I don’t want you all to think that I am biased towards Representative Rebecca Chavez-Houck (D – Salt Lake, District 24) simply because she happens to have ranked number 1 last year for best representing my interests…or because she just so happens to be my actual representative on the hill; but the honest truth is, I am biased towards her because, well, she is kinda awesome.

I point to HB 274, Adoption Amendments, as an example of her ability to run unabashedly progressive bills that (gasp) line up with the values of many Utahns.

Now, lets not beat around the bush on this one – this bill would allow homosexual couples to adopt children…but before the far right brings out the torches (which they will anyway), the major stipulation is that the child must already be living with a legal parent.

Currently the law is very specific in saying that the person seeking to adopt the child must be married to the legal adult – Chavez-Houck wishes to extend this out to say that the legal parent has the right to choose who can adopt their children regardless of the legal status of their relationship.

And, in many ways, this is why the far-right should fully agree with this bill. For years we have heard about how important parental rights are and how the state has very few rights to interfere with a parents ability to parent.  Well, I would argue that choosing who can and can not make decisions such as medical treatments and education options is the ultimate exercise in parental rights. As a parent, I should not have the state deciding who should or shouldn’t be able to adopt my child.

Of course, I am presuming that lawmakers will use that logic when voting on this bill…yeah, I can dream.

This is a good bill that does little more than allow healthy and happy families thrive.

To contact Rep. Chavez-Houck, Click Here or call 801-891-9292

Impact: 2

Need: 4

Overall: 4

Questions about the rating system? Click Here

To view other bills in the 2012 Bills to Watch series, Click Here

It is rare when I agree with Representative Curtis (R – Clearfield, District 14); so on those rare occasions that I do, I feel it is worth noting.

With HB 124, In-State Tuition for Veterans, Oda is saying in no uncertain terms, thank you, to the men and women who serve (or have honorably served) our country by offering them in-state tuition to our state colleges and universities even if they do not meet normal residency requirements. The best part is that this bill would even extend residency status to active personnel family members as well.

I am grateful that we as a state are willing  to dig a little bit deeper to show our appreciation for the sacrifice these soldiers have shown.  We may disagree about the merits of the conflicts we are fighting, but bills like this show that we as citizens know there is a huge difference between the politics of war and the on-the-ground realities of war.

Kudos to Representative Oda for proposing this bill. It may cost us more, but I say it is a price worth paying.

To contact Rep. Oda, Click Here or call 801-773-9796

Impact: 2

Need: 3

Overall: 2

Questions about the rating system? Click Here

To view other bills in the 2012 Bills to Watch series, Click Here

One of the reasons I have always liked Representative Rebecca Chavez-Houck (D – Salt Lake, District 24), is that she has always fought to expand the rights of voters in Utah.  She has been a strong advocate for modernizing our democracy while still holding true to is roots.

I point to HB 119, Study of Signing Petitions Online as a prime example of this.

As you might of guessed, the bill would require the Lieutenant Governor (the executive branch official in charge of elections in Utah) to study the possibility of  allowing petitions to be signed electronically.

The bill stems from the 2009 Fair Boundaries and Utahns for Ethical Government’s separate, but valiant, attempts to ensure they had enough signatures to place their respective initiatives on the ballot. As you may have guessed, they both failed as you probably have not seen any independent panels discussing district boundaries or unethical behavior.

One main reason both electronic petitions failed was due to the fact that the laws simply have not kept up with modern times – even though electronic petitions, an many ways, made it harder to commit fraud by signing false names.

Houck is attempting to catch our legal system up with this little portion of our democracy – and rightly so. Utah could be a leader in citizen participation with the passage of a bill such as this, and I strongly encourage the legislature to at least allow the Lt. Governor to see if it is a viable solution to creating a modern democracy.

To contact Rep. Chavez-Houck, Click Here or call 801-891-9292

Impact: 3

Need: 4

Overall: 3

Questions about the rating system? Click Here

To view other bills in the 2012 Bills to Watch series, Click Here

After reading up on HB 263, Unemployment Benefits for Military Spouse as proposed by Representative Lynn Hemingway (D – Salt Lake City, District 40), I was shocked to find out we needed a bill like this in the first place.

Being the spouse of a serviceman or woman is a difficult one, often times meaning that you have to move from town to town on very short notice. This, naturally, means that servicemember spouses have to choose between staying at a job or staying with their partner. More often than not, the family member will quit their job so that they can continue to be with their loved-one, forcing people to quit their jobs.

