By Representative Carl Albrecht, District 70
Week Two
Week two of the General Session has passed! I’ve spent a lot of time meeting with constituents, stakeholders and special guests in addition to attending committee hearings and voting on bills on the House floor. Read more about all things happening at Capitol Hill below and, as always, don’t hesitate to reach out!
House Majority Priorities
This Session, the House Majority Caucus is working together to enact policies to ensure our state continues to be the best place to live, work, learn and play.
Base Budget
This week, the House and Senate passed the base budget! The base budget includes funding for essential state expenses. The legislature will continue to adjust the state budget over the next several weeks. Watch this short video to learn more: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEs0rCM6Nkg.
Economic Update
Utah continues to be the nation’s best-performing economies. Only four states have more jobs now than before the pandemic and Utah tops the chart.
Olympians Visit the Capitol
Utah Olympians McKayla Skinner, Grace McCallum, Kara Eaker, Amelie Morgan and Rhyan White visited the Capitol to be honored for their great accomplishments. These women represented our state and their countries during the 2021 Summer Olympics in gymnastics and swimming, and we couldn’t be more proud of them!
Congressional Delegation Visits
Each year, we look forward to welcoming members of our Congressional delegation to our caucus. This week, we met with Rep. Chris Stewart, Rep. John Curtis and Rep. Burgess Owens. We appreciate their service on behalf of our state.
Tax Cut
The Legislature is looking to cut taxes! This will be a huge benefit to working Utahns. Even though Utah is well-positioned to provide tax relief, we must do so carefully because we don’t want to make long-term plans based on short-term revenue increases. SB 59 State Income Tax Reduction passed the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee and will soon make its way to the House. We are looking to cut income taxes by $160 million. Also, a cut on taxes for Social Security, food and an earned income tax credit will be discussed in the House this upcoming week.
Radio Interviews
Last week, I had the opportunity to do radio interviews with KSVC and KMTI. I gave a brief overview of the session and important bills that will be brought forward.
Rural Educators Meeting
Last week, I met with rural educators to discuss important education bills. One topic that was addressed is the possibility of waiving curriculum fees in K-12 public education. Additionally, the amount of influence a local school board should have when dealing with individual schools was also discussed. We meet with them every Thursday afternoon.
HB125
I am running HB125 that repeals the sunset date of Transient Room Taxes. The tax most often applies to tourism. This tax is very important for rural areas of Utah because of tourism. This tax has already funded millions for rural Utah counties to build infrastructure for trails, boat docks and other recreational infrastructure.
Requested Appropriations
In the Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Appropriations Committee, I requested funds for building the Central Utah Fire Cachein Richfield for our wildland firefighters. This will help firefighters better respond to wildfires. If funded, this resource will be a valuable asset to the State of Utah. Additionally, I requested funding for the Grazing Improvement Program. This funding would improve grazing and benefit wildlife across the state. Lastly, I requested funds to perform a study on the Hatch Town Dam feasibility on the Sevier River. This dam would benefit the recreation and water status for communities along the Sevier River.
Legislative Water Commission
I also participated in the Legislative Water Development Commission. The commission discussed bills relating to water rights, drought solutions and many other issues. I presented my bill, HB168: Preferences of Water Rights Amendments to the Commission. The bill addresses the best way to deal with emergency water shortages. The bill requires a study on what water uses should be prioritized in a water shortage. With the drought-like conditions in recent years, it is important to have guidance on what to do with limited amounts of water for the Department of Natural Resources director and the state engineer. This bill was presented to the Natural Resources Committee the following day and was passed to the floor of the House.
Cleveland Elementary
Last week, I welcomed Cleveland Elementary fourth and fifth grade students to the Utah Capitol building. I spoke to them about the governmental process and how bills are made into law.
I will be keeping you updated throughout the session on important issues that impact your local communities. Thank you.
Contact me directly by email at carlalbrecht@le.utah.gov. You can also text or call me at (435) 979-6578. My intern is Curtis Sheets, a student at Utah State University Eastern. His email address is csheets@le.utah.gov and his telephone number is (385) 420-3096. I look forward to representing all the needs and interests of rural Utah.
