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Show Medical fAalpractice Tops the List, Bunnell Reports on Legislature The medical malpractice insurance act is now the number one priority of the Utah Senate, according to Senator Omar B. Bunnell, Majority Leader. Sen. Bunnell feels that the bill will receive most of the legislature's attention during the remaining days of the session. "I am certain that we will put something in the statutes, but whether or not it will have any substantial effect on medical insurance is extremely doubtful," he said. With only a few days left, the legislative committees have practically completed their budget hearings and all of the recommendations are ready for final consideration. With one exception all of the final departmental budgets will be slightly below the totals projected by Gov. Rampton. According to Senator Bun-nel, Bun-nel, the committee on higher education is suggesting approval ap-proval of three million dollars more for colleges and universities univer-sities than the Governor thought was necessary in his budget message. Senator Bun-nel Bun-nel said, "The committee was especially considerate of the College of Eastern Utah. I hope these proposals hold up, but there is no certainty that they will survive." Senator Bunnell said that he felt the main concern this session centered around how much tax reduction the legislature legisla-ture could offer the tax payers of Utah and in what areas they should make the cuts. Attention Atten-tion focused on income taxes, sales taxes and the inheritance tax. The Democrats are leaning toward reductions in sales tax and the Republicans seem to favor income tax decreases, according to Senator Sena-tor Bunnell. "Both sides are maneuvering for some political advantage from the deductions." deduct-ions." He sees a vote of a ten to twelve dollar decrease in state taxes which is about only $10.00 for each person in the state. "This isn't a very large amount, but it is certainly much better to be reducing rather than raising state taxes at this time," he continued. The Senate acted Friday on the liquor commission reorganization reor-ganization bill and, according to Senator Bunnell, it now appears certain that Utah will move from a three full-time liquor commission to a five-man ' part-time commission commiss-ion with a well paid full-time director. "There is also considerable sentiment to do away with the Citizens Advisory Advi-sory Committee which would seem to be superfulous if the revamping of the main committee com-mittee is approved," he said. With Republican Attorney General, Vernon Romney, now an almost certain opponent against Governor Rampton this fall, the Democrats are probing for irregularities in the operations of the Attorney General's office during the last few years, said Senator Bunnell. Bun-nell. This development togeth- er with Republican charges regarding the operations of the Democratic controlled Liquor Commission and the State Department of Public Safety make good political reading. "But," continued Senator Bunnell, "in all three cases the charges are motivated by a desire for political advantage and are up to this point supported by no substantial facts." Senator Bunnell closed with the observation that "this is going to be a most interesting political year." |