Planet Utah

Utah Senate: Staff Highlights: The Circle

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:05:47 +0000

(click picture for sound)

By Krystle Whitney

The Intern in Exile

The Circle (which actually isn't a circle at all but a elongated semi-circle) refers to those sitting in front of the Senate dais right below the Senate President. The three individuals who make up The Circle are known (amongst the Senate staff) as holding the most prestigious clerical positions. It consists of the Secretary of the Senate, Reading Mending Clerk and the Docket Clerk.

Because of illness, availability and the diversity of each of their positions, I’ve decided to interview the two clerks and the Secretary of the Senate separately. Leslie McLean (Reading Mending Clerk) and Paula Tew (Docket Clerk) amend bills, receive communications from the House, manage Senate services, aid the Third House and bring a comedic side to the Senate floor, to name just a few of their responsibilities.

I personally have to admit that interviewing these ladies had to be one of my highlights of this Session. Listen to their interview and see why.

Click HERE for the podcast.

Utah Senate: Final Day of the Legislative Session

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:57:32 +0000

Today will move fast. Twitter is probably the best way to track it.

Utah Senate: Staff Highlights: Secretary of the Senate

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:56:11 +0000

By Krystle Whitney

Intern in Exile

As the final member of The Circle, Secretary of the Senate Annette Moore was pretty tough to track down for an interview. With illness, session duties and my being stationed in Exile, I count it close to a miracle that we were able to meet up.

Having a long history with the Utah State, Annette is a key player and source of stability. She supervises session staff, certifies the transfer of bills from Senate to the House of Representatives and enforces Parliamentary Procedure (having read and learned the 100 page manual). With this being her 19th Session, she said she is always learning new things about the Legislative process.

"In 19 years I have not missed one day of Session...if you’re sick you just come to work," she said. "But, there’s been a virus going around and I was one of the unfortunate ones and I was just really impressed by the way the staff...just stepped up. I was impressed by the team effort."

To hear more about Annette’s Senate Highlights or her favorite “funny moment” during her 19-years of working for the Legislature, listen to her interview above.

Click HERE for the podcast.

Utah Senate: Last Day of the Session Workout

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:07:22 +0000

The Final 24 Hours
KCPW: Senate Votes to Keep Pay the Same
Daily Herald: Lawmakers vote to keep last year's pay cut
ABC4: Utah legislators decide not to take pay hike
KSL: Winners and losers of the 2010 Legislative Session
SLTrib: Senate backs new campaign finance reporting rules
SLTrib: Regents could get more rural
DNews: Public education budget bill comes down to last day
SLTrib: Will charter schools sink education funds deal?
DNews: Districts to help fund charter schools?
ABC4: Lawmakers make 10 million dollar cut to public education
DNews: Senate Oks bill limiting scholarships
KCPW: Teachers Will Still Get Paid Association Leave
SLTrib: Anti-gang measure heads to guv's desk
DNews: Gang prevention bill passes
SLTrib: Legislature approves holiday for Browning
KCPW: Watered-Down Prosthetic Parity Bill Clears Senate
SLTrib: Senate paves way for road upgrades in Salt Lake County
DNews: Rally at Capitol urges lawmakers to address climate change
Fox 13: Utah House resources Rep and former SLC Mayor debate climate change
Standard Ex: Antelope Island hunting part of budget legislation
Out of Context: Political Cornflakes
Sausage Grinder: Morning of the Last Day

Sausage Grinder: Morning of the Last Day

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:01:00 +0000

Almost exactly a year ago to the hour, I was in a hospital worried so sick about my wife and our newborn twins that I had to remind myself to keep breathing and then had to work hard not to throw up. So, happy birthday you lovely little monsters and thanks for everything, Amy.

Also, if you're going to the Tweet-up at noon in the cafeteria, I'll be the guy who smells like gasoline, because as it turns out I have the manual dexterity of a 2-year-old.

• Please-oh-please-oh-please let there be a royal rumble today over Senate Bill 2. Come on, House, you totally know the Senate disrespects you. Pulling public education funding for those upstart charters? You're not really going to take that standing up, are you? If I were you, I'd start holding up Senate bills until they cave. Do it. (Trib)

• Seriously, Curt Oda? You're going to let Republicans bury your Civil Rights resolution? That wording is in your party platform for crying out loud. If I were you, I'd bring that thing to the floor and throw it in their faces. I would pound on your desk until you had the attention of everyone in the Capitol. Do it. (Dnews)

• I can't believe that Provo residents who have worked so hard for decades to bring the rental freak show under control let this bill pass without a peep. If I were you, I would be blowing up the phones of, oh, say, Sens. John Valentine and Curt Bramble, as well as Reps. Steve Sandstrom, Chris Herrod and Becky Lockhart. Today. Right now. Do it. (Herald)

What? Their numbers? Do I look like Ma Bell to you?

