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Show Legislators Begin On Next To Last Week of Session Eighth district legislative representatives rep-resentatives last week varied their votes on important and controversial controver-sial bills up for final consideration. considera-tion. Senator F. D. Williams voted no on H. B. 59, simplifying procedure for financing publicly-owned, utilities, uti-lities, which was killed in the senate sen-ate after passing the house, and yes on S. B. 107, curbing municipal officers in undertaking utility projects pro-jects without first ascertaining their cost, which was passed in the senate. He voted against S. B. 66, enalbling cities and counties to undertake slum clearance and low cost housing projects, and against a bill removing taxes from oleomargarine oleo-margarine made from domestic fats and oils. Representative J. W. Pace voted no on H. B. 13, the homestead tax exemption act; on S. B. 30, liberalizing liberal-izing the state anti-syndicalism and sabotage law;' on H. B. 28, prohibiting a public office holder from occupying as position in a political party, and on H. B. 73, bannilig the use of fireworks. Representative Rep-resentative Clif McShane voted likewise on these measures. Mr. Pace was absent and not voting on two bills and Mr. Mc Shane on one. Mr. Pace voted againslt H. B. 139, raising income taxes and lowering exemptions. Mr. McShane Mc-Shane was absent and not voting on this measure. One more week and the twenty-third twenty-third Utah state legislature becomes be-comes statute-recorded history. The curtain spelling finis to lawmaking activities for another two years is due to fall this Thursday. It will unless the often-used often-used device of "turning back the clock" is again resorted to in order to gain additional hours for legislative legis-lative action. That Father Time will be "halted "halt-ed in his tracks" is almost certain if the law-makers hope to finti opportunities to consider even a small fraction of the new laws proposed in the multitude of measures mea-sures introduced. Such action will bring the session's close to a week from Saturday in the opinion of legislative experts. Last week's highlighted activi ties centered largely in the passage pas-sage by either the senate or lower house of several controversial bills a modified homestead tax exemption and income tax raising acts by the house, and low cost housing and public-owned utilities financing bills by the senate. These are believed due for "rough-sledding" "rough-sledding" in further consideration by branches still to pass upon them. The homestead Itax exemption bill passed by the house lowers the proposed $2000-in-value exemption to $500. Tax-raising measures aiming to restore revenues lost by the exemption propose Ito lower exemptions in individual income taxes from $600 to $400 for single persons; from $1200 to $800 for married persons, and from $300 to $200 for dependents. The one per cent of the tax on the first net taxable income is placed at $500 instead of $1000 as at present. Rates are carried up to a maximum maxi-mum of 6 per cent insltead of the current 5 per cent. The income tax bill also taxes the incomes 'of non-residents, exempting ex-empting stocks, bonds and notes against corporations outside (the state, but which might be held in trust in Utah. Passage of the tax measure was followed by defeat oi a bill proposing to divert $360,000 a year from liquor sales profits to the state high school fund. The senate also passed the agricultural agri-cultural fair trade practices bill already approved by 'the lower house. It exempted livestock and livestock products from the bill's provisions. As it stands the measure mea-sure seek3 stabilization of the price of farm products at a minimum mini-mum of cost of production plus 6 per cent. It outlaws certain unfair un-fair practices as well. And.her controversial measure removing the tax from oleomar-1 garine made from domestic fats and oils and doubling the levy on that made from imported pro- ducts was passed by the senahe. I Earlier in the week the senate killed H. B. No 59, a measure aiming aim-ing to simplify procedure for financing fin-ancing publicly-iowned utilities, j and passed S. B. No. 107, which according to its sponsors tends to j curb municipal officers from undertaking projects before the cost is known. The house passed a bill banning fireworks and prohibiting the firing fir-ing of toy pistols, etc., using explosives. ex-plosives. It also approved a measure mea-sure prohibiting any person holding hold-ing a governmental job paying ,$1000 or more annually from hold ing office in any political party. The latter is expected ito encounter stiff opposition in the senate. The lower house relegated to oblivion two measures which had passed the senabe afiter much de-Ibate. de-Ibate. It killed an amendment to the present anti-syndicalism act which would have liberalized the law in respect to labor meetings. meet-ings. It also defeated S. B. 13, under which a person failing to settle a judgment for personal injury in-jury or property damage following an automobile accident would be deprived of his driver's license and registration plates until the claim had been adjusted or financial responsibility re-sponsibility shown by taking out liability insurance or posting of a real estate md. The legislators began their next (to last week's deliberations Monday Mon-day with approximately 500 bills still to be considered. It is certain that a major portion of these will die in sifting committees. These powerful committees now have before be-fore them all but about a score of measures, only four remaining on the house calendar board and approximately ap-proximately a dozen on the senate calendar. In 'the hands of these committees commit-tees are such important bills as those pertaining to payment of compensation for occupational disease victims, Ithe wage and hours regulation bill, bills amending amend-ing the direct primary law and providing for a non-partisan judiciary, judi-ciary, natural gas, patent medicine and occupation tax bills, old age assistance bills, appropriation bills and many others. Governor Henry H. Blood has signed 29 measures and vetoed one. A total of 585 measures, exclusive ex-clusive of resolutions and memorials, me-morials, have been introduced. Thirteen bills have been passed by both houses and are as yet unsigned unsign-ed by the governor. Eighteen have been killed. Many have been passed by one house, but unacted upon by the other. |
