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No Comments [ Add Comment ]Three days & counting
By LORETTA PARK and JEFF DEMOSSLegislators work together to finish on high note
SALT LAKE CITY -- Legislators have three days left to balance the budget, allocate money to programs and create or change laws.
With a budget surplus $340 million lighter than initially expected, many programs are getting reduced funding, and some requests will not be funded at all.
"I promise everything will work out," said Rep. Brad Dee, R-Washington Terrace. "The budget will balance without a tax increase. We will have some tax cuts and still be able to fund most of the demanding needs of our state."
Those needs include education, transportation, health care, corrections and economic development, among others.
Legislators last week agreed to a $500 million budget of new money for public education, state buildings and corrections.
Transportation did not get any new funding, but lawmakers agreed to allow Davis, Utah and Washington counties to raise the sales tax by one-tenth of 1 percent for road projects.
"This is an especially critical time for our highway needs," said Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse.
Health care has been discussed at length, and while legislators have agreed on $18 million in tax credits for people who buy their own insurance, many smaller health programs are falling by the wayside, said Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, co-chairman of the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee.
"I got only a quarter of my priorities funded," he said. "That hurts, because so many of them deserve the dollars, but the money just isn't there."
Where to put the remaining money is often decided by the most powerful legislators, which can be frustrating, Christensen said.
"It gets weighted a little differently when you have the power behind you to push your items along," he said.
Some issues, although heavily debated over the session, may not get resolved by midnight Wednesday, when the session must end.
One such issue is property taxes.
Utah property owners turned out to meetings and called local and state leaders to complain about huge increases in property taxes this past year.
"Unfortunately, many of the bills are not getting much traction," said Rep. Paul Neuenschwander, R-Bountiful.
Rep. Gage Froerer, R-Huntsville, is one of those carrying several property tax bills.
He said the property tax issue will likely head toward an interim study, and more bills could be filed next session.
Making major changes in any state policy or changing the state's constitution generally does not happen in one session, Froerer said.
"I had really hoped we could make some major changes this session," he said.
If voters do not see anything happening during the summer, some senators and representatives may feel the voters' wrath come November, Froerer said.
"In certain parts of our state, this is the No. 1 issue, and voters will be looking at representatives and senators who did not take a serious look at this issue."
He said he understands why legislators want to be cautious about making changes because "you don't want to create a major change and then have to come back and modify it or change it again."
Immigration, perhaps the most visible issue in the Capitol this year, is another that could come down to the last rap of the gavel.
"Constituents have made it crystal clear that they want something done with immigration," said Sen. Jon Greiner, R-Ogden. "You can tell by the number of bills that have been filed on either side."
But the final outcome may not address issues Utahns want, said one representative.
"We are going to pick around the edges," said Rep. Kerry Gibson, R-West Weber. "We truly don't have the ability to solve the problem. This is a national problem, not a state problem."
Public education is getting funded, but not the way legislators and the governor hoped.
Legislators are hoping that teachers will receive a $1,700 across-the-board raise and that education in general will receive a 2.7 percent increase in the weighted pupil unit, the amount of money per student given to school districts.
Leaders are still negotiating with Gov. Jon Huntsman, who wants to add a one-time bonus of 1 percent to the WPU.
Special-education teachers could also see an increase. The priority list includes nearly$3 million for that purpose.
Rep. Ronda Rudd Menlove, R-Garland, and several others fought to get funding to attract and retain special-education teachers.
"I'm hoping the Legislature will fund this most critical shortage area," she said.
She also expects that constituents will pressure legislators into adding more funding to education before the session's final hours.
Math and science teachers saw a decrease in differential pay from an original proposal of $8.9 million to $7 million.
While this year's budget isn't as robust as last year's, legislative leaders say they are on pace to finish their business sooner this year.
"I want to finish by dinnertime on Wednesday," said Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem. "We are where we need to be."
Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, said the work of interim committees before the session has helped the process move more smoothly this year.
"We put a lot of bills up on the board during the first week," he said. "The interim work is really paying off because people understand the issues better and have had the chance to read more bills in advance."
Greiner said a greater spirit of compromise has allowed more issues to be addressed in a timely manner and should help tie up loose ends.
The debate over animal cruelty was a model of compromise, Christensen said.
Weeks of debate produced legislation that allowed a first-offense felony for animal torture, something Christensen has adamantly opposed.
"The people speaking against me in the Senate are giving my speech from a year ago, that this is just wrong," he said. "I'm still of that opinion, but I had to give on my position, and I think we've got something we can live with now."
As for the last three days, Christensen said, the most important thing is to maintain focus and not rush things through. The hectic final hours of last year allowed legislation to get through that has resulted in the Powder Mountain Town incorporation battle, he said.
"Nobody caught it. I did not realize the unintended consequences, and they were big. Hopefully, we don't make mistakes like we did on a couple last year.
"It's a crazy process, but it's the best anybody has been able to come up with, and I love it."
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