By the Office of Representative Carl Albrecht, District 70
The 2021 Legislative Session is in full swing and starting to pick up the pace. It was a highly-productive week last week at the Capitol.
On Monday, Representative Albrecht had the opportunity to attend the House Natural Resources Committee. During the meeting, he was able to hear, ask questions and give his opinion on a handful of bills that effect rural Utah and the state.
The afternoon was fast paced and fully booked. Representative Albrecht spent much of his afternoon in meetings with stakeholders and other legislators making sure that rural Utah is being considered in legislative discussion. This included the topic of how legislators can help ensure that Utah has a seat at the table to talk about National Monuments and Parks in Utah.
Tuesday started with the Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee. There, he had the chance to hear issues being brought forward to the state and their associated costs. Tuesday also included a change of schedule as we began having two floor times every day. This is exciting as it allows more time to discuss, debate and pass more bills each day.
During morning floor time, Representative Albrecht presented House Bill 111, which addresses the minimum age requirement for someone to legally ride an off-road vehicle. He has chosen to sponsor the bill so that minors under the age of 18 can operate these vehicles on public land and in state parks without being cited by a ranger. The bill was passed unanimously by the House and was sent to the Senate for consideration.
He ended the day by attending a committee meeting with Senator Owens to help run Senate Bill 55: Rural Online Initiative Sunset Amendments. Representative Albrecht is very proud of this bill, which he has sponsored in sessions past as it helps offer online program opportunities to Rural Utah through Utah State University. It passed the committee meeting.
Wednesday included House Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology Standing Committee, of which Representative Albrecht is the Chair. This was a very interesting meeting. Representative Pulsipher introduced House Bill 72: Device Filter Amendments. This was highly controversial with many people there in support and against the proposed bill.
House Bill 72 discussed the need for manufacturers to have adult content filters enabled on all mobile devises. In an effort to protect Utah minors and help prevent the chance that they are exposed to mature, adult content that could be potentially harmful to them. Because there were so many people there arguing both sides, the bill was eventually tabled. This means that no official action was taken and that the bill will be placed on a future agenda to be discussed at a later date.
Part of Thursday’s mornings floor time was given to Representative Albrecht where he sponsored and ran House Bill 180: Lieutenant Governor Conflict of Interest Amendments. This bill deals with potential issues that could arise when a Lieutenant Governor runs for office, especially for the office of Governor. It would give the Governor the power to create a neutral party to deal with complaints and potential conflicts of interests during the campaign. Several representatives had questions, but following his explanation, it was passed through the House.
During the same floor time, he was also able to run Senate Bill 55. It also passed the House without any major issues. The afternoon included meetings and committee hearings. While attending the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee, he had the chance to hear many bills, including Speaker Wilson’s, House Bill 297: Colorado River Authority Amendments. This bill addresses Utah’s management of Utah’s Colorado River allocation. This committee looks at a lot of bills that effect rural Utah, and Representative Albrecht is honored to be a participant.
Friday started like it does every week with the Rural Caucus. It is a favorite among rural legislators and is famous for its bacon breakfasts. They spoke about many of the issues and momentous things happening across the state that will affect or specifically apply to rural Utah.
On Friday afternoon, Representative Albrecht was able to present House Bill 247: Transient Room Tax Amendments. It addresses the ways in which funds collected by the Transient Room Tax can be used. Representative Albrecht is proud of this legislation. He ran it to help provide more funding for infrastructure in many of our rural Utah towns that have high levels of tourism. The bill was well received by the committee and was passed unanimously and will be sent back to the House.
This Week’s Utah House of Representatives Newsletter
You can watch committee meetings and floor time live at le.utah.gov.
Freshman Highlight
Representative Lund was born in Mt. Pleasant and raised in Manti. He served in the 2nd of the 222 Field Artillery Unit of the Utah National Guard and served a mission in Colorado for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After completing his service, he married Melissa Peterson.
Representative Lund earned a bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. The Lunds have lived in Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Utah. Representative Lund understands rural Utah and knows firsthand the struggles rural areas face. This session, Rep. Lund is working to bring better emergency service infrastructure to rural Utah to help save lives.
Representative Lund and his wife have three children and five grandchildren. He is eager to be a voice for rural Utah and represent District 58 and the people of Juab and Sanpete counties.
PPP State Tax Treatment
Many have had questions on PPP Loans and how they will be taxed at the state level. The policy we have in place protects Utah businesses from paying state tax on the Paycheck Protection Program funds they received. We are committed to business-friendly policies but not limiting those policies to the companies deemed worthy of support by the federal government. Many Utah businesses did not receive a PPP loan and we have opted not to further disadvantage them by allowing their competition to double-dip.
To be clear, the only companies that will owe Utah income tax are those that made a profit last year. Businesses that lost money last year will not owe state income tax and businesses that just broke even last year will not owe state income tax, just like any other year.
House Policy Priorities
Tax Bills
This week, the House passed HB86, Social Security Tax Amendments, which provides tax relief for many living on a fixed income.
The House Revenue and Taxation Committee also passed HB161, Military Retirement Tax Amendments, sponsored by Rep. Candice Pierucci. This bill creates a nonrefundable income tax credit for military retirement pay.
