Business group hears from legislators

By BUSINESS EXPANSION AND RETENTION

At a recent Business Expansion and Retention general board meeting Utah Rep. Christine Watkins and State Sen. David Hinkins detailed their work during the most recent legislative session to benefit local business and industry.
One of the main topics was about what as been referred to as the “BEAR bill” and in actuality House Bill 212.
The intent of the bill was to get funding for BEAR programs around the state. In the past BEAR programs have been funded from a fund called the Industrial Assistance Fund (IAF), and the money could be used for any number of things. Within it the money for BEAR varied so much each year that programs could not be assured what they would and wouldn’t get.
“I filed that bill last summer and heard very little from anyone in the Governors Office of Economic Development (the agency that handles the money for BEAR programs),” said Watkins. “Eventually they called me up and said they wanted to talk about it.’
According to Watkins it was not a happy conversation.
“I talked to them about it and then I invited them to come to Castle Country and talk to the people that were involved in helping with the legislation,” she said. “They came to an executive board meeting and discussed it with BEAR members.”
Discussions at that meeting included why funding information was needed. The meeting also raised concerns about how the funds were administered.
“After that they first said they were reluctant to support the bill and then later they told me that they had decided not to support it,” said Watkins. “I still went ahead with it and just before I was ready to present it in committee they came to us and said they needed to find a way to cooperate on it.”
 She said negotiations were tough, but that eventually they ended up with a bill that worked for both sides.
She said that she and Hinkins get a lot of support for bills they propose because of the passion they show in fighting for rural areas.
“Other legislators see that and realize that we need support,” she said.
Watkins reported that the legislature did a lot of legislation concerning mental health in the form of 10 bills, many of which affect rural Utah.
She said that in the last two years a great deal of money has also gone into education.  Based on what has been happening around the nation there is a lot of emphasis on safety, and a lot of retrofitting will be going on to make schools more secure.
Hinkins said that he agreed with what Watkins had said about the legislature keeping the checks and balances in place.
“While the Governor’s office is important, we have the checkbook,” he said intimating that regardless of what the governor’s budget is when it is released in the late fall for the next year, the house and senate have the last say. “We are often criticized for not following his budget.”
He also brought up the rainy day fund the state has and said that the legislature had enough money to put $850 million into it this year.
“In the last recession, in 2009, the fund got down to $250 million and we continue to try to build it up again,” he stated.
One of the bills that was controversial was $600 million that instead of going to roads as it had been in the past, will now be going to education. One appropriation that went to the southeastern part of the state was $260,000 of on going funding for two positions for helping with drug addiction treatment. The employees will be based in Carbon County, but will serve the entire southeastern part of the state.
He said they also approved an appropriation of $500,000 for the University of Utah to continue to study carbon fiber viability and uses.
Hinkins said since he is the chairman of the Appropriations Committee he doesn’t get time to introduce more than a few bills a year. But a bill he did introduce was an appropriation for $500,000 for busing rural school kids.
He said there was also $500,000 appropriated for grazing improvements. That money is not just for the stock men who run cattle in the state but also helps out with wildlife as well. Hinkins also commented on the BEAR bill and said it came through in the last hours of the legislature and he helped to get it passed in the senate by being able to go to leadership and push it through.