Week Seven Review

Capitol Pic of the Day

In the beginning of the session, there was a record 1,224 bill files opened. In the end, we passed only 43% of the bills opened, or 528 bills, which is 42 more bills than last year. For context, I created a 15 year chart. 

The House saw some changes in process this session and legislators were given more time in committees to dive deeper into the issues before them. This also sped up the floor process as House members were able to debate bills more confidently knowing they had previously been vetted by colleagues in the respective committees. I felt that there were better quality bills passed due to the added efforts by the standing committees. 

As for the context of policy making, I cannot remember a session where there were so many weighty issues covered at the same time. The magnitude of what was accomplished in just 45 days is astonishing. There were several generational lawmaking achievements that came out of the 2015 legislative session. There were also a couple of big issues that did not end with a successful compromise. 

Nondiscrimination and Religious Liberty:

SB296 is a historic anti-discrimination and religious freedom bill that had a very emotional debate in the House of Representatives. 

This grand compromise brings together all of the various stakeholders in ensuring protection against discrimination in the narrowly categorized areas of employment and housing. 

SB297 is a companion bill that addresses marriage by public officials. Both of these pieces of legislation are the culmination of significant work over a period of many years. 

These two bills are game-changing in recognizing the rights of individuals as it relates to the expression of personal beliefs, while balancing protections of certain rights (Fox13 story). 

Transportation:

The current gas tax has surrendered nearly one-third of its value to inflation since 1997 and its purchasing power has ironically been further eroded by vehicle fuel efficiency. Reaching a consensus between the House and Senate on long-term funding reform for transportation infrastructure is significant. As mentioned in previous blog posts, there were two primary proposals that were being considered: SB160 with a 10 centers per gallon fuel tax and HB362 with a more comprehensive approach to addressing the long term needs. The House sent over HB362 to the Senate where they amended it by inserting a 5 cent per gallon fuel tax, as well as fee increases for registrations on certain vehicles. This version was sent back to the House for concurrence and the House did not concur.

The House successfully negotiated to drop the registration fee piece but unsuccessfully negotiated the 5 cent piece. What we are left with is a compromise that will serve the people of Utah now and into the future in both urban and rural areas of the state. I voted yes because I ran on the preparation of our population doubling in the next 30 years and there are inherent limitations and restrictions on the funding source that pays for transportation infrastructure. 

Criminal Justice Reform:

HB348 will result in millions of dollars of reinvestment into the criminal justice system by changing the way we sentence and treat many offenders. I was happy to co-sponsor this legislation and voted yes for this bill, as well as for the companion bill, HB454. Integral to this reform is the relocation of the Utah State Prison (HB454) and building of a new facility capable of accommodating the types of treatment and rehabilitation programs proven to reduce recidivism and return offenders to society better prepared for reintegration. 

Healthcare Expansion:

The House and Senate were unable to come up with a compromise on Utah Cares vs Healthy Utah. There was a joint announcement on Day 45 by the House, Senate and Governor, where they introduced a concurrent resolution to continue the discussion. 

HCR12 is a commitment  to work together through the next several months to resolve the coverage gap created by the Affordable Care Act. Together, they have set a targeted timeline of July 31, 2015 to come up a renewed proposal. I voted yes to support continued discussions. 

School Board Elections:

School board elections was another area that did not end with a compromised solution. The House sent over to the Senate HB186, a nonpartisan election bill which was hijacked and inserted with language that made it partisan, before going to the ballot for the public to decide if it should be governor appointed. SJR5 was also sent over in an effort to get it on a ballot for a constitutional amendment. I voted no on both proposals to honor my commitment to my constituents who wanted nonpartisan elections. What now? This matter will be left up to the courts on another pending court case, if it doesn't come back in a special session.

Vox Populi - Adjourned at midnight Sine Die

____________________________________________________________
SOPHIA'S BILLS (Summary)

I am happy to report that all of my bills passed out of the House and Senate with unanimous support in each body. 

HB218, HB312 and HB324 will take effect in the second week of May. 

I appreciate the stakeholder involvement and input on each piece of legislation and look forward to continuing the great relationships established through this process. 

________________________________________________________

APPROPRIATIONS 

The final budget was largely achieved with a healthy collaboration between the House and Senate. Higher education saw a boost with $170 million budgeted for new buildings and maintenance. 

As for public education, the State Board of Education had requested a WPU funding increase of 2 percent and received 4 percent, which was the largest increase in WPU funding in nearly a decade. There was a motion to amend to raise the WPU even more, which I supported, but it failed.

