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Show 2 The Magna TimesWest Valley New8, Thursday, January 30, 1997 Viewpoint By the time you read this article it will be TOO LATE! All of you will already know that the dreaded Legislature is back in session and you, the people of the great state of Utah, are being held for ransom. The payoff is a huge $3.6 billion dollars to fix the deteriorating roads of the state. And, the big question is: Who will pay the ransom? I would never be the one to say, 1 told you so. But I have been harping about this for six years. Why wouldnt anyone listen? Now the time has come to pay the price. Thiswill be the defining issue of this legislative by CEARLD WRIGHT Mayor West Valley City Local officials visit Legislature Local Officials Day was held at the Utah State Legislature, January 22. We had the opportunity to visit with many of our legislators. Our morning was spent in an orientation of the legislative agenda, visiting committee meetings, watching a short session of the legislature, and breaking bread together for lunch. The experience was very uplifting to the local officials. I gained a great appreciation for the difficult issues that must be resolved in the best manner possible. The cities and towns have been working very hard in new directions to form new unification associations with an eye to aid the legislative process. The Utah League of Cities and Towns has been cooperating with the Association of Counties to eliminate many of the disagreements on various programs. The lawmakers were uncomfortable favoring one side over the other so both ended up losers. Some of the programs that have the support of both groups, are that local governments are to be allowed to retain 25 of the transportation funds to better maintain local roadways, this would aid a great deal by reducing the amount of city genera) funds required to be spent to keep our local traffic moving effectively. Secondly, we support other initiatives to redistribute other funds in a more equitable way. the current system is helpful to some communities and punitive for others. Utah League of Cities and Towns seeks a more fair distribution. thirdly, as cities we are in favor of aiding counties in their efforts to meet their financial needs. All levels of government are better off when each level is solvent. A fourth area of concern is the support of a transportation increase of 14 cent in areas and a 18 cent in Utah Transit areas. It could make a large difference in the quality of local transit for the entire state. Fifth, both support some jail reimbursement for counties. Currently the costs of incarceration have been climbing rapidly and no commensurate help has been given to offset these increase. There is no way we will be able to continue the fight against without some type of financial assistance to maintain enforcement and facilities. These are some of the vital needs of local governments, but no one knows will come out of the legislative session. We may be able to get most of what is needed, none of it, or partial satisfaction. Legislators have no idea how the session will concluded 2Wlfi'6alj2if2i6i SitSanry, their decisions will tend to be closer to meeting our critical needs.1" non-UT- A Proposed 'Fictitious Names will help protect consumers Sarah buys a product from a local business, which promises to provide free repairs for one year. So thereafter, the product quits working but the business is nowhere to be found. Later she discovers that the proprietor has opened a similar MAGNA TIMES USPS 325-58- 0 The West Valley News 8980 West 2700 South Magna, Utah 84044 J. HOWARD STAHLE Publisher BONNIE STAHLE Advertising Manager Office Manager GARY R. BLODGETT Editor KENT GOBLE SportsFeature Writer DEANNA JONES Arts & Entertainment Editor Production Manager DALE SIMONS Sports Columnist STACEY T. CASE Staff Writer SHARON UNSCHOTEN Staff Writer Bill business just down the street under a different name. Paul runs a printing business specializing in services to other business. He sells a large order to a new business, but when he sends a bill comes back as undeliverable. Paul checks with state regulators to team more about the business, only to find that they know even less about the business than he does. Has anything like this ever happened to you? If not, youre lucky. If so, then this may interest you. The 1997 Legislature will have an opportunity to protect consumers and creditors from unscrupulous business practices when it reviews the Fictitious Names Bill, sponsored by Rep. David Jones (D). This bill, which amends the existing statute on businesses conducted under an assumed or fictitious name, would require these businesses provide specific information about the business and the owneroperator and make that information available to the public. expected to return the Governors State of the Skate address and we do. We meet jin joint session with the House of Representatives in their chamber. The appointed hour arrives and Governor Leavitt DAY ONE: Once again by constitutional mandate the Legislature kicks open its doors on the third Monday in January and once again appears. Michael O. is an enorwe receive great negative press for mously popular governor; howevstarting on Martin Luther King er, I detect some chinks in the armor. All is not well between the Day. If we conducted any meanI this business on ingful