Utah legislators conducted a lot of business in 45 days this session. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of lawmakers. It's a tough job that comes with few plaudits and a lot of criticism. Also, the pay's not too great, although most of us would love to have the benefits they enjoy.
Here's a report card we're giving the Legislature on various issues:
* Budget, A-: Legislators faced a tough task in trying to fit services into a recessionary budget. Overall, they did a good job. The rainy day fund was touched, but not raided. The tobacco tax, way below the national state average, was raised an appropriate $1 a pack. Public education took a slight hit, but it could have been worse. Other budgets were trimmed, buildings were favored over road projects and most human services, such as health care for low-income pregnant women, were retained. We wish legislators would have tinkered with the state liquor licenses. A more liberal policy that allowed more establishments would provide jobs, tourists and tax revenue.
* Pension reform, A-: The $6.5 billion hit the recession took to the public employees fund required decisive, long overdue action to gradually switch public employees from defined benefit plans to defined contribution plans and make employees more responsible for their retirement. That's a painful switch -- and lawmakers heard from displeased public employees -- but it's a necessary move that most of the private sector adjusted to long ago. Also, double-dipping, a long unfair practice, was finally ended.
* Human services, B: We were impressed by legislators' efforts to maintain human services in light of the bleak financial picture. There are still areas for improvement. Had legislators ended a tax break or two, there would have been money left over to spend on eye and dental care for the poor.
* Health insurance, B-: We're pleased lawmakers have demanded more accountability on Medicaid funding. Legislators also made progress on health insurance reform designed to try to lower the cost of private insurance on the state health insurance exchange. However, we doubt that without either strong incentives to get more insured or a flat out mandate, Utah's number of uninsured will stay high.
* Education, C: As mentioned, lawmakers trimmed very lightly from public schools, although universities and colleges took a harder hit. However, higher education will see more building construction. Lawmakers said no to bad ideas to trim school bus services and eliminate 12th grade. On the minus side, legislators rejected an opportunity to provide more informative sex education to students and there are 11,000 public school students who are not funded. That means more crowded classes. And anything that gives teachers more money must involve a pay for performance system. Mediocre teachers need to be moved out of the system.
* Ethics, D: Legislators achieved more ethics reform than they ever had, but for the most part they were cosmetic changes designed to deflect ongoing citizens' initiatives to enact tougher reform. The legislative changes include a $10 limit, with some exceptions, on gifts, a long-needed ban on personal use of campaign cash, and a mostly independent ethics commission with rules slanted toward legislators. We wish legislators would approve of a total ban on gifts, campaign cash limits and an independent ethics commission with teeth. Legislators also are trying to short-circuit the citizens' intitiatives with the petty passage of a bill designed to make it easier for people who have signed the petitions to immediately have their names taken off prior to the April 15 deadline for signatures.
* Access to public land, D: We were disappointed that legislators rejected the wisdom of the Utah Supreme Court and allowed private landowners to deny anglers and other recreationists access to streams. Public water belongs to all of us. If someone abuses that privilege, then they should pay the price. But the streams belong to Utahns. We pay for that right.
* Message bills, F: There were a whole bunch of risible states rights and similar message bills that cluttered the Legislature and wasted time. Besides possibly getting the bill's sponsors face time on Glenn Beck's or Alex Jones' radio shows, we doubt they will accomplish much other than perhaps keep our state lawyers busy at taxpayers' expense. A few of the sillier ones -- and the competition is keen -- involved making Utah firearms exempt from federal laws, a resolution to the Environmental Protection Agency that blasts global warming, a bill that makes an illegal abortion a homicide, and an anti-17th Amendment effort to grade Utah's U.S. senators on some right-wing "red-meat" issues.
* Overall Grade, Incomplete: The 2010 Legislature may have accomplished a great deal but, sadly, it will be remembered for the scandals that bookended its 45-day session. Both the Senate and the House majority leaders were forced to resign. On the eve of the session, Sen. Sheldon Killpack quit after being arrested for drunken driving with a lobbyist in his car. Days after the session ended, Rep. Kevin Garn was forced out after he admitted to paying a woman $150,000 to keep quiet after they'd spent time together nude in hot tube when she was 15 and he was 30. These were not just personal tragedies. In the months ahead, leadership must work hard to repair its reputation with Utahns of both political parties. Our continued confidence in state government demands it.
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