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Show Lawmakers tell chamber audience Causeway and education top issues " ' S ' 1 Is- n i t. " j -i 4 z i - . v - b ; ! J M ?-. ' ' ft? I ' M v 1 El , ! t By TOM HARALDSEN Clipper Correspondent BOUNTIFUL Education and rebuilding the Antelope Island Causeway are among the most pressing issues in the current Utah Legislature, say two Davis County lawmakers. State Sen. Lane Beattie and State Rep. Ann SmedJey addressed questions ques-tions and shared comments with members of the Bountiful Area Chamber of Commerce (BACQ on Wednesday. Smedley, who took over the seat of her late husband, Stan, and is serving in her first term in the House, expressed her concerns with the education issues coming to Capitol Hill. She said the state needs to develop more equitable ways of dispensing taxes on a per student basis, similar to reforms the federal government has made. Smedley praised Gov. Norm Bangerter's efforts to reduce class sizes, a program which he has proposed pro-posed for the new fiscal year starting star-ting with first grade and continuing through other grades in the future. She also emphasized the importance impor-tance of the state's technology education edu-cation programs in school, and the custom-fit program which trains employees in specific skills for industries in-dustries coming to, or expanding in, Utah. Both legislators praised efforts to rebuild the Antelope Island Causeway. Beattie said estimates for rebuilding the roadway and making improvements on Antelope Island are $14.2 million, but added that the potential economic impact for reopening the island far outweigh those costs. The third-year senator praised fellow senator, Haven Barlow, for his long-time service to the state house. Barlow, R-Davis County, was elected to the legislature the same year Beattie was born, and has earned a reputation as one of the most astute and effective legislators on the Hill, Beattie said. He outlined the proposed expansion expan-sion of McDonnell -Doug las at the Salt Lake International Airport, an expansion that could add hundreds of new jobs to the market if the state agrees to spend $10 million to help the company expand. "I'm convinced con-vinced at the present time that it will be repaid to us in many ways," he said. Beattie also touched briefly on the AMAX federal lawsuit that could cost the state between $26 million and $56 million to settle. He said much of the action taken by both houses of the legislature is the result of federal mandates in areas such as social security. Also pointed to was the state's j solid economic picture, with nearly 32,000 new jobs a year created in both 1989 and 1990. While acknowledging that most of those jobs are in the low-paying service industries, their creation is viewed j as the first step in economic , recovery for the state. "We need to continue funding economic development. Other states around us are doing it, you can be sure' he said. Beattie also told BACC members that much of the news reporting of this year's legislative session has been tainted. "I've sometimes read about a meeting we've held and wondered where I was when some of the reported actions were taken, he said with a laugh. He concluded his portion of the luncheon by praising the works of lobbyists on Capitol Hill, saying, "They are extremely important to the process." He said that during his three years in the Legislature, he's never had any lobbyist try to buy his vote or action on a bill Members of the Association for Retard CitizensDavis County ARC and Valley Bank gather to celebrate the completion of the installation in-stallation of a new heating system for group home residents in Clearfield. ARC members include: T.J. Bugger, Deborah Ogden, Sherilin Rowley, Joanne Ruby, Marae Nelson, Laurel Wolf and Valley Bank's Jeff Stringham. |
