Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Interim legislative committees have their final 2008 meeting today. Draft bills proposed for January will be up for final approval.

THIS MORNING

LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE looks at legislation restricting gang activities, requiring sex offenders to register with local law enforcement, changing the definition of incest, and making violation by a handgun dealer of background check rules a class A misdemeanor. (C415 )

NATURAL RESOURCES, AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT bills will address coal mining and reclamation, penalties for destroying bald eagles, water rights applications and records, liens on real property for unpaid water bills, safe drinking water, and wild fires. The committee will hear from the Executive Water Task Force and discuss potential energy development legislation, too. (W020)

TRANSPORTATION is considering bills that address repeat DUI offenders, motorcycle rider education, traffic accident clearance, street-legal ATVs and safety in road construction zones. Also on the agenda are a grant to pay for the federal driver license program, REAL ID, and ways to implement driver license requirements in SB 81, Utah's immigration bill. (W025)

OTHER MORNING COMMITTEES

JUDICIARY (C450) will hear reports on sex offender treatment and DUI statistics. The committee will also discuss a pilot program that answers legal questions for people who want to represent themselves in court. Proposed bills address whether same-sex partners should be compensated in wrongful death cases and would warn victims who request a protective order that they must abide by the order themselves.

REVENUE AND TAXATION (C445) will hear reports on federal income tax changes and the cost of individual and corporate income tax credits. Bills before the committee will address transparency in government finance, consolidation of property tax levies imposed by school districts, public school funding equalization, a sales tax exemption for college textbooks, an income tax contribution for donations to the meth reconstruction and rehabilitation fund, and creation of a higher education tuition credit up to 5% of tax liability.

WORKFORCE SERVICES AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (C250) will hear reports from the co-chair of the Immigration Interim Committee and from the UT Community Action Partnership Association on how Community Services Block Grants are being used. Bills on manufacturing incentives and the Refugee Services Fund are also on the agenda.

THIS AFTERNOON

The President of Deseret Power speaks to PUBLIC UTILITIES AND TECHNOLOGY about climate change and energy production. And the Utah Renewable Energy Zone Task Force will make recommendations for the upcoming session. Draft bills address underground sewer utilities, utilities management in mobile home parks, where to put utility transmission corridors, and assignment of telephone area codes. (C415)

The EDUCATION COMMITTEE will vote on bills that propose a grant program for schools that offer Singapore math in grades K-8 and require schools to find ways to measure teacher quality, including student growth or achievement measures. They'll hear reports on math improvement in grades 4-6; engineering, computer science and technical education at high school and post-secondary levels; early college high schools and improvement of school custodial services. Education meets again tomorrow for more discussion of teacher compensation and performance, including a presentation from the Sutherland Institute, and online courses for students, teacher quality, and governance for the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind. (C445)

OTHER AFTERNOON COMMITTEES

In BUSINESS AND LABOR (W025) both the Immigration Interim Committee and Health System Reform Task Force will report. Ten draft bills are proposed on issues including injured worker re-employment, uniform securities act amendments, enforcement of truth in advertising, residential mortgage practices and licensing, insurance code amendments, workers compensation premium assessment and workplace safety funding.

GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS (C450) will consider bills making minutes of public meetings available to the public prior to approval by the body and allowing the Lt. Governor to set up a system for voters with signed drivers licenses or I.D. cards to register on line. Another bill would change the time period for declaring candidacy for public office to between the second Friday and third Friday in March so it doesn't overlap the legislative session. The session this year runs from January 26 to March 12. Local and special service districts could hold elections solely by absentee ballot.

Election law changes suggested by county clerks would set up procedures for submitting challenges to voters in writing 30 days before the election and give voters challenged at the polling place on Election Day access to provisional ballots. Another bill limits the title of a ballot initiative or referendum to 75 instead of 100 words. A voter's age would be a public record but the exact date of birth would be private, and Salt Lake County would no longer be required to have an early voting place within every Senate district in the county. Other bills propose to coordinate local government and special district elections on the same ballot and coordinate polling places for special districts with municipal election polling places whenever possible.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (C250) will consider bills that enable the use of expedited partner therapy to treat sexually transmitted diseases, extend a family preservation services pilot program, modify state agencies' authority to define criminal conduct by administrative rule instead of by law and amend the Utah Adoption Act. The committee also will discuss a sunset review of medical malpractice arbitration agreements, the findings of a performance audit of Davis County's mental health and substance abuse treatment provider, a report on Licensed Direct-entry Midwives annual outcomes, and the shortage of nursery respite and crisis services in family support centers. Also on the agenda are local health department duties and funding sources and Internet promotion of competition among commercial health insurers including direction to public programs for those who don't qualify for commercial coverage.

In POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS (W020) bills are proposed on reporting local government boundary actions and local health department funding. Concepts of proposed legislation will be discussed concerning an improvement district for electrical service in a small community, how to solve over allocation of water in Enterprise/Beryl area, and abandonment of property taken under threat of eminent domain. A report and legislation suggestions from the Affordable Housing Ad Hoc Task Force will be heard as well.

Contact your legislator and listen to interim committees at le.utah.gov.

Sandy Peck
League of Women Voters