A $50 million allotment was also appropriated for enrollment growth. In addition, the Legislature passed SB97, which authorizes a statewide property tax increase for school equalization. I voted no for this based on constituent responses, but it passed nonetheless. 

The Executive Appropriations Committee met for the final time on Wed. March 11th. Click here for the list of budget items that were funded in the final bill of bills, or SB3. I've also included details below.

Here is a list of all of the appropriations bills for the 2015 session. 

BASE BUDGETS 

[See week 3 blog post for detailed items funded in base]

HB1, Higher Education Base Budget

HB2, Public Education Base Budget

HB4, Business, Economic Development and Labor Base Budget

HB5, Retirement and Independent Entities Base Budget

HB6, Infrastructure and General Government Base Budget

HB7, National Guard, Veterans' Affairs and Legislature Base Budget

SB1, Public Education Base Budget Amendments

SB4, Current School Year Supplemental Public Education Budget Adjustments

SB5, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environmental Quality Base Budget

SB6, Executive Office and Criminal Justice Base Budget

SB7, Social Services Base Budget

BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS

HB3, Current Fiscal Year Supplemental Appropriations [Detailed List]

HB8, State Agency and Higher Education Compensation [See Highlighted Provisions]

SB2, New Fiscal Year Supplemental Appropriations [Detailed List]

SB3, Appropriations Adjustments (Bill of Bills) [Detailed List]

SB8, State Agency Fees and Internal Service Fund Rate Authorization and Appropriations

SB9, Revenue Bond and Capital Facilities Amendments [Audio listing items included]

______________________________________

OTHER RELATED CAP HAPS 

Representative Dee led out on an effort to raise $25,000 for the Utah Honor Flight, a program that is aimed at getting aging veterans to Washington D.C. to give them an opportunity to see the memorials that were built in their honor. We ended up surpassing that goal and raised $35,000 for this effort. It was a touching contribution and I very much respect and appreciate Representative Dee's heartfelt leadership on this effort. 

I was also able to spend some time with my family this week. They had the opportunity to sit with me on the floor. Additionally, I had several great visits with constituents that were on the hill for various reasons. It is great to be able to share the experience with people from the district. 

It has been an honor to represent you this session and I look forward to keeping you posted throughout the interim period. 

Week Six Review

Capitol Pic of the Day

As we wind down, we wind up. With just one week left, there is much left to do. Here is a quick update on the big issues facing us this session, prefaced by the District 31 survey results.

1. Increase Income Tax and Education Funding:	152
Oppose	65	43%
Support	40	26%
Undecided	28	18%

Status Summary [Dead]: The bill that proposed to increase income tax for education funding died in committee early in the session. There are no more proposals being discussed to do this. 

2. State School Board Elections:	152
Governor Appoints	10	7%
Partisan	16	11%
Nonpartisan	110	72%
Undecided	9	6%
Other	7	5%

Status Summary [In Progress]: The three options that were debated in the House floor last week were 1) SB104 - partisan, 2) HJR16 - Governor appointment, and 3) HB186, non-partisan. Take a look at last week's blog update to get the overview of each bill. I voted for the non-partisan option and it was the only bill to pass out of the House. It will now move to the Senate Education Standing Committee on Tuesday morning. Here is the agenda.

3. Medicaid Expansion:	152
Adopt Healthy Utah	52	34%
Adopt Utah Cares	32	21%
Status Quo	29	19%
Undecided	38	25%

Status Summary [In Progress]: The House Rules Committee voted unanimously (Republicans and Democrats) to refer Healthy Utah (SB164) and the Utah Cares (HB446) alternative to the House Business and Labor Standing Committee, where Healthy Utah died and Utah Cares was advanced to the House floor. On March 5th, there was a motion made to lift SB164 out of Rules and place it into the House floor for debate. I was one of the four Republicans to vote yes.  The attempt to have it heard on the floor ultimately failed 16-56.

House Business and Labor Standing Committee

Motion to Lift Healthy Utah to be Heard on House Floor

Healthy Utah Rally

On Friday, Utah Cares (HB446) was presented and there was a motion to substitute it to insert Healthy Utah into the bill. This attempt also failed by 22-52-1. In the end, the House passed Utah Cares (HB446) by 26-18-1. Click here for the debate.

