LEGISLATIVE SESSION 2006
by Rep. Mike Morley
To a majority of Utahns, the opening of the 2006 Legislative Session was merely another story on the evening news sandwiched between tales of crime and traffic woes and the weather forecast. Each session, issues arise such as education funding or the budget surplus that temporarily enter the public consciousness. Life moves on, though, and they are soon forgotten. I would hope this is a reflection of the overall satisfaction the citizens of our state feel toward their elected officials.
This legislative session, my fourth as a member of the House, is different than previous years in that we have a projected budget surplus of $1 billion. This creates interesting issues all its own. State agencies who have weathered the economic storm are now clamoring for additional funding. As hard as it is to believe, there are funding requests that exceed our revenue by a substantial margin. No matter what the revenue, it appears there are always those waiting to spend it.
Although these surpluses are projected, we have to remember that this money is not yet collected. I believe it would be irresponsible to spend uncollected revenue or to grow government in ongoing programs based on a year such as this with abnormally high revenues. It would be more prudent to hold our spending to a combination of population growth and inflation or 5.7% growth and then use one-time monies to build infrastructure such as build roads and capital facilities that were put on hold due to budget shortfalls of the past. It also is prudent to increase to a significant degree the rainy day fund which has helped us to weather the past economic storms. The House proposal which allows for reasonable, sustainable growth, includes a healthy increase in WPU (weighted pupil unit) and public employee compensation which has failed to keep up with inflation over the past several years.
My committee assignments this year remain much the same. I chair the Retirement and Independent Entities Committee which deals with benefits and retirement issues for state employees. I am vice chair of the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee which considers issues related to prisons, the Utah Highway Patrol, protection for children, controlled substances and other crimes. I also serve on the Capital Facilities and Administrative Services Appropriations Committee which reviews funding for various state agencies and entities and for facilities for those entities and on the Business and Labor Committee which addresses licensing, commercial insurance, workplace safety, tourism, and business entities.
I also serve on several task forces including oversight for the Dept. of Professional Licensing, the Water Issues task force, the Utah Seismic Safety Commission, and Homeland Security.
I take very seriously my responsibilities as your elected Representative. It is an honor to serve, to be a part of the process which guides the future of our state. It is a privilege to associate with the other representatives who are fine men and women of deep convictions and a desire to make a positive difference. I appreciate the advise and feedback I receive from a small, but concerned group of constituents. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments at mikemorley@utah.gov.
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