The Contemporary World: The Globalization of World Politics
The 2014 Utah Legislative Session: The Interesting, The Ordinary and What to Expect in 2015
1. THE 2014 UTAH LEGISLATIVE SESSION:
THE INTERESTING, THE ORDINARY AND
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2015
Mike Bailey
Shelly Cordon Teuscher
Salt Lake City
April 16, 2014
4819-0608-5914 parsonsbehle.com
2. 2
Inform you
Alert you to issues that may affect your
business
Scare you…just a bit
This presentation is a source of general information for clients and friends of Parsons Behle &
Latimer. Its content should not be construed as legal advice and attendees should not act upon
the information in the presentation without consulting legal counsel.
Goals of Today’s Presentation
3. 3
I. Utah Legislature by the Numbers
II. 2014 Session Review (using themes)
III. Protecting your Business by Playing an
Active Role
Please ask questions throughout
Outline of Presentation
5. 5
Large Number of Freshmen in the House
– 20 of 75 in the House were in their second
year
– 11 more beginning their second term
“Slow and steady” meant many bills were
not heard
Mood was serious
Media focused on the “easy” issues
2014 Legislative Session
7. 7
478
524
484
183 203 217
Even More Bills Passed
in the Final Two Days
Bills
Passed
Bills
Passed
Last 2 days
(39%)
Last 2 days
(38%)
2012 2013
Bills
Passed
Last 2 days
(45%)
2014
8. 8
2014 Bill Passage By The Numbers
Republican -
sponsored
bills that
passed
(89%)
Democrat -
sponsored
bills that
passed
(11%)
2012:
87% Republican
13% Democrat
2013:
94% Republican
6% Democrat
9. 9
Most Prolific Legislators
Highest bill passage percentage (minimum 10 bills)
– Sen. Lyle Hillyard (17 for 17)
– Sen. Ralph Okerlund (13 for 13)
– Rep. Mel Brown (12 for 12)
– Rep. Jim Dunnigan (12 for 12)
Most bills passed
– Sen. Curt Bramble (19 for 26)
• Including SB 54 – “Count my Vote”
Most bills introduced
– Sen. Curt Bramble 26 (19 for 26)
– Rep. Kraig Powell 20 (6 for 20)
– Sen. Todd Weiler 19 (14 for 19)
2014 Bill Passage By The Numbers
11. 11
Big-Time Changes in the Legislature
Speaker is done
– Speaker vs. Governor
Senate Majority Leader may be stepping
down
House Minority Leader is done
Lots of Democrats are done
– In Senate (Senators Jones & Robles)
– In House (Representatives
Cosgrove, Seelig, Fisher, Hemingway)
12. 12
The Session’s Broad Themes
Issues Headed
Our Way
Interesting
Heavily debated
& usually received
media attention
Ordinary
Expected,
not surprising
14. 14
Air Quality – The People Spoke
Air Quality has Been an Issue for a Few
Years but This Year was Different
Session Started With Two Bangs and a lot of
Inversions
– First, the Governor discussed Tier III Fuels in his
State of the State
– Second, there was a clean air rally which had
4000 attendees
– Parking was awful
16. 16
And Air Quality Did OK
Legislators put their money where their
mouth was:
– Enhanced funding for DAQ
– Grant programs for wood-burning stoves
– Replacing dirty diesel school buses
Not everything passed:
– Quarter-cent sales tax hike
– State vs. federal regulation
17. 17
“No more stringent”
Utah law says environmental regulations can be
no more stringent than corresponding federal
regulations (except if a certain finding is made)
– David Bird drafted
Protects business and industry
Environmentalists: “Chills” new ideas
Two bills in play:
– Bill to eliminate protection – DIED
– Bill to modify restriction – DIED
18. 18
Election Reform
Flurry of Ethics Laws
– Consultant Costs
– Candidate Disclosure
– Penalties
Voter Day Registration
Still No Limits On Campaign Donations
19. 19
Anti-Discrimination
State lawsuit in process
No consideration of anti-discrimination law
– Activist pressure
No anti-gay marriage bills allowed either
20. 20
Count My Vote
CMV organizers gathered 100,000+
signatures
Pressure on legislature
Compromise – SB 54
There is already talk of amending the law
