Week 6 Newsletter

Greetings,

Only a week remains in the 2013 General Session.  Committee meetings are complete and the remainder of our time here will be spent on floor debate and working to finalize a balanced State budget. 

This week all of the bills on the House 3rd Reading Calendar were “wiped,” meaning they were taken off and reordered. This ensures that the bills considered a priority are debated on the floor before the session ends on March 14.

Regardless of time constraints we will pass a balanced budget totaling nearly $13 billion and we will increase education funding as well as provide a safety net for Utah’s most needy.

Please feel free to contact me with any comments or questions on bills during the session. I always enjoy feedback from constituents and find it very helpful when gauging how to vote on the important issues that come before us.  The easiest ay to reach me during the session is by email at dipson@le.utah.gov or at 435-817-5281

Representative Don L. Ipson

Dipson@le.utah.gov

Current Legislation

House Bill 408 – Criminal Suspect Photographs           

If approved, this measure would require people requesting a copy of a mug shot to sign a statement that the photo will not be placed in a publication or on a website that requires payment in order to remove the picture. Violators would face a class B misdemeanor for writing a false statement, up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.  The bill would strike a balance, allowing access to the booking photos by the press for legitimate news stories and by those doing background checks.  But it would also prevent those found innocent or whose charges were dropped from having their mug shots remain on the web.

House Bill 114 – Second Amendment Preservation Act

This bill passed out of the House Friday morning to the Senate with a vote of 49-17.  This Act affirms that the Utah State Legislature holds the exclusive authority to adopt and enact any and all laws, orders, rules, or regulations regarding the manufacture, transfer, possession, ownership, and use of firearms exclusively within this state. 

Senate Bill 226 – Sales and Use Tax Amendments

This bill requires online retailers to collect and remit sales tax on behalf of their customers.  It modifies the circumstances under which a person may be required to collect and remit sales and use taxes to the State Tax Commission and makes technical and conforming changes.

Week 5 Legislative Newsletter

Greetings,

This week at the Capitol we were given revised revenue projections that provided the final numbers on revenue growth and the last piece of budget info we need to finish balancing the budget. This is a highly anticipated number and one that is tracked throughout the year.

Unfortunately, with the shifting numbers and failed policy of Washington DC looming around us, it is incredibly difficult to build a budget.  The Federal government’s tax increase earlier this year caused a $100 million negative impact.  Despite these challenges, we in Utah will balance our state budget on time and to the penny. We will do the very best with the funds we have and match needs with the appropriate funding source, hoping Washington will follow our lead. 

Please feel free to contact me with any comments or questions on bills during the session. I always enjoy feedback from constituents and find it very helpful when gauging how to vote on the important issues that come before us.  The easiest ay to reach me during the session is by email at dipson@le.utah.gov or at 435-817-5281

Representative Don L. Ipson

Dipson@le.utah.gov

Current Legislation

           

HB 209 Public Assistance Restrictions

This bill prohibits the recipient of any type of public financial assistance from using the benefits at a liquor store, gaming establishment or adult-oriented entertainment establishment. I think we can all agree that when the taxpayer is providing assistance to someone in need, we expect them to use the money to support themselves and their families in appropriate ways through the purchase of food or housing essentials. Using those public safety net funds in inappropriate ways or places is a violation of the public good will and trust for which those funds were set aside.

HB 129 Amendments to Powers, Functions, and Duties of Office of Legislative Fiscal Analyst

Would you like to see exactly where your dollars are going? The idea behind this bill is a taxpayer receipt that would be available on the state’s transparency website (transparent.utah.gov).  It would build a custom receipt based on your tax input for state income tax and sales tax, complete with graphs. Information is power. By making a receipt available, the taxpayer has a greater ability to assess the expenditures, weigh the pros and cons of policy areas, and then get involved in changing the funding formulas. 

H.B. 268 Substitute Disorderly Conduct Amendments

This session there are several “gun bills” that have been proposed. This is a very sensitive area given recent tragedies and closely held 2^nd amendment rights. This bill attempts to strike a balance between our state laws that allow for fire arms to be openly carried, but gives law enforcement personnel the ability to engage with persons that may be causing a disturbance in a public place when open carrying a fire arm. After much debate and some amendments, this bill seems to strike the right balance on the issue of the open carrying of firearms.

Week 4 Legislator Newsletter

Current Legislation

 Greetings,

Among the many areas of concern we are addressing this Legislative session is our crumbling infrastructure.  As cars become more fuel efficient, the gas tax collected per mile traveled falls, leaving the government unable to fund much needed road projects.  This issue is important for everyone, and we will exhaust every effort leading to the best solution.

We have received hundreds of responses from the survey the Southern Utah delegation recently published, and we value and thank you for your input.  From the results we see that Southern Utahns are most concerned with the issues of infrastructure and education.  We are working hard to address these issues.

