The General Session Begins Tomorrow!
At 10 a.m. the House will convene and the newly elected representatives will be sworn in and begin serving. If you are interested, you can watch online at le.utah.gov (live or replay). As I prepare to head to the Capitol, here is a brief summary of my final preparations.
Provo School Board Meeting Summary
On Tuesday night, Rep. Sanpei, Sen. Stephenson and I met with the Provo City School District board and administration to discuss their priorities and issues. One point that was abundantly clear is that the legislative approach to public education funding for the past several years has resulted in a decrease in state funding for Provo students taking into account inflation. The main problem has been the state’s priority of funding growth first, then per-pupil spending. Provo is not categorized as a high-growth district so they rely on per-pupil spending increases to keep up with inflation when it comes to operating costs (salaries, health care, maintenance, etc.)
Education Legislation Update
While I am on the topic of education, here is a quick update of bill ideas I am working on related to education:
- State School Board Elections – I am continuing to work out the details of allowing elected local school board members to elect the members of the state school board. A briefing on this proposal is available here.
- Local School District Funding – The discussion with the Provo school board made me think that perhaps the state has gone too far in micro-managing local school district funding and the associated required reporting. I would be very interested in a voluntary block grant program that would allow one or more local school districts an opportunity to receive the same amount of total money from the state but without the strings attached. This would allow them an opportunity to identify efficiencies, innovate and share their ideas with other districts. Look for more on this topic soon.
- State School Board Roles – I am continuing to explore ways to bring the Utah State Office of Education into line with the principles of local control that reflect the needs of parents and children. I anticipate having a draft bill prepared soon, but recognize that this will be a long process if we want to get this right. One thing I am investigating is why the State School Board has passed rules that effectively regulate all teacher training programs in the state, including public and private higher education institutions. It seems to me that this type of regulation is beyond the scope of “general control and supervision” as outlined in the state constitution.
Watch for a Post Card
This week I will be sending out postcards to all registered voter households in District 64. The postcards will have an invitation to participate in a survey on key legislative issues and dates for planned town hall meetings. If, for some reason, you do not get your postcard in the mail, watch next week’s update for details on how to participate in the survey and town hall meetings.
Central Committee Straw Poll
At the Utah County Republican Party Central Committee meeting yesterday morning, I was able to present some of those issues to Utah County precinct chairs and vice chairs to get a general feel for their position on some key issues. Here is a summary of the straw poll:
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OK so any form of medical insurance for the poor is strongly opposed as well as the current system. So how do they get medical help – too poor to see a doctor @ $90 a visit!!
BUT they can go to the emergency at the local hospital and someone else pays the $250 plus fee in higher charges by the hospital as the “FREE” emergency care involves cost that have to be covered in some way.
My son is 50 and cannot work as he has back problems which will incapacitates him for a day or so every couple of weeks. No employer will hire him as they cannot be sure when his back will go out and he is off work for a couple of days. He needs back surgery but there is no money to pay for the medical help he needs.He cannot lift heavy objects, cannot sit or stand for extended periods. His experience is in construction with rebar installation as a specialty and he can no longer do this. If he can just survive to age 65 then medicare will be available BUT if he had help NOW he could start earning a wage, maybe support a family and generally live a normal life.
One of my relatives who was a lineman was severely injured in a traffic accident. He was able to get retrained in a sit-down job.
He can get help from his church or other private charities. Also, many doctors will do pro bono medical care for patients that cannot afford to pay. Government is not the solution for cases like your son. Thanks, Tom