• I can't believe they watered down the prosthetics parity bill, except that they didn't really. Tami Stanley got everything she wanted after a three-year battle under the guise of compromise. The turning point? The 10-year-old girl taking off her leg in a Senate committee. You guys didn't have a prayer, and if I were you, I'd take it out on the House today. (KCPW)

I hear they're going to screw you on Senate Bill 2.

And if none of that interests you, there are only three things I can think of in this universe that if combined will: George Washington, a Bengal tiger and a Hurricane. Suck on that, Patrick Henry Caucus video.

(h/t Reddit for pointing me to SharpWriter at DeviantART.)

One Utah: The Longest War

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:59:20 +0000

This month, Afghanistan becomes the longest war in U.S. history. There have been 1,664 coalition deaths –1,009 Americans, 11 Australians, one Belgian, 272 Britons, 140 Canadians, three Czech, 29 Danes, 21 Dutch, seven Estonians, one Finn, 40 French, 31 Germans, two Hungarians, 22 Italians, three Latvian, one Lithuanian, five Norwegians, 16 ...

Utah Senate: 24

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:18:17 +0000

Day 45. The final day of session. The Senate will work on House Bills. The House will work on Senate Bills. We'll concur (or not) with House amendments to Senate Bills. The House will concur (or not) with Senate amendments to House Bills.

Watch for conference committees throughout the day. (A conference committee is the small negotiating team that will resolve differences between House and Senate versions of a bill.) In a bygone era you could find them by listening for the shouting. These last few years - not so much.

Leadership of both bodies will trade priority lists. Senate Leadership will prioritize senate bills for the House to consider. House Leadership will prioritize house bills for the Senate to consider.

Bills are debated and acted on faster than normal. You’ll see hopes rise and fall as the clock hurtles toward midnight.

We might end early this year. We'll see. The state constitution indicates the last possible moment we can vote a bill up or down is the stroke of midnight.

Follow along on the Twitter Site.

Or watch or listen live via our official site. We'll be here all day, if you need us.

It's been a tough but productive session.

Thanks for paying attention.

Utah Senate: The Phantom Student Phase Out

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:57:12 +0000

Senator Howard Stephenson explains the Phantom Student Phaseout and fair funding of public schools in SB2.

Share the Youtube version of the Video by visiting here.

Utah Senate: Senate Floor Action: How to track your bills

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:26:04 +0000

We've been documenting senate floor action (here, here and here).

As the final End of Session Crescendo arrives, here are a few pointers on gathering all that vital information for yourself.

Visit the Audio & Video Archives

1. Visit the Legislative web site.

2. On the far right side, you’ll see the “Quick Links” section. Listed under this section is "Floor Debates." Click on the Senate tab.

3. On this page, fill in the desired Legislative Session year and date.

4. Once you have chosen a specific day, all floor action of that day should show up with options to view each action (or bill debate) either visually or with audio.

Bill Search and Bill Status Page

1. On the right upper corner of the Legislative site, you’ll find the “Quick Bill Search” section. Type in your bill number, name of the sponsor or the subject of the bill into the search box. Easy as pie.

2. Click on your bill.

3. Now you're at the Bill's info page. You'll be able to . . .

Upload and read the actual bill in PDF or HTML format.

Track bill status to see where the bill has been or where it is headed and track the tallied votes it has received.

Listen to debates on the bill, either while it was in committee or on the Senate floor.

Have updates bill sent to your email address.

Etcetera. Check it out. Here's an example.

More Tracking Tools

On the left side of the Legislative site, mouse over Bills and check out the options.

The Reading Calendar

"What bill are they on now?" Also easy as pie to find out. Go to the Reading Calendar. Put a check in the House or Senate "Display Board" box. Now you know. You can see the vote count here too.

On the left side you can also check boxes to view a live video feed, list of bills to be discussed next and indications as to which bills are circled, and links to the text of all the bills on the calendars.

Leave a comment if you have any questions.

