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Show Lawmakers Wantto Put Technology in Your Wallet oday S Agenda Thefollowing agenda maynotbe com- For info ‘on, call the House at 8-1029 or the Senateat 538-1035. SENATE STANDING COMMITTEES Business, Labor and Economic Dev. $ a.m.; Room 403 Smart-Card Measure sisted, adding he simply is trying to ad- Gains Approval, But age In Watered-Down Form The so-called “smart cards” that carry electronically stored information would be used onlyfor driver license informa- tion, Adair said. Credit-card, medical and Sminent Domain Valuation andiord Tenant Amendments — Uniform Commercial Code HB17 — Counterfeit Financial Ca — Dept. of Workforce ubHB198 — Homestead BY DAN HARRIE THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE A plan to replace current driver licenses with microchips collided Thurs- dayin the Utah Housewith qualmsthat Education 8 a.m.; Room 416 the devices could be used by Big Brother government to spy oncitiz HB190 — School Board Compensation Rep. Gerry Adair, R-Roy, attemptedin vain to calmconspiracyfears HB81— Classroom Supplies 3271 — Divorce Education Program Tamnot Darth Vader. Nor do I repre- 2 — Property Adjacent to Dixie Col sent the Evil Empire,” Adair said in opening debate on his HouseBill 244. SB158 — Adult High School C ‘ompletion Health and Environment 9 a.m.; Room 414 Adair, a Roy real-estate broker, said a phone-calling campaign against the measure was initiated by a conservative talk show host, whom he could not identify. The man, hesaid, ‘is convinced that the chips can be read from outer space and $B229 — Commercial Radioactive Waste $JR1— Ozone andParticulate Matter HOUSE STANDING COMMITTEES Revenueand Taxation 8 a.m.; Room 303 arepart of a governmental plot.” Those charges are nonsense, Adair in- HB3227 — Transient RoomTax SB26 — Tax Option for Counties HB133 — Senators Want Database To Identify Scofflaws Of Vehicle-Property Tax vance Utah’s move into the technology other typesof information would be addedonlyat the request of the license hold- er, Adair said Lawmakers were not persuaded. “Can you give me one reason why we have to have this over the current system?” asked Rep. Glenn Way, R-Spanish Fork. “A lot of people in myarea of Salem and Spanish Fork, the biggest fear they've got is Big Brother coming down with a big pawon them.” Rep. Wayne Harper, R-West Jordan, save a buck or two, we are going to make it very expensive for them.” At least a fewsenators like the idea of using a computer database to catch up with car and truck owners who dodgein- million in property taxes, $3 million in vehicle registration fees and $1.5 million in sales taxes, Petersonsaid. “Andthese The Transportation Committee on Thursday approved Senate Bill 161, which would put to use a statewide data- vorofthebill. By finding the scofflaws, the state ing down Utahns who fail to maintain car insurance, pay annual personal-property taxesfor their vehicles or buytheir vehicles outof state to avoid the taxes. The bill would create an amnesty peri- od through Sept. 30, 1997, so people in violation can avoid penalties by turning themselves in. People who break the law after the amnesty period would face a smart-card licenses would beinefficient fine of $1,000, and judges would be and costly, hesaid are reasonably conservative estimates.” The Utah Tax Commission spoke in fa- The new system would use Insure-Rite, a database that comparesthe list of regis- tered vehicle owners with lists of auto- policy holders provided by insurance companies. Upto this point, the system has been used mainlyto identify Utahns without insurance. It is credited with reducing the number of uninsureddrivers in Utah from about 350,000 in July 1995 to about 240,000 in July 1996 Committee: Kids Need to Buckle Up Sales Tax Exemp.