Troopers and aerospace and ethics, oh my!

Today was very unusual in that both standing committees I sit on were cancelled. However, there was still plenty going on. During floor time we heard 13 bills. The one receiving the most debate was HB140, sponsored by Rep. Frank. It would increase fees on vehicle registration by $2. The increased revenue of $5.24 million a year for three years will go towards retaining 61 Highway Patrol troopers who would otherwise be victims of budgets cuts. Sponsor Rep Frank projected fewer DUI arrests, 30,000 fewer traffic stops and 58,000 fewer calls from motorists could be handled if the cuts were not restored. This bill passed 48-27. I voted for it and feel strongly that we need to maintain funding for public safety, especially from my viewpoint as the granddaughter of a peace office who was slain in the line of duty.

There was a great presentation to the legislators from Davis, Weber, and Cache Counties from Falcon Hill, the National Aerospace Research Park at Hill Air Force Base. This is an exciting project with a tremendous economic growth potential for northern Davis County. In a nutshell it is an office park and high-technology research site, which will include hotel, restaurant and retail space. This project is estimated to eventually bring around 15,000 jobs to Davis County. An example of the type of job creation is the new Combat Search and Rescue (CSARX) program that will mean 1250 military jobs with 6250 additional supporting jobs for the mission, with a timeframe of 2013. The average salary of the supporting jobs for this project is $100K, an income 75% above the current state average. This really is an exciting one of a kind public-private collaborative effort that will benefit our area for years to come.

I also sat in on part of the newly formed Ethics Standing Committee and heard their report. A history of the ethics process was outlined. They met for the first time in 1991 and by statute can either be a standing or interim committee, or can meet in response to a letter from three members of the House. The latter is the only way they have met in the past, and this is the first time they have ever been formed as a Standing committee. Although there are four main bills dealing with ethics reform this session, they are being seen in other committees. The Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee passed out two bills on Friday that have been debated over many years and which the public is very interested in: regulation of gifts and meals received by public officials (SB 156) and personal use of campaign funds (SB 162). SB 156 broadened the category of “gift,” (which equals real or tangible person property received for less than fair and adequate consideration) to include admission to a sporting, recreational or artistic event whether as a spectator or participant. Translation: more events such as Jazz games,
golf games and rodeos will be reported now. More gifts will have to be reported by lobbyists, including food or beverages worth more than $25 a day, instead of the current $50 a day
trigger. The law makes an exception for cases where all members of a legislative body committee, task force or party caucus are invited and for meetings of regional or national state legislative organizations. This was one of the most important issues to me during the campaign. I am extremely interested in seeing all four ethics bills being passed, even though in several cases I do not feel they do not provide restrictions as strict as I would prefer. It is a start and the key is to get some meaningful ethics reforms passed.

This next week will be busy as we will have two committee meetings a day, and two sessions of floor time, morning and afternoon. We will also hopefully hear some specifics about the restrictions, strings, timing, and regulations associated with the federal stimulus package. We were promised in our last majority caucus meeting on Thursday that on Tuesday of this week we will discuss revenue enhancements that could be considered as we finalize the FY10 budget: bonding, taxes on a variety of items (tobacco, food, gas), fees, etc.