Thursday, March 5, 2009
 
WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY
 
          Just one more week to go in the session.  Committee meetings are over,  with a couple of exceptions.  So today House floor time will be 8 AM to noon and 2 to 5 PM.  Senate sessions are from 9 AM to noon and from 2 to 5 PM.
 
TWO COMMITTEES meetiat 7:30 THIS MORNING in Room 20:

          The RETIREMENT AND INDEPENDENT ENTITIES INTERIM COMMITTEE meets to review a proposal to create a new independent entity: the Utah-Generated Renewable Energy Electricity Network Authority.
          The SENATE RETIREMENT AND INDEPENDENT ENTITIES COMMITTEE will consider Second Substitute SB 76 and Substitute HB 211.  SB 76 amends definitions and provisions regarding energy production in the Public Utilities section of Utah law.
          HB 211 requires an annual report of investment of Utah retirement funds in Iran’s petroleum sector.  Some of those companies are subject to sanctions under the federal Iran Action Act of 1996.
 
ON THE FLOOR:        On Thursdays, to start off, the House works on Senate bills while the Senate works on House Bills.
 
IN THE HOUSE
          Two circled bills are on its Senate list.  SB 64 would give the Administrative Rules Committee new power, in addition to its oversight of state agencies to be sure that the rules they make to administer a law comply with the intent of the law.  Under SB 64 it could also review any legislative appropriation to see if the state agency that received the money was spending it as the Legislature intended. 
          Substitute SCR 3 is a resolution expressing support for the work of the Utah Council on Financial and Economic Education towards increasing financial literacy of the citizens of the state.
         
Later the HOUSE may continue debate on two bills they voted down once but decided to reconsider.  One is Second Substitute HB 187 which is about use of streams on private property by fishermen and other sportsmen.  Substitute HB 145, concerning the accuracy of workplace drug testing programs, was also recalled for reconsideration.
 
IN THE SENATE
          The Senate votes twice on every bill. House Bills it approved once yesterday are on what’s called Third Reading for another vote today.   On the list are HB 222 ,the Unborn Child Pain Prevention Act ,and HB 122.  HB 122 is a GRAMA bill that requires requests for access to public records to show by a "preponderance of the evidence" that the public interest favoring access outweighs the interest in favoring restriction of access, a much more difficult standard for citizens to meet than simply balancing the interests of the two sides.
          When the Senate turns to the Second Reading calendar, they’ll find HB 140, which would increase vehicle registration fees by $2 to avoid losing Highway Patrol troopers to budget cuts, and  Substitute HB 126, requiring voter ID on Election Day.

WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY
 
IN HOUSE WORKFORCE SERVICES AND COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, Rep Garn presented HB 430, which creates Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) with the approval of local government, which would provide property tax incentives, and the state, which would provide tax credits.  The projects must generate Utah jobs and tax revenue. All tax credits must be based on performance.
          Derrick Miller, Managing Director of Corporate Recruitment and State Incentives in the Governor's Office of Economic Development, explained that the bill is important to maintain Utah's competitiveness.   The focus is on manufacturing within the growing renewable energy (RE) sector, including manufacture of wind turbines, solar panels, etc.   Companies would have to be approved by the Governor’s office.
          He said our current incentive program is not competitive with other states.  We've been losing jobs to Colorado and Oregon. There are companies at the door waiting for Utah to pass this bill.  HB 430 passed unanimously and is # 20 on the House debate calendar.
 
HOUSE REVENUE AND TAXATION gave unanimous approval to HB 378, a bill that increases the property tax “circuitbreaker.” That’s the sliding scale property tax credit available to renters and homeowners with household incomes below $26,941.  People who claim the credit could increase it by subtracting from their household income $1000 for each of two dependents.   The cost to the General Fund would be about $121,300 in 2010.
 
IN THE HOUSE and SENATE
 
The House added their approval to two Senate ethics bills. SB 156 by Senator Bell will increase the number of gifts to legislators worth more than $25, including meals and sporting events, that lobbyists will have to report, making them more transparent to public view.  SB 162 by Senator Valentine will disallow personal use of leftover campaign funds by elected officials after they leave office.
 
To return the favor, the SENATE approved three House Health Care Reform bills, Substitute House Bills 165, 188, and 331.  Senators highly praised them as a first step that increases flexibility and transparency in the health insurance market, with more choice for consumers including portable, lower cost policies that cover less. They said the next steps should be to make provider costs and outcomes transparent in order to put consumers in the driver’s seat.  Cost control and integrating Medicaid, Medicare and self-insured large companies into the reforms were on their “to do” list as well.

