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Show Legislators report on sponsored bills by E. MARK BEZZANT Area legislators continue to report in the second of an exclusive report for the Pleasant Grove Review. In this weeks article area representatives outline the bills they are sponsoring and their views of the most important bills that would affect the citizens of Pleasant Grove area. They also indicate their position on the 18 cent sales tax that the state is withholding from cities for flooding. It should be noted that the 18 cents would mean about $80,000 to $100,000 in revenue for Pleasant Grove City. That amount alone could build a new library or fire station over the next several years if the state would give that money back to the city instead of keep it for flood control. Question 1: What bills are you sponsoring during this legislative session? Answer: Jim Moss Legislation Sponsored: I am sponsoring the Judicial Reform Bill as a result of chairing the Governor's Gover-nor's Task Force on the Judicial Article. This will create a new appellate court, revise jurisdiction fects rate increases. The intent of this measure is to help the PSC do a better job of resisting some of the tremendous increases in utility rates, which have risen in the past and still continue to rise. Also, I have a resolution that will name the individual for recognition in Statuary Hall inside the rotunda of our nation's capitol building. A statue of this individual will be placed there, along side of our state's first representative, Brigham Young. Our state, as communicated by the press, is one of only three or four states which have not yet placed a second representative as provided by Congress. The selection of this honored individual is being made by a state wide poll conducted by a Salt Lake City School. Initial results are learning towards Philo Farnsworth. He was awarded the principal pattern rights for the invention of the television. He was born in Utah, did much of his research in Utah and died in Utah. Though he did little to push his publicity, he seems to finally be receiving the recognition that he has earned. The costs of this statue will mostly be funded through the private sector. What bills will most affect the citizens of the Pleasant Grove area? Answer: Don Lebaron The greatest issues that will affect af-fect the Pleasant Grove residents will come from education. The 18 percent sales tax increase (which will reduce your property taxes or at least hold them down, as long as the cities receive it), and the bills dealing with the utilities, will affect future prices we will be paying for gas, electricity, and telephone services. Answer : Jim Moss The tax bills will obviously have a major direct impact on citizens and on the city as well. We will also be funding some job retraining that will affect those in P.G. who work at Geneva. Answer: Paul Rogers Just about every bill introduced would affect someone in district 14. What is your position on the issue of whether or not the state should return the 18 cent sales tax they kept for flooding? Answer: Representative Don Lebaron As a freshman representative in the 1983 legislative session, I fought for the 18 percent sales tax increase. in-crease. Having been a mayor in this area, I understand the need for revenues in our cities, partially as a result of large limitations the cities have been living with under the tight controls of state. Unless a city is fortunate enough to have the ideal location for a huge mall to generate its revenue, it is in the court system, re-organize the courts and do several other significant things to modernize our judicial b ranch. I am also sponsoring four election reform bills providing better financial disclosure by candidates and political action or political issue committees and lobbyists. I am sponsoring three bills dealing with education reform, primarily with teacher preparation and training. I will also serve as House sponsor for a constitutional revision dealing with tax exemption for non-profit hospitals, and will sponsor the major ' bill on Administrative Procedures which Sen. Cornaby is sponsoring in the Senate. This bill is the result of a task force chaired by Carl Hawkins of the BYU Law School and will be a major step forward in how government relates to people. In addition, I will sponsor from the House three bills dealing with drug abuse in schools, which will place more restsrictions on those who would bring drugs around schools. I have also sponsored three bills changing the rules of the legislature I V'.- which -modernize our " procedures ; and make us more effective in ow i work. I am sponsoring resolutions commending BYU for the Ramses II Exhibit, and the Governor's Commission on Law and Education for their work in planning for the 1987 bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. Con-stitution. Answer: Paul Rogers S.B. 58 - Sales and Use Tax, providing an exemption for all gross receipts from all sales or leases of materials, machinery and equipment equip-ment used for research and development. S.B. 60 - Unemployment Compensation, Com-pensation, exempting from the definition of employment services performed by a licensed securities agent or salesman when remuneration is solely by way of commission. S.B. 65 - Child Abuse Reporting -exemption clergy and attorneys from reporting. S.B. 89 - Procurement -prohibiting any entity from requiring a collective bargaining agreement or other employment conditions as a condition of working bidding for work for doing business on public construction contracts. S.B. 169 - Co-sponsor, Industrial facilities development; expanding the purposes of the act and the powers of local governments to include capital formation, funding and equity investment; and providing other technical changes. Answer: Don Lebaron I am sponsoring only three or four items of legislation this session: A. A clarification in a child abuse law to help define the term "offender" "of-fender" with greater clarity. B. A bill to help the state more efficiently control where off-road vehicles may operate. This will help to alleviate the damage that is being inflicted to our scenic area. C. I am co-sponsoring another bill that protects the rights of those who wish to hunt from those who would interfere with these rights. D. A measure that I am co-sponsoring co-sponsoring will strengthen the consumer advocacy group that represents the public's interest in utility hearings, electric power, gas and telecommunications that ef- not fair to a city to use property taxes as its major source of revenue. And even then, the city is living at the expense of its less geographically favored neighboring communities. The bill, .which was passed in the House, gave the cities 14 percent and we felt that this was something significant. But our bill was held up in the Senate by some very influential senators who wanted some favors from the House. It would have, in all likelihood, died in the Senate if not for the untiring and skillful efforts of our senator, Paul Rogers. He simply would not give up, even though it appeared the bill was completely dead. Finally, a compromise was reached in which the bill provided the cities with a 18 percent immediate im-mediate increase and a promise to return the over 18 percent at some point down the road. The state wanted the other 18 percent increase to pay for the costs of some new buildings, which were not desired enough to release a separate tax to pay for them. As it currently stands, the argument is to keep the other 18 percent to pay back some flooding costs. I disagree. There is a greater need for the money in the cities. The money was originally set up for the cities and my efforts will firmly continue in that direction. Answer: Representative Jim Moss Return of Sales Tax: I favor the compromise worked out by the Governor and the League of Cities and Towns to provide for eventual return unless it is needed for flood relief for a period of time. Answer : Senator Paul Rogers It should begin to go to the cities in July of 1987, if it is not needed for flooding. |
