HOUSE EDUCATION in W135 has scheduled two public education budget process bills: HB 323 and HB 318. HB 323 ensures proper deposits and transfers in and out of the Education Fund and preserves the exemption from the spending cap for public education. The Education Fund is used for both public and higher education. HB 318 creates a new Charter School Financing Authority to issue bonds and receive donations. HB 318 would require the State Board, local school districts and charter schools to evaluate and improve teacher quality and improve student achievement.
Also before the committee is HB 144, which requires all appointed local school district superintendents to go on the ballot for an unopposed retention election every 2 years. Currently, voters decide whether or not to retain judges, but school superintendents are appointed only.
HB 391, in HOUSE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, requires the state Human Services department to get bids from private entities to run or rebuild the State Hospital. SB 50 expands statewide a pilot program to assess and treat drug offenders prior to sentencing instead of incarcerating them. HB 358 authorizes a Department of Health program to educate citizens about the risks and prevention of cervical cancer and to begin an immunization program.
SB 268 in SENATE TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC UTILITIES AND TECHNOLOGY (in W020 at 9a.m.) puts $2 million into a special account for grants to broadband Internet providers. The grants are intended as incentives for extending broadband service into rural areas of the state.
Legislators will debate bills on the House and Senate floors from 10 to noon and from 2 to 4 before going to afternoon committees. Bills near the top of the debate calendar include Substitute HB 235, Abortion Law Revisions, in the House, and in the Senate SB 65, an initiative to improve elementary school math, and SB 64, which would redistribute the restaurant tax from Salt Lake County to cities.
HOUSE NATURAL RESOURCES AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT (in W 125) will debate SB 299. It authorizes fishing groups to temporarily change a water right for instream flow to protect trout habitat. SB 155 would allow storage of low level nuclear waste to be expanded by Energy Solutions within current boundaries without approval from local government planners, the legislature and the governor.
HOUSE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS AND POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS will consider SB 241, which asks county election officials to take some of the suspense outm of election results by counting on the first day after the election the absentee votes received up to then. The number of provisional votes cast also would be reported.
Sandy Peck
League of Women
Voters,
(801)272-8683 fax (801)272-5942
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