Now, by “quit their job” it does not mean that they were disgruntled, or stopping an upcoming firing, no – I am sure most people would love to stay in one spot and build a career.  But our nation has called on these families to make a large sacrifice, and it is not one that families can simply opt-out of.

However, when a family leaves Utah to go off to some other base, that family is simply up a creek without a paddle. Not only do you loose the income from the job you have been working at, but you loose all access to the rightful unemployment insurance you have been paying into while you are here.

To add insult to injury, Utah is only one of ten states in the nation that does not extend this basic courtesy to the families of the men and women who fight for our country.

Thankfully, Rep. Hemingway has decided to take on this oversight by proposing HB 263 so that Utah can extend unemployment benefits to those  who would rather not quit their jobs, but have a higher duty to the nation. When you do find a new job, your unemployment benefits end, just as they would had you stayed in the state.

And, here is the best part. It is estimated that the benefits we will have to pay out in a given year are roughly $85,000. Yes, you read that right – not $850,000, but $85,000. Yes, for the cost of a nice car, the citizens of the State of Utah can say thank you to those who serve and the families that support them.

This is a no-brainer folks. I hope this bill passes with flying colors.

To contact Rep. Hemingway, Click Here or call 801-231-2153

Impact: 1

Need: 4

Overall: 4

Questions about the rating system? Click Here

To view other bills in the 2012 Bills to Watch series, Click Here

This time last year, Senator Wayne Niederhauser (R – Sandy, District 9) showed just how much disregard he has for local government sovereignty by proposing SB 243 – Historic Areas or Sites Amendments. Apparently, in the past year, Niederhauser realized just how draconian his law really was to begin with…but is still missing the point.

Time to pull out your flip-flops on this one folks, because Niederhauser, by proposing SB 115, Historical District Creation Requirements, he is attempting to remove the very law he so desperately wanted on the books this time last year.

Yes, Niederhauser’s bill puts a giant strike-through on everything he proposed last year as necessary for the protection of citizens in this state.  I suppose he could have changed his mind…he certainly has the right to do that.  But if I had to wager a guess, it has more to do with the fact that he was able to get what he wanted last year by helping a buddy build McMansions and realized just how crap-tacular his bill actually was.

This current reincarnation does set into place various requirements for a city to set up a so called “historical district.” Although the thresholds are not impossibly high, I have to ask the same question I asked last year – how is this a State issue?

Isn’t it the right of a city and its citizens to determine what is or is not a historic district within their city limits? Shouldn’t the citizens decide what areas deserve protection? And shouldn’t those citizens create the mechanisms to determine such a status? Up until Niederhauser stuck his nose into the process last year, the issue largely worked itself out without interference from the state.

Yes, from time to time, issues of proper historical designation reared its head – but the courts were able to adequately  handle the problem.

The first half of the bill where Niederhauser wishes to get rid of his mistake is fantastic, however the second half is unnecessary.  I begrudgingly say that this is a good bill, but only kinda-sorta.  What would be ideal is if we went back to pre-2011 law.

To contact Sen. Niederhauser, Click Here or call 801-942-3398

Impact: 4

Need: 2

Overall: 2

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On the list of “important things our legislature really should cover,” our metro area’s air quality should be at the top of the list.  Year after year the inversion gets worse and worse, and yet our lawmakers seem to completely ignore it. This is somewhat ironic as the inversion always seems to set in at about week three, and you can get a really good view of the muck that affects over three quarters of Utah residents from the halls of the Capitol Building.

That is why I am grateful that Representative Patrice Arent (D – Salt Lake City, District 36) is proposing HB 70, Air Quality Task Force.

The bill would create a task force specifically designed to review public and private efforts to improve the air quality and suggest changes to laws and regulations to improve the very air we breath in every day.

Of course, I am sure that Arent would like to be able to propose (and of course pass) bills that actually address the issues of poor air quality, however it is a pipe dream to think that conservative lawmakers will pass anything unless they are forced to confront the facts of air quality and how to fix them.  So, barring that, Arent is taking the most proactive approach she politically can to at least start to address the very serious issue.

I have high hopes for this bill. It is simple, straight forward, and a step in the right direction.  Just about anyone who lives from Ogden to Provo (and don’t forget Logan) experience poor air at least a quarter of the year – it is truly an issue that touches almost every Utahan.

…Oh, and I wish to propose the following as the official theme song for this bill.

