Week 4 (of 7) Newsletter for 2022 General Session

WEEK 4 (of 7) General Session Review

Utah House of Representatives sent this bulletin at 02/14/2022 05:31 PM MST

LEGISLATIVE NEWSLETTER

DISTRICT 43

Representative Cheryl Acton

WEEK 4 (of 7) General Session Review

Thank you to those who attended my mid-session Town Hall on Saturday! It’s always great to meet the people of our district and discuss the issues you care about most.

Please join me for a TOUR OF THE CAPITOL followed by Q&A and refreshments in the majority caucus room on Monday, February 28 at 6pm. We will meet at the east entrance on the first floor and see something on every floor, with an emphasis on the legislative branch. Please bring your family and neighbors! It will be fun and informative!

Four weeks down, three to go before the end of the General Session. The adrenaline rush is real!

During week 4, we finished prioritizing our appropriations requests. As the chair of Executive Offices & Criminal Justice, that required negotiating late into the evening. In the end, our number one priority was a significant increase in sworn officer pay for Corrections and Adult Probation & Parole, who comprise Utah’s largest law enforcement agency. They’ve been underfunded for years, resulting in the closure of some parts of the prison, mandatory overtime affecting 1700 families, and the loss of many officers to other departments. These are dangerous, essential jobs, and should be paid accordingly. Compensation was a priority for all agencies due to the reality of wage inflation.

Utah’s final budget with every expenditure accounted for, including fiscal notes for individual bills, will be finalized during the last week of session. (Track state spending - past, present, and future - at cobi.utah.gov. Two other interesting web sites you might want to explore from our state auditor’s office: transparent.utah.gov and projectkids.utah.gov)

During week 4 we passed SB59 with three significant tax cuts targeted to help every Utahn: we reduced the flat income tax rate by ten basis points, made Utahns eligible for a 15% state match of the federal earned income tax credit (EITC), and eliminated state taxes on Social Security income up to $37,000/year. Utah has an annual surplus and almost every Utah family is experiencing inflationary pressure, so the tax cuts are a step in the right direction. Next year, we hope to have more tax reductions, and the elimination of the state tax on food is definitely on the table. (I could go on and on with explanations on each of these cuts! I will have to elaborate on my web site.)

Please let me know of your concerns about any bills we are seeing at the Capitol. I always learn something new from you!

Sincerely yours in service,

Cheryl

This Session:

My husband, Scott, and I visited Rice Eccles Stadium to see the lighted cauldron last week. I hope you’re enjoying watching many Utah Olympians compete in the winter games this year

Water Projects and ARPA Funds

With an ever-increasing demand on a diminishing water supply, action to conserve, optimize, & preserve our water is more critical than ever. For the past year, a working group of water experts and policymakers has been meeting to determine how best to use the state’s federal ARPA funds to address our water needs.

This week, the group presented how they recommend the funds be used, including:

Secondary water metering
Drinking water infrastructure
Ag water optimization
Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake preservation

Lovers of Liberty

A wonderful neighborhood group called Lovers of Liberty toured the capitol last week over lunch. I enjoyed showing them through the back hallways, the House lounge, and my office, before passing them to Senator Wayne Harper to see the Senate.

Podcast

There are 98,482 kids in Utah in need of child care who do not have access to it. Representative Pulispher joined us this week to discuss HB 15, Access to Child Care Amendments, which will help close the gap between need and capacity in our state. Listen today on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

Voting Board for SB59 Tax Cuts

The voting board in the House for the Tax Cuts bill. When a state runs surpluses year after year, that’s an indication that tax cuts are in order and long overdue.

Tax Cuts

The House passed SB 59, Tax Amendments, which will provide tax relief for all Utah taxpayers! This $190 Million tax cut includes three parts:

A reduction of the income tax rate from 4.95% to 4.85% (a total of $158 Million).
A $16 Million earned income tax credit that grants relief to the people who need it most.
A $15 Million Social Security tax cut, which raises the cap to qualify for the credit we passed last year.

This Week's Activities

Fallen Soldiers

This week we were privileged to honor the men and women who sacrificed their lives while serving our country. Our nation is a safer place because of these courageous heroes.

Restrictions of Federal Funds

The federal stimulus money did not come without strings attached. Watch this short video to learn about some of the restrictions the legislature is navigating in the state budget this year.

Thank You, Teachers

We know the past two years have been especially straining for teachers. Not only have you adapted to virtual teaching and at-home learning, but you also faced teacher and staff shortages which contributed to your already full plates. We admire your ability to step up during challenging times and go above and beyond to help our students succeed. Watch this thank you video to learn how the Legislature is working hard to support teachers.

#1 Economy in the Country

Just this week, U.S. News and World Report issued its economic rankings, measuring each state’s economic stability and potential. Utah secured the top spot overall with a population of about 3,206,000 people and a GDP of $193 Billion. Click here to learn more.

Twentieth Anniversary of the Olympics

February 8th marked the 20 year anniversary of the opening ceremonies for the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City! In appreciation of the Utah Olympic Legacy, the House passed HJR 12 to recognize the organizations involved in the 2002 Olympics Games and Paralympic Winter Games. The resolution also encourages continued efforts to maintain Olympic winter sports venues in our state.