Yes, yes, I know it has been two weeks sense the Utah State Legislature wrapped up its 58th session, but that does not mean that it is too late to actually chime in on some of the stuff that went on on Capitol Hill. Here is my analysis of a few of the major issues discussed this year.

Voting Rights

This year your right to vote was severely under attack by Republicans. Everything from early voting to the procedure at the polls were questioned by Republicans, often creating problems where none existed before. Bills were written to require proof of citizenship at the polls despite the fact that you have to be a citizen in the first place to be eligible, and one bill (which passed into law) could potentially make it more difficult for people in Salt Lake County, and only Salt Lake County, to vote early. On the flip side, Democrats proposed various bills that would make voting easier and more fair – some focused on same day voter registration while others advocated for a non-partisan commission to create fair legislative boundaries that are not gerrymandered. Not surprisingly, these bills died a terrible terrible death.

Citizens – 0, Special Interests – 1

Abortion

As sensitive of a topic as I know this is, I still must say that the citizens of the state of Utah lost big in regards to abortion. If you are anti-abortion, you may think you scored big with the passage of Ray’s bill calling for the criminal prosecution of those who perform abortions, but in reality you, and indeed all of us, are loosing quite a bit. You see, this law will be challenged, and it will go all the way to the Supreme Court where it will inevitably be found unconstitutional – so what do you get out of it pro-life crusader? Well a giant bill for the cost of all them big city lawyers and no progress on taking down Roe v. Wade. I, as a pro-choicer, will have to foot the bill as well – but my only reward is going to be able to say “I told you so” as I drive past a dilapidated school that could have been repaired with the same funds.

Citizens – 0, Special Interests – 2

Ethics Reform

Bwa, ha ha ha ha! Yeah right – next.

Citizens – 0, Special Interests – 3

Equality

Despite the citizens stating that they supported equal footing for the GLBT community when it comes to employment, health care, and the like, the far right legislature resoundingly shot down all six of the Common Ground Initiatives – fearful that they are going to catch teh gey if they move so much as an inch towards treating people like people. So, to all you homophobes (and you are, don’t try to convince me otherwise) out there that were pleased as punch to see that those ookie gay people still have no rights, just know that it is not a matter of “if” but “when” Utah will pass a law that treats all of its citizens equally.

Citizens – 0, Special Interests – 4

Civil Rights

Most notable this year in regards to civil rights was the passage of a bill that would prohibit gang activity. Not a bad idea on the surface, but dig a little more and you will discover that the law fundamentally harms our First Amendment right to peaceably assemble. By forcing people to disperse on public land, Senator Grieners SB 16 severely limits our rights in the name of protection. A law similar to this has already been passed and has already been shot down by the Supreme Court, yet we all stick our heads in the sand because we hate those brown people talking on the street corner.

Citizens – 0, Special Interest – 5

Environment

This year we really had a mixed bag when it came to environmental protection laws. On the one hand we saw a revolutionary bill designed to help municipalities draft environmentally sustainable codes, on the other we had head-in-the sanders continue to deny that climate change exists and that we are harming not only the earth, but our economy, if we continue down a dirty road. Also we saw the passage of the “Tim DeChristopher” law that would arrest anyone in peaceful protest by jacking up the price of land during a bid – a law so narrow, and so out of the jurisdiction of the state of Utah that it is almost laughable.

Citizens – 1/2, Special Interests – 6

Alcohol

This year, largely with the help of the progressive Huntsman (yeah, I said it), Utah was able to make some real progress in updating our liquor laws. Now the state is still the most conservative when it comes to getting a drink, but things have gotten a little bit better. Most notable of the changes is the removal of the private clubs – adults will actually be able to walk into a bar and order a drink with little resistance at the door (aside from getting their license scanned – another new provision). Now many teetotalers may think that this endangers the children by having more drunks wander the street, but the simple fact of the matter is that everyone who drinks in Utah already knows how to get around the laws, and tourists who don’t drive will spend more money while in our state.

Citizens 1 1/2 – Special Interests 6

Well, that is a good summary as always. I neglected to talk about the budget because cuts had to be made all around and everyone felt the pain. Aside from the Buttars fiasco, this was actually quite a boring session. I attribute this to the fact that we did have a budget crisis where we knew no one was going to get that much special treatment and that we had new leadership in both the House and the Senate. We will see what next year will bring, but in the mean time, go walk into a bar on June 1st!