Wednesday Morning 2015 Utah Legislative News Roundup

Count My Vote delay falls in the Senate. Healthy Utah wins Senate approval, but there's not enough support in the House. Lawmakers may sidestep a vote on relocating the prison.

Via Utah Policy, here are this morning's "top ten headlines," folks:

• The Utah Senate kills a proposed delay to the Count My Vote compromise [Utah Policy, Tribune, Deseret News].
• Gov. Gary Herbert's Healthy Utah plan wins preliminary support in the Senate, but House leadership says there is not enough support in their body to pass the Medicaid expansion alternative [Utah Policy, Tribune, Deseret News].
• Lawmakers may let the prison commission make the final decision on relocating the Utah State Prison, allowing them to sidestep a politically risky vote [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
• Gov. Herbert says he's still optimistic that lawmakers will go along with his proposal to pump $500 million into public education coffers [Deseret News].
• A new poll finds 55% of Utahns support the fight to win control of public lands from the feds [Utah Policy].
• The Utah Senate passes a bill giving the Utah Attorney General 18-months to file a lawsuit laying claim to public lands within the state's borders [Tribune].
• Gov. Herbert is worried a proposed death with dignity bill could turn into a "Kevorkian scheme" [Tribune].
• A Senate panel approves a bill setting campaign contribution limits clears a House committee [Deseret News].
• Registration fees for alternative fuel cars could see a huge jump under a bill approved by the Senate Transportation Committee [Tribune, Deseret News].

We're toying with idea of making this a regular daily feature during the final 15 days of the 2015 Utah legislative session.  What do you think about this, folks? 

2015 Utah Legislative News Roundup: State Legislature Gives Needy Utahns and Public Schools "The Shaft"

Our take? Keep keep on voting Republican, Utah Sheeple

Via Utah political heavyweight  Utah Policy, we'll highlight a few of the more important Weber County Forum-topical stories emerging during the first two weeks of the 2015 Utah legislative session:

1) Utah Republican lawmakers are "working" to come up with their own crackpot alternative to Medicaid expansion:

• Legislative Republicans Getting Closer to Their Alternative to Healthy Utah - Utah Policy
• Lawmakers, governor still far apart on Medicaid expansion - Deseret News
• Utah lawmakers to decide: Who is the neediest of the needy? - Tribune

Despite the potload of federal money that would come to Utah with full medicaid expansion, it appears that Utah GOP legislators are fully prepared to give the bulk of needy Utahns "the shaft":

2) Notwithstanding GOP Rep. Jack Draxler's thoughtful proposed tax bill to boost teacher pay and fund school technology, a legislative committee mercilessly kills this proposal to provide more money for Utah's perpetually underfunded public schools:

• Legislative committee rejects tax hike for education - Deseret News
• Lawmakers reject tax increase to fund schools - Tribune

Our take:

Keep keep on voting Republican, Utah Sheeple.

Salt Lake Tribune Op-ed: No More Lame Excuses for Not Funding Schools

One thing's for sure: a lone Utah Democratic Senator like Dabakis won't be able to pull this off by himself.

Via Utah State Senator Jim Dabakis:

Recently, an LDS Church leader told me that there was a significant difference between the performance levels of Utah missionaries in the Language Training Centers and that of missionaries from other places. He bluntly asked me what I was going to do about education in Utah. (I suggested a small comment at LDS Conference might be helpful.)

Jim Dabakis - Salt Lake Tribune
Op-ed: No more lame excuses for not funding schools
January 10, 2015

The funding numbers are grim. Of 50 states, Utah spends just $6,206 per child, dead last. The national average is $10,608 and our neighbor Wyoming is spending $15,897. Our classrooms are the most crowded in America. 28.7 children per classroom, with the rest of the country at 15.7. Can you imagine trying to teach geometry to a classroom with 38 or 40 students? Utah kindergartens average 28.3 children.
Our teachers are the poorest paid in America. They get $2,397 per student while the national average is $4,053.

Jim Dabakis - Salt Lake Tribune
Op-ed: No more lame excuses for not funding schools
January 10, 2015

"There are ways to fund this. Triple the severance tax on fossil fuels (we would still be below North Dakota and we would bring in billions). End the flat state income tax--a huge check from school kids to the Romneys and the Huntsmans. Billions more. Change back the Utah constitution to give all state income tax to K-12":

• Op-ed: No more lame excuses for not funding schools

Here's the political downside, people:

• Poll: Utahns Oppose Tax Hike to Pay for Schools

We'll be eagerly awaiting that "small comment at the next LDS Conference," which indeed "might be helpful."

One thing's for sure: a lone Utah Democratic Senator like Dabakis won't be able to pull this off by himself.