Watch the slide show of some of our pictures. If it isn’t playing here, you can also view our photo stream on Flickr.

The Sutherland Institute approached me and asked me if I would be willing to sponsor a government spending limitation, I think in part because they recognize my interest in making sure that we are being completely responsible in our budgets and that we are being mindful of our rainy day fund.

Government spending, usually done with good intention, can easily grow beyond control.  In the last 40 years, government spending in Utah has increased five-fold while our population has only doubled.

SJR 22 proposes an amendment to the state constitution that would tie the growth in state spending to rate of  growth in population and inflation. With this limit in place we could ensure fiscal responsibility and increase the reserves in our rainy-day fund. The amendment would also give the Legislature the ability to make exceptions for additional spending when necessary.

Why do we need a government spending amendment?  Policymakers have managed taxpayer dollars very well, rightly receiving national praise for doing so.  Perhaps the best way to understand is by comparison.

Our Founding Fathers knew that they needed a binding constitution to protect not only their own freedom, but that of their children and grandchildren. Without codifying their political and policy wisdom in a way that would bind future political leadership, future generations’ right to liberty and good government would always be at risk from leaders who might abandon the wisdom of their forefathers.

Just as it was necessary for the Founding Fathers to codify their political wisdom for the sake of their children, it is wisdom for Utah’s policymakers to codify their fiscal wisdom for the sake of future generations. Just as the Founders knew that some future leaders of the country would not choose freedom and good government without constitutional protections and restraints, we can be confident that some future Utah policymakers may choose to abandon wise fiscal stewardship if we lack the constitutional measures embodying the fiscal prudence of today’s Legislature.

Utah’s current leaders have been rightly praised for wisely following principles of fiscal prudence:

* Restraint in spending

* Reliable payment of debt, and

* Saving for the unknown.

That legacy should be protected for future generations. We should add those principles to the Utah Constitution. Our duty to the future will allow no less from us, and that is why we need a government spending amendment.

Sutherland Institute has created a video that talks about SJR22.

Utah needs to make some changes with concurrent enrollment (“CE”). I’ve previously given a lot of background on the issue. If you care about concurrent enrollment, please check out that background info.

Now, the specifics.

To save/promote concurrent enrollment, Utah needs to:

1. Better focus CE offerings to post-secondary general education courses;

2. Establish funding standards for concurrent enrollment courses;

3. Establish quality standards and accountability;

4. Designate regional service areas for Utah colleges and universities; and

5. Include accommodations for rural areas, small schools, and high schools designed around the associate’s degree (e.g., AMES, Success Academy).

A little discussion.

College is expensive. Our scarce resources – meaning, in this case, our courses – need to be pointed toward degrees. (Otherwise, many less-expensive pathways to education exist and should be employed.). Let’s make sure concurrent enrollment is taking care of the basics of college. Walking before running. Milk before meat. You get the idea.

Public education is free. Higher education is not. Concurrent enrollment courses should be free to high school students. If they want credit, though, they should pay for it. Otherwise, our other college students – through their tuition – will subsidize the costs of granting that credit. I suggest a maximum price of $30 per credit hour be used. Compared to the normal freight that college students pay, this still is a significant scholarship.

The Utah System of Higher Education (“USHE”) should develop the course offerings on a system-wide basis. The importance of the courses is not seat time; rather, it is mastery of the outcomes and competencies. The courses must contain measurement of student performance and methods to compare disaggregated data throughout the state. That way, we can identify the districts/schools that are getting it done (and learn from them) and the ones that aren’t (and help them). The TICE courses give us a great start on achieving these goals.

Colleges and high schools need to improve coordination. This coordination includes reporting of grades, length of courses, prerequisites, enrollment, and other items. These items, along with the need to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort, suggest that colleges should establish designated service regions.

This is where I’m headed. If you don’t agree, let me know. Wise people save me from myself all the time. Please give me the benefit of your thinking.

Originally posted on Senator Urquhart’s most excellent blog site, SteveU.com

Today is the 15th day of Utah’s legislative session. We caught the K12  School group downstairs gathering for their tour. We hope you stop by during floor time today!

