NANTICOKE — Sen. Lisa Baker on Thursday said a crucial part of public service is meeting face-to-face with constituents, listening to what they have to say and…
Limiting COVID-19’s spread is not on the priority list for leaders of the Republican-controlled Utah Legislature, even as the omicron surge is overwhelming hospitals and testing. Lawmakers are prioritizing water, housing, education and tax cuts.
Sen. Andy Billig [D-Spokane] talks about the function of the legislative Rules Committees in Olympia.
The Washington and Idaho legislatures are in the homestretches of their respective sessions. Lawmakers are working to finalize budgets and put the finishing touches on a variety of bills.
In Washington, the Rules Committees [chaired in the Senate by Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, above] have an important role in determining which bills move on and which ones die. Today we get a Civics 101 lesson from Sen. Andy Billig [D-Spokane], a Rules Committee member.
Andy Billig: “I counted once and found there were 37 places that a bill could die along the legislative process, but really no place where it can get a direct route to becoming a law. Our founders really had this idea that it should be hard to pass a law. Laws are momentous and significant and they should get lots of checks and double-checks and triple-checks before they pass. One of those checks, one of those filters that a bill has
Deseret News
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Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY The question of whether the government or even your boss should be able to order you to take the COVID-19 vaccine sparked debate on Utah’s Capitol Hill as the Legislature nears the end of its 2021 session.
With one week to go, lawmakers have passed almost 200 bills and resolutions out of more than 700 filed. Of those, three involving nearly $100 million in targeted tax cuts focusing on families and retirees are advancing after legislative leaders detailed plans to help return to Utahns some of the surplus money the state is seeing.