The State Legislature will need to address budgetary shortfalls in a variety of areas, he said, notably in the state’s Medicaid funding that has put an unusual burden on hospitals and could force an increase in costs for patients with insurance. Later that same day, Gov. Jon Huntsman called for a special session of the Utah Legislature to address these and other issues. The session is scheduled to begin on Wednesday.
Killpack, speaking to members of the Davis Chamber’s Legislative Affairs Committee in Kaysville, warned there were extremely difficult budget decisions ahead for the Legislature.
He said the state’s retirement system has lost much of its value due to current economic conditions and needs significant help to restore it to a sound footing, in addition to the problems with Medicaid funding. He was hopeful, however, that improving economic conditions would provide some avenues of relief.
“I think if we start seeing the signs of an upward trend,” he said, “it becomes much easier to start looking at the “rainy day” fund as a way to patch some of those problems and help us move forward. But all in all, the state is in a very good position.”
Calling the budget woes facing the state “extremely difficult,” Rep. Julie Fisher, R-Fruit Heights, defended the Legislature’s refusal to dip into the state’s “rainy day” fund during the recently completed session. She noted that the state of California is now in dire straits because it spent surplus funds accumulated during the good years rather than taking Utah’s more cautious approach. “That’s why they are having such a hard time now.”
But keeping the “rainy day” fund intact so far has allowed the state to maintain its triple-A bond rating despite the challenging budgetary issues that will be confronted this week and at the 2010 session. The Legislature’s focus on economic incentives also has positioned the state to maintain economic growth in the future. She said the state could hear some very good news from Disney studios and others in the very near future due to those incentives.
Sen. Greg Bell, R-Fruit Heights, defended progress made this year regarding disclosure of gifts received by Legislators, although he said purists might not be satisfied.
“These things should be disclosed,” he said. “My firm position is for disclosure, and we’re going to disclose.”
The challenge, he said is when one considers that gifts to legislators usually aren’t trips or even expensive Jazz tickets, but smaller, mundane items such as a book, a box of chocolates or a ham. The newly enacted limits, however, are resulting in fewer gifts for legislators, which legislators appear to appreciate because it causes less pressure for them.
Bell noted that public concerns over small gifts affecting legislators may be greatly overestimated and had little impact on the final legislation.
“If you think that it’s going to change my vote, then throw me out. Throw me out.”
Bell and others also praised the collaborative atmosphere that prevailed at this year’s Legislature.
“Davis County’s Legislative Affairs Committee is unique,” Bell said. “Nobody does what we do,” speaking of even the state’s largest political entities such as Salt Lake, Weber, Utah and Cache counties. He was specifically referring to the committee itself and its weekly meetings during the legislative session that proved to be a great resource of information and feedback for legislators.
While some friction did occur between the House and Senate, the tensions evident in past years did not occur, especially among individuals in the Legislature. “It never broke out into fists and scratching,” he said, speaking metaphorically. “This was such a bright change from what had previously been.”
Speaking ahead of Gov. Jon Huntsman’s impending nomination as U.S. Ambassador to China, Bell said that while the governor departed from the view of the Legislature on issues such as global warming, the Legislature’s relationship with him also remained very good.
Rep. Roger Barrus, R-Centerville, underscored Bell’s comments by saying, “What a pleasure and how much help it was for all of the legislators to meet with this group each week.” The information exchanged at these sessions was vital for the county’s delegation, he said.
“The thing we should be excited about is that we didn’t pick winners and losers,” meaning that a great effort was made to address the needs of all groups represented in Davis County, Barrus said.
Barrus lamented that one of his bills passed both houses of the Legislature but didn’t become law because of a technical error in the wording between the House and Senate versions. The bill would have required the governor to evaluate the economic impact before signing any multi-state or regional climate change agreements.
Sen. Dan Liljenquist, R-Bountiful, having just completed his first session at the Legislature, registered surprise at how much trust House and Senate leaders put in individual legislators, allowing them to take charge of key bills rather than handling them personally.
“Some 95 percent of the work we did in committee was retained, and the things they did change were wise changes,” he said. Legislative leaders personally took charge of the fewest numbers of bills ever, compared to past sessions, allowing others to “help row.” Communication was very strong, very close and very open, he said.
Liljenquist also praised the efforts of key leaders, even those not from Davis County. “I don’t know what we would have done without the wisdom of Sen. Lyle Hillyard. He knew where all the pockets of money were and how things worked, according to Liljenquist.
“Ultimately that led to a fairly smooth session at a very difficult time.”
Liljenquist did, however, make a prediction for the next session that he was certain would come true. “I will not be singing again on the floor of the Senate,” he promised, referring to his rendition of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.”
news@davisclipper.com
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