| Interim Meetings on Tuesday, Special Session on Wednesday Interim meetingsAll legislators are assigned to serve on at least three interim committees in between sessions: one appropriations committee and two interim committees. This year, I will be serving on the same committees during interim that I served on during the session–Social Services Appropriations Committee and the Health and Human Services and Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice interim committees! Here are some of the topics we will be studying.Health and Human Services:Substance abuse and mental healthHealthcare reformTransgender issuesThe merger of the Department of Health and the Department of Human ServicesLaw Enforcement and Criminal Justice:Mental health and public safety Privacy and criminal justice Driving under the influence Recruitment and retention among law enforcement agenciesLaw enforcement training and policiesBail reform To watch or comment in a committee meeting, go to le.utah.gov and click on the Resources tab in the lower-left corner. Under Quick Links, click on Upcoming Committee Agendas to listen or watch a meeting, and click on How to participate in a virtual meeting if you want to make a public comment. You can also see the agenda and get links to watch or participate by going to le.utah.gov, clicking on Committees on the top of the page, then on Interim (or Appropriations, if you are interested in an appropriations committee). It will take you to that committee’s page where you will find a plethora of information. 🙂 |
| Special SessionGovernor Cox has called a special session of the legislature to be held this Wednesday. A special session is needed to pass a budget for the ARPA funds from the federal government. Because the Governor called the session, he determines what will be on the agenda. If the legislature called it, legislative leadership would decide the agenda. Only critical issues that cannot wait for a general session should be presented in a special session. This is important because the process is very abbreviated in a special session. Here is a flow chart of how the process is supposed to be. |
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| In the general session, there are opportunities for input from all stakeholders at each stage and the chance to modify the language of the bill. For a bill presented in a special session, the process is still mostly there, but it is crunched into a day or two with little time for input and discussion. Critical Race TheoryI have received many emails, texts, and phone calls for and against a proposed ban on teaching Critical Race Theory (CRT) in public schools and universities. This discussion was not put on the agenda by the Governor. I don’t want to make this too long, so here is a brief overview of my thoughts. I am an advocate for our legislative process. We have this long law-making process in place for a reason. It provides checks and balances and gives us time to make thoughtful decisions, adjust language, and understand the ramifications of any bill being passed. The issues surrounding Critical Race Theory are too important to zip through in a special session without all sides being heard. The Utah Constitution states plainly, “The general control and supervision of the public education system shall be vested in a State Board of Education.” You, the constituents, vote for your local and state school board representatives. I trust your judgment when picking these individuals, and I trust these elected officials to make sound decisions regarding schools and curriculum. As a Republican, two of my core principles are that I support local control whenever possible and support the Constitution. The State School Board has been actively engaged in creating rules regarding the teaching of CRT in our public schools. This rule will likely be released some time this summer. You can find out more about this process and contact your state school board representative here. I appreciate the thought, experience, time, and research that the State Board has put into creating rules to govern the teaching of CRT and look forward to reviewing them. The legislature still has the option of taking this issue on in the General Session. I appreciate this thoughtful analysis of the ban of teaching critical race theory by the Sutherland Institute. |
| And to end on a happy note…Vehicle Registration Postcards Have Returned!At the beginning of this year, the Legislature passed HB 170 to bring back DMV registration renewal postcard reminders. This provides vehicle owners with the option to receive a postcard through the mail to inform them of their vehicle’s expired registration. The DMV will begin sending out renewal postcards for vehicles expiring in May. Please note, only currently registered cars will receive a postcard as the DMV does not maintain a record of expired vehicles. Thank you for all you do to make our community a great place to live. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know. I appreciate the opportunity to serve you! |