Heads up for today in the Senate:

• Floor time starts about 10 a.m. Starting next Wednesday, we are scheduled to start having morning AND afternoon floor time. So keep an eye on that.
• The new additions to the Third Reading Calendar are quite a few in number, so hold on to your hats! You can look up the text of each bill here.
  1-1SHB 53 Utah Education Network Amendments
  2- 1SHB 249 Single Family Zoning Designation
  3- 1SHB 251 Utah State Personnel Management Act Amendments
  4- HB 60 Proceeds from Federal Grants for Miners’ Hospital
  5- HB 25 Patient Identity Validation
  6-1SHB 17 Sex Offender Registry Chapter
  7- HB 40 Gambling Amendments
  8- HB 261 Dividing of School Districts Amendments
  9- HB 51 Medical Specialty Practice Act Amendments
  10- HB 48 Coalition of Energy Producing States
  11- HB 269 Utah National Guard – Officer Appointment Amendments
  12- HB 273 Municipal and County Development Standards
• Want to read the 2012 legislative session Utah Data Book? We have it, and you can read it online. Budget, crime, economy, growth, environment, taxes, etc. It’s all there.
• And… join the press conference today after floor time! We look forward to the questions you text to us everyday. It usually starts between 11:45 and Noon, and we’ll announce starting time on Twitter and Facebook. 

Utah Senate in the Media:

Senator Stuart Reid, R-Ogden purposes SJR22 which would focus Utah’s state government on living within its means.  “There are always reasons to grow government. But we have to live within our means. This resolution (if adopted) says that government – like all Utahns in their businesses and private lives – are expected to live within its means” he continued, “And if we act beyond those limits, there must be extra-ordinary reasons”.  Read the full interview at Utah Pulse.com: http://bit.ly/xsT188  Watch the video by the Sutherland Institute here:http://bit.ly/wTmz2R read the text of the bill here: http://1.usa.gov/xQE0DR

Utah Senate amended HB33 the fireworks bill “When I have these sweet old ladies call me because they’re upset about the fireworks going off in the neighborhood, do I give them your number or Rep. Dunnigan’s number?” Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, asked Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem.  Read the full story at The Salt Lake Tribune: http://bit.ly/xoEOkx

Teachers and education associations are excited about SB64. “I’m trying to fix academic performance and the output of our schools,” Osmond said Thursday. “At the end of the day, there are great pockets of innovation, wonderful academic achievements, but it’s not consistent throughout the state, and I feel that by focusing on leadership and how we compensate, that we will increase that focus on academic performance.” Read the full story at The Salt Lake Tribune: http://bit.ly/ypwHSv read the Senator’s blog post on Utah Public Education.org: http://bit.ly/zZbB1X

Today is Day 14 of the Utah legislative session. Nonprofit Day on the Hill is setting up downstairs on the Rotunda, so if you get a chance to say hi, head on over!

Here’s a few things to keep in mind this morning at the Senate:

• This morning the Higher Educations Appropriations Subcommittee was info-packed today with the legislative audits reports and the USHE, UCAT Issue Briefs. If your interest is Higher Ed, you may want to listen.
• Three Senate Standing Committee meetings have been cancelled today:
  1- Business and Labor
  2- Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment
  3- Transportation and Public Utilities and Technology
• On the Third Reading calendar today, we have several new bills:

1. 1SHB 29: Insurance Amendments
2. HB 33: Fireworks Amendments
3. HB 43: Barber, Cosmetologist, Esthetician, Electrologist, and Nail Technician Act Amendments
4. SB 201: Utah State Winter Sports

• Tune in for the much-praised live press conference via Facebook today after floor time! Text your questions to 801-647-8944.
  . 

SB245 address the state’s concern with coyotes.  “We are losing half of our deer herd to coyotes. We are losing large amounts of our sheep and cattle herds to coyotes. We need to do something or it will take generations to get our deer herds back,” says Senator Okerlund.  Read the full interview at Utah Pulse.com:http://bit.ly/w8UlOg read the bill here:http://1.usa.gov/z1Flzc

A wide variety of opinions expressed over SB161 which would allow oncologists to dispense cancer-treatment drugs.  Senator Bramble explained that, “all the other states that allow doctor dispensing have figured out the details.  ”We are the outlier in this,” he said. “Every other state has made provisions for [dispensing] from a doctor’s office.”  Read the full story at The Salt Lake Tribune:http://bit.ly/wQos4h , Specialty Pharma Journal.com: http://bit.ly/ApOZgF, and KSL.com:http://bit.ly/xXaJzu read the text of the bill here:http://1.usa.gov/xvHs0V

Salt TV Network: Utah Liquor Laws in the 2012 Legislative Session

Originally published in Utah Policy Daily

We at the state legislature strongly support public education, and we want to help make it the best it can be. Based on my travels around the state last fall, where I learned from educators what we need to focus on and why, I am introducing three bills this session that would increase accountability of our school administrators, reward schools and teachers for the wonderful collaborative work they do in educating our children, and help legislators become more aware of the challenges and success in our classrooms.