-Municipal HB317 — Corporate Income Tax HB347 — Gross R pts Taxes Political Subdivisions 8 a.m.; Room 223 BYJUDY FAHYS HB357 — County Improvement/Water SubSB95 — Construction Proj. Proc. $B43 — Prohibition of UltimateFighting THESA T LAKE TRIBUNE Drivers whofail to buckle up children GovernmentOperations 8:30 a.m.; Room 405 ages 10 and under face stiffer fines under a measurepassed Thursdayby the Senate Transportation Committee. HB180 — Sunset Reauthorizations SubSB105 — Eccles Comm. Art Center SB32 — VoterReg. in High Schools. Rep. Brad King, D-Price, said House Bill 50 would protect children from needless injury by increasing the penalty for allowing children to travel unrestrained Workforce Services 9 a.m.; Room 225 HB378 — Sevier Valley Events Center in vehicles. His bill would increase fines for theinfraction from the current $20 to $70. While current law requires children JOINT APPROPRIATIONS Programs for Children/Youth at Risk 2 p.m.; Rooms 303, 305 through age8 to be secured in carseats or by safety belts, King’sbill would raise the Exec. Office: 2 p.m.; Room 423 Commerce/Revenue: 2 p.m.; Room414 EconomieDey.: an Orem Republican and sponsorof the bill. “If people want to lie and cheat to could annually reclaim as much as $30 baseof insured-vehicle ownersfor track- would be voluntary. The change passed ona 32 vote. Adair then postponed final House action on the measure, saying hewill lobby to restore it to its original form A mixed system of traditional and $200. “This would bring a percentage back into the state,” said Sen. Craig Peterson, BYJUDY FAHYS THE SALT LAKETRIBUNE surance andvehicle-related taxes. amendedthebillso useof the smart cards barred from lowering the fine below age to 10. Hesaid child-safety. seats now range from $30 to $120, which does not make the $20 fine much of an deterrent. K. Craig Allred, director of the state 2 p.m.; Room 225 Cap. Facilities: 2 p.m.; Room 405 Higher Education: 2 p.m.; Room 223 Public Education: 2 p.m.; Room 303 Highway Safety Office, voiced support for the bill. He said while 64 percent of adults use seat belts, just 54 percent of Natural Resources: 2 p.m.; Room 305 Health/Human Serv.: 2 p.m.; Room403 ‘Transp./Env. Quality: 2 p.m.; Room 416 children are secured in seats. Last year, Utah law officials issued 2,322 citations and 417 warningsfor failing to properly restrain children. The House passed HB50last week, so the measurenowfacesthefull Senate. a CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS Aska Legislator STANDINGUP FOR FEAR OF FALLING DOWN The Capital Facilities and Administra- tive Services Subcommittee agreed to wording that specifically retains the administration offices of the attorney gen- A standing-room-only crowd gathered at the state Capitol on Thursday to protestlegislative plans to cut programs for needy Utahns. The protesters were from the state's low-income, elderly and child-advocate communities. The Legislature’s proposed 1998 human-services budgetis almost $45 million less than the out of their way to avoid paying taxes, Executive Appropriations Committee present budget, according to Patrick Poulin, executive director of the Utah Issues interest group. He contrasted this to the tens of millions expected to be spent on I-15 const uction in the next few years. why not lower the tax for registering eralinsidethe state C:‘apitol Building. The Tanguage maybe discussed furtherat the level. A Salt Lake Tribunestory Thursday maynot have madethat clear. Q: Sinceit is more likely that people go cars? Alan Feistner, American Fork A: From Sen. Craig Peterson, R-Orem, Committees Vote on College Funds, Focus on Gun Safety Panel Stamps Legislation To Let Teachers Tell Kids ofFirearm Dangers BY HILARY GROUTAGE THE SALT LAKETRIBUNE actly who shouldofferit Holladay said he does not have any guns, but saw the need for gun-safety education after a neighbor childfired a shot into a wall. No one was hurt The bill suggested “qualified volun teers” should give children theinstruc. tion, but when defining “qualified proved problematic, the committeeset tled for an amendedversion that simply Utah teachers would be allowed to warn children about the dangerof play: ing with guns under abill passed by the House Education Committee Thursday. die E tered-down version of an earlierbill that would have made firearm-safety courses acter created by the National Rifle Assotion, to educate schoolchildren. David Hansen of the Utah Shooting Sports Council said the NRA’s network of Rep. Bruce Holladay, R-West Jordan, is the sponsor of House Bill 83, a wa mandatory in elementary schools. After said “volunteers” meaning teacher, parents or guest instructors. Gun enthusiasts suggested using “Ed educational cartoon char volunteer safety educators shouldnot be input from teachers