Utah Senate: March 10, 2010

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:15:00 +0000

Utah Senate: Final Day of the Legislative Session

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:50:33 +0000

Utah Senate: Media Briefing: March 10

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:14:34 +0000

In today's Media Briefing Senator Jenkins gave the latest updates on the positions of the majority caucus and Senator Stephenson spoke on funding related to education. You can watch the full briefing here. Listen to the full briefing here. (MP3)

Utah Senate: Staff Highlights: Senate Hostesses

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:52:02 +0000

(click picture for sound)

By Krystle Whitney

The Intern in Exile

If you’ve listened to past “Staff Highlights” interviews this Session, or if you’ve looked at the colorful pictures published on our Picasa Site, you’ve probably guessed that a big highlight to working with the Senate is the amount of food we share with each other. And who better to prepare and distribute these delicious treats than the Senate Hostesses Evoline Gardner and Katherine Gardner (no relation).

“I don’t think people realize how hard everyone works,” Katherine said. “That’s one of the things that has impressed me in the two years that I’ve been here; the wonderful people that are working very hard to bring all of this about in just 45 days.”

Joking that their highlight for Session this year was the amount of chocolate milk they were able to hand out, they both said they have enjoyed getting to know the Senate staff and are impressed by the help everyone offers for each other.

To listen to their highlights and learn more about their position, click on the audio above.

Or click HERE for the podcast.

Utah Senate: Final Day of the Legislative Session

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:11:52 +0000

One Utah: Matheson’s Bad Strategy

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:14:39 +0000

I'm sure Jim Matheson figured he could oppose health care reform and immunize himself against Republican attacks and thereby save his seat. In that, he's made a fundamental miscalculation. As we've seen over the last year, the Republican party - individually and corporately - have no compunctions concerning lying about health ...

Utah Senate: Wednesday Morning Workout

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:23:53 +0000

Park Record: Session enters last days
Political Cornflakes: Political Cornflakes
SLTrib: Education funding: Guv, lawmakers salvage most of schools' budget
DNews: Education takes a small hit in final budget
2News: Legislature Taps Rainy Day Fund To Spare Education
DNews: Money for roads will now fund new buildings
KSL: Governor, lawmakers reach deal on education funding
Daily Herald: State budget proposal: Swap road projects for higher-ed needs
Standard Ex: Utah governor, lawmakers come to terms on budget, cigarette tax
Herald Journal: Legislature OKs FY 2011 budget
KUER: Governor, Lawmakers Reach Agreement on Public Ed Funding - Also, Teachers Paid Leave, Eminent Domain, and How to Catch A Fish
Stewart: Bill regulating teacher union rep funding fails in House
Daily Herald: Gov. Herbert will decide if Utah jumps into federal land lawsuit
SLTrib: Eminent domain bill ready for governor
DNews: Senate approves eminent domain bills
SLTrib: Senate approves bill to condemn federal land
KSL: Governor signs bill requiring financial disclosure
DNews: Bill would allow bonding for higher ed projects
SLTrib: Road funds to take detour
DNews: Legislation would allow closed auto dealers to seek damages
Gehrke: Utah Legislature OKs bill to reinstate Chrysler dealers
DNews: Lawmakers approve hike in waste fees
SLTrib: Senate backs restrictions on stream access
KCPW: Senate Approves New Streambed Access Bill
The Spectrum: E-Verify may become Utah law
KSL: Legislature puts a stop to real estate transfer fees
SLTrib: Senate blocks legal notices in free publications
KSL: Tension builds as Legislative session comes to a close
SLTrib: Guv inks bill to thin number of school tests

Utah Senate: Media Briefing: March 9

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:57:18 +0000

Members of the Utah Senate including, President Waddoups, Senator Jenkins, Senator Hillyard, Senator Jones, and Senator Dayton, met with the media prior to afternoon floor time to discuss the latest issues taking place in the Senate. You can watch the full media briefing here. Listen here. (MP3)

Sausage Grinder: No, no it's just a speck of something in my eye

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:56:00 +0000

Chris Vanocur tweeted a quote this morning I hadn't seen before:

Columnist Russell Baker once defined a reporter as "a scandal peddler, a mischief-maker, a busybody, a man content to wear out his hams sitting in marble corridors waiting for important people to lie to him."

