OCR Text |
Show Sen. Matheson Reports From Utah State Senate By Ivan Matheson Utah State Senator I send these notes with regards to items I feel have been of special interest to the people of our area. I have been appointed by senate leadership to the Western Conference Committee on Agriculture. This group assembles bi-yearly to discuss and attempt to give direction of western States needs in agriculture to the national congress, A bill passed by the House requiring a course in the free enterprise system be taught in our high schools as a requisite to graduation was defeated in the senate. This I believe was a tragedy. Testimony on the bill Indicated that teachers in our system neither understand nor believe in the principle of free enterprise by a 53 percent majority. If our teachers don't believe in the system and are teaching our youth against it, we are in a sad plight. I am a co-sponsor of a joint resolution to give strong direction to the State Board of Education, instructing them to emphasize this principle of free enterprise and teach it as part of the curriculum even though we were not able to pass the 1 aforementioned bill. I have co-sponsored a bill putting stiffer regulations and penalties on distribution and showing of pornographic movies and literature in Utah. A bill has moved through this body allowing local governments to enter into interlocal agreements in order to render services of various types of consulting their county or city attorneys without having to have the approval of the attorney general. A senate joint resolution has been introduced to allow the state to pass revenues through to local governments to assist in services. This has been unconstitutional previously and the resolution calls for a constitutional amendment to allow this. Many funds now passed to multi county associations cannot be presently passed through to cities and counties because of the prohibition of the constitution of Utah leaving local bodies unable to perform in many areas without being part of a multi county a'ciaUon. I have co-sponsored a recodification bill on municipal code. This brings together in more usable form all law affecting cities and towns and was compiled by Uie League of Cities attorney. I am pleased to say that we were successful in repealing virtually Utahs inheritance tax law. This still faces some stiff challenges and may be recalled before the senate. It has not as yet passed the house. We have a bill in process to require the state to assume responsibility for medical indigents. This has long been a heavy burden on counties who rerder area wide services and is a state wide responsibility. We have also passed a bill allowing senior citizens to enroll in our institutions of higher education at low or no cost depending on load and occupancy of various classes, but not allowing the institution to count them aa students load on formalities for funding. I have introduced a bill stripping special improvement districts of their power of eminent domain t authority to condemn property) and also authority to levy taxes and vest this authority with the city council or county commission who created the district. This takes condemnation power and taxing power from bureaucrats and leaves that power with those elected officials who must answer to the public 1 |