and other groups. discounted simply because of the group Holladaysoftened the measure, making it voluntary and offering simple, pointed suggestions for teachers. Children would be told that if they find Eagle video. It’s a cute little guy dressed with which they are associated Maybe you should watch the Eddie up with feathers, To say it is bad because it is done by the NRA is wrong,” he said But Doug Bates, legal liaison for the state Office of Education disagreed: “In Legislative Subcommittee Wants Extra $1.5 Million For Higher-Ed Budgets BY DAN EGAN THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE State colleges will be getting an extra $1.5 millionto cover the costs of a grow- ing student populationif the Higher Edu- cation Appropriations Subcommittee has its way darlier this session, the Legislature's Higher-education administrators con be increased about $400,000. On Wednes- the community, many people see Eddie how far the instruction should go and ex. Eagle as harmless as Joe Camel,” get it all, | don't know,” ROE)CMeLat [UK he said Tax dollars are distributed to the tected. They pay a lower rate. A flat rate would raise the taxes on the very people weare trying to protect.” universities working schools based largely on the number of students enrolled, but some legislators said the formula needsto be re-evaluated “There's so much in this systemthat is arbitrary,” Stephens told the higher-ed im committeeto reviewthe funding poli- not before lengthy discussion on exactly Thebill passed the committee 10-2, but and simple they don’t care — they see it {registering their cars out of state] as part of their overall tax strategy. The graduated tax is to ensure that people who are poor or choose not to expend their re- subcommittee. Subcommittee Co-Chair Sen. day, the higher-ed subcommittee decided to request the $1.5 million fromthe Executive Appropriations Committee ‘They'll get something. Whether they a gun, notto touch it, to tell their friends not to touchit and thento find an adult these vehicles are high-end vehicles. These people are millionaires. It is plain the Executive Appropriations Committee. That debate led a larger discussion about whether enrollment-based funding for the state's nine public colleges and use they failed to meettheir tuitiontargets. tended the formula used to justify the cuts flawed and that funding should said Rep. Martin NO DEBATE ON CIGARETTE TAX? the Senate without customary committee debate. Senate President Lane Beattie said Thursday that issues surrounding ‘the tobacco tax have been debated and publicizedat length duringconside in the House, which passedthebill on Tuesday. Beattie said he likely will move House Bil 27 directly onto the Sen ate floor to let all 29 senators participate in the debate = Dan Harrie BILLBOARD GETS OK TO ROCK = KBER's controversial, “We're On A “Mission To ROCK" billboard, initial ly rebuffed as offensive in this predomi nantly Mormon state, will see the light of day after all The rock radio station concluded a deal Wednesday with 3M Media to erect six of the freeway signs, showing two young men looking unmistakably like mission aries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which were rejected by Reagan Outdoor Advertising Inc BERprogram director Randy MGrmon Church inember and father of a David sources on expensive vehicles are pro- If you have a questionfor a legislator, send it to “Ask a Legislator” c/o The Salt Lake Tribune Government Desk, P.O Box 867, Salt Lake City, UT 84110. Or send your questionvia e-mail to skapos@sltrib.com. Steele, R-Davis, agreedto direct an inter- Quote of the Day cy before the 1998legislative session. s We've been funding on guesses,” “Weneed better clarification and a long-range goal.” Higher Education Commissioner Cecelia Foxley welcomed the chance to take another look at the funding formula “There maybe a better way ofdoingit,” shesaid. ERK)ai.) A proposed cigarette-tax increaseof 20 cents per pack may move ontothefloorof whodon't register their vehicles in Utah. “The issue involved haslittle or nothing to do with the ability of these individuals to paytheir taxes. The majority of higher-ed subcommittee and co-chair of Stephens, R-Farr West, a member of the for state colleges and universities be- fiscal analyst proposed