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Thursday, February 25, 2010
WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY
Standing committees meet only in the morning today, from 8 to 10.
Floor time is 10 to noon and 2 to 5, and it’s caucus lunch day.
The Executive Appropriations Committee will not meet at 5 as originally scheduled.
But a Rainy Day Rally will be at 4:30 in the Rotunda. Citizens with umbrellas will be asking legislative leadership to use more of the Rainy Day Fund to meet budget needs.
IN MORNING COMMITTEES
SENATE REVENUE AND TAXATION will consider SB 40, a proposal to raise taxes on tobacco products. Revenue would increase the Permanent State Trust Fund by $40.3 million in fiscal year 2011 and $53.8 million in FY 2012 and also appears to raise about $50 million a year for the General Fund.
HB 337 will be heard in HOUSE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE. It says a drug offender’s driver’s license does not have to be suspended if the drug offense didn’t involve a motor vehicle and the convicted offender was completing a state-approved substance abuse treatment program.
A related bill, House Concurrent Resolution 15, expresses the opposition of the Legislature and the Governor to a federal requirement that
Utah
pass a law that calls for revoking or suspending a person’s driver license for at least 6 months for any drug-related offense.
Utah
would lose federal funding if it fails to pass the law. However, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation can grant an exemption if the Legislature passes this resolution and the Governor certifies
Utah
’s opposition.
HOUSE JUDICIARY is continuing to debate Substitute HB 289, which would give the governor more say over how judges are nominated. A member of the governor’s staff would be on the nominating commission staff, and authority to make nominating commission rules for selecting nominees would be transferred from the judicial council to the governor.
HB 289 is similar to a Senate bill, 3rd substitute SB108, except HB 289 removes the Chief Justice from her current advisory position on the nominating commission. In addition Substitute HB 289 would coordinate with SB 232 to allow the nominating process to be delayed in case of a budget deficit and hiring freeze. Opponents of these bills fear they could make judges and their decisions more political. They note that
Utah
’s court system is nationally recognized for its independence.
WHAT HAPPENED WEDNESDAY
IN HOUSE PUBLIC UTILITIES AND TECHNOLOGY
Kathy Van Dame Reporting
Rep Rebecca Edwards (R-NSL) was jubilant after her HB 456 Amendments to
Department of Environmental Quality was voted favorably out of House Public Utilities and Technology.
The bill adds a representative from the transportation industry and a representative from a local health department
to the state Air Quality Board, The AQB formally added a non-voting advisory member, Lewis Garrett of the
Davis County Health Department about a year ago.
Yeas - 7
Barrus, R.
Chavez-Houck, R.
Fowlke, L.
Hemingway, L.
Hunsaker, F.
Wilcox, R.
Wright, B.
Nays - 4
Brown, M.
Gowans, J.
Herrod, C.
Noel, M.
IN SENATE NATURAL RESOURCES, AGRICULTURE & ENVIRONMENT
Senator Margaret Dayton's (R-Orem) surprise bill, SB 223 - Department of Environmental Quality Boards Amendments was heard in committee yesterday.
This bill which dramatically alters the make-up of Department of Environmental Quality Boards was released Monday evening, unpleasantly surprising DEQ and the AG's office. This bill affects all the DEQ boards, but the Radiation Control Board
was singled out for extra amputation of power. After some discussion by Jim Holtcamp, attorney for the Utah Manufacturer's Association and representative of Energy Solutions before the Radiation Control Board, Sen. Dayton, acknowledging the many e-mails the committee had gotten, and the late release of language, moved to have the bill studied in Interim. The current plan is to have recommendations for improvements to the boards generated though a DEQ stakeholder process and present those recommendations to Interim, with the potential of legislation next session.
SB 223 - Department of Environmental Quality Boards Amendments
Margaret Dayton (R-Orem), http://le.utah.gov/~2010/htmdoc/sbillhtm/sb0223.htm
Sandy Peck
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