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Home > Archive > Mar 13, 2008

By Brad Last
We have just concluded week six. This means there are only three days left in the Legislative Session.  In week six, we hold our last standing committee meetings. After this point, we work exclusively on the floor, debating bills until midnight on the 45th day. There are lots of bills still on the board in both houses, and now it is a matter of prioritizing bills.
I want to update you on a bill I’m running this year, HB 201, Tax Credits for Solar Projects. This bill would allow municipal power companies to develop solar systems and sell “solar participation interests” to power users in the community. This will allow citizens to receive a state income tax credit for installing a solar system on their home, even though the solar panels are located in a larger solar project built, managed and maintained by the municipal power company. This bill has passed the House and is now awaiting debate on the Senate floor. I’m very excited about this bill and think it has a strong chance of passing the Senate.
This week the House and Senate have also come to an agreement on some budgetary items. I’m pleased to report that teachers will each be receiving a $1,700 raise, and the mechanism for providing all other education funding (known as the WPU or the Weighted Pupil Unit) will receive a 2.5 percent increase. Our teachers do a fabulous job and deserve this raise. I wish this raise was even higher; however, we have many programs to fund and finite resources. We’ve also funded the following programs for public education:
• $15.8 million to hire additional art teachers over several years.
• $15 million to help equalize property taxes for school construction across the state.
• $10 million for teacher supplies and materials.
• $6.9 million to extend the year for some math and science teachers as a way to increase pay and provide more instruction.
• $5 million for differentiated (higher) pay for high-level math and science teachers.
• $3.5 million for a pilot program to evaluate the effectiveness of software to help teach reading, math and science to preschool-age children in preparation for school.
• $2.9 million to extend the school year for special educators as a way to increase pay.
• $2 million for Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarships.
• $500,000 to better train teachers to work with children who are high-ability learners.
• $250,000 for financial and economic literacy education in schools.
• $100,000 to help high schools pay for International Baccalaureate programs
In the current economic climate, the Legislature is proceeding with caution. The economic slowdown that has impacted the rest of the country has hit Utah as well. Our projected revenue is down nearly $340 million from earlier estimates. Utah has a tradition of being a fiscally well-managed state. We hold an AAA bond rating. Multiple media outlets, including “Governing” magazine, “Financial World”, and “USA Today,” have all ranked Utah as one of the best fiscally managed states in the nation. Our state’s financial policy is not an accident of the legislative process, but rather something the Legislature diligently works at every session. Each year, we consider our revenue projections carefully. Our fiscal policy is really the heart of the legislative session, around which all other issues orbit.
Look to see the Legislature use the available funding in conservative ways this year. In our base budgets, we have fully funded all current departments and programs plus covered growth and inflation. It is unlikely we will grow on-going government programs at a time when revenue projections are declining. With the remaining funding after the base budgets, we will likely fund one-time projects that won’t require ongoing funding, and set aside another $100 million in a rainy-day fund for education.
I welcome any questions or comment from you, especially during the legislative session. I can be reached by email at blast@utah.gov or by phone at the Capitol (801) 538-1029. The Legislative Home Page, www.le.utah.gov, features links to proposed bills, live audio and visual feeds of legislative debate and committee meetings and contact information for all members of the Legislature. Check it out during the session to see what I’m up to in Salt Lake City.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your representative.

Rep. Last wrote this editorial during the first week of March.

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