a $1.1 million cut sponsorof a bill to crack down on people “ y, Tam not Darth Vader. Nor do I represent the Evil Empire.?? REP. GERRY ADAIR, R-Roy In an attempt tocalm conspiracy fears regarding smart cards SCRA 20-year-old missionary who came up with the idea, said he was surprised last week when Reagan Outdoor refused to put on the station's rock ‘n’ roll emissaries. Scott Mahalick, general manager for the company that ope KBER and five other radio stations, alleged Reagan was more concerned about what lawmaker might think state Bill 1, the company’s owner and president, is pushing legislation on Capi way to urge schools to examine how mon- ey for gifted-student programs might be better spent local governments to pay for the reloca tion of certain billboards. Opponents say billboard companiesan unfair advantage over municipalities The Associated Press cautionary on two” comments by senators. That is legislative shorthand lawmaker's telephonesto ringing. Bigelow and other supporters believe meaning a vote in favor of the bill on its second reading is not a commitment to that removing the state name from the support it on the third and final Senate funnel more resources into gifted pro: titlewill distancethestate fromthe fray Others, though, foundthebill self-serv- be perceivedas adirectivefor schools to grams. They alsc id singling out gifted children might createan elite class of stu dents. 9, after a The measure failed. lengthy floor debate. — Judy Fahys tol Hill that would require the state or the proposed law goes beyond its intent to address 1-15 reconstruction and gives portof light rail and efforts to fire UTA executivedirector JohnPingree, have set But opponents said the measure might [ HOUSE SAYS AX UTAH FROM UTA A bill that would take the “Utah” out of the Utah Transit Authority has passed the House. The measure, House Bill 15, sponsored by Rep. Ron Bigelow, R-Salt Lake, was drafted in response to complaints by GIFTED-STUDENT BILL FAILS House lawmakers rejected a resolution some lawmakers that they were inundat supporting efforts to better address the needsof gifted students in Utah schools House 5 urged school separate entity independentof state gov ernment boards to collaborate with teachers and choo! administrators to develop and pro mote “programs to address the crucial noods of gifted students,” Rep. Gary Cox said Rep. Neal Hendrickson, D-Salt Lake, a school bus driver, “We don't collect tax ot the UTA,” R@cent controversies swirling around D-Kearns, Wefended the resolution as a the fransit authority, including its sup: ed with gripes about the UTA, which is a We need to make this distinction,” ing and“silly.” I receivea lot of calls about elk mea said Rep. Afton Bradshaw, a Republican whosedistrict is in the heart of Salt Lake City. Lawmakers are considering a bill that would legalize elk ranching, anad. mittedly rural issue, “But I don't see the need to changethe code to deal with it Thisis a silly thing to do,”’ shesaid. Noso, said Rep. Ray Short, R-Holla consideration, Another bad omenfor the measureis that one of the two legislators voting against it was Senate President Lane Beattie, R-West Bountiful Sen. DaveBuhler, R-Salt LakeCit tempted to reassure colleagues the mea- sure makes no major new requirements in campaign-financelaw Instead, it simply seeks to shoreup cur: rent statute, he said. A mainfeatureof thebill is thatit sets firmer deadlines for candidatestofile fi day, whocalledthebill “critical The measure passed 41-27 and now goes to the Senate. — The Associated Press electionsoffice seven days before an elec 0 tion, not allowing the leeway under cur. NOD TO CAMPAIGN REFORM A bill'that would put some teeth into campaign-finance reporting deadlines in thestate survived its first test on theSe ate floor, but its fate rests on what ap: pears to besoft support he majority of the 23-2 vote in favor nate Bill 81 was accompanied by nance reports. The measure would re quire reports be turned in to the state rent practicethat a report is timely if it is postmarked bythat deadline. Candidates failingto meet the deadline would havetheir names blotted out from election ballots, and any votes cast for them would be nullified. While current law hasthat provision, county clerks say it is impossible to force Dan Harrie |