My first bill is a focus on Human Resource Management reform.

1. In order to improve our educational system we first need to have a structure in place to annually assess our administrative leadership.  I believe that it is time to expand the focus beyond just teacher performance and look deeply at the impact administration has on the quality of instruction in our schools. This new focus will provide information about our administration, their leadership skills, how well they are managing the quality of instruction in their schools, and so forth.

   As I traveled the state I learned that most administrators are only evaluated once every three years.  I argue that their performance needs to be evaluated on an annual basis to drive improvement in how we manage our schools, our educators, and the quality of instruction in our public education system.

   In most organizations, public or private, leadership is measured and held accountable for all levels of performance and success. There should be no difference within Utah’s public education system— this is simply a sound business and management principle. We have to stop trying to find where the problems are in public education by focusing just on teachers, and begin to genuinely hold administrators accountable for the quality of instruction and academic success in our schools. If we focus on leadership first, then the natural result will be an increased focus on student performance and everything that affects it. Part of the bill will also address performance pay for administrators. Over time, part of what we are paying our administrators will be based on the results of these proposed annual evaluations.

2. My second bill, Collaborative Performance Pay, provides for a collaborative performance pay model for teachers, reflecting the collaborative nature in how they teach. A bonus will be allocated to each school at the end of the school year based on the school’s grade and their accomplishments against their own School Improvement Plan as a collective team. I am proposing this solution based on how important it is for teachers to work collaboratively and be rewarded as a team. The bill will also enable administrators to reward those team members who had the “highest performing” impact in that team effort.
3. Finally, one of the major issues I came across in my travels last fall was the perception of a broken or strained relationship with the State Legislature. Teachers were surprised I even came as far as their classrooms to hear what they had to say. As such, in my Public Education Engagement Resolution bill, I suggest that the legislature recognizes that public education is the issue in the eyes of most people in our state. We have a constitutional mandate to provide a quality education for every child. I want to bring the legislators and members of the Utah State Board of Education directly into the classrooms to truly observe, in a more meaningful and regular way, authentic student/teacher interactions and the challenges that are directly affecting Utah’s most vital institution–our public schools.

   Based on what they learn during their visits, legislators will then post their observations on a website that we will set up for that purpose.  It is my belief that this gathered information will be vital as the legislature moves forward creating new policies to improve public education in the future.

Today is day 13 of the Utah legislative session. In the Senate today:

• The third reading calendar has a couple new items of business:

1. SB 143: Income Tax – Pass-through Entities
2. SB 42: Limitation on Action to Recover Deficiency Following Short Sale 

• Also, the Senate Workforce Services and Economic Development Standing Committee meeting today has been cancelled.
• Be involved! Join the live press conference, streaming live via Facebook, right after morning floor time. Questions can be texted to 801-647-8944. We will announce when we start, as always, via Twitter and Facebook.

Utah Senate in the Media: February 07, 2012

Has local control of billboards crossed the line?  SB136 Senator Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy thinks so. “I don’t want to take over control of anything,” Niederhauser said “But when they go outside the bounds of some fundamentals that we believe in, then yes, the state should step in and take control”.  Read the full story at Daily Herald:http://bit.ly/ABD7DP view the text of the bill here: http://1.usa.gov/A1cy9c

Important discussions are taking place about the future of Hill Air Force Base.  ”This is not the time to panic but the time to prepare,” Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton.  Read the full story at the Standard-Examiner:http://bit.ly/z40YhH and at the Senate Site:http://bit.ly/wrjzwG      

SB48 raised questions in committee about the need of an “official vision” for public education written into state law.  Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, persuaded the committee to amend SB48 to include language that the Legislature “recognizes that parents are a child’s first teachers and are responsible for the education of their children.”  Read the full story in the Deseret News:http://bit.ly/ybUOmg  read the text of the bill and its amendments: http://1.usa.gov/wj6YAw

Lovely, lilting harp music greeted  us this morning from the Rotunda. So begins Arts Day, and the 11th day of the Utah Legislative Session. Here’s some things to keep in mind in the Senate today:

• In the third reading calendar, the new bills:

1. SB 128: Wireless Telephone Use Restriction for Minors in Vehicles
2.  SJR 7: Joint Rules Resolution  on Priority Status for Bills
3. SB 137: Financial Transparency Website
4. SB 112: Multi-Channel Video or Audio

• Check out Senator Niederhauser’s YouTube video explaining 112, which is about the differences in taxes paid by satellite and cable TV customers.
• Tune in for our live daily press conference right after floor time via Facebook. We’ll announce the starting time on Twitter and Facebook.
• Today’s meeting of the Senate Standing Education Committee has been cancelled.

Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, wants to make the post-retirement health benefits for all state elected officials the same as state employees… . Money set aside (or supposedly set aside, since the elected officials retirement plans are not currently actuarially sound, another issue) will be placed into the same trust fund as benefits for regular state workers.

Valentine explained how all this works:

When a lawmaker retires out of the Legislature early, he or she can buy the full state health insurance package by paying the full premium until age 62.

From 62 until Medicare kicks in at 65, the state pays the premium.

After Medicare at 65, the state is then a supplemental package.

(However – and this can be a big benefit for younger spouses of retired lawmakers – a lawmaker’s dependents can still get the state health care package.)

What will change is that from age 62 to 65 a legislator can only get the state health care package by paying the full cost himself.

“There might be some folks who will want to leave (the Legislature) to get those three years (62-65) of (free) health care. That will be up to each individual.”

As the bill is drafted now, said Valentine, it will not cost the state any money in the 2012-13 budget, which legislators are now putting together.

However, there will be state officials – and maybe some lawmakers – who will want to make the elected officials pension fund actuarially sound now. In that case, it would take some of the state’s $400 million surplus to make that plan whole.

“We’ve basically been funding the elected officials pensions on a pay as you go process,” said Valentine.

He would prefer that after SB156 takes effect the Legislature watch what the real payouts are over several years to get a track record before putting money into the elected officials pension trust account.

Read more  in the Utah Pulse:  Proposed Changes in Benefits Could Lead to Early Lawmaker Retirements 

Let me explain the positive impact of Hill Air Force Base.

The base plays a vital financial and social role in the surrounding communities, as well as to the state of Utah. Right now we’ve got approximately 24,000 civilian and military personnel working there, and these people spend a lot of time off base. In addition to bringing up the economy, they are quality people in the community, and contribute a lot. They are your friends, your neighbors, your Little League moms and dads. Very solid citizens.

Additionally, the base is a key player to the military. Did you know that all aircraft landing gear is repaired at Hill AFB, and the Minutemen missiles are refurbished there? Hill is one of the key players in our entire defense system. The presence of the base also brings jobs to the community, through the building of restaurants, car dealerships, housing, schools, you name it. The Falcon Hill development is a massive new development – the first of its kind – an aerospace research park on the western edge of the base, and is estimated to bring more than 10,000 jobs to the area.

With these facts in mind, it is easy to see that the closing of Utah’s Hill AFB would impact the economies of Davis of Weber counties dramatically. According to a 2004 University of Utah study, and I quote, “Currently, there are no industries in the county [Davis] that could offset the loss of Hill.” However, I believe that we are organized, we are knowledgeable, and we are well-prepared to prevent it from happening. This is where the part of community members comes to play.

What can you do? Support the base! I am asking for communities to rally around this great institution in Utah. Many of you, especially in Davis and Weber counties, know at least one person who is directly impacted by the base’s presence on the Wasatch Front. Many of you are employed by the base, and can help educate others on all the good the base does for your community. That is why I have asked the Senate Republican Caucus to set aside money for the Utah Defense Alliance, which has and will play a key role in keeping the base open by working for us in Washington.

Thank you for all the support you have given to Hill AFB. The base cannot survive without the support of the communities – nor without the state as a whole. It has a wide impact on us all, and with cooperation and a continued valiant effort, we can keep it open and and ensure continued economic and social progress in Utah.

Today is the 11th day of the Utah Legislative session. We hope you had a good weekend, and are ready for another this week.