Sandy Peck
League of Women Voter

Friday March 6, 2009

WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY  
 
Legislators will debate bills in the House and Senate this morning from 9 to noon in the House and from 8 to noon in the Senate.  Afternoon floor time is from 2 to 5.  Legislators take occasional breaks during floor time to discuss in party meetings how to approach upcoming bills.  In the House they call it caucusing.  In the Senate they move to “saunter” for 15 minutes or so.  Members of the Rules Committee also leave the floor periodically to decide which bills to send out for a floor vote next. The 12 to 2 caucus lunch break is another chance to make a plan of action for upcoming floor debates.

          Towards the end of the session, as budget plans firm up, special attention is paid to how much bills and services will cost.  In fact the main budget committee, Executive Appropriations, meets today at 4:00 in Room 30, House Building. 

         At noon, the Constitutional Revision Commission meets in Capitol Room 450 to review Constitutional amendments proposed for this year.  Amendment sponsors discuss their proposals with the Commission, which may or may not express an opinion on their constitutionality. CRC members include legislators, attorneys and judges.
 
          Today they review Substitute HJR 8, a “Joint Resolution Regarding the Secret Ballot,” approved by the House Wednesday.  The Utah Constitution already says “all elections shall be by secret ballot.”  HJR 8 adds specifics: “including elections under state or federal law for public office, on an initiative or referendum, or to designate or authorize employee representation or individual representation.”  Sponsors are particularly concerned that labor unions elections won’t be by secret ballot.
          SJR 8, “Joint Resolution Regarding Eligibility for Legislative Office,” requires a person who is appointed to the legislature to fill a mid-term vacancy to have been a resident of the state for three years and a resident of the district for which the person is appointed for six consecutive months prior to the appointment.  The Constitution already sets these residency requirements for elected legislators.
 
BILLS TO WATCH IN THE SENATE TODAY   On Third Reading: 

SB 61 would allow Home School and Private School Student Participation in Extracurricular Activities.  SB 164 allows In-Person Voter Registration in places other than the county clerk’s office.  Second Substitute SB 79 sets a higher standard of proof, clear and convincing evidence, for Medical Malpractice Claims Based on Emergency Room Care.  The standard would apply only to care by on-call health care providers.  HB 122 would increase the amount of evidence the public must present to show it needs information about pending government investigations or litigation.  Substitute HB 126 would require voter ID on Election Day.
 

IN THE HOUSE WATCH FOR:  Second Substitute HB 187, which tries to balance recreational use of public waters with private property rights. HB 347 would change liquor laws, eliminating private clubs and requiring ID scans.  HB 101 sets up an assertive community mental health treatment pilot program.  And HB 171 would provide medical care for legal immigrant children without a 5-year waiting period.

WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY
 
Yesterday morning the SENATE RETIREMENT AND INDEPENDENT ENTITIES COMMITTEE approved Third Substitute SB 76, which would create an independent state agency called the Utah Generated Renewable Energy Electricity Network Authority.  Quite a mouthful.  Its main purpose would be to prioritize electrical transmission projects.  The authority’s board would review the location and availability of renewable energy sources serving electrical loads in the state, then see if there were adequate transmission lines and capacity to bring those renewable energy sources to market.

          They would prioritize transmission projects based on location, whether they would support potential renewable energy development, and economic development factors.  The renewable energy source project could be existing, under construction, planned or even “foreseeable.”  The Authority could issue bonds to finance the construction and operation of the transmission projects.
 
The Senate held a lengthy discussion of an HB 100 proposal to switch funding for prison education programs from the Board of Regents to the Department of Corrections. The second substitute version of the bill, however,  will make development of “recidivism reduction” plans a joint effort of Corrections, the Board of Regents that oversees higher ed, and the State Board of Education. 

          Senator Goodfellow praised the current system, saying Utah’s model program is respected for its skill training throughout the country.  He said higher ed had already invested in buildings and equipment for the program. (Although not mentioned in the Senate, the question of how practical the training is in preparing for work after release seemed to be an issue on the House floor.).
 
          The bill requires inmates to pay half the cost of their postsecondary education.  Inmates unable to pay right away could repay 5 years after they’re released and only if they had $200,000 in assets.  The second half of program costs comes from a surcharge on long distance inmate telephone calls.
 
The Senate talked more about health care reform yesterday, focusing on “Netcare,” a planned mandate-light insurance policy for employees who lose their health care when they lose their jobs. The plan is in Second Substitute HB 188.

Several senators wondered whether the coverage for things like diabetes management would be as good under Netcare as under the lost insurance.  Senator Bell said Netcare would have fewer options, but it would cover preventive and primary care and prescriptions, and it would be cheaper than COBRA.  Diabetes management is generally recognized to save higher health costs down the road.
          Under COBRA former employees can continue to get the same coverage they had at work but must pay the full premiums, which are often unaffordable. Senator Davis asked if Utah would coordinate with the federal stimulus plan, which has COBRA assistance.  Senator Bell said we could look into that.   The bill passed the Senate 27 to 0.

Sandy Peck
League of Women Vote