That seemed appropriate for the past 45 days. Then I remembered the piece of paper being worn out in my bag than I've carried with me since a good neighbor and friend of mine gave it to me. It's Steinbeck, so take an extra minute and read it properly:

"I've always admired those reporters who can descend on an area, talk to key people, ask key questions, take samplings of opinions, and then set down an orderly report very like a road map. I envy this technique and at the same time do not trust it as a mirror of reality. I feel that there are too many realities. What I set down here is true until someone else passes that way and rearranges the world in his own style. In literary criticism the critic has no choice but to make over the victim of his attention into something the size and shape of himself.

"And in this report I do not fool myself into thinking I am dealing with constants. A long time ago I was in the ancient city of Prague and at the same time Joseph Alsop, the justly famous critic of places and events, was there. He talked to informed people, officials, ambassadors; he read reports, even the fine print and figures, while I in my slipshod manner roved about with actors, gypsies, vagabonds. Joe and I flew home to America on the same plane, and on the way he told me about Prague, and his Prague had no relation to the city I had seen and heard. It just wasn't the same place, and yet each of us was honest, neither one a liar, both pretty good observers by any standard, and we brought home two cities, two truths. For this reason I cannot commend this account as an America that you will find.

"So much there is to see, but our morning eyes describe a different world than do our afternoon eyes, and surely our wearied evening eyes can report only a weary evening world."

(Italics mine. Thanks, Clark.)

Sausage Grinder: Morning of the Last Wednesday

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:07:00 +0000

• Elizabeth Ziegler, unaware that I have banned all stories about streambed access, whips something up. (KCPW)

• Utah lawmakers, unaware that its citizens aren't guilty just because the AG says they are, increases administrative subpoena powers. (Herald)

• Roads, unaware that buildings are more important (as lawmaker pet projects), allow themselves to get driven all over during this session. No, you try and come up with something funny at 7:30 a.m. (Herald)

• Teachers, unaware that taxpayers aren't their personal piggy banks, get to keep getting paid by us to work for a private organization. (Dnews)

• Lawmakers, unaware of sweet, sweet irony, pass a bill to reduce testing while forgetting that they're going to hold back the 25 percent of third graders who can't pass a reading test. (Trib)

• Me, unaware that I have made a lousy career choice, found out yesterday that spokespeople are paid stupid amounts of money to say nothing at all. Just kidding, I knew both of those things. (Herald)

And if none of that interests you, I know just one thing for sure, and that's that helping a kid force his sister into naming her baby Megatron will. He's almost there. Fake or not, you owe it to humanity to see this through.

Also, mistake No. 1: trying to replace Megatron as the leader of the Decepticons. Mistake No. 2? That's for me to know and you to watch the video:

One Utah: Meet Me On The Steps of The Utah State Capitol TODAY at 3:00pm

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:59:19 +0000

This complete disregard of both science and the economic and environmental future of our state demands our protest. The Legislature has had its say, now it's our turn. Please come and invite your Facebook friends. Despite our phone calls, letters, emails, and testimonies HJR 12 passed resoundingly in both the House ...

Utah Senate: Senator Stephenson on SB 250: holding U.S. Senators accountable

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:21:00 +0000

By Howard Stephenson

Senator, District 11

Article I Section 3 Clause 1 of the Constitution states:

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.

This process was chosen as a part of the Great Compromise in 1787 to ensure that checks and balances exist within our government: by having the state legislature elect senators to the upper house of the national congress this measure balanced the populist tendencies of the direct election of members to the House of Representatives. As officials are most accountable to those bodies that elect them, the intent was to ensure that focus on legislating for the States as whole and sovereign bodies rather than conducting broad and overreaching national programs that intruded upon the rights of the States.

This long-standing method came to end in 1911 with the passage of the Amendment XVII. It amended the Constitution to allow U.S. Senators to be selected by a direct, general election of the public at large. This turned out to be a far reaching shift in the balance of elected offices in the context of federalism. While the passage of Amend. XVII not only had the effect of putting Senators in a more direct, responsive relationship with the average citizen, it also limited the all too often corrupt influence Senators could exercise over the local races in their home state.

These laudable impacts are, however, outweighed by that which was sacrificed in the process: a vital link of cooperation and mutual responsibility between the Federal Government and State Legislatures. Today, rather than national Senators exercising undue influence over the election of state offices, national Senators appear to be too little interested in the needs of their respective States and their governing bodies. The misuse of the TARP and ARRA funds, lined and laced from one end to the other with pork-barrel projects and private Washington gamesmanship, is only the most recent in a “long train of abuses and usurpations.” Many of these projects are either blatantly unnecessary or simply unwanted by the states that they were so graciously “bestowed” upon—namely without their consent. Direct elections, far from making U.S. Senators more responsive to their constituents, appear to have actually distanced them from their duties.

