Friday, February 5, 2010

WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY

Today’s schedule on Capitol Hill includes committee meetings from 8 to 10 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. House and Senate floor debate is from 10 a.m. to noon.

MORNING COMMITTEES

HOUSE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE will discuss HB 273, which changes the Utah International Trade Commission to Utah International Relations and Trade Commission. It says the commission should promote international relations between Utah and other countries in addition to promoting trade by working with Utah members of Congress and the federal government’s trade representative.

HB 254 would make it easier for military personnel and Native Americans to vote by allowing a US military, or Bureau of Indian Affairs or tribal treaty card to be valid ID even without a photo.

SENATE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES will discuss HB 12, Criminal Homicide and Abortion Amendments.

AFTERNOON COMMITTEES

HB 188 will be considered by HOUSE BUSINESS AND LABOR. It increases the amount of workers’ compensation that retired disabled workers can receive. The current practice of subtracting one-half of what the worker gets from Social Security from worker’s compensation would be repealed, as directed by the Utah Supreme Court last April.

Also in committee is HB 118, calling for the state Industrial Assistance Fund to get more money to help businesses that might otherwise have to relocate outside of Utah. This would cost the General Fund about $1.7 million a year.

HB 294 Health System Reform Amendments, a long awaited and complicated bill from the Health Reform Task Force, will be heard for the first time this afternoon in HOUSE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. It contains changes related to the insurance market, health care providers, the Health Code, and the Office of Consumer Health Services.

Another bill, HB 52, sets uniform electronic standards for insurance companies to manage claims, eligibility and benefit coordination. HCR 8, Concurrent Resolution on Federal Health Care Reform, urges Congress and the President to resist reform that would impose additional financial burdens and restrict states’ ability to regulate and innovate.

WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY

From Sherilyn Bennion and Sandy Peck:

In the House

The House passed 4 ethics bills yesterday morning. HJR 15 (Clark), Joint Resolution on Legislative Ethics Commission, received by far the most discussion, but in the end the vote was 69-3 in favor. No one actually spoke in opposition, although Rep Brown proposed an amendment that would remove the words “unethical legislative behavior” from the bill. He said he hated to see those words in the Constitution.

Rep Sheryl Allen said she hoped HJR 15 could be considered by the Constitutional Revision Commission. An interesting aspect is the prospect of upcoming "rules" making the amendment more specific. At least three more such bills are expected.

Also, Sen. Bob Bennett took the House floor for a few minutes to praise Utah's accomplishments in health care and answer a few questions.

From Kathy Van Dame

HJR 12, Rep. Gibson's resolution asking the EPA to cease activities related to greenhouse gases was voted
favorably out of House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee, with only Rep. Riesen voting nay. Discussion focused on harms to farmers & ranchers, notably testimony of Randy Parker of the Utah Farm Bureau. Joe Andrade, a U of U professor of Engineering, provided well reasoned testimony against this resolution.

Many representatives, particularly Rep. Noel, spoke at length describing the climate alarmist conspiracy
to keep the public in the dark about all the data that shows human caused climate change is unproved
or patently false.

Sandy Peck