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Show Matheson Explains Bills Pending for Legislation TROPIC State Senator Ivan Matheson (R-Cedar City) spoke Thursday night to a small group of parents who had come to hear the senator outline the bills pending before Utah's lawmakers which pertain to children and Education. The 30 parents attend the ITS A meetina tn whieh the senator had been invited Dy President Maureen Mangum and Legislative Commissioner Margaret Shakespear. Matheson acknoweldges to the group gathered in the Bryce Valley School gym that, first of all, "public service has broadened my understanding." He said that just learning your way around takes time and the complexity of the process is staggering to the newcomer and a few year's experience helps. With only four senators from th southern portion of the state, he saic that much of their time is spent "jusl trying to temper the laws passed b those from the urban areas. With only calendar days to spend wisely the state's one and one-hdi billion dollar budget skill is needed ir learning the ropes of the legislative process. Matheson noted that the budget foi edcuation in the state stands at $50( million. He said that growth this year ir enrollment will be aoout 16 percent. Ar unexpected windfall i?as come through a rise in sales tax revenue up abou 24 percent over an estimated eighl percent. Revenue from Kennecott Copper anc (Continued on Page 2 Matheson Explains Bills Pending for Legislation (Continued from Page 1) Geneva Steel, the largest taxpayers in the state, will be lost until the two recover funds expended from the Environmental Protection Agency's mandated changes on air quality and emissons. The two pay roughly 100 million each in taxes annually according ac-cording to Matheson and such a loss to the state's coffers represents a serious blow. Matheson serves on the Higher Education Appropriations Committee. He says 95 percent of those in the legislature have almost no background on specific issues upon which they must vote and legislators welcome input from their constituents who can help them understand a particular bill and its potential impact. So many bills are passed each session that is is impossible im-possible to be well-informed on each. Legislators depend heavily upon others for information about particular bills. He noted that Emery County lost 30 teachers to coal mines last year and that such industrial impact can virtually vir-tually change a community overnight. Preparation needs to be made for such possibilities, he said, which often finds communities totally unprepared for the drastic changes a sudden influx of people and industrial prosperity can bring. Regarding tuition tax credit, Matheson said that he feels that those whose children are not attending public school should "help to foot the bill on any public facilities that they use at all. He said that "special privileges with tax dollars probably should not be given." He noted the rapid rise in Duchesne county's revenue from oil development and contrastingly, Iron County's decline due to the closure of the iron mines. He said he feels that Utah has the "finest school finance program in the nation." He said that the government should not have become invovled in many programs. He said he appreciated letters that students in Garfield county wrote to him about the bookmobile when the legislature was contemplating cutting funds. The letter, he said, helped and funds were restored for the most part. When asked, he said he "opposes a separate board of vocational education and that the system as it is already sufficently cumbersome. Matheson said he thinks it is important im-portant to "trim administration" in most cases. Matheson said he agrees with the severance tax concept but doesn't want to see the state spend it all. He said he feels that revenues should, be placed in a trust fund, spending only what is earned in interest, thus establishing a fund that could "carry us through lean years." He noted that it costs approximately $6 per ton more to mine Utah's deep coal and it is "touch-and-go" for Utah miners in competing with out-of-state coal mining. He outlined some of the anticipated problems with the IPP project, more particularly enormous tax revenues will be lost to the state due to the tax exempt status of the project. It may take a constitutional amendment, he said, to correct things. Matheson foresees some potential problems if the state were to make changes which would depend upon revenue from sales taxes to fund education. He noted that sales taxes are very unstable and that property taxes provide a far more stable tax base upon which to draw, but that sales taxes are a fairer tax. He said he would not want to go all the way with proposals for sales tax changes to support education but feels there is some merit in the concept which needs modification. Matheson said that the states not the federal government should own the land. He said that of 13 states west of the 100th meridian have 93 percent of total land area with only 7 percent representation. However he said he is fearful of project BOLD, a move to regain certain federal lands for the state because it will disrupt every grazing right in the area. Matheson also serves as chairman chair-man of the Western Lands Committee. |