A full scale repeal of the long entrenched Amendment would be inefficient and a reactionary measure at best. Rather than alter a well-established process of elections, why not reexamine giving the people new guards and securities against the responsibilities of their officials? Senate Bill 250 is designed to restore the efficacy of checks and balances between Utah and her federal officials. This bill will allow political parties to consult with their respective members of the Utah House of Representatives and Senate on the job performance of the Senators in Washington. Parties will then be better informed as to how the Federal Delegation is representing the State and that they pursue Federal policies that work in the best interest for the citizens of Utah. We all know that regular reporting by an outside observer—just as in auditing—keeps an agent honest towards his principal, and that is the principle at work in SB 250.

S.B. 250 will allow a political party to establish bylaws . . .

(1) . . . in order to rate and evaluate their elected legislators both in the state and nationally.

(2) . . . whereby members could rate their state senators and state representatives.

(3) . . . in order to rate and evaluate their national senators generally, as well as specifically regarding their performance and position on the state’s rights.

(4) . . . in order to rate candidates for the United States’ Senate races.

Utah Senate: SCR 11, Opposition to the Creation of the New National Monuments

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:16:33 +0000

By Kevin T. Van Tassell

Senator, District 26

With the passage of Senate Concurrent Resolution 11, Expressing Opposition to the Creation of New National Monuments in Utah, from the Senate floor yesterday, I thought I would take the time to explain the key elements on what this Resolution really does.

SCR 11 is a joint resolution between the Legislature and the Governor’s Office requesting that state and local Utahns have the opportunity to give input before a new national park or monument is created. We know the state and its lands better than those in Washington D.C. and this would allow for us to weigh in and give our opinions on shaping the boundaries.

With about 70% of the State of Utah already owned by the federal government, we consider it a huge impact when any of our federal lands are changed from BLM or US Forest Service to National Park or National Monument. Not only are governing rules changed, but the state is forever banned from multi use to develop industry; effecting potential water development, impacting livestock grazing, and many recreational activities.

This resolution simply states that we should have more input as a state. SCR 11 would also address the Antiquities Act and asks the President of the United States and the United States Congress to refrain from using this act to designate new national monuments of any large land mass. We would amend the Antiquities Act to clarify its actual intent, which is to establish small discrete monuments or memorials as existed in Utah prior to the creation of the 1996 Grand Staircase National Monument.

My hope in structuring this resolution is to have the Resolution signed by the Legislature and the Governor and ready by the time Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar visits Utah in April.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Utah Senate: Senator Valentine on SJR 19: slight but significant change to the Ethics Complaint Process

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:56:52 +0000

By John L. Valentine

Utah State Senator, District 14

Senate Joint Resolution 19 - Joint Rules Resolution on Ethics Complaints clarifies SJR 3. To remove possible criticism about the process, this bill requires any new ethics complaints to go directly to the Independent Legislative Ethics Commission rather than going through the Senate or House legislative ethics committees first. In my previous bill, the legislative ethics committee chairs served as the gatekeepers during the filing period. However, I believe we want to make the commission truly independent by giving them the primary authority to investigate ethics complaints against members of the legislature.

Along with the change in the initial filing, this resolution also provides that the chair of the commission will provide notice of a filing of an ethics complaint – confidential, no names or details until publicly disclosed by the commission – to the Speaker of the House or the Senate President as well as the chair and vice-chair of the legislative ethics committee.

This bill passed the Senate today unanimously and is headed to the House for their consent.

Utah Senate: March 9, 2010

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:30:00 +0000

Utah Senate: Run for the hills! It's HB 150

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:39:19 +0000

The much-talked about HB 150 passed the Senate this morning. We've heard some valid concern about this bill, mixed with a little healthy paranoia and some outright misunderstanding.

Here are some facts:

HB 150 is designed to give law enforcement a technological tool to investigate not only sex offenses against children but also child kidnapping and stalking activity. Criminals have expanded their criminal activities with technology (text messaging, emails, access to internet) and it is important to expand law enforcement's ability likewise to include electronic communication devices such as cell phones as well as being able to trace email addresses.