Regulatory Sandbox (Podcast)
HB217, Regulatory Sandbox Amendments, sponsored by Rep. Cory Maloy, passed the House this week. The regulatory review and sandbox will ensure necessary protections for consumers, communities and the environment, while also helping new industries by reducing regulatory burden. Listen to this week’s podcast to learn more!
Fallen Officer Resolution
This week, the House honored Utah’s fallen officers. We are grateful for the sacrifice of Officer Nate Lyday and the many others who risk their lives protecting us.
Independent Redistricting Commission
Appointments to the Utah Independent Redistricting Commission were named this week. The appointments are:
Governor Spencer Cox appointment: Chairman Rex Facer
President Stuart Adams appointment: Lyle Hillyard
Speaker Brad Wilson: Rob Bishop
President Adams and Speaker Brad Wilson joint appointment: N. Jeffrey Baker
Senate Minority Leader Karen Mayne appointment: Christine Durham
House Minority Leader Brian King appointment: Pat Jones
Senate and House Minority joint appointment: William Thorne
The commission will work to redraw district boundaries within our state following updates from the census. You can find Speaker Wilson and President Adams’ joint statement here.
Outdoor Recreation – Winter
Utah’s changing seasons provide many opportunities to experience the beauty of Utah in different ways. Check out visitutah.gov for articles and guides highlighting the best locations to ski, snowboard, snowmobile, snowshoe and stargaze throughout the state.
COVID-19 Vaccines
Vaccines are now available for healthcare workers, long-term care facility staff and residents, first responders, Utahns 70 and older, and K-12 teachers and school staff. Contact your local health department or school district to schedule your vaccination.
All local health departments are experiencing a high volume of calls and website traffic as demand for the COVID-19 vaccine is high. Please understand that they can only distribute as many vaccines as they receive each week, and appointments fill up quickly. Everyone who wants the vaccine will get it over time.
Bills Passed This Week
As of Thursday, Feb, 4, the House has passed 124 bills. Here are the bills that passed this week:
H.B. 17 Utility Permitting Amendments
H.B. 20 Driving Under the Influence Sentencing Amendments
H.B. 37 Child Protection Unit Amendments
H.B. 43 Emergency Procurement Declaration Modifications
H.B. 53 Meteorological Evaluation Tower Marking
H.B. 63 Impact Fees Amendments
H.B. 67 Juvenile Sentencing Amendments
H.B. 69 Traffic Code Amendments
H.B. 70 Ballot Tracking Amendments
H.B. 79 Mineral and Rock Amendments
H.B. 85 Controlled Substance Database Access Amendments
H.B. 86 Social Security Tax Amendments
H.B. 88 Diversion Fees Amendments
H.B. 96 Emergency Management Amendments
H.B. 100 Postconviction Remedies Act Amendments
H.B. 102 Contraception for Inmates
H.B. 108 Vital Records Amendments
H.B. 110 Health Care Payment Amendments
H.B. 111 Off-highway Vehicle Amendments
H.B. 120 Unemployment Insurance Amendments
H.B. 121 Local District Amendments
H.B. 128 Local Accumulated Fund Balance Amendments
H.B. 138 Post Council Membership Amendments
H.B. 139 Competency-based Hiring Amendments
H.B. 142 Cyclist Traffic Amendments
H.B. 143 Driver License Suspension Amendments
H.B. 167 HIV Testing Amendments
H.B. 171 Agricultural Land Use Regulation
H.B. 173 Vote Reporting Requirements
H.B. 176 Revisor’s Technical Corrections to Utah Code
H.B. 180 Lieutenant Governor Conflict of Interest Amendments
H.B. 196 Ballot Amendments
H.B. 199 Pawnshop and Secondhand Merchandise Transaction Information Act Amendments
H.B. 202 Health Care Consumer Protection Act
H.B. 206 Epinephrine Auto-injector Access Amendments
H.B. 208 Water Quality Act Amendments
H.B. 213 Canine Injury Amendments
H.B. 221 Property Tax Records
H.C.R. 6 Concurrent Resolution Recognizing COVID-19 Efforts
S.B. 14 Driver License and State Identification Card Amendments
S.B. 20 Air Quality Policy Advisory Board
S.B. 21 Federal Land Application Advisory Committee Sunset Extension
S.B. 22 Compliance Advisory Panel Repeal Date
S.B. 29 Hotel Impact Mitigation Fund Sunset Extension
S.B. 31 Condominium and Community Association Regulation Amendments
S.B. 43 Residential Mortgage Regulatory Commission Amendments
S.B. 45 Higher Education Classes for Veterans
S.B. 54 Kurt Oscarson Children’s Organ Transplant Coordinating Committee Extension
S.B. 55 Rural Online Initiative Sunset Amendments
S.B. 56 State Weed Committee Sunset Extension
S.B. 82 Road Usage Charge Program Special Revenue Fund
S.J.R. 2 Retirement and Independent Entities Committee Amendments
Thank you and stay safe. Contact me by email at carlalbrecht@le.utah.gov. You can also text or call me at (435) 979-6578. My intern is Chase Christensen, a senior at Utah State University. His email address is: cchristensen@le.utah.gov. His telephone number is (385) 420-3096.