To contact Rep. Arent, Click Here or call 801-618-1946

Impact: 5

Need: 5

Overall: 5

Questions about the rating system? Click Here

To view other bills in the 2012 Bills to Watch series, Click Here

I have to hand it to freshman Representative Brian Doughty (D-Salt Lake City, District 30). His bill, HB 64, Amendments to Public Employee Health Care would go far in proving that Utah is not some backwater stuck in the 1940′s.

Doughty’s bill makes the revolutionary step to acknowledge that not every state employee fits into the classic Norman Rockwell painting, but that we live in modern times and our public servants have modern needs.

The bill would allow any state employee to designate an adult dependent who could benefit from our states public employee health care insurance.

Now, arch-conservative a-holes, this would mean that those gays would have the ability to give benefits to their partners; but it also means that someone could take care of an aging parent or relative who lives at home. It would mean that each and every employee be treated fairly in regards to health care benefits and that we as a state don’t create a narrow definition of which loved ones we should be allowed to take care of. Yes, it would mean that every public employee would be able to take advantage of one of the perks currently reserved for a select number of servants.

Republicans will spin this into a pro gay rights bill, and in some ways, it certainly is.  But what the bill really does is provide incentives to attract talented people to a sometimes thankless job. They will thumb their noses at the potential price-tag, without considering the fact that this would show to many large businesses that we are actually catching up with the policies of several Fortune 500 companies, making the state more attractive to companies and their employees.

Unfortunately, I doubt the backward thinking knuckle draggers will ever let this bill see the light of day…because they know that it actually would receive support from the public; forcing them to choose between their narrow minds and the will of the people.

To contact Rep. Doughty, Click Here or call 801-413-4931

Impact: 2

Need: 2

Overall: 5

Questions about the rating system? Click Here

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Senator Ben McAdams (D-Salt Lake City, District 2) is taking charge and working hard to hold legislators accountable with SB 117 – Publication of Education Fund Revenue Reductions.  The bill is very straight forward, but will have big ramifications by holding lawmakers feet to the fire.

The bill, in short, would require any bill that negativity effects education funding be reported to the legislature.

Think about that for a moment.

It means that, unless a bill sponsor can specifically show that a reduction in public education funding is beneficial to the public education system, they will have a very public forum showing that their bill takes money away from our already underfunded school system.

Of course, I am skeptical that this bill will actually go anywhere – after all, why would legislators actually want to be held accountable to other lawmakers and the public? That means that they would actually have to step out of the closed door.

To contact Sen. McAdams, Click Here or call 801-618-1946

Impact: 3

Need: 5

Overall: 5

Questions about the rating system? Click Here

To view other bills in the 2012 Bills to Watch series, Click Here

I must admit that I was impressed when I saw that Senator Karen Morgan (D – Salt Lake –District 8) proposed SB 31, Classroom Size Amendments. It is short, it is sweet, and it cuts to the very core of one of the principal problems with Utah schools: large class sizes.

Morgan is proposing that there be no more than 18 students in a kindergarten class, 20 students for a 1st grade class, 22 students in a 2nd grade class, and 24 students in a 3rd grade class in any English, math, science, or social studies class.

The bill provides feasible ways for this goal to be achieved from a logistical stand point by allowing so called “paraprofessional’s” to teach classes to these students. These paraprofessionals would essentially take on a group of students during the school year and teach them the curriculum assigned – meanwhile the primary teacher could focus their efforts on students that are struggling.  If, of course, the classroom already met these guidelines, the school would not need to pay to bring in one of these professionals.

Aye, there’s the rub. This bill has a fiscal note points out that the initial cost of this bill will be between $12.7 and $31.2 million just to get the bill off the ground. By the time the bill is fully phased in, it will cost the state between $22 and $67 million a year ,depending on various factors.

I am not saying that this means I think it is a bad bill – far from it, I am just saying our “never tax anyone, slash budgets everywhere” Republican controlled legislature probably won’t warm up to the idea. Hell, they thumb their noses at the mere thought of increasing funding for education in general, let alone when a specific policy is brought up.

Good luck Senator Morgan, I am pulling for you. If I might make one suggestion, be sure to point out that your Republican colleagues bring very little to the table, and you are eager to find solutions.

To contact Sen. Morgan, Click Here or call 801-943-0067

Impact: 3

Need: 4

Overall: 5

Questions about the rating system? Click Here

To view other bills in the 2012 Bills to Watch series, Click Here