Show Report n from the State s X L Senate I J By R. R LaVaun Cox The Utah Legislature was called called called call call- ed into special last Thursday Thursday Thursday Thurs Thurs- day just 2 2 months after it had adjourned the 1959 session Only the Governor may call a special session and only matters recommended by him are in gr- gr der del during the session Insurance Department The Insurance Department is issue issue issue is- is sue was supposed to be the purpose purpose purpose pur pur- pose of our call The Insurance Department was separated from the Dept of Business Regulation Regulation Regulation Regula Regula- tion in the earlier session but its Us appropriation was not tra transferred The Governor asked us to transfer this and appropriate another for forthe forthe forthe the new department This would cover pay increases plus the hiring of an auditor and an actuary The Governor himself had cut the Insurance Dept request some in his budget so some of ofus ofus ofus us made a move to cut the re requested requested requested re- re quested in this new bill We failed in the Senate but the House of Representatives cut the additional appropriations and returned our bill to us The Senate then voted 21 1 to up uphold uphold uphold up- up hold the cut The Insurance Department can be a very vital organ in keeping night fly companies fr from m op operating operating operating op- op in our state I hope we can bolster it with some stronger strong strong- er insurance laws in our next session Oleomargarine Bill Plugging a loophole in the margarine tax required two bills We Ve had to repeal the old act from the Cigarette bill then in introduce introduce introduce in- in a new bill This was a I rare opportunity for the opponents opponents opponents of margarine tax They voted for the repeal then tried to block the new bill Such a move would have left us with without out a margarine tax lax dropping the price of colored margarine lOc per pound and the price of uncolored per pound We Ye Weare Weare are one of three states who still tax margarine and there is a tremendous amount of bootlegging bootlegging bootlegging bootleg bootleg- ging of this product The new bill is aimed at stopping stopping stopping stop stop- ping some of this bootlegging I and the Governor estimated it will bring in an additional per year If this figure figure figure fig fig- ure is realized it will bring the total tax to almost a million dollars a year I But the new bill was in a precarious position after the old act had been repealed The opponents of such a tax tried hard to defeat the new bill and leave us without a tax on mar mar- garine The first roll call showed showed showed show show- ed 16 Senators in favor of the bill but it had an emergency clause in it and required 17 votes A repeat vote saw the bill get the needed support It could have passed with 16 votes but would not take effect for two months leaving the state without the tax for this period I Senator LaMar Dastrup Sevier Sevier Sevier Se- Se vier silent through most of the session let loose a fiery blast saying Anybody who would vote against this bill is voting against the dairymen of the State Stater of r Utah and should be hung by his heels from a picket fence He then extended this to say anybody who would buy margarine margarine margarine mar mar- garine should suffer the picket fence treatment Senator Glen Hatch Wasatch- Wasatch Duchesne said oleo and butter are not the same product and andare andare andare are not considered in the same sam breath in most households Senator Thorpe Waddingham Millard Beaver said the dairymen dairymen dairymen dairy dairy- men of his area export butter to states which do not have oleo tax and it still sells Senator Sherman P. P Lloyd Salt SaIt Lake said of the bill It isn't how much good this does for the dairymen but how much good they think it does for jor them A New Tax Imposed A bill was introduced to im impose impose impose im- im pose a privilege tax upon possessors possessors possessors poss poss- and users of tax-exempt tax property There arc are instances when individuals lease government government government govern govern- ment property properly for f r- r their own use and make a profit from it so the Governor proposed this property property property pro pro- perty should be taxed I first thought of the warehouses warehouses ware ware- houses at Clearfield etc which are being leased to individuals but these remain tax-exempt tax as do their contents This seems very unfair to me as private citizens can use those warehouses warehouses warehouses ware ware- houses as a tax dodge for anything anything anything any any- thing from canned beans to new automobiles The state a and n d county cannot cannot- tax the goods stored in such leased government warehouses until the government government government govern govern- ment decides to let us I Some of us asked for examples of property to be affected under this new law but the sponsors could not give us any real ex ex- ex amples The Time Attorney Generals General's assistant who wrote the bill was called in and he could not give us any definite examples of property property property pro pro- perty to be affected That decided my vote I said saidI I refused to vote for a tax measure measure measure mea mea- sure i if I had no idea iden of what the tax would concern even though it promised to raise to We Ve asked if it might affect range land but the Attorney Generals General's assistant I did not think so But most legislators were ap apparently apparently apparently ap- ap in a hurry to get home and voted it through Senators Gibson Jenkins and I were the only ones to oppose it Other Measures Other bills which were passed by the special session included a measure to allow the state slate treasurer to invest idle and surplus surplus surplus sur sur- plus funds under his control as pertaining to bonds at the University University University Uni Uni- of Utah A bill making it mandatory to cook commercial garbage fed to hogs This was as inadvertently repealed in the earlier session A bill making it legal for school to spend money raised through bonding for the improving im improving improving im- im proving of school property re remodeling remodeling remodeling re- re modeling as well as building new structures This measure makes legal something which happens regularly anyway How Much 1 Are We Ve Worth A bill was introduced to provide provide provide pro pro- vide to pay for the specIal special cial session and met with im immediate immediate immediate im- im mediate opposition The Legislators Legislators Legis Legis- In tors are pai paid 5 per day plus mileage so the cost of calling both the Senate aHouse a House for fort t two vo days would amount to less than 1500 Few employees were called in so we asked why the I It was pointed out that there I is no way to pay Legislators for trips out of state and on special assignments and that the surplus would be used for this I Right now most such trips are paid for by the Legislators themselves One Senator boasted boast boast- ed that he had served on a n committee committee com coin which required him to drive to the Capitol two or three times a month for six months and had never requested any remuneration Another Senator commended him but pointed out that he lived just 9 miles from the Capitol while other Senators live as much as miles from the headquarters and 2 or 3 trips a month would be a great sacrifice for them The bill finally passed at with an estimated 2500 to 1000 of this to remain in a travel fund for Legislators The Time Governor The special session provided an opportunity for several Legislators Legislators Legislators Leg Leg- to take return cracks at the Governor who had be berated berated berated be- be rated us publicly on many counts Both Republicans and Democrats took swipes at the chief executive Senator Alonzo Alon- Alon zo Hopkin Sum Rich mit minority leader in the Senate Senate Senate Sen Sen- ate said public officials have long been criticized and have come to expect it but said this criticism should not be led by our chief executive Senator Orval Hafen Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington maj majority ory leader in the Senate said he lie agreed with Senator Hopkin in that the past session did not deserve the Governors Governor's Governors Governor's Governors Governor's Gov Gov- blast lie He said however that he thought the Governor was very sorry about the re remarks remarks re- re marks and that too much political political political poli poli- hay should not be made of the incident Senator Bruce Jenkins Salt Lake said he was amazed that the Governor would offer a public criticism of Legislative actions when he himself had signed the time measures he seemed opposed to The Governor in Senator Jenkins Jenkins' words had compounded any wrong when he lit signed measures he himself did not favor |