February 12, 2021 Newsletter - Week 4 (of 7)
A rainy day at the Capitol.
Newsletter
Vol. 5 No. 3
General Session – Week 4
JOIN ME FOR A ZOOM TOWN HALL - Saturday, February 20, 2021 (11am-Noon) Send an email to cacton@le.utah.gov with the word “Zoom” in the subject line, and I will reply with the Zoom link for your computer or phone.
Whew! Things are picking up speed on Capitol Hill.
I hope you’re enjoying Black History Month! I’ve been learning more about American hero James Armistead, a slave who infiltrated the highest echelon of the British military during the Revolution as a spy for LaFayette and George Washington. British General Cornwallis trusted Armistead with critical information, which Washington used to gain victory at Yorktown. James Armistead should be a household name!
Thank you for your interest in what’s happening at the Capitol. I watch the evening news, but everything is abbreviated in a broadcast, and even in most newspaper stories. Be sure to let me know your thoughts on pending legislation by email or text.
Here are some things that happened during week 4 in addition to nine hours on the floor
and several caucus meetings:
Saturday 2/6 –
District 43 TOWN HALL – I hosted a virtual town hall for the voters in District 43, and it was really interesting! I had two constituents with vastly different views who nonetheless remained civil as we discussed issues we all cared about from different perspectives. It was a little bit reminiscent of “Point-Counterpoint” at times, but much more civil than your average cable news panel discussion. [Our third and final official General Session Town Hall will be Sat., Feb. 20th 11am-Noon. Send me an email with “Zoom” in the subject line, and I will reply with your Zoom invitation.]
Monday 2/8 –
We met as chairs of our appropriations subcommittee to hammer out a final priority list to present to the group on Wednesday, then we met with several sheriffs and Department of Corrections officials to discuss the jail contracting rate that the state pays to county jails to house state inmates. (About ¼ of all state inmates are housed in county jails for various reasons, including the limited capacity of the prison.) Jails are happy to help out, but they need to be fairly compensated.
Martha Hughes Cannon Caucus – Once each General Session, the female legislators of both parties meet for a quick lunch to get to know one another better. That was especially important this year with so many new legislators and the plexiglass walls that were erected between us obstructing our views of one another. The caucus is named after the first female elected official in the United States, Martha Hughes Cannon, who served as a Utah state senator before most women in the United States had the vote. She was also a doctor and a sanitation expert. She ran against her husband for the seat, and won.
Health and Human Services Committee – We passed some good bills in this committee on Monday, including HB248 Mental Health for First Responders (Kwan) – Did you know that more police and fire responders die of suicide than in the line of duty? This is due, in part, to the inherent stresses of their job. We heard some very touching, even unforgettable stories during public comment on this bill.
I also presented my bill, HB219 Inmate Phone Provider Amendments, which would require county jails to have their phone contracts approved by the Utah Public Services Commission. County jail phone rates range widely and make it difficult for inmate families to maintain communication with their loved ones, while rates at the state prison are capped by the FCC. The bill received unanimous approval from the committee and is headed to the floor of the House.
Tuesday 2/9 –
Early morning meeting with Salt Lake County legislators to discuss HB244 First Class County Highway Road Funds Amendments (Dunnigan) This bill would have each municipality in the county receive its share of the transportation tax that only residents of Salt Lake County pay. The cities would still be required to use the money for transportation, but they could bond against the funds to leverage for larger projects. It’s a brilliant idea from Rep. Jim Dunnigan and Sen. Wayne Harper. This money is separate from UDOT funds.
Judiciary Committee – We passed out some interesting and important bills, including HB73 Drug Testing Amendments (Watkins), which says that an individual who is receiving services from DCFS may only be tested for drugs using a blood, saliva, or urine test, not a hair follicle test. The reason? We now know that dark hair (the hair color of most minorities) skews the results unfairly, while blood, saliva, and urine tests do not.
Presented resolutions in the Transportation Committee to add UDOT to the Jordan River Commission (HCR10 was unanimously approved) and in the Natural Resources Committee(HCR09) to begin exploring a future statewide anti-littering campaign.
Wednesday 2/10 –
EOCJ Final Priorities Meeting – After hearing from every government entity our committee funds to learn what their needs are for FY2022, we get together as a committee and line those priorities up. These are requests we have vetted. My highest priority item was funding the pay plan for corrections officers, who work a lot of mandatory overtime and are not paid as well as they should be. They need a higher wage to be able to recruit and retain officers. We also funded the Westwater Project for Navajos who live near Blanding. The state has found some benefactors who will match our funds to deliver water and electricity to that community. (Incredibly, there are places in Utah that do not have running water and electricity!)
Thursday 2/11 –
I met with three officials from the Department of Health who needed clarification on a bill I’m working on and another legislator’s bill that was passed last year. I also met with two people who work at the Utah Health Policy Project, or UHPP. They are concerned about Governor Cox’s proposed merger of UDOH and HHS, and they’re especially concerned about Medicaid being housed under the Department of Workforce Services, because a non-health agency is supervising a health program, which seems problematic to them. UHPP helps people access health insurance.
During floor time, we welcomed back Rep. Kay Christofferson, who just returned from battling the virus at home and in the ICU. One more of our colleagues, Rep. Jon Hawkins, remains in ICU. We hope for his return before the end of session.
Health and Human Services Committee – Among other bills, we passed SB97 Charitable Rx Recycling Amendments (Vickers), which makes it possible for certain unopened, sealed medications to be distributed to people in need who have those medications prescribed to them.
Friday 2/12 –
Judiciary Committee – Among other bills, we passed HB38 School Technology Amendments(Seegmiller), which requires the database provider used in public schools in Utah to be free of obscene or pornographic material. We heard several stories of young children being exposed to explicit images on the school computer due to the database provider’s non-compliance. Future non-compliance will be considered “breach of contract.” Even the best filtering software cannot prevent access to porn in a database that includes porn.
Today I also met with an aviation insurance expert, two representatives of the Utah Reproductive Policy Coalition (URPC), and some sheriffs.
Until next week…
Cheryl