View Real Video - Click On Desired Bandwidth
Richard Piatt reports
March 7, 2002--
They took it down to the last minute, but Utah lawmakers were able to get everything wrapped up before the stroke of midnight.
In all, legislators passed about 400 bills.
Our Government Specialist Richard Piatt was there among the mayhem.
Every year, lawmakers predict they'll be done well before midnight, but then it never works out.
But there are a lot of people who think it's ok, saying these final hours are among the most productive of the session.
It took all night for the Legislature to get to this point, and a lot was done along the way.
Among the final floor debates in the House: A bill that could have imposed financial consequences on Universities who are ignoring Utah's concealed weapons law.
Rep. Afton Bradshaw/(R) Salt Lake City: "SOMEHOW THIS BILL HAS A HINT OF REVENGE."
Rep. Patrice Arent/House Minority Whip: "THIS BILL DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE FROM A POLICY POINT OF VIEW."
Rep. Matt Throckmorton/(R) Springville: "THERE HAVE TO BE CONSEQUENCES WHEN STATE AGENCIES FAIL TO FOLLOW LAW. ANYTHING ELSE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE."
The measure failed by a narrow margin.
But there were others which passed by a clear majority.
Bills Approved After 10 p.m.
- Racial Profiling
- Ethics: "Bundling" Gifts
- DNA Testing For Felons
|
They include a bill to study whether police are practicing racial profiling during traffic stops.
An ethics bill that would stop the practice of 'bundling' gifts from lobbyists to legislators.
And a bill that would force all serious felons to submit to DNA testing.
Earlier in the day, a bill to allow the state to sue Legacy Highway opponents for the cost of construction delays passed the House and Senate.
This week bills that would require secure locations to provide lockers for gun owners passed.
So did an 18-cent tax hike for a pack of cigarettes.
Tougher DUI laws passed, as did a bill that does away with an anti-nudity law.
Bills Not Passed
- Tuition Tax Credits
- Hate Crimes
- Redistricting Commission
|
Bills that did NOT pass this year include a proposal to provide tuition tax credits to families who pay private school tuition.
The Hate crimes bill failed in committee, as did a bill proposing to establish a redistricting commission.
Lawmakers dug the state out of a serious budget deficit, but cut a lot in the process.
State and Medicaid programs will not get as much money---neither will education.
Overall, lawmakers seemed pleased the session ended as it did.
Sen. Al Mansell/(R) Senate President: "PERSONALLY, I THINK THIS HAS WORKED OUT PRETTY WELL. IT HASN'T BEEN EASY."
From The Associated Press
The 2002 Utah Legislature wrapped its general session at the stroke of midnight Thursday morning, ending a tough time of budget balancing as lawmakers pulled the state out of its deepest financial hole in 20 years.
In the waning hours of the session _ which by state Constitution had to complete its business at 12 a.m. _ the lawmakers also closed a loophole that allowed lobbyists to give gifts to legislators without having to publicly disclose the present.
The end of gift "bundling," which allowed lobbyists to split the cost of a present to get around the $50 disclosure limit, was approved with just minutes left.
The lawmakers also pushed the deadline to defeat a bill that would have allowed the Legislature to halve the University of Utah's administrative budget if it continued to ban guns on campus.
That House 35-38 vote came during the last hour on the last day of the 2002 Utah Legislature's general session.
"For the most part, I thought the session went quite well," said Gov. Mike Leavitt during his post-session news conference. He refused to say what measures he would veto, but did say he would probably ax a couple.
Leavitt has 20 days to decide whether to use his veto power.
While the budget was a done deal by Wednesday, it was the key issue of the session.
Leavitt said the budgeting was one of the toughest of his career, with the state experiencing increasing needs and decreasing money.
Faced with financial whiplash from a suddenly slowing economy, lawmakers had to scramble to slash about $250 million in planned spending in this year's budget and about $50 million from the $7.8 billion 2003 budget.
This all had to be done in a session shortened by a third and split in two by the Winter Olympics.
Years of fat budgets and pet projects faded into the past. Instead, lawmakers battled to save funding for programs such as Meals on Wheels and health insurance for poor children.
Constitutionally bound to balance the budget, the cutting quickly turned bloody.
The cuts left college campuses in the lurch. Rep. Afton Bradshaw, R-Salt Lake City, predicted tuition increases, fewer classes and students taking longer to graduate. She said she also worried that the faculty would be lured to better paying schools out of state.
For this year, higher education saw its state aid cut by $19.8 million.
For the spending year that begins July 1, the budget faces a $10 million cut. However, almost $1 million in specific higher education programs in next year's budget were funded in a late effort Wednesday.
The cuts come at a time of enrollment growth, and that was basically ignored, she said.
"Students didn't do well," said Patrice Arent, D-Salt Lake City.
In public education, lawmakers patted themselves on the backs for limiting the damage.
Although Utah has the lowest spending per student in the nation, education funding had been steadily gaining ground until the budget crunch.
This year, the money just wasn't there.
In the 2003 budget, education took a 1.3 percent hit as compared to 2002 funding. Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, said although nearly half the state budget goes to public education, it only shouldered 10 percent of the cuts.
The Utah Education Association president said it all could have been much worse. "We have to get back to where we were as soon as possible and move ahead," said Phyllis Sorenson.
The lawmakers also approved 346 bills by 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, including:
_A bill allowing the state to study whether police are racially profiling during traffic stops. The law would ask those who apply for drivers licenses or state identification cards to disclose their race on their applications.
_A bill allowing the state to sue environmentalists for financial losses caused by a court-ordered stop to Legacy Highway construction. The state has been paying $100,000 a day to a state contractor since the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the project stopped on Nov. 16 while it considers a lawsuit brought against the state.
_A bill giving the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge $15 million to improve wildlife habitat and develop trails.
_A bill requiring all adult felons and juveniles considered "serious youth offenders" to submit to DNA testing. Under existing law, the state collects DNA only from people convicted of homicide or sex-related crimes.
_A bill rolling back an anti-nudity law. It would once again be legal, for instance, for a child to see Michelangelo's "David" or Rodin's "The Kiss." The law banning any public nudity that might be viewed by minors was rewritten to exempt displays that have artistic or other serious value.
_A bill providing that homicide charges may be brought for killing a fetus during any stage of its development.
_A bill approving an 18-cent price increase on a pack of cigarettes, upping the current 51.5-cents-per-pack tax. The bill would net $1.8 million in 2002 and $12 million in 2003.
_A bill warning computer users about sexually explicit e-mail spam. It would require the unsolicited e-mails to include "ADV: Adult" in the subject line. The sender must also provide an easy way for the e-mail recipient to have the messages stopped.
_A bill removing the two-hour deadline for getting blood and breath alcohol tests in cases of drunken diving, flying and boating.
_A bill adding driving under the influence of drugs or a combination of drugs and alcohol to those cases that can be considered prior offenses. It would also make any DUI case in which charges are reduced to be counted among prior offenses.
_A bill allowing the children of undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition at Utah colleges and universities.
(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
