By Representative Christine Watkins, District 67
It was a busy week at the legislature as we scrambled to try to influence the Executive Appropriations Committee to fund our bills and appropriation requests. I had some wins and some losses. The huge win was the funding of three million dollars to buy and maintain the Utah San Rafael Reasearch Center (HB 410 4S) I have presented it to a house committee and a senate committee and on the House Floor. It passed all three unanimously and it is now on the Senate Board waiting for Senator Hinkins to get it across the finish line. I helped get $300,000 for the Utah Cemetery Preservation Grant Fund. This fund helps local cities digitize the headstones in their cities before some of them are gone, it also helps with old, abandoned cemeteries in Utah.
The cities of Duchesne and Myton have had ongoing legal costs in the settlement of Ute land within their cities. It is a problem caused by the Federal government and is still in litigation. Years ago, the cities received $500,000 to help pay attorney fees. I was able to get $300,000 for their Defense Fund this year.
Of course, I had other requests for funding that we did not get funded. Get Healthy Utah, Highway Signs for the Grand Army of the Republic, Finding for our USUE Prehistoric Museum, Outdoor Education for Title 1 Schools, and the Utah Communications Authority Revisions request. We can try again next session to help these worthy causes. The Communications Authority request is a big request and quite complicated so we will continue to work on that one during the summer interim legislative meetings. I tried to get money for the Business and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Expansion in Southeast Utah for USUE, but it also was not funded.
I also tried to get funding for a mobile education van for the Uintah Basin Technical School UBTECH) and even though it was ranked #2 by the Utah Higher Education Board and the Higher Education Appropriation Committee it did not make the cut.
There are 104 legislators who are vying to get their “Request for Funding” (RFA’s and bills funded, and we had far less money this year. It takes a lot of work to convince leadership that your causes are worth funding.
We have two days left for certain committees and the rest of the time is floor time to pass or kill bills. We were on the hill until 10 p.m. Thursday night and we are scheduled to do the same this Monday and Tuesday night. We end the session late Friday night, March 1. I have three bills that I am the Senate House Sponsor for. Because the boards will be wiped and we start over, I hope the three senators will prioritize their bills. All three are good bills and I would like to see them pass.
I am watching a couple of bills that can still come the House Floor. HB 285, the anti-union bill is still on the board. The sponsor does not have enough votes yet, thank goodness. I voted against the Ten Commandment bill, but it still passed the House, I hope the Senate will just ignore it. The chaplains in schools passed, but it is harmless because it just states that a district may have a chaplain. It may not even make it through the senate. HB 463 Medicaid Funding bill is a dumb bill. It wants to make a law about something that has not even happened and may not. I have spoken with the sponsor several times, but it still does not make sense. It will be a definite no from me. Thanks again for your interest and support.
Christinewatkins@le.utah.gov Cell: 435-650-1969