• Greetings to the Kearns High School choir who serenaded us with the National Anthem and other songs on the Rotunda this morning. It was like hearing a choir of angels.
• Here’s the new bills on the third reading calendar for the Senate:

1. SJR 10: Resolution Approving Reappointments of Director of Legislative Research and General Counsel.
2. 1SB 21: Department of Environmental Quality Boards Revisions
3. SB 35 New Motor Vehicle Warranties Act Amendments
4. HB 20: Election Law Amendments
5. 1SB 115: Historical District Creation Requirements

• The 2:10 meeting of the Senate Transportation and Public Utilities and Technology Standing Committee has been cancelled.
• We say this every day, but we really do want to invite you to join our daily press conference! We stream it live via Facebook every day after morning floor time. Tune in and weigh in on the issues of the morning. We’ll announce when we start via Twitter and Facebook.
• Did you make the Flickr pictures we took last week? Find out!
• Our friends over at the House of Reps have the Morning Buzz for you… or they will soon, we’re sure.

Ever wonder how the state funds the big one-time projects that cost millions of dollars like new buildings for universities or the massive I-15 reconstruction project in Utah County? If the state had to pay for these projects with cold hard cash, there wouldn’t be any money left over for the other essential responsibilities of the government. So what does the state do? They get financing, just like any individual would get a loan for a car or a mortgage for a house. The state does this through municipal bonds.

Municipal bonds are debt obligations issued by states to raise capital to build schools, highways, hospitals, and many other projects for the public good. When you, as an individual, purchase a municipal bond, you are lending money to the state government, which in turn promises to pay you a specified amount of interest and then return the full amount you lent on a specific maturity date (usually 6 or 15 years). This is by far the most inexpensive way for the state to incur long-term debt.

Incurring debt means that it will be more difficult and sometimes more expensive to try and receive additional financing for future purchases (like having too many credit cards, to qualify for a car loan.) As mandated by the Utah Constitution, Utah is limited in how much it can borrow. Historically, Utah has been a very well managed state, only borrowing at 30 or 40 percent of that limit and quickly paying back their debt. However, to fund the I-15 reconstruction and other projects, Utah borrowed up to 85 percent or more of that limit. Going above 85 percent could put Utah at risk of lowering its credit rating, or making it more expensive to fund future projects of building schools or roads due to increased interest costs.

So the quandary do we use surplus money to fund important projects in an economy that has been hard hit? Or do we try and pay off some debt to lower our borrowing level? Many Utahn’s face the same concern. Should you use your precious dollars on daily living expenses or should you use that money to pay down the mortgage and the credit cards? These are difficult decisions that no one is immune to, yet they are decisions that must be made.

(“Hello!” in Italian)

A lot is going on at the Capitol, Day 10 of the Utah legislative session, on the Rotunda as well as in both houses of the Legislature. Hold onto your seats!

• Our daily press conference is today around 11:45, or when morning floor time is over.  Watch it via Facebook, and ask questions at the same time.
• On the third reading calendar, other than the circled bills, we have:

1. HB 37: Child Support Guidelines Advisory Committee Amendments
2. HB 22: Centralized New Hire Registry Act Amendments
3. SB 31: Classroom Size Amendments

•  There are several groups out on the Rotunda today. If you get the time, visit their booths! So far we have the American Heart Association, Salt Lake Community College, and Radio Disney.
• We’re putting up photos from the week on Flickr and Facebook today. Did you make it in the album?
•  We hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

(“Good Morning!” in Tagalog)

Happy Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter this morning, and it is also day 9 of the Utah legislative session.

• Ever see us snapping photos around the Capitol and wonder where they go? We post them on our Flickr and Facebook regularly.
• Floor time is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.
• There are a number of items on the third reading calendar today. In addition to the ones that have been circled, are a few bills ready for vote:

1. HB 23: Special Administrative Expense Account Amendments
2. HB 36: Sales and Use Tax – Computer Software and Other Tangible Personal Property Amendments
3. HB 12: Corrections Education Amendments
4. HB 10: Department of Corrections Amendments’
5. HB 21: Driver License Emergency Contact Database
6. HB 31: Taxes an Fees on Emergency Medical Aircraft
7. HB 35: Extension of Recycling Market Development Zone Tax Credits
8. HB 42: Permanent Community Impact Fund Board Grants
9. SB 107: Possession of Graffiti Paraphernalia

• The Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environmental Standing Committee meeting today has been cancelled.
• Join the live press conference via our Facebook page today as soon as floor time ends, about 11:45. As always, we will announce when it starts on our Twitter and Facebook. We take questions for the Senators via text message. Watch for the number you can send it to.
• The Rotunda has gone purple. Weber State University is at the Capitol today giving presentations.

