Greetings from the Capitol,

We have arrived at the final 4 days of the 2012 annual session! These last 4 days are our “marathon days” because the Legislature has floor debate from 8:00 am until as late as needed each evening (often around 10:00 pm). On the final night we will adjourn at midnight and recess until the start of the 2013 annual session (or a veto override session or special session if one is called by the Governor).

This coming week we will debate the “bill of bills” the term we have affectionately given the final budget bill of the year. The bill of bills contains the last remaining budgetary items that have won funding and have been finalized in the very last Executive Appropriation Committee meeting. It might sound odd to think we have completed a $13 billion budget in 45-days, but we could only do so with the help of our amazing staff from the offices of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst and Legislative Research and General Counsel. They are the drafting attorneys and financial whizzes that help us pull everything together in time. These individuals work throughout the year to get us ready for the session and then pull some very long hours during the session to make sure budget briefs and bills are ready for debate. Deseret News Story about our staff

Some of the funding items you are likely to see in the bill of bills will be additional funding for Public Education, which we were able to include because our revenue estimates have grown from what was originally projected at about $280 million to now about $422 million. Here is a preliminary list of new spending items for Public Education:
$41 million for enrollment growth for the 12,500 new students that start school next year,
$5 million for teacher supplies,
$7 million for computer adaptive testing, Read my Davis County Clipper article about Adaptive Testing
$5 million for small, rural schools,
Nearly $22 million in per pupil spending increases,
$5 million for online testing,
$2.5 million for charter schools,
Over $1 million for special education students,
$5 million for school buildings
In addition to the budget, we will be finishing work on a number of bills that still need to be debated. To date the Legislature has passed 243 bills, 20 of which have been signed into law by the Governor. Below are some of the bills that saw legislative action this week that I thought you mind find interesting. Please feel free to contact me with any comments or questions on bills during the session. I always enjoy feedback from constituents and find it very helpful when gauging how to vote on the important issues that come before us.

Sincerely,

Representative Brad Wilson

My Legislation Update

I am sponsoring a number of bills this session. Of interest this week:

HB155 Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients
This bill passed the House with bi-partisan support. It requires all applicants for the State of Utah’s Family Employment Program take a screening exam and possibly a drug test to ensure they do not have drug dependency issues. To watch my floor presentation, click here. Salt Lake Tribune article

HB223 Retention of Evidence Amendments
Currently there is no standard directing law enforcement across the state how long they need to retain evidence related to child sexual abuse cases. I am proposing agencies must keep video recording of victims for 18 years. This bill has passed the House and is being considered in the Senate.

Other Bills
HB 272 Insurance Coverage for Autism Spectrum Disorders:
Autism is a growing problem in Utah. 1 in 77 children in Utah are affected with the disorder affecting boys more than girls. The rate in Utah is higher than the national average, which is about 1 in 110 children. Though there is no known cause or cure, intensive therapy has been shown to greatly improve the lives of children with autism and their chances of being able to attend school and be productive members of society. This bill creates a pilot program that is jointly funded by the State, private insurance companies and other private donors. The intensive therapy treatments would focus on affected children between the ages of 1-6 years old. The program would be reviewed in 2 years to gauge the results of the program and to consider renewal or expansion.

HB 272 Insurance Coverage for Autism Spectrum Disorders:
Autism is a growing problem in Utah. 1 in 77 children in Utah are affected with the disorder affecting boys more than girls. The rate in Utah is higher than the national average, which is about 1 in 110 children. Though there is no known cause or cure, but intensive therapy has been shown to greatly improve the lives of children with autism and their chances of being able to attend school and be productive members of society. This bill would create a pilot program that is jointly funded by the State, private insurance companies and other private donors. The intensive therapy treatments would focus on affected children between the ages of 1-6 years old. The program would be reviewed in 2 years to gauge the results of the program and to consider renewal or expansion.

HB 298 Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Amendments:
This bill represents a compromise that would reduce the number of required safety inspections on cars less than 12 years old in exchange for adding more Highway Patrol trooper to Utah roads. Under the bill, vehicles would need a safety inspection in the 4th, 8th, 10th, and 12th years. After that, safety inspections would be required every year. This compromise was reached in part because data has shown that the cause of fatal car accidents very rarely involved equipment problems. Most accidents come from speeding, inattentive drivers or impaired drivers. Since driver error rather than equipment error is to blame, it seems a better use of resources for more troopers to be watching on the highways. This bill will allow for 7 troopers to be moved from the inspection division to road patrol duties.

