Transportation funding doesn’t always tend to be a political issue that gets people riled up. But that’s exactly the conflict between Governor Gary Herbert and the Utah Legislature, which will meet in a special session next Friday to override his veto of SB 229. The legislation sets aside a portion of future sales tax growth for transportation projects.
In a special session next Friday, lawmakers will be back at the State Capitol to override Governor Gary Herbert’s veto of a bill allocating an estimated $60 million in sales tax revenue for road construction. Senate President Michael Waddoups says he has personally met with the Governor for many, many hours trying to come up with a compromise, but to no avail.
There’s no question that interest in public records is on the rise in Utah, with state lawmakers drawing swift and sharp criticism earlier this year for attempting to make them more difficult to access. Since 2007, one local website has made public data, and especially public salaries, much easier to access: UtahsRight.com.
While Utah leaders frequently emphasize the importance of fossil fuels to the state’s economy, a new study by a nonpartisan research group finds mining jobs account for only one percent of total employment in the state. That’s the lowest of the five western states that were examined in the report, which also looked at Wyoming, Montana, Colorado and New Mexico.
With Utah experiencing the fourth-highest foreclosure rate in the nation, according to the latest report from RealtyTrac, a state lawmaker from Salt Lake City is looking for solutions. Earlier this year, Democratic Senator Ben McAdams opened a bill to implement a foreclosure mediation program in Utah.
While state officials pride themselves on making Utah a bustling place for private enterprise, it’s a different story when it comes to alcohol sales, with the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control directly operating more than 40 liquor and wine stores. But one lawmaker is hoping to change that. Republican Representative Ryan Wilcox of Ogden is introducing a bill to privatize those stores.
It happens every ten years in Utah and across the nation, and now the time has arrived once again for redistricting, the process of re-drawing the state’s boundaries for the Utah Legislature and for congress to reflect the changes in population. But it’s hardly an easy or fun process, and invites a lot of scrutiny from voters and local communities.
While most Utahns will likely remember open records or immigration as the key issues of this year’s session of the Utah legislature, a Medicaid reform bill passed by Utah lawmakers will also have a lasting impact. Republican Senator Dan Liljenquist was the sponsor of SB 180, which passed the House and Senate with unanimous support.
The spotlight has been on government transparency and open records this whole month after the legislature rapidly passed HB 477. Now, some local government leaders are saying wherever the debate goes, they plan to let the sun shine in. We talked with Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon.
Ethics in the Utah Legislature became a major point of public conversation in 2008. Now, three years later, backer of an ethics initiative are still trying to get their proposal on the ballot. Utahns for Ethical Government announced a lawsuit this week against Lt. Governor Greg Bell. They claim he’s obstructing their initiative.
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