Motion to Substitute to Incorporate Healthy Utah 

I voted to support Healthy Utah on both motions because it is the option my constituents wanted. It is by far the biggest issue we are dealing with this session. I believe this is the biggest issue the Legislature has dealt with over the past decade. When it failed, I voted for the alternative plan because it was the most viable option to make it out of the House and it was better than doing nothing. 

Final Passage for Utah Cares

Utah Cares will now go to the Senate and there will need to be a compromises made if something is to be done this session. The parties involved will continue to talk about compromise (Channel 4 story). Here is a comparison of the two plans:

4. Daylight Savings	152
Do away with	60	39%
Status Quo	58	38%
Keep Daylight All Year	26	17%
Undecided	8	5%

Status Summary [Dead]: The bill proposing to make changes to Daylight Savings is not moving forward and will not be heard this session. It doesn't look like the issue will be going away, however. It may end up on a voter ballot in the future (Fox13 Story). 

5. Candidate Nomination Process:	152
Amend to fix	38	25%
Honor agreement and leave alone	53	35%
Repeal and revert	34	22%
Undecided	27	18%

Status Summary [Dead]: Click here for a refresher/overview of last year's SB54, the County My Vote/Current Caucus compromise.The bill that would provide an extension to last year's SB54 provisions died in the Senate. Take a look at last week's blog update for details.  

6. Transfer of Public Lands:	152
Oppose	49	32%
Support	77	51%
Undecided	26	17%

Status Summary [In Progress]: There are several bills related to the transfer of public lands that are in progress - HB303, SB48, HB132, and SB105. Based on feedback from my constituents, I will be supporting these bills if I haven't already. 

7. Transportation Funding:	152
Do nothing; status quo	53	35%
Raise gas tax	47	31%
Reform formula	36	24%
User tax	5	3%
Undecided	6	4%
Other	5	3%

Status Summary [In Progress]: The two bills (SB160 and HB362) are in motion and changes are forthcoming to incorporate improvements that have been agreed upon by the stakeholders involved. See last week's blog update for details on these proposals. 

8. Non-discrimination:	152
Oppose	29	19%
Support	99	65%
Undecided/Neutral	23	15%

Status Summary [In Progress]: SB296, Anti-discrimination and Religious Amendments was introduced last week in a press conference. This bill is a consensus bill that has the support of all parties involved. It merges both religious protections as well as non-discrimination provisions into one bill. Click here for a quick overview of what the bill does. HB322, Religious Liberty and Nondiscrimination Protection is another bill that is on the House 3rd reading calendar and will likely be debated early this upcoming week. HB322 does not have the consensus support that SB296 has as this point.

9. Religious Liberty	150
Oppose	27	18%
Support	110	73%
Undecided	12	8%

Status Summary [In Progress]: See #8 as the two issues have been merged into a couple of proposals. 

10. Your Budget Priorities Ranked:
Decrease class sizes	1
Teacher compensation	2
Increase technology in schools	3
Increase WPU	4
Teacher training and professional development	5
Increase concurrent enrollment for college credit	6

Status Summary [In Progress]: See updates in the appropriations section of this blog post. 

Here is a copy of the results: 

Rep. Sophia DiCaro's 2015 Legislative Survey

__________________________________________
SOPHIA'S BILLS (Summary)

HB218, Nurse Practice Act Amendments - This bill is now completed and in the process of being enrolled. 

HB312, Reporting and Expenditure of Public Funds Amendments - This bill passed out of the House floor unanimously and is on it's way to the Senate Government Operations Standing Committee on Monday, March 9th. Click here for the agenda. 

HB324, Search and Rescue Financial Assistance Amendments - This bill also passed out of the House floor unanimously and is on it's way to the Senate Business and Labor Standing Committee the  on Tuesday, March 10th. Click here for the agenda. I also incorporated an amendment to provide a discount to the anglers and boaters who have been contributing to the existing fund. 
_________________________________________________________

STANDING COMMITTEES 

We held some bills, and passed some out and I've been appreciative of the public input and vetting on a lot of these bills. The committees do listen and take into account the input that is voiced and it often results in better legislation in the end. 

To see a list of bills reviewed by my assigned standing committees, click on the links below. 

House Transportation Standing Committee
House Retirement and Independent Entities Standing Committee
House Economic Development and Workforce Services Standing Committee

_________________________________________________________

APPROPRIATIONS 

Of the many legislative gyrations that Utah lawmakers will go through this session, none is more critical than producing a balanced budget. The Executive Appropriations Committee met on Friday and announced the master funding list. Many hours have been spent hearing, debating and refining hundreds of funding requests. 

