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.