HB 150 does not violate the Fourth Amendment. The bill does not go after content. It only covers contact information such as name, phone number, email address, bank account identifiers and location of suspected offenders (of the three listed crimes: sex offenses against a child, kidnapping of a child, and stalking). The electronic sources being used are cell phones, smart phones, PDA's and email addresses.
Additional content can only be obtained only through court orders/warrants.
Other states that have similar laws in place: Florida, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, Kentucky, Virginia, and Wyoming.
Most of the major providers of electronic services have service contracts advising customers that the providers will cooperate with law enforcement in criminal investigations.
Every federal court that has addressed this topic has ruled that subscriber information to an internet provider is not protected by the Fourth Amendment. The internet provider is a third party and there is no legitimate expectation of privacy in non-content information

Hope that helps. You can watch the Senate's floor debate to this bill here.

One Utah: Talking about the Session!

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:29:20 +0000

The lege ends its annual session on Thursday at midnight. Let's talk about the disasters, the meltdowns and the entertainment!

Sausage Grinder: There was a water bill today, so I wrote this instead

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:08:00 +0000

What's great about the legislative process is how no one person suddenly has the power to do anything they want with any amount of money they want. I mean, the governor, the Senate president or the Speaker of the House have options to kill bills and set budget priorities, and majority leaders can twist arms in caucus to get people on board. But that's all part of the sausage grinding.

Also, the first sentence of the previous paragraph was a total fabrication. OK, not a total fabrication. There are actually two people in this state who can essentially do what they want. Their names are Lyle Hillyard and Ron Bigelow — co-chairs of the executive appropriations committee.

That's the committee that makes all the final money decisions.

But, and I say this with years of experience and conversations with others more experienced than me, the committee really means Hillyard and Bigelow.

Take the $21 million cut in public education that is being kicked around. Hillyard said the proposal is his and that he made it last week while going through the budget looking for cash. So on one hand we have dozens of bills with fiscal notes — tobacco tax included — that have lived and died because of a bad economy or after numerous hearings and bloody floor debates and a governor agonizing over veto power. We also have painstakingly wrought appropriation subcommittee reports that list funding priorities. On the other hand, we have a bit of a thought from the co-chair of exec approps that was eventually hammered through the caucuses.

And then there was Bigelow's revelation yesterday that he personally moved $125,000 from one program to the other in the Attorney General's Office because it was something he's close to. (And no, it's not the first time.)

How?

In part, it's because they've run that committee for so long that they speak in a language that sounds like English but no one can make heads or tails of except the budget wonks working in the tombs beneath the Rotunda.

I am absolutely convinced that if either of these guys wanted to, they could find $10-$15 million in the state budget that would have absolutely no impact on the operation of government and could be moved to cover a critical shortfall elsewhere. I'm not talking about the entire state portion of public education library funding. I'm not talking about the reserve accounts they trot out and say "If you want more money, you'll have to dip into the Homeless Children Food and Heating Fund."

Anyway, sausage ground.

One Utah: Tune in to KRCL 90.9 – OneUtah takes over momentarily

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:59:18 +0000

With the help of Curtis Haring and Misty Fowler - you'll love it!

Utah Senate: Staff Highlights: Secretaries

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:14:34 +0000

(click picture for sound)

By Krystle Whitney

Intern in Exile

Being that they are housed in Exile with myself and the operators, I thought tracking down the Senate Secretaries for a Staff Highlight interview would be easy. Not quite. Little did I know how time consuming the life of a secretary is.

These six individuals help run committee meetings, take minutes, tally votes, make copies of bills, post agendas and hunt down the Senators for their signature on different types of documents. “We post agendas and they have to be on the Capitol Board 24 hours in advance,” Lorna said. “We have to watch the clock and if its getting close to that 24 hour time we have to hustle over.”

Because they travel throughout the offices for various signatures, they all agreed that they wish there was one common area where all of the Senate staff could be situated. “If I was to change anything I would get everybody in one place,” Henry said, joking that he does not like being in Exile.

Listed below are the Senate Secretaries:

Rolayne Day, Secretarial Supervisor

Karen C. Allred

Karen Allred

Ernest Hayes

Henry Liu

Lorna Wells

Click HERE for the podcast.

One Utah: JAT #3: Capitalists Don’t Understand Labeling Theory (Or Just Abuse It, Like Everything Else)

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:14:13 +0000

Just a thought: One of my part-time jobs is at a grocery store. I enjoy the people I work with, but I hate the working environment. I'm asked to be a psychiatrist for cranky customers half of the time; I only get two 15-minute breaks in an 8-hour shift (no lunch); ...