Legislative Coverage

HB 116 Opponents Want Repeal by End of September

July 20, 2011 Whittney Evans

A group of activists and state lawmakers rallied Wednesday afternoon during a special session of the legislature in support of repealing the guest worker law passed during the 2011 session. Brandon Beckham, who helped lead the effort to pass resolutions at the county and state GOP conventions, says the bill had warning signs from the start. He says those who voted for the bill and Governor Gary Herbert are traitors who will be held accountable in the 2012 election.

DABC Leader Asked If He Misled Commission

July 20, 2011 Jeff Robinson

Wednesday was not a good day to be the head of Utah’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Director Dennis Kellen was grilled by lawmakers on a legislative committee, like Senator John Valentine, over DABC losing $300,000 by shipping liquor to an Eden, Utah package agency that went bankrupt. The two had this exchange:

Legislative Coverage

Prison Relocation Advisory Commission Tweaked

July 20, 2011 Jessica Gail

In March, the Utah legislature approved the creation of an advisory commission to study proposals to relocate the Utah State Prison away from Draper. But during a special session today, House Majority Whip Greg Hughes, the Representative who sponsored the bill, was back before his colleagues to change how that will work.

Education

Legislature to Scrutinize Public Employee Collective Bargaining

July 19, 2011 Jeff Robinson

Republican State Senator Howard Stephenson is having a legislative committee look at eliminating collective bargaining for public employees like teachers, following what was passed in Wisconsin and considered in other states. Stephenson says he just wants to learn the facts and study whether it’s the right thing to do.

Legislative Coverage

Report Says State Didn’t Lose Money Closing Main Street Liquor Store

July 19, 2011 Whittney Evans

A report introduced to state lawmakers Tuesday shows closing the Main Street liquor store in Salt Lake City did not cost the state money. Fiscal analysts told the Executive Appropriations Committee consumers have transferred their shopping to the Sugar House and Avenues liquor stores. Senate President Michael Waddoups says this goes against projections that the state was going to lose $100,000 to $130,000 annually by closing the Main Street store. In fact, he says it increased revenue by $47,000 from April through June.

Healthcare

State Pleas for Approval of Medicaid Reform Waiver

July 19, 2011 Whittney Evans

Governor Gary Herbert and state lawmakers made one more plea to the federal government today to grant Utah a federal waiver for reforming Medicaid. The request was submitted to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on July 1st. But as KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, one stakeholder who had input in crafting the waiver proposal says it’s not ready for the federal stamp of approval.

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Legislative Coverage

New Dem Party Chair Aims to Bring in LDS Support

July 17, 2011 Jessica Gail

Utah Democrats have a new party chairman. Saturday, Jim Dabakis was chosen by delegates at the Democratic state convention, held at the Hilton in downtown Salt Lake City. Dabakis, who co-founded the Utah Pride Center and Equality Utah, is now the first openly gay leader of a statewide political party in Utah, and says he hopes to be more welcoming to LDS Utahns.

Education

Report Details Significant Drop in State’s Education Funding Effort

June 29, 2011 Jeff Robinson

It’s already widely known that Utah spends the least amount of money per student in K-12 public education. But a new report from the Utah Foundation says on top of that, the effort put into public education funding has declined significantly since 1995. KCPW’s Jeff Robinson spoke with Steve Kroes, President of the Utah Foundation, about the report’s findings.

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Legislative Coverage

GRAMA Working Group Has Final Meeting

June 22, 2011 Jessica Gail

After three months and hundreds of hours spent thinking about how to make Utah’s open records law better for everyone, the GRAMA working group wrapped up its final meeting today at the State Capitol. The group did not create a new Government Records Access and Management Act bill, but created several proposals that will now be passed on to the Governor.

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Education

ACT Test Could Soon be High School Requirement in Utah

June 15, 2011 Jessica Gail

The Utah Board of Education and the Legislature are working on a bill aimed at making it possible for more Utah students to go to college. Their latest ideas presented this morning Wednesday during an interim session meeting would change what tests are given to students, including making it mandatory for every Utah student to take the ACT. KCPW’s Jessica Gail explains what’s behind the new measures and how soon they could be put into place.

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