Since the session ended in March, there has been a lot going on. Most of you are probably familiar with the election-related activities, including the state and county conventions and the primary election. (Make sure to return your primary ballot by June 28.) In addition, the Legislature has been defining priorities and study items to review over the summer in preparation for next year’s session. In this post, I will cover some details about elections and my interim focus.
Elections and New House District Boundaries
There has been quite a bit of confusion about the new House District numbers. Since 2014, I have lived in and represented House District 64. With the recent changes in boundaries, the Legislature also updated the numbering scheme. Starting January 1, 2023, the district that I live in and am running to represent will be House District 62. Most people who lived in the current House District 64 will also be in that district as well as a few of you who live in the slightly expanded boundaries on the east side of Provo and the southwest side of Springville. For election purposes, the county parties are now referring to the new boundaries, so don’t be confused if you see me or others referring to House District 62.
Campaign News
Once the convention and primary elections wind down, I will be formally launching my general election campaign. Over the summer, we are planning several meet-the-candidate events and I will be working with the Utah County Republican Party to help with Get-Out-The-Vote and other activities to ensure that candidates that represent our values are elected.
Signs – A few people have asked about yard signs. Right now, you will see a LOT of signs out for candidates who are in primary elections. It is respectful of our communities and considerate of neighbors to only place signs near the election date and collect them right after that election. Since I am not in the primary and only in the general election, you should watch for my signs to start appearing at the end of the summer. If you are willing to place a sign in your yard at the end of the summer, please let me know.
Donations – Campaigns cost money and getting our message out is not cheap. While I am confident that we will be able to raise the funds needed, I always appreciate receiving even small donations from constituents that are interested in good government. If you wouldn’t mind, please send me a few dollars by Venmo and we will make sure it gets put to good use.
Interim Priorities – What Am I Working On?
During the interim, legislators identify priorities and prepare legislation for the upcoming session. Here are a few of the things I will be working on.
Environmental Issues – The House majority caucus has identified water as our top priority for the upcoming session. Some of the guiding principles to create a comprehensive water plan (instead of piecemeal legislation) that I support include:
- Creating incentives for conservation based on economic principles and data (instead of heavy-handed mandates)
- Understanding and developing reclaimed water as a key resource
- Focusing on the Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake as critically threatened resources
- Following the science when it comes to water storage (aquifers, reservoirs, and other possibilities)
Welfare Reform – When it comes to using public funds to help people get out of poverty, our current system doesn’t seem to be working very well. We have very little data on what works and why, yet we continue to spends tens of millions in an apparently losing battle. There has to be a way to provide truly compassionate opportunities for people who are willing to lift themselves out of poverty that focuses on private resources, personal responsibility, and science-based allocation of federal and state required spending.
Economic Freedom and Deregulation – As I have done in the past, look for several more bills that focus on reducing government interference with a person’s ability to do the work that they are trained and prepared to do. I will also have at least one bill repealing unnecessary and unenforceable government regulations.
Efficient Government and Elections – The Government Operation Interim Committee will be reviewing several topics this summer that relate to making government more efficient. Last session we passed several bills to improve the security and operations of our elections, and I expect there will be more work to do this summer.
What’s the Deal with License Plates?
As a member of the Transportation Interim Committee, I have been asked to study and propose changes to our license plate program. This is not a particularly glamorous or urgent issue, but I have had a few people ask why this is even a thing, so here are some answers. There are several aspects of our license plate program that are problematic and need to be updated. Some are simply administrative fixes, while others are more serious. Here’s a quick summary:
- Free Speech and Constitutional Issues – As many other states are finding out through expensive legal battles, the choice of what a person puts on their vanity license plate is constitutionally protected speech. Our current policy of denying certain words and phrases is almost certainly unconstitutional and needs to be addressed. We have three options: 1. We can relax our standards to allow almost all words or phrases, including offensive and hate speech, like IH8MEN (I hate men) or NO2LDS, 2. We can stick with our current standards and face a potentially expensive lawsuit, which we are very likely to lose, or 3. We can put the program on hold until there is more clarity from the courts where states can draw the line, then revise our program to balance constitutional rights with Utah values. I’m proposing option 3.
- Fairness and Access – Currently, we have a list of approved groups and causes that can use the license plate program to raise funds or awareness for their issue. The process is difficult and not open to everyone. The government is choosing winners and losers when it comes to accessing that program. We need a simpler approach that gives a more equal opportunity for access without creating confusion and other problems.
- Standard License Plates – Currently, there are three choices for a standard license plate design – Arches, Skier, and In God We Trust. There is no process specified for how or when those designs would be changed. We need to create a clear process for considering potential changes that minimizes cost.
