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Show By Harry Marlowe A move for a special session perhaps next fall to consider the recommendations of Utah s 60-man Public School Survey Commission picked up considerable consider-able momentum on Capitol Hill this week. First real talk of such a session ses-sion was heard after the commission com-mission presented its report at a joint session last Thursday. The report offered 25 legislative" legisla-tive" recommendations, requir-ine requir-ine over 30 bills. One of the main arguments against immediate consideration of the program was lack of time. Little less than two weeks re- I main to' the session before it is slated to adjourn oh March 12. There are nearly 450 bills before be-fore the two houses that have been introduced and received no attention. Senate action on the school report was to hand the school commission bills to a committee, commit-tee, which is to come back with a recommendation as to how they should be handled. It is believed that if any are urgent, they can be handled now and, other matters can be considered consider-ed at another session. Some talk of a special session immediately following the present pres-ent regular session also' has been stifled. Legislators want a chance to get home and get the reaction of their constituents on the conclusions drawn by the school commission. Principal field of controversy over the commission report is in finances. The survey group says another $7,190,000 will be necessary from the state level for .the public school program during the next biennium. This will cover a natural increase in school population and classroom class-room units and a recommended increase in the minimum classroom class-room unit cost from $3300 to $3500. It also accounts for a transfer of some costs from the local to the state level. Not taken into consideration is the $1,500,000 appropriation for teacher retirement and $2,-157,000 $2,-157,000 asked of the state to aid needy districts in school buildings. On the other hand, the commission com-mission would have the local districts pay for the school lunch program and place the $527,741 In state school lunch I funds derived from a four per cent tax on liquor in the uniform uni-form school fund. I Meanwhile, the two houses wrestled with the appropriations appropria-tions bill with hopes of cutting it to provide funds for state buildings. The House passed the bill soon after it was introduced intro-duced but called it back for reconsideration re-consideration after House Republicans Re-publicans had met with Gov. J. Bracken Lee. The record appropriation called for an expenditure of some $62,600,000 in the next two years, with more than $19,-000,000 $19,-000,000 in general fund costs. Some $2,000,000 may yet be pared off the latter before it is passed, but only about $200,-l $200,-l 000 will be lopped off the University Uni-versity of Utah and Utah State Agricultural appropriations. A conference committee from the two houses may be eventually event-ually handed the matter, just as a conference group may also be the last to report on reapportionment. reap-portionment. Each house has passed its own bill on the latter, and it is possible they might be reconciled since each body is j of the definite opinion that the ' Senate should be set up on an I area basis and the House on j population. The House bill is in the form; of a proposed constitutional amendment to provide one senator sen-ator from each county and a House of 75 based on population. popula-tion. The Senate would provide a Senate of 25 in place of the present 23 and a House of 69 instead of 60. Inside counties of Salt Lake (cut from seven to six), Utah, Weber and Davis would have 11 (adding Carbon's industrial area would make it 12), while the outside counties would have the remainder. Most of the important work is yet before the legislature, although al-though some of the most heated heat-ed debate has passed The Sunday Sun-day Closing bill went by the boards by a single vote, that ballot being the margin in the Senate by which it sustained the governor's veto. |