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Show By WILLIAM T. INGLEHEART j Utah State Pre3S Association When they quit lawmaking at I tho end of the fourth week of the twenty-sixth session of the state legislature the members counted their tangible achievements, in the matter of lawspassed and killed at only about ten per cent. Then per cent that is, of the more than 300 bills and resolutions introduced. in-troduced. But that is a somewhat misleading figure because in reality it takes in the neighborhood neighbor-hood of 100 hours in prepartion, committee consideration, lobbying lobby-ing persuasion and plain ordinary ordi-nary horse-trading to one hour of debate on the floor to get a bill passed. And the 100 hours have already been devoted to many pieces of legislation that will have an important im-portant and controlling influence on the way the people of Utah will live and carry on their various vari-ous affairs for the next four years For instance, the joint committtee of labor and industry devoted a great deal of time, profitably, in ironing out a compromise com-promise on the bill respecting extension of benefits under the Workmen's Compensation and the Occupational Disease acts. They recommended a boost in minimum compensation from $16 a week to $22.50 a week. W. C. Jensen, (D-Ogden) and his committee have approved those recommendations. They will probably be accepted intact this week. Other negotiations and compromises com-promises are ahead for the ma-jor ma-jor controversial measures yet to ! be presented. Such as elections 'nd vo;ing, post war planning (for employment and public con-I con-I struction, budgeting of the state's jin ome (and there really is a sti"ker!: taxation (another bru-; bru-; tal word in these days); highways, high-ways, social security afairs and that always diverting and continuing con-tinuing question of deer for the hunters and brouse for the sheep and cattle (or which), j There seem to be anywhere ! from two to twenty schools of thought on any or all of these ' proposals. Then you've got the I liquor commission's commissions or failures of commission (depending (de-pending on the point of view), the department of agriculture de-I'rps de-I'rps to extend their domain to everything from the number of cows to bulls on public land, to assumption of control over all soil conservation enterprises. And the gamut of subjects before the legislature runs on to an unbelievable un-believable number. Rep. Selvoy J. Boyer (D-Spring-ville' took a lot of wind out of the organized labor bills in the house early in the" week's proceedings pro-ceedings when he squelched Rep. Frank Bonacci (D-Helper) and his effort to permit public employees em-ployees and agencies to bargain collectively by saying "are we to lose the spoils" system and freeze every public job in Utah?" The house agreed with the Democratic Demo-cratic floor leader. No collective bargaining for the state or other public employees. A lot of other civil service proposals pro-posals are quite apt to meet a similarly conclusive fate. But the county firemen did win a victory their plea for recognition recogni-tion was granted. Senator Mitchell Melich (R-Moab) (R-Moab) chalked up a couple of credit marks by his successful sponsorship of the emergency measure permitting the continued j employment ot women in above-; ground mining operations. The aggressive and articulate Republican Repub-lican floor leader in the house. Rep. Clifton G. M. Kerr of Tre-monton, Tre-monton, abetted forceful speaker YV. R. White in cutting off debate that has resulted in the tabling of nine and the re-committing to committee of a like number of bills. The Senate, the smaller and thus far more deliberate body was having difficulties in the mater of Governor Herbert B. Maw's recommendations for commission com-mission appointments, so far as the record shows, all is "sweet harmony." But, emphatically, the one vote margin by which president Dexter Farr (D-Ogden) won his place hasn't yet been sufficient to get the Democratic caucuses into agreement with the chief or state's suggestions. The first major blast at one of the Governor's pet reorganization schemes was exploded by Sen. Alonzo Hopkin (D-Woodruff ) who wants to do away entirely with the Industrial Development and Publicity commission. Due to resignation and death, Ora Bun-dy Bun-dy of Ogden is the sole member of that body. With so many bills before them on the same or related subjects both senate and house have resorted re-sorted to the appointment of committees to consolidate and harmpnize related measures. The house has thrown all proposed salary increases for state,, county and municipal employees into one committee. The senate has tossed all post war planning proposals pro-posals into another. As the new week opens both houses have full calendars. The senate started off with thirty measures ready for final action and the house with twenty-nine. And brave is the man who will predict what will happen to any of them. |