At the request of citizens’ groups, I am exploring whether it would be appropriate to more clearly define when human life begins.   Currently, the Utah Constitution does not specify when an embryo is legally considered a person.

Since establishing a clear definition has the possibility of influencing policy and statute in our state, I am reaching out to all stakeholders who may be affected by this issue so they can take an active role in the process.

If you have thoughts or concerns, please contact me.

Thank you.

[UPDATE, 2/7:]  Thanks to each of you who shared information on this sensitive issue. After carefully considering feedback from across the state and after discussing the issue with my own constituents in District 10, I have decided that I will not pursue legislation to define when an unborn child legally becomes a person at this time.  I want to assure my constituents, that despite the media distraction, I have maintained focus on the pressing issues of the legislature, such as Public Education reform, and will continue to do so.  Thanks again for your candid feedback and involvement in this important dialog.

Aaron

There has been some confusion about SB 112 Multiple-channel Video or Audio Service Tax Amendments.

Let me clarify.

Currently, there is a discrepancy between the amount of excise tax you pay if you are a cable or a satellite customer.

If you are a satellite TV customer, you pay a 6.25% excise tax to the state—but no franchise tax.

If you are a cable TV customer, you pay a 3.75% excise tax to the state and you probably also pay a franchise tax to local government. So if your franchise tax is 5% then your total tax is 8.75%.

SB 112 equalizes the amount of tax that can be assessed. In this example, if SB112 passes, satellite customers will still pay a 6.25% excise tax and the cable TV customers’ 5% franchise tax will remain, but the amount cable customers will pay in excise tax to the state will be reduced to 1.25%.  This change will make the total tax charged to consumers in both groups equal at 6.25%.  (If there is no franchise tax, the cable customers would pay the same 6.25% tax as the satellite customer.) The end result will be the same—equity in the amount of tax paid by both the satellite and the cable customers.

Government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers.

SB112 brings parity and fairness to the taxes people pay as TV customers and will allow them to make decisions based on economic value, competitive rates and product quality rather than applicable tax rates.

(Russian for “good morning!)

• Floor time has started. Stream it live via the legislative website.
• Bills that may come up on the third reading calendar today:

1. 1SB 96: Sales and Use Tax Exemptions for Golf Courses
2. SB 109: Assault Amendments
3. 1SB 124: County Amendments
4. 1SB 138: Health Insurance Mandate Accountability Amendments

• The legislature honored America’s first all-woman city council on Friday. Read more about it here.
• Join in on our live press conference today around 11:45. We are streaming it from our Facebook page, and we love your comments! Because floor time usually does not end right at 11:45, we announce when we start the press conference via Twitter and Facebook.

(That’s Finnish for “good morning!”)

Here comes another round of work today at the Utah Legislature. Today is Day 7 of the legislative session.

• Floor time starts about 10 a.m. We’re very excited that the live stream went well yesterday! Tune in from the legislature’s homepage.
• Bills coming up for a vote in the Senate’s third reading calendar today are:

1. 1SB 96 Sales and Use Tax Exemptions for Golf Courses
2. SB 97 Grants for Online Testing
3. SB 32 Breast Cancer Prevention Amendments
4. SB 91 Utah Uniform Securities Act amendments and Civil Actions
5. SB 123 Pharmacy Practice Act Amendments
6. SB 109 Assault Amendments
7. SB 129 Unemployment Insurance Modifications

• The Senate Revenue and Taxation Standing Committee meeting, and the Senate Workforce Services and Economic Development Committee meeting have been cancelled.
• Today on is Pharmacy Day On Capitol Hill. Pharmaceutical students and professionals are on the Rotunda offering tests- like your blood pressure, for example.
• As always, you can join in on our live press conference via Facebook today around 11:45. We’ll keep you updated on when we start through our Twitter and Facebook. People have been texting in questions for the senators. What a great way to be involved in the legislative process!

Podcast: Base Budget

While you listen, you can view the base budget bills here:

HB 1: Public Education Base Budget Amendments

HB 4: Higher Education Base Budget

HB 5: Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environmental Quality Base Budget

HB 6: Retirement and Independent Entities Base Budget 

SB 4: Business, Economic Development, and Labor Base Budget

SB 5: Executive Offices and Criminal Justice Base Budget

SB 6: Infrastructure and General Government Base Budget

SB 7: National Guard, Veterans’ Affairs, and Legislature Base Budget

SB 8: Social Services Base Budget