taken steps to make animal cruelty a felony offense.

SB190 passed in the Senate last Friday with the support of the majority of rural legislators voting “aye.” It will now be considered in the House of Representatives.

Welcome to our Site and Blog

Welcome to the Web site and blog of the Utah Senate Democrats, where you can become acquainted with the views and perceptions of Democrats in Utah.

We bring to the table a diverse conglomerate of backgrounds offering expertise in natural resources and mining, higher education administration, public relations, labor and industrial organization management, law, political polling and research, and engineering. We represent a diverse aggregate of citizens in both rural and urban Senate districts, and we believe our diversity complements their diversity.

We take our lawmaking responsibilities seriously and are committed to quality representation for our constituents. Please visit our site often for Utah’s sound, sensible outlook.

Mike Dmitrich
Senate Minority Leader