21. 21
SB 54 (Bramble)
Dual route to the ballot:
– Convention: Same as now
– Signatures
• 28,000 for statewide office
• 2,000 for state Senate seats
• 1,000 for state House seats
– Parties must have open primaries
– May be a moderating factor
Several legislators may pay the price
22. 22
It was a tale of two bills
– SB 211 sponsored by Sen. Margaret Dayton
– HB 49 sponsored by Rep. Kay McIff
SB 211 restored the power of the state water
engineer
HB 49 modified the procedure for filing a
change application
Both bills died on the boards
Water
23. 23
Health Care
Autism Mandate
– “Every Decade we Pass a Mandate – This is
That Mandate”
– Compromise was struck
• Would not affect many large employers
• Diagnosis and Treatment 2-9 years old
• Applied Behavior Analysis
• Treatment Plan and Treatment Review
Cannabis Oil
24. 24
Privacy Issues
Voter registration data
Limits on law enforcement
– Drones
– GPS location information
Revenge Porn
25. 25
Fun, Odd or Silly Issues Likely to Land a
Legislator on “Jon Stewart’s Daily Show”
Crickets, crickets
No feral cats, no state gun
We did get a new state tree (Quaking Aspen
instead of Colorado Blue Spruce) but we didn’t
replace Iowa and New Hampshire as the state
with the earliest presidential primary
Cities can’t ban specific breeds of dogs – pit
bulls are safe
It was a very serious session with few
distractions
27. 27
Abolished PRADA board & created a
commission
Provides for RFPs
Became controversial
Group to work quickly – hope to get done as
soon as practicable
Prison Relocation
28. 28
Gas Tax
Persuasive case by Salt Lake Chamber of
Commerce and local government that more
revenues are needed
Early push to allow 10 cent local option tax faded
Three bills in play:
– Raise tax by 7.5 cents, phased in – DOA
– Decrease the gas tax, increase the sales tax, but “not a tax
increase” – DIED, killed by sponsor’s own committee.
– Change the way it’s calculated; may have raised tax over
time – DIED
29. 29
Medicaid Expansion
Two Proposals
– Governor/Senate: Block grant
– House: No federal money
Governor can decide any time, but must get
legislative approval
Governor has sent emissaries to Washington
Speaker very opposed to accepting federal
money
30. 30
Education Funding
Public education
– Funded new students
– 2.5% increase in per-pupil spending
High-quality preschool
– Funding by private investors
Higher education
– 11.2% increase
STEM
Speaker’s $300 million initiative fell short
32. 32
Uniformity of Healthcare Practice Acts
(DOPL)
Non Profit Organizations & Tax Issues
Competency Based Education
Privatizing State Golf Courses
Cyber Bullying
Air Quality
Master Study Resolution
33. 33
Tier III Fuel Production
Drone Technology
DUI Standards
Water Issues
Title and Escrow Insurance Related
Amendments
Daylight Savings Time
Minimum Wage
Master Study Resolution
34. 34
How To Succeed
Relationships with legislators
Relationships with lobbyists
Strategic alliances
Work with trade associations
Take reasonable positions
Be ever-vigilant
35. 35
We strategize with clients
We monitor the Legislative Session
We draft legislation
We help get bills passed
We help get bills killed
We seek appropriations
We help with incentive packages
We help clients get whatever they need to
protect their businesses (no request is too
difficult)
What We Do
36. 36
Get in the Game
– Stay apprised of any developments
• Legislature has study committees that meet monthly
• Master study list gives some idea of issues to be
studied
– As we saw this session, reading the
newspaper is not enough
– If you see an issue of concern, what can you
do about it?
– Contact us. We can help
Protecting Your Business
37. 37
Be vigilant – stay informed
Think of ways that legislation can help your
business
– No request is too crazy / it is almost never
too late
We’re here to help – feel free to call
– regarding business issues…
– or even the state tree
Takeaways