| Show School Support Shifting To State Federal Funds The Utah Taxpayers Association Association tion in their March 1 Bulletin evaluated the First Budget Session o of the Utah Legisla Legisla- ture Unlike many observers the Association found the legislators had done a good job in many areas THEY TIlEY WERE hardworking and wasted little time The session was well The appropriation committees went to work early and stayed stayed stayed stay stay- ed at it until the job was done Newly organized appropriation tion committees delved into all budgets in depth Never before said the UTA has departmental spending been scrutinized like it was as this year THE TilE MEMBERS o of full full- time committees gained knowledge knowledge knowledge knowl knowl- edge about complex state finance formulas never before before be be- fore ore attained Everyone in the legislature was involved and was part o of the appropriation process The legislature trimmed the Governors Governor's spending request by from rom to They also slashed his revenue estimates by These two actions actions actions ac ac- ac- ac will enable the state to show a surplus o of at the end of fiscal 1971 TAX LOADS were not shifted HB 1 and HB 2 to increase personal income tax exemptions were defeated The legislature attained all nIl o of its objectives within the present present present pres pres- ent revenue structure and without a tax increase But there were some weaknesses weaknesses weaknesses weak weak- nesses that should be avoided avoided avoid avoid- ed in the future said the Bulletin O Of the 31 bills that received legislative approval only five were ruled to be budget matters ONLY Y 16 percent o of all legislation passed was ruled to have anything to do with the purpose for or which the session was held The two- two thirds vote requirement to too get bills introduced was not nota a deterrent to trash legisla legisla- tion tIThe tI The major weakness o of the budget session according according according accord accord- ing to the Utah Taxpayers Association is the fact act that the appropriation committee structure does not give the public the legislature or the committees the proper opportunity opportunity opportunity op op- op- op to scrutinize and debate non-budgetary non legisla legisla- tion ANOTHER weakness o of the budget session is that by meeting every year the lawmakers lawmakers lawmakers law law- makers are building a higher spending base to expand on in subsequent years For example Budget figures show that 69 1967 biannual General and Uniform School Fund spending amounted to million The figure forthe for forthe or orthe the current biennium 1969 71 is estimated to run million an increase o of million THIS TillS SETS an time all-time spending record for or Utah says the Association and they ask Based on this evidence how can we say that annual sessions sessions sessions ses ses- ses- ses are not costing rs more BUDGET sessions are here to stay and we must learn to live with them by building on strengths and by remedying weaknesses The advice of the Association would be to find ind ways to weed-out weed the chaff and to restructure the committees so as to insure insure in insure in- in sure that all legislation receives receives receives re re- re- re full debate and a fairand fair air fairand and open public hearing |