Here are some general highlights with some caveats: 1) Final, final numbers will be approved some time next week; 2) Utah is constitutionally required to balance it's budget; and 3) the Executive Appropriations Committee puts together the final budget, but the Legislature still must approve it.  

Highlights:

• $50 million to fully fund enrollment growth
• $104 million added to the Weighted Pupil Unit (WPU), a 4% increase. This represents the largest increase to public education since 2008.
• Higher education will receive $170 million in appropriations to fund new buildings, which represents a big investment in higher education infrastructure. 
• State employees will receive a 3% salary increase and higher education employees will receive a 2% salary increase. The Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, and the Auditor will also see an increase beginning in 2016, as recommended by an independent evaluation commission. 
• $15.3 million will carry out a major Justice Reinvestment Initiative. About two-thirds of those monies ($10.2 million) will go for a re-visioning of Adult Probation and Parole and for improving the transition and supervision of inmates leaving the incarceration path. The remaining one-third ($5.1 million) will support community-based treatment using best practices for those leaving incarceration and reentering the community. 

_________________________________________________________

CAUCUS UPDATES 

The House Republican Caucus heard an update on the federal lands exchange initiative as well as updates on the transportation funding proposals. With respect to the federal lands proposals, there are a number of bills coming forward to continue down the path of transferring federal lands to the State of Utah (see #7 in the survey results section of this update for a list of bills). 

As it relates to transportation funding,support is building behind the HB362 as it is a more comprehensive approach to addressing the challenges that exists at both the state and local levels regarding the current formula and limitations tied to certain buckets of revenue sources. There are some changes being proposed to HB362 that will be incorporated next week that address the applied rate and volatility inherent in adopting a rate structure. 

_________________________________________________________

OTHER RELATED CAP HAPS 

Neon Trees visited the House the other day. It was great to recognize and celebrate a local Utah band.  

It was great to greet the Boy Scouts from West Valley City as well. They had the chance to listen to the debate on the state school board elections. Their visit was perfect timing. 

On Friday, I had the pleasure of being the keynote speaker for the Utah Women in Global Business and Trade Conference. It was an honor to recognize Natalie Kaddas of Kaddas Enterprises for the 2015 Utah International Business Woman of the Year award. She is a great example of how a small business owner can grow their bottom line through international trade. We have some wonderful women in Utah who are making a name for the State and we should do more to recognize them for the great contributions they make. 

I've had the opportunity to host some special guests on the floor with me this session. My son, Anton joined me on the House floor on Friday. It's always fun to see young minds learn about the process and see their reactions to what we do. My nephew was shocked that I spend all day listening to people talk, talk, talk. I suppose it makes me a better listener. One thing I am certain of is that early involvement is an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to voter participation. Bring your family to the Capitol for a tour, help your kids learn more about the process, and stay involved!

Week Five Review

Capitol Pic of the Day

What a week! It was an action packed week and there is a lot more action forthcoming. We've debated a lot of bills this week and it would take a much longer blog post to highlight them all, so here are a few snapshots. Just keep in mind that what comes out of the House must also come out of the Senate before becoming law (and visa versa). In other words, these bills are not final until they are final and this is a snapshot of House floor activity.

Distracted Driving:

HB63, Distracted Driver Amendments was uncircled and amended before ultimately being passed out of the House floor. This bill in its original form, loosened the current distracted driver laws as it relates to the usage of cell phones while operating a motor vehicle. SB162, Distracted Driver Revisions was going in a different direction. The representative and senator merged their bills together to come up with a consensus bill. This is a fine example of how the proverbial sausage is made. The final bill ultimately clarifies the law, allowing for hands-free talking and listening while operating a moving motor vehicle, or to activate, deactivate, or initiate a voice controlled function on your phone. Visit the link to HB63 to view the details and to listen to the debate.

Joint Resolutions for Constitutional Amendments: 

HJR14, Joint Resolution Calling for a Convention to Amend the Constitution of the United States and HJR7 Joint Resolution Calling for a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution are joint resolutions that would allow Utah to join other states in the effort to amend the United States Constitution to incorporate some narrowly defined topics. HJR14 limited the topics to fiscal restraints and limiting the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, as well as addressing term limits. HJR7 limited the topics to only a balanced budget amendment. At the last minute, an amendment was added to allow Utah to withdraw if scope creep became an issue. I ultimately voted yes for these bills because I felt comfortable with the layers, steps, and protections that would prevent things from going rogue. I also felt that it would be more responsible for me to do something than it would for me to do nothing. In the end, HJR14 failed while HJR7 passed.

