League of Women Voter of Utah Legislative Issues for 2012

The League of Women Voters of Utah is watching bills in the following areas:

EDUCATION
Funding
Teachers - collective bargaining, tenure, performance pay
Governance – partisan school board elections, governor as ultimate authority
Tax credits for private schools
Grading schools
Online education
Preschool and extended kindergarten

NATURAL RESOURCES
Reorganization of the Department of Environmental Quality Boards, especially Air Quality
Water financing to enable the St. George pipeline
Clean air policy task force

ENERGY
Renewable energy program for commercial consumers                 
Energy efficient residential building code amendments                                                                                                                                                                                         
VOTING
Online voter information pamphlet
Voter rolls purging – clean-up or disenfranchisement?
Direct election of the president  — National Popular Vote               

We are monitoring the following areas where we expect but have not seen legislation:

GRAMA
We are watching for piecemeal attacks on the citizen’s right to government information.

HEALTH
Medicaid – The state has requested waivers to avoid some federal Medicaid guidelines.
The federal Affordable Care Act – It appears that many Utah legislators oppose the program. They may work to avoid or dilute the federal legislation.