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My colleagues and I appreciated being able to take President’s Day off, but we have been careful to make sure it does not mean we achieve less this week. I have met with Rural Superintendents, attended Conservative and Rural Caucuses, and attended all of my Committees as well as continuing to share my efforts via public radio every Thursday morning. I have five bills that are being enrolled in the Governor’s Office for signing right now. As the Session is winding down, there will be less Committee work and more Floor-time. I continue to receiving emails from my constituents that are helping me make well informed votes.
Visitors
On Tuesday I invited Mike Turner, the Chairman of Utah Honor Flight, from Richfield. He brought with him Ron Thorn, a Vietnam Veteran who participated in the Honor Flight previously. They presented to the Majority Caucus about the impact this program makes in Veteran’s lives.
Legislative Update
H.B. 390 – Rural Economic Development Incentives
Presented in Natural Resources Standing Committee on Friday. It passed the Committee unanimously. Sutherland Institute, Governor’s Office of Economic Development, Local Rural Commissioners and School Superintendents all spoke in favor. Deseret News has shown support of the bill in their editorial ‘In Our Opinion: Training Rural Utahns in Tech Jobs is Money Well Spent.’ This bill will act as a jump start for economic growth in Rural Utah.
This bill creates the Rural Employment Expansion Program that is designed to connect job seekers from the 4th, 5th, and 6th classes to employers throughout the entire state. This supports the governor’s efforts to create 25,000 Rural jobs by 2020. It is important to note that these jobs are excellent jobs as the program requires them to pay 125% of the county average. This is a sister bill to Rep. Noel’s bill, H.B. 337 for training, and my bill H.B. 390 provides the funding.
H.J.R. 1 – Joint Resolution Urging Exemption from the Antiquities Act
Will be heard in the Senate Natural Resources Standing Committee on Monday the 26th.
H.J.R. 2 – Joint Resolution Urging Congress to Relocate Federal Land Management Agency Headquarters
Passed the Senate Thursday and sent to the Governor.
I now have five bills passed to the Governor. (H.B. 23, 33, 89, 188, and H.J.R. 2)
Additional Info
Senator Hatch
The Legislature passed a concurrent resolution honoring Senator Orrin Hatch for his service and designated Feb. 21, 2018, as “Orrin G. Hatch Day.” Senator Hatch was recently named the most effective Senator by a nonpartisan research organization – the Center for Effective Lawmaking. He has been an advocate of religious liberty, authoring the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and has helped improve access, mobility and quality of life for millions of Americans with his sponsorship of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act. Hatch holds the distinction of being the longest-serving Senator in Utah’s history.
Senator Lee
On Thursday the House heard from Congressman Mike Lee, and Congresswoman Mia Love. Representative Ken Ivory presented a bill to Senator Lee about PILT payments which would increase the payments to the State of Utah immensely. Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) is an agreement between the State and Federal governments that lets the Federal government manage the land as long as they pay Utah an equivalent amount that we would be getting if there were property tax. PILT has been a pittance to what property taxes would be.
A Tribute to Utah’s Fallen Soldiers
On February 16, the House of Representatives had the privilege of honoring Utah’s fallen soldiers on the House floor as Rep. Justin Fawson, who served in the National Guard for almost 10 years, paid tribute to them and their families. Those who lost loved ones varied in age and background: a newlywed, a widow with two young boys and mothers holding pictures of their sons. The entire House body stood and observed a moment of silence to commemorate the soldiers and the sacrifice they and their families have made for our country.
Fresh Locally Produced Homemade Food
HB 181, Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act, would simplify the process by allowing for the preparation and sale of homemade food or drink to an informed final customer, which means the product cannot be resold to other individuals or used in a restaurant. The producer must label the ingredients and inform the buyer of any common allergy hazards.
State Budget
Utah’s economy continues to grow. Revised consensus revenue estimates were released on Wednesday, February 21. They project a total of $508 million in new ongoing General Fund and Education Fund revenues, $126 million higher than December 2017 estimates, and new one-time funds of $184 million, $83 million more than initially estimated.
Post-employment Restrictions
Utah is an employment-at-will state, where a worker can be fired or choose to leave employment for almost any reason. Under such circumstances, it makes little sense for employers to be permitted to compel their employees, especially those without access to proprietary information, to sign non-competes as a condition of employment and constrain their ability to work in the future.
The legislature also passed a bill which prohibits the use of non-compete contracts. A non-compete is a contract that limits a person from working in their desired field unless they work for one desired company. This has created a field of media that restricts the voices of some people, and hangs a fear over their head which is not healthy for any working environment.
Suicide Prevention Task Force
Over the past seven years, the Utah Legislature has passed 15 bills addressing suicide and continue to make its prevention a priority. Lawmakers are currently considering several new measures to address this issue further, two of which have already passed the House. HB 41, Mental Health Crisis Line Amendments, creates a 24/7 state-wide crisis line staffed by specially trained first responders for mental and behavioral health issues. HB 42, Medicaid Waiver for Mental Health Crisis Services, seeks a Medicaid waiver for certain mental health crisis resources, including intervention by a mobile crisis outreach team.
 Those suffering from suicidal thoughts can call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.