Breastfeeding Bills: 

A few breast feeding-friendly bills were introduced this session (HB105, HB242, HB154), making it easier for nursing mothers who need to breastfeed or express milk (pump), a bodily function that comes with giving birth to a child. I supported all of those bills and here's why.

HB105 added breastfeeding as a pregnancy-related condition. When a women chooses to breastfeed upon returning to work, it is not an easy commitment. You have to pump regularly at work in order to keep production sufficient for your baby. In the beginning stages of motherhood, there are physical reactions that your body has and if you ignore them, your production diminishes. It takes tremendous dedication and commitment to do this and not all women have the choice of whether or not, or when to return to work. In fact, a lot of women return to work after two to three months (see page 21) after giving birth. The need to express milk (pump) is in fact a pregnancy-related condition and it makes sense to call it what it is.

HB242 requires an public employer to provide reasonable breaks and a sanitary space for nursing mothers, where possible. Nursing mothers are pumping in unsanitary restrooms because there is no where else to go. Many women do not have an alternative option and do not bother to raise it as an issue. The Health Department would never approve of food handling or food preparation in restrooms for a reason. A sanitary space for women who need to pump should be made available if possible. With just under half of our workforce made up of women, it makes sense to incorporate these changes. It will not only make these employers more attractive as a family-friendly employer, but it's the right thing to do.

HB154 allows a court to excuse someone from jury duty if they are breastfeeding a child. There are a lot of variables involved for a women in bringing a baby into the world, as well as a for a baby who is developing into the next stage in life. Balancing these variables with today's societal demands is not always cut and dry or black and white. The decision to breastfeed, formula feed, or bottle feed (formula/breast milk) are driven by many factors like ability, health of mother/baby, nature of employment of either the mother or the father, child care, etc (click examples 1 , 2 and 3). The developmental stage of your child makes a difference as well. It makes sense to allow courts to take this into consideration so that we don't unintentionally make criminals out of nursing mothers.

As for the Senate side...

The bill that provides an extension for the implementation of last year's SB54, the agreement reached between the County My Vote group and current caucus supporters, is SB43, Changes to Election Law. This bill was killed in the Senate 9:19:1, thereby honoring the agreement made last year (listen to the debate here). 

________________________________________________________
SOPHIA'S BILLS (Summary)

Two weeks left and it's one down, two to go. I've learned that each bill has it's own unique experience through its journey to enactment or death. I knew this before, but it's different when you're the one tending it through the process. We hit a bump in the road with two of my bills, but we are now back on track. I'm hoping we don't run out of time before the last two run through.

HB218, Nurse Practice Act Amendments - This bill crossed the finish line and passed unanimously out of the House as well as in the Senate. The other two have had some random delays and are trying to catch up.   

HB312, Reporting and Expenditure of Public Funds Amendments - This bill was on the agenda to be heard on Wednesday but it didn't get heard because I was presenting my other bill which took longer than anticipated. It was rescheduled for Monday, March 2nd. I face the same dilemma on Monday and hope to get one finished in time to present the other. 

HB324, Search and Rescue Financial Assistance Amendments - This bill was heard on Wednesday and the committee had some fundamental questions about whether or not the program would need to be treated as insurance. The bill was subsequently held in committee and moved to the following agenda. We were able to obtain clarity from the Attorney General's Office and the Insurance Department and are ready for round two on Monday, March 2nd. 

_________________________________________________________

STANDING COMMITTEES 

We are starting to see more bills come through my assigned committees. For the most part, they have been non controversial bills. The committees have been good about holding bills with issues until they can be improved. Most issues get resolved collaboratively by the time they ultimately get passed out of our committees. Examples of this are the HB296, Government Use of Unmanned Arial Vehicles and HB216, Workplace Abusive Conduct to Promote a Healthy Workplace. Both bills were held for further improvement and both were collaboratively enhanced by concerned stakeholders before being passed out of committee. 

Capitol Pic of the Day

To see a list of bills reviewed by my assigned standing committees, click on the links below. 