The Legislature will be launching a task force at the end of the session that will meet throughout the legislative interim to evaluate how to put the policies and funding mechanisms in place to reach our goals. I’m excited about this goal and direction for the state as. Our future is indeed bright.  

Please feel free to contact me with any comments or questions on bills during the session. I always enjoy feedback from constituents and find it very helpful when gauging how to vote on the important issues that come before us.  The easiest ay to reach me during the session is by email at dipson@le.utah.gov or at 435-817-5281

            

House Bill 76 – Concealed Carry Amendments

This bill passed the House Judiciary committee this week and is yet to be heard by the full House.  The bill has a provision that would allow anyone over the age of 21 to carry a concealed weapon with or without a permit.

House Bill 114 – Second Amendment preservation Act

This bill reserves the right to regulate firearms on behalf of the state, providing penalties for anyone attempting to enforce federal second amendment restrictions. 

House Bill 30 – Line-of-Duty Death and Disability Amendments

This bill closes a loophole in death and disability definitions that can leave the families of fallen public safety officers or firefighters without compensation.  The current law compensates families after a death due to blunt force trauma, but neglects to include death or disability from other causes. 

Week 2 Legislative Newsletter

Greetings,

One of the primary responsibilities of the Legislature each year is to develop and balance the state budget. This is a serious responsibility and one that requires significant work each year. The budgeting this year has been made immeasurably more complicated this year due to fiscal irresponsibility in Washington DC. By the end of Week 2 of the session, the legislative appropriations committees are usually deep into the budget review process. This year the process has been slowed as we await revised revenue projections and the latest “best guess” on the budget cuts Washington will attempt to pass onto the states. Stay tuned for revised budget updates on February 19^th that will provide us with the final numbers we will budget toward.

The Southern Utah delegation recently published a survey in The Spectrum and Daily News as a means for Southern Utahns to voice their opinions and thoughts on a variety of hot topics. The survey especially focused on your ideas about spending.  This week we received many of these completed surveys back and we appreciate your insight and comments on the important issues that we will discuss this legislative session.  I very much value your feedback and use to assess the bills we vote on.  

Below is an important update on House Bill 61.  Please feel free to contact me with any comments or questions on bills during the session. I always enjoy feedback from constituents and find it very helpful when gauging how to vote on the important issues that come before us.  The easiest ay to reach me during the session is by email at dipson@le.utah.gov or at 801-538-1029

House Bill 61 Update – Dixie State College University Status

This bill will be heard as the first item of business in the Utah House of Representatives beginning at 10AM on February 13^th, and will then be moved directly to the Senate where Senator Urquhart will present it for final passage.  The Governor will sign the bill on Saturday, February 16^th at 9AM on Dixie State University campus, which will implement an immediate effective date and We will be Dixie State University that day. 

2013 Legislative Session - Week 1 Newsletter

Greetings,

We have reached the end of the opening week of the 2013 Utah Legislative session, but we still have much to accomplish over the next 40 days. This week featured much of the pomp and circumstance that you might expect would accompany the opening week. Speaker Lockhart opened the session with a speech about the challenges we face because of budget inaction by Congress. We also heard the annual State of the State address from Governor Herbert, who highlighted many of the things Utah is doing right, while laying out several policy directives including an emphasis on public education.

 I was able to present a bill to the education committee who unanimously approved it. Many in Southern Utah have worked on this bill for the past few years. It is the bill that will formally move Dixie State College to full university status (see below for a short description of the bill). This move has been in the works for many years. Several past legislators from Southern Utah, including former Speaker David Clark and former Senator Bill Hickman, were able to attend the committee hearing and be recognized for the leadership they showed on getting Dixie State College to this point. The bill is now awaiting consideration by the full house.

 Below are some of the bills that were considered this week that you might find interesting. Please feel free to contact me with any comments or questions on bills during the session. I always enjoy feedback from constituents and find it very helpful when gauging how to vote on the important issues that come before us. The easiest ay to reach me during the session is by email at dipson@le.utah.gov or at 801-538-1029


Representative Don L. Ipson 
DIpson@le.utah.gov





 House Bill 61 – Dixie State College - University Status This bill modifies the State System of Higher Education code by changing the name of Dixie State College of Utah to Dixie State University. It establishes the status of the university as a continuation of the college and makes technical changes. This bill will provide substantial growth opportunities for the school.

 House Bill 15 - State Park Access Amendments The bill designates an additional access road to Quail Creek State Park, and designates access roads to Sand Hollow State Park. The extra road designated in Quail Creek State Park is the North Access in Hurricane City, and is 1 mile long. 2 additional roads are designated part of Sand Hollow State Park, both in Hurricane.

 HJR 6 – Joint Resolution on Compensation and Expense Reimbursement Compensation and Expense Reimbursements: This bill acts on the recommendation of the Independent Compensation Commission and requires the Legislature receive compensation through an actual salary, rather food and housing stipends. Legislators will continue to make about $16,000 a year, only now legislators that have housing and travel expenses will submit receipts for reimbursement.