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Show ' ' " By Harry Marlowe The Utah Legislature's "big Bill" the multi-million dollar appropriations bill was being hammered into shape as Utah legislators ended the fifth week of the 1953 session. All indications point to a compromise measure which will be slightly higher than the budget bud-get asked by Gov. J. Bracken Lee and in most cases well under un-der departmental requests. The joint appropriations committee, com-mittee, set for day-long sessions until the bill is ready, claim the money bill will be ready for introduction on ithe session's 48th day last day for introduction introduc-tion of bills. Advance reports indicate the biggest areas of compromise will be in appropriations to institutions in-stitutions of higher learning. These schools suffered the biggest big-gest recommended slashes under the budget presented by the governor. It is also quite probable that in most instances where Gov. Lee recommended a department get less money than was spent last biennium, some adjustment upward will be made at least to the same figure received for the'last two years. The generally conservative make up of the joint committee, however, precludes any wide variance with the total proposed by the governor. In fact, many solons feel the governor deliberately delib-erately kept his recommendations recommenda-tions low and would not be too displeased with an appropriations appropria-tions bill somewhat higher than his proposed figures. Preparing for windup of the session, the solons have cleared the most controversial issue of the session the Sunday closing law. The bill, amended by the Senate Sen-ate to give local option to communities com-munities who wish to allow business bus-iness establishments to stay open has gone to Gov. Lee. The chief executive thus far has not indicated in any way what his action will be. Should he veto the measure, it is doubtful doubt-ful if it could be passed over his veto. House supporters of the measure mea-sure have strength to spare over the 40-vote two-thirds margin needed to over-ride a veto. But it appears unlikely that enough Senators could be wooed over to support of the measure to get the 16 votes needed in the upper house to pass the bill. From this week on, fate of the majority of legislation lies in the hands of the sifting committees com-mittees of each house. The seven-man Senate group assumed assum-ed life-or-death power over some 132 measuresat the end of the fifth week and a 17-man House committee took over 109 bills. And these do not include more than 300 measures which have yet to come out of standing stand-ing committees and then go right back into sifting. Sen. President Mark Paxton named Republicans Grant Thorn (Springville), B. H. Stringham (Vernal), Rendell N. Mabey (Bountiful, Edwin B. Cannon (Salt Lake) and Democrats Marl D. Gibson (Price),- Alonzo F. Hopkin (Woodruff) and J. Francis Fran-cis Fowles (Ogden as Senate sifters. Sen. Thoxn is chairman. Speaker of. the House Merrill K. Davis (R-Salt Lake) choss Rep. William N. Brotherson (R-Boneta) (R-Boneta) to head the House grou. Others include Republicans Fred Froerer, Jr. (Ogden, Earl Butters (Morgan),' Kleon Kerr (Tremonton), E. G. Thomas (Salt Lake), Wayne C. Durham (Salt Lake), Victor L. Bunderson (Fer. ron), Theodore C. Jacobsen (Salt Lake), Arthur Brian (Loa), Simeon Sim-eon A. Dunn (Hyrum), Harrison Conover (Springville) and Democrats Dem-ocrats Mrs. C. L. Jack (Salt Lake), Mrs. Gerald Cazier (Ne-phi), (Ne-phi), Mrs. Elizabeth Vance (Ogden), (Og-den), Wendell Grover (Riverton), Arle P. Messinger (Beaver) and' Walker Lee Russell (Manila). There were also indications that some sort of reapportionment reapportion-ment might come out of this session. The new bills were introduced in-troduced in the Senate calling for compromises which may go through. . The major bill would call for a House of 69 members, controlled con-trolled mainly by Salt Lake, Weber, Utah, Davis and Carbon counties, with a combined total of 42 to 27 for the other counties, coun-ties, and 25 Senators with rural regions holding a margin of 13-12 13-12 over the above mentioned five counties. Under this plan, Sevier, Iron and Washington counties would each be given a senator. All three are now in districts with other counties. Salt Lake county coun-ty would drop from seven to six senators. Uintah county, now in with Duchesne, would join with Daggett in one district. dis-trict. Duchesne and Wasatch would share a senator, leaving Morgan, Rich and Summit counties coun-ties in the district in which Wasatch is now. In the House, Salt Lake county coun-ty would be aupped from 19 to 23 representatives, Davis county coun-ty would go from one to three, Utah and Weber would each gain two and Sanpete would lose one. The other new measure would seek to freeze the new senatorial senator-ial arrangement into the constitution consti-tution so that control of the Senate would always be in rural rur-al hands while the House control con-trol would be determined by population. Another key bill seemingly about in shape to pass is the proposal to set up a Utah Tourist Tour-ist and Publicity Council to advertise ad-vertise the state. This proposal calls for appointment ap-pointment by the governor of a seven-man board, one man from each judicial district in the state. This board would then appoint a full-time, paid director who would handle publicity pub-licity and tourist promotion. This is a compromise version of the two publicity bills first introduced. in-troduced. The measure carries with it a $200,000 appropriation. |