Price City Mayor Mike Kourianos (left), Representative Christine Watkins (center) and Green River Mayor Travis Bason (right).
By Representative Christine Watkins, District 69
We had a busy week at the legislature. We were winding up the Request for Appropriation process. Each committee spends several weeks listening to individuals and groups’ request money to expand their programs or buildings. There are multiple appropriation committees and I am the House Vice-Chair for the Business, Economic, and Labor Committee. All committees will finalize their priorities this week and present them to the Executive Appropriations Committees. The difficult part this year is that there is just not much money to go around, except for the Education Appropriations Committee.
I have one bill on its way to the governor and my Natural Gas Amendments bill for Remote Rural Areas going through the Senate. I have a new bill just released dealing with vaccinations for puppies that are being sold. I already have a substitute bill being done for that one.
In two committees, I have spoken against and voted against two bills that would give unfunded mandates to school districts. The concepts were great, but there was no funding to back them. They are both still on hold in committee. I have supported a couple of bills that dealt with predator control. There are times when predator populations get too high and the kill rate for local ranchers is expensive and unnecessary.
SB 102 is a bill that would reclassify the practice of polygamy as an infraction, which carries no threat of imprisonment. The Senate sponsor stated that rather than deter or eliminate polygamy, the state code’s threat of harsh punishments has driven polygamous communities underground and cut families off from jobs, education and health care. It has also given predators “free reign to prey upon vulnerable people.” I have told the sponsor that I would vote in favor of this bill. If anyone has a good reason I should not vote for this bill, there is plenty of time to contact me.
I was pleased to have Mayor Travis Bacon from Green River City and Mayor Mike Kourianos from Price City helped to present a Request for Appropriation in my committee. They both did a great job and presented valuable information. I had Mayor Bacon sit on the floor with me while I presented the Natural Gas Bill on the House Floor. The bill passed unanimously and it was just a lot of fun to have him there with me. These two mayors are such an asset to their communities.
I was asked to speak at the press conference for the new Utah Raptor State Park in Grand County. It is going to be such a great addition to our state parks system. All of the land belongs to Utah in one way or another. There needs to be a little bit of land trading but there will eventually be a museum, better facilities for camping and hopefully a back way into Arches National Park.
Feel free to reach out to my with questions or concerns. Email: christinewatkins@le.utah.gov Cell: (435) 650-1969 Facebook: Representative Christine Watkins – District 69
