I am truly bothered by the hypocrisy many on the right have towards illegal immigration – and their inability to think through the rhetoric they often spew. Often, they complain that we make it “too easy” to enter the country and that we incentivize people to come here. This argument came up during the initial discussion of driver privilege cards a few years [...]
Archive for the ‘Transporation’ Category
Bills to Watch: SJR 6 – Joint Resolution Urging Congress to Limit the Freeze on Longer Combination Vehicle Use in the Western States, S. Jenkins
Whew! First of all, I think Senator Scott Jenkins (R – Plain City – District 20) was simply trying to win the award for longest title of a bill. Sadly, he seems to have lost to Representative Clarks’ HJR 2 by only seven characters. Alas, I suppose SJR 6 – Joint Resolution Urging Congress to [...]
Bills to Watch: HB 34 – Department of Transportation Settlement Agreement Amendments, J. Fisher
Remember that small, little, ency-wency $13 million payout to Flatiron/Skanska/Zachry after their failed bid on the I-15 CORE project? I know, it was no big deal, but Representative Julie Fisher (R-Fruit Heights, District 17) seems to think that it was. I know, right? I suppose some of the provisions outlined in HB 34 – Department [...]
Bills to Watch: SB 117 – Pete Suazo Memorial Highway, L. Robles
This time last year I discussed how Senator Luz Robles (D – Salt Lake, District 1) was sponsoring a bill to designate the portion of Redwood Road in Salt Lake City the “Pete Suazo Memorial Highway.” Sadly, the bill had the enacting clause struck and made it nowhere. For those of you who don’t know, [...]
Bills to Watch: HB 237 – Restriction on Use of Wireless Telephones in Vechiles by Minors, P. Riesen
Representative Phil Riesen (D – Millcreek, District 36) continues to fight for a restriction on cell phones in cars. Last year he was unsuccessful in passing a bill that would eliminate cell phone use for everyone (the bill was substituted in committee and died there), so he is trying again with HB 237, a bill [...]
Bills to Watch: SB 38 – Restrictions on High Occupancy Vehicle Lane, K. Morgan
I have been amazed by the flurry of arguments surrounding Karen Morgan’s (D – Salt Lake – District 8) SB 38 – Restrictions on High Occupancy Vehicle Lane. The bill adds seven lines of text to the HOV (carpool) lane laws and, if it were to pass, would open up the carpool lane to any [...]
Happy Birthday Trax!
Today marks the tenth anniversary of the Salt Lake-Sandy line of Trax and it is interesting what a difference a decade makes. This time ten years ago, the average price for a gallon of gas in the US was $1.46, adjusted for inflation and you are looking at $1.94 in today’s dollars. At the time [...]
Bills to Watch: S.B. 144 – Pete Suazo Memorial Highway – L. Robles
Hopefully many of you remember Senator Pete Suzao of Utah’s second senatorial seat. Not only was Senator Suazo a tireless fighter for the people of his district, he also made huge inroads for the latio community in Utah. Tragically he died in an offroading accident in 2001. Senator Suazo was a force in and of [...]
Sit down with the Mayor
This morning I had the opportunity, along with some fellow bloggers, to sit down with Mayor Ralph Becker and discuss some of the issues of the day. I must admit that it is quite the honor to have the Mayors Office reach out to the blogging community, even though this is nothing new. While working [...]
Bills to watch: H.B. 95 – Restrictions on use of Wireless Communication Devices in Vehicles – P. Riesen
As I was driving down I-15 at rush hour, I decided to check which bills were new and fresh on the Utah State Legislature web site when, all of a sudden I came across this little gem. Naturally this would distract me to the point where I nearly slammed into the back of a semi [...]