day might Guv and the Republican leadership be sympathetic, but it is largely a of the Legislature. You will day of fanfare and frivolity and we undoubtedly hear more about that in a future edition. The Governors do spend some quality time honoring the life of Dr. Kin. So on with . speech this year was only lukewarm. It was certainly not a vinthe show! The morning begins in President tage Leavitt speech and much of Beattys office. As a member of the comment I heard afterwards leadership, I am included in a was that content was a little weak small gathering that meets with and he was stumbling a bit in the President Faust of the LDS Church delivery. Perhaps it was just a bad for the opening prayer of the sesday for the Governor. We all have those. sion. This is always a highlight If you kept your TV on after the because President Faust is a very good friend. He served with my Governors speech, you also heard the Democratic response from Sen. father in the Legislature many Howell, Demo leader. I may be a years ago and they were also great bit biased, but I thought this was a friends. He has some Democratic very good effort. The attempt was leanings, so we get along famously and it drives the Republicans in to point out that all is not perfect in the group nuts. Oh well, they the, Unfl rfif joJh& taterdespv, j r( to learn to quit taking aS(y$eSj!?ltl??iiTc&F1a fflf1 ba!; two party system. We. dfylhing so seriously. As the session officially begins, will also talk more about that later even though I am trying to keep we are entertained and enlightened by various elementary and high this a mostly political column. school groups. The new members Anyway, the speeches are over and of the Senate are sworn in, our staff so ends the first day. Only 44 more introduced and sworn in, the to go ... rules for the session are adopted, and we are ready to go to work. DAYS TWOTHREEFOUR; I have typically not combined But alas, it is time for lunch. After lunch we return to hear the days like this but these days went State of the Judiciary Address by by so quickly Im not really sure WHAT happened. The leadership, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Michael Zimmerman. His message acting on a proposal made some time ago by the Legislative Process is that in order to keep pace with Committee (one of my committee burgeoning needs, the court system needs more money in their budget. assignments), ordered that each HALLELUJAH!! Now there is a legislator could earmark three of their bill requests as PRIORITY. revelation. I wonder how many times I am going to hear that These bills will receive expedited thought during this session. drafting and handling throughput We adjourn early because we are the system. This is really an issue - real-siyju- ' of fairness because some legisla- 0 tors show up with requests for bills and simply flood the system. The legislator with one or two bills may not have a chance to even get his bills drafted. The second part of the proposal was that these priority bills would have to be filed by December 1st. That gave our legislative research department additional time to draft the bills and have them ready by the start of the session. In prior years, the first week of the session was largely wasted while, we waited for bills to be drafted, go to the committees, and then on to the floor for debate. This year, we have hit the ground running. The bills were in committees on the second day and we are moving right along. It will be interesting to see if we pass more legislation than we have in previous years. (This may not be too good of an idea if that is the case.) 30-4- DAY FIVE: I thought Friday might never come, but here it is. As I told you, and the highways funding for has captured most of the press and the talk during the first week. The Republican House caucus voted on an additional $50 million cut in the base budgets. Their list of cut items included the school for the deaf and blind, health care for people below poverty level, for the elderly, higher ed, and public ed programs, and abolishing the health policy commission. EXCUSE ME! ! Last year we passed a $60 million tax cut for manufacturers quicker than you could bat an eye. Prior to that we passed hundreds of millions of" property (ax cuts'1 which' MOST meals-on-whee- ls ! directly benefited Bid BUSI- NESS. (Utah Power, IPP, Geneva, Kennecott, etc.). Oh yes! We also cut the top rate of the income tax to benefit those in and over the top bracket. And now, we are going to balance those tax cuts on the backs of the indigent, the elderly, the sick, the homeless, and our students. God forgive us. The Democratic party cannot help you because the people of the state do not feel we have a right to be here. So, you better all pray that the other side of the aisle comes to their senses before we do something for which we will truly be sorry. Get me out of here. I need to return home for a strong dose of reality and sanity from the REAL WORLD. See you next week. The author's address and telephone number 'fforjhe':edltti,,rui5e:onIy;Thedlt0rim$'he "t'edlt: forconclsenessandcIarity.Questions?CaH2505656 See BILL on jage6 Published eecli Thursday Subscription $18 per yesr 121 per year out of state Second class postage paid at Magna, Utah 84044 Postmaster: Send change of i to: Times 2700 So. , UT 64044 ) W. (001) or FAX (001) The 0 5 Times Ms ettha Utah i POOR |