Alcoholic Beverage Amendments:
Legislative audits last fall revealed mismanagement and possible criminal malfeasance within the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (DABC). Together these bills would make changes to the management and operations of the DABC. The bills would expand the number of commissioners, provide for internal auditors, and for Senate approval of commissioners appointed by the Governor. The bills would also move the management of money from alcohol sales and alcohol mark-ups to the State Tax Commission in order to provide for better account checks and balances of these critical funds. The Department of Public Safety is also charged under these bills with collecting data about alcohol abuse, underage drinking, DUI rates, over-serving, and over-consumption. Currently, the data used is either outdated or based on historical precedent. This information would allow for more correct and appropriate policy creation in the future.

Precinct Maps / March 15th Caucus
Here is a link that will take you to the County website and the new Precinct maps. If you would be willing or interested in getting elected as a delegate in support of my re-election, please contact me.

As we complete Week 4 of the Legislative Session, the final pieces of the budget are starting to fall into place. The Appropriations Subcommittees finished their work last Friday. Now the Executive Appropriations Committee (EAC) will begin the work of listening to the reports of all the Subcommittee Chairs and comparing the funding requests from each committee. Ultimately the recommendations from the EAC will be put into what we affectionately call the “bill of bills” which contains all the budget appropriations not already included in the base budget.

On Tuesday, February 21st the Legislature will receive the final budget projections, which will guide the EAC’s final budget recommendations by letting us know how much money the State will have to spend in the next budget year. We hope that the pervious projection of $400 million in revenue growth will hold solid. In addition, the Utah County I-15 reconstruction project is about $200 million under budget and the federal mortgage settlement will yield another $23 million in one-time budget surpluses.

Thus far the legislature has passed 118 bills, some related to base budgets and others on a host of public policy issues. The Governor has signed 15 of the bills into law. We still have several hundred bills still to consider in the remaining 3 weeks of the session. Below are some of the bills that saw legislative action this week that I thought you mind find interesting. Please feel free to contact me with any comments or questions on bills during the session. I always enjoy feedback from constituents and find it very helpful when gauging how to vote on the important issues that come before us.

Sincerely,

Representative Brad Wilson

HB 272 Pilot Program for Coverage for Autism Spectrum Disorders:
It is estimated that 1 in 77 Utah children has an Autism Spectrum disorder. This bill would create a pilot program that would help families pay for behavioral treatment for eligible 2-6-year olds. Studies has shown that intense therapy for children with autism in this age group can have a significant impact on the child ability to lead a normal life. Funding for the program would come from three different places. State employees who are covered by the public employee health program would be eligible. Medicaid would be a second source of funding for families that qualify. Finally, a third source of funding would be an Autism Treatment Account that was set up during the 2010 legislative session.

SB 128 Wireless Telephone Use Restrictions for Minors in Vehicles:
We know that teenage drivers are particularly susceptible to distractions while driving. The advent of cell phones and texting in particular hasn’t helped the teenage distracted driving problem. This bill would make teens caught making calls or texting while driving subject to a $50 fine. The legislation does allow for teens to make calls to emergency personnel or to their parent or guardian.

HB306 Disposal of Unused Prescription Drugs:
Recent studies have revealed that leftover prescription drugs in our homes facilitate the majority of prescription drug abuse. Pain medications left over from a wisdom tooth extraction or a back injury can be left forgotten in a medicine cabinet until discovered and stolen by someone with an addiction. We all know that it isn’t safe to dispose of left over prescription drugs by flushing them down the toilet, but how is one to safely dispose of these unused drugs? This bill created a method whereby pharmacies can take back the prescriptions and ensure they are properly destroyed.

Contact Me
Capitol Tours/Visits
If you are interested in a youth group tour of the Capitol during the session, please contact my intern, Blake Barcus, at bbarcus@le.utah.gov. As always, I welcome your comments, feedback and suggestions. I can be reached at: