Friday, February 22, 2008

 

MORNING COMMITTEES

 

THE HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE will consider establishing English Language Learner Family Literacy Centers.  Under House Bill 436, sponsored by Representative Hughes, the centers in school districts and charter schools would be used to increase parent involvement and to communicate with parents who are not proficient in English about school activities, using the parent's preferred language.  The goal is to increase literacy and language skills and academic achievement for all ethnic groups of students and their families.  Ten million dollars would be appropriated for the program.

 

HB 274, sponsored by Rep. Ferry, proposes a computer-based, on-line school called Utah K-8 Online.  K-8 Online students could attend regular public schools as well.  The on-line school is expected to foster on-demand, interactive, self-paced and individualized instruction.

 

Senator Dmitrich's bill, SB 224 in SENATE NATURAL RESOURCES, AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT creates the Utah Office of Coal Mine Safety and a Mine Safety Technical Advisory Council.  The council will make recommendations about mine safety and accident prevention, effective emergency responses, and miner certification and recertification.

 

COMMITTEES meet only one hour this morning.  Floor time begins at 9 AM.

The SENATE will vote again this morning on SB 81, Illegal Immigration, at 10:45, plus 4 other immigration related bills, including the immigration task force bill SB 97. 

The HOUSE agenda includes child abuse homicide, illegal drugs, dating violence and human trafficking.

 

AFTERNOON COMMITTEES

 

HOUSE JUDICIARY will debate animal cruelty penalties. Under Rep. Allen's bill, HB 470, animal cruelty would be a third degree felony if committed against a companion animal.  Companion animals are dogs, cats, or any other animals commonly considered to be pets that depend on their owner to receive necessary food, water, care or shelter

 

Preventing catastrophic wildfires will be addressed in HOUSE NATURAL RESOURCES, AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT.  Substitute SB 89, by Senator Stowell, authorizes state Department of Agriculture and Food land restoration grants to eliminate invasive fast burning plants like cheat grass.  Catastrophic wildfires affect public safety and health through air pollution, flooding and reduced visibility on highways.  They damage the environment and local economies by soil erosion, degraded water quality and release of carbon plus damage to wildlife and livestock habitat.

 

For more information, visit our legislature in person or online at www.le.utah.gov             

 

WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY

 

SB 81, Illegal Immigration moved forward yesterday.  It passed Second Reading in the Senate 21-8-0 and must receive a second vote in the Senate today before going to the House.  It was amended 5 times, but an amendment failed 12-15-2 that would have delayed the bill's taking effect until July 2009.  Delaying the effective date was proposed by Senator Jenkins, sponsor of SB 97, a one year Immigration Task Force.  Senate President Valentine cast the deciding vote against the 2009 date, saying he was assured by Senator Hickman that the bill could be implemented yet this year. The task force bill, SB 97 will likely be voted on today.

 

Many questions were asked.  Senators Jones and McCoy mentioned they had received an email on both sides, some hateful, calling them enemies of the state, mostly from out of state.  But Senator Greiner said immigration is the main issue of his constituents.  Several, including Senator Romero, questioned the accuracy of E-verify - the federal electronic system used to check legal residency by matching names and Social Security numbers.  State employers, their contractors and the contractors' employees (but not private employers) would be using that system.  And no one seems to know exactly how many such employers and employees there are in the state.

 

The prohibition against harboring the undocumented for commercial advantage raised the question of whether landlords would have to evict undocumented tenants. And preventing employment could lead to many losing health insurance, driving more patients to emergency rooms - the most expensive kind of health care.

 

Yesterday morning the HOUSE REVENUE AND TAXATION COMMITTEE approved H.B. 201 Tax Credit for Solar Projects.

 

HB 201 gives municipalities an incentive to support solar projects. Since municipalities are not taxed, a tax credit is not an incentive that works for them.  So this bill provides a mechanism for individual persons to get the tax credit when they invest in solar projects that municipalities own.  Not exactly straightforward, but a creative way to provide funding for solar energy.  Voting for HB 201 were Representatives Barrus, Cosgrove, Dougall, Frank, Johnson, Last, McGee, Newbold, and Tilton.  Representative Harper voted no, but didn't say why.

   

Rep Dougall's HB 190 passed by a 9-2 vote, giving tax breaks to students pursuing higher education and also turning much of the state Board of Regents' power over to individual institutions' boards of trustees.

 

 

Sandy Peck

League of Women Voters