House Transportation Standing Committee
House Retirement and Independent Entities Standing Committee
House Economic Development and Workforce Services Standing Committee

Other Standing Committees: State School Board Elections

Another big issue surfaced out of the House Education Standing Committee this week -- school board elections. Last September U.S. District Court Judge Waddoups struck down Utah's state school board elections process and the State found itself needing to come up with viable alternatives. This week the House Education Committee heard several bills that attempt to solve this problem and ensure a fair and constitutional path to the state school board. Three bills were advanced for consideration: 

SB104, Education Elections and Reporting Amendments: This bill eliminates the nominating committee and requires candidates for state and local school boards to participate in a partisan school board election. 

HJR16, Proposal to Amend Utah Constitution - Governance of Public Education: This resolution would amend the constitution to require that all state school board seats be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. 

HB186, State School Board Membership and Election Amendments: This bill creates a direct nonpartisan election for the state school board, requiring candidates to gather signatures from residents in their area in order to appear on the ballot.

These three bills will be debated on the House floor this session. Constituents of District 31 have spoken loud and clear that they want non partisan elections. Now that we have three proposals headed to the floor from which to choose, that is the position I will be taking. 

_________________________________________________________

APPROPRIATIONS 

The next Executive Appropriations Committee has not yet been scheduled. In the meantime, you can check out these videos [1, 2 and 3]to get a review of the budgeting process. You can also catch a glimpse of our State's fiscal health by monitoring the Fiscal Health Dashboard.

_________________________________________________________

CAUCUS UPDATES 

This week, I had the opportunity to attend the Labor caucus. It was good to get an update from this group on the issues they are following. Here are some highlights of the big topics covered in some of the other caucuses. 

Criminal Justice Reinvestment and the Prison Move: 

Earlier this week in the Republican House Caucus, we heard an overview of the Criminal Justice Reinvestment activities and how the prison move ties into the reform efforts. There are a lot of prisoners returning to prison and the current structure itself presents some serious challenges with addressing recidivism. A new design would would help facilitate some of the goals outlined in the Justice Reinvestment Report. HB348, Criminal Justice Programs and Amendments, incorporates the recommendations made by the Utah Commission for Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ). You will continue to hear about this initiative going forward. 

Click here to view all of the reports, studies, and other materials related to the Prison Relocation Commission. Click here for the most recent presentation from the last meeting. 

Transportation Funding: (101 video tutorial and Presentation)

The Rural caucus heard an update on the transportation options being discussed. So far, the two that continue to be on the table are SB160, Transportation Funding Amendments that adds 10 cents to the existing motor fuel tax, and HB362, Transportation Infrastructure Funding, that provides a more comprehensive approach to the issue. 

The update from last week? SB160 seems to be staying steady with what was proposed last week, while HB362 has potential to incorporate some modifications to strengthen the proposed formula change. The Republican Caucus will hear a full update and review of these Transportation funding options early next week. 

Medicaid Expansion: 

In the House Republican Caucus, we talked more about Medicaid expansion options. Some of it played out in the press and this topic will certainly take up a lot more energy next week. Healthy Utah (Listen to the Senate debate on SB164) does not have the support it would need in the House to pass. The alternative option, Utah Cares, was killed in the Senate (Listen to the Senate debate on SB153). What does this mean? It means we are left with nothing if there isn't a compromise. From dissonance comes harmony and I am hopeful that together, all parties will come up with a tune that will work for Utah. 

_________________________________________________________

OTHER RELATED CAP HAPS 

This week we welcomed the Utah Girl Scouts to the Capitol for the Girls Scouts Cookie Delivery Day on the Hill. I was thrilled to be inducted into the Honorary Troop 1920, an honorary Girl Scout troop of women legislators. 

We're working hard to finally give recognition to the girl scouts who earn their Bronze, Silver, and Gold awards. The hard work and dedication to improving their communities that those talented girls show deserves proper recognition. 


We also enjoyed a visit from Cat in the Hat who was there to promote reading in our K-12 schools.  

On a more serious note, we were honored to recognize on the House Floor the families of our fallen service members. There were many tears amid a silent House floor and I felt honored to be part of that reverent moment. We were humbled by the opportunity to thank them for their sacrifices. These are the kinds of moments that keep you grounded. 


As we approach the final two weeks, we will continue to see more activity rise before us at an even quicker pace. We've had four town hall meetings and have had some great discussions on the issues we are faced with this session. I am continuing to collect responses from my 2015 Legislative Survey and intend to post results either next week or early in the last week. I have been leaning heavily on the feedback I've received from my constituents and I genuinely appreciate the feedback and input. Thank you for the opportunity to represent you.