The Legislature is back in session, and the first week is now in the books. Here are a few highlights.
Constituent News
Visitors to the Capitol
I always love hosting neighbors and friends at the Utah State Capitol. This week’s guests included the Provo City Youth Council on Wednesday, January 29th. This was the second year that Provo’s youth council has come to participate in local officials’ day at the capitol. I was able to talk to them about the political process in Utah. These impressive young people are doing wonderful things in their community, and I am happy to support them.
On Thursday, January 30th, I met with the students and faculty of the BYU PAS Speed Mentoring event. I have participated in the Speed Mentoring event for several years, and it is always a fun experience. These are great students, and I am happy to hear from them and be part of a mentoring opportunity for them.
If you would like to visit the capitol, please let me or my intern know a day or two in advance so we can make arrangements to meet and give you a chance to visit the House Floor.
 Provo Youth Council – Floor Visit |  BYU Students – Speed Mentoring |
Norm in the News
- FOX 13: Bill in Utah legislative session could put a price cap on insulin
- KSL-TV: Proposed Bill Looks To Cap Insulin Copays For Utahns
- SL Tribune: Insulin copays could be capped at $30 under proposed Utah law
- Action Utah: Action Utah Bill Talk: Rep. Norm Thurston talks about insulin pricing (HB207)
- ABC 4: If this bill is passed, insulin copays would be capped at $30 for Utahns
- SL Tribune Commentary: Chris Harelson and James Broughel: How Utah can be the best state for regulations
- Utah Policy: Analysis: A handful of Republican ‘no’ votes on tax reform paved the way for the referendum effort
- KSL: KSL Investigates: Utah couple gets $51K bill for family’s rabies shots
Big Issues
Similar to last year, several big issues are already popping up. Here are my early picks for things to watch:
Tax Reform
Yes, the “tax reform package” pushed by legislative leaders and the governor was successfully halted by the citizen referendum and repealed. However, don’t expect the legislature to take a year off from tax reform. Watch for two possible efforts to continue:
- Income Tax – Restoring the Dependent Tax Credit is overdue. When the federal government enacted tax reform, they eliminated the federal dependent credit. Since the state tax code referenced the federal code, that effectively eliminated our credit too, raising taxes on families across the state. I made the case that we should have immediately reinstated that credit, but some of my colleagues preferred to keep that money and spend it. Look for one or more legislators to propose restoring the credit.
- Addressing the Shifting Economy – Year after year, consumption patterns continue to shift away from the purchase of taxable goods in favor of the purchase of non-taxed services. That has resulted in pressure to continually raise sales tax rates. While the reform package is dead, we need to have serious conversations about how to deal with that trend.
Access to Affordable Insulin
A lot of people are concerned with the outrageous price of insulin. I expect several legislators to file bills on this topic. My bill (HB207 “Insulin Access Amendments”) will be one of those. My goal is to ensure that no patient with diabetes ever leaves the pharmacy without their insulin because it costs an amount or there is a problem with their prescription. It will be up to the pharmaceutical companies and insurance providers to come up with solutions that ensure that people are charged affordable rates for insulin. HB 207 also provides pharmacists with the extra flexibility to extend patients’ prescriptions for insulin.
Inter-generational Poverty
Poverty is tough enough when a single family experiences it, but lawmakers also have to consider the effects of what happens when families in poverty stay in poverty through the next generation. I am sponsoring legislation again this year to provide incentives and assistance so that children raised in poverty do not become parents raising another generation of children in poverty. Research shows that the key is education and vocational training. Children that graduate from high school and go to college or engage in some form of post-secondary program are much less likely to stay in poverty. My bill (HB52 Intergenerational Poverty Solution) would provide incentives for families to save up for their children’s future.
My Bills
Numbered Bills
HB0049 Sales Tax on Motor Vehicles clarifies how sales taxes are allocated when vehicles are purchased from out of state. The bill clarifies that the sales taxes are calculated and allocated based on the point of delivery. The bill is a consensus interim study bill and will probably have final passage by the end of Week 2.
HB0052 Intergenerational Poverty Solution creates an incentive for families that are stuck in the poverty cycle to set aside money for their children’s education and career training (see above).
HB0077 Education Funding Amendments sets a 4% cap on the automatic increase in local property taxes required to match allocation of new income taxes.
HB0121 Income Tax Revenue Amendments requires the legislature to return increased tax revenues to Utah’s citizens whenever federal changes provide a state windfall (see discussion above).
HB0123 Vehicle Property Tax Amendments prevents automobiles from being double-taxed. Right now, if a car owner pays the property tax as part of registration then sells the car mid-year, the new owner ends up paying those property taxes again.
HB0207 Insulin Access Amendments will help make sure that anyone that needs insulin will not leave their pharmacy empty-handed. I have worked with stakeholders to find an effective solution that puts an end to the charging of artificially high cash prices for insulin.
