Ben McAdams
The Utah Democratic Lawyers Council cordially invites you to an evening with Ben McAdams, the Democratic Party’s candidate for Salt Lake County Mayor, on June 5th at the Downtown Market Street Oyster Bar from 5pm to 7pm.
Come meet Ben, learn about his ideas for Salt Lake County, and mingle with other lawyers who support bringing political balance back to Utah. The event is open to current and prospective UDLC members. (Become a Member of UDLC)
To RSVP, please contact Pam Halverson at phalverson@sentryfinancial.com or (801) 303-1110.
Other Upcoming UDLC Events:
June:
- Reception for Peter Cooke, the Democratic candidate for Governor
- Reception for Dee Smith, the Democratic candidate for Attorney General
July:
- US Supreme Court’s Healthcare Law Ruling Roundtable (CLE credit expected)
When the 2012 Legislative Session started, House Democrats pledged to hold fast and true to an idea and theme which is sorely lacking on Capitol Hill these days: common-sense solutions.
The 2012 Session may have been labeled as quiet and boring, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t ideas and bills which we felt were detrimental to the citizens and future of Utah. Here are a few examples of bad ideas coming from our Republican colleagues which House Democrats pushed back against:
Anti-Sex Ed. The now infamous HB 363 from Republican Rep Bill Wright strips away the rights of parents to choose how and what their children are taught about Sex Education in schools. Utah already has an “opt-in” system, meaning that no student in Utah attends a sex ed class without their parents expressly saying that they want them to attend. Yet both House and Senate Republicans decided that parents are not the best judge for their children, and passed the bill to let school districts stop teaching the courses altogether, and those that continue to teach them are forbidden from ever discussing premarital sex, contraception or homosexuality. As a wise BYU professor testified (to no avail), “You can’t just tell a child what to do and expect them to listen, you have to give them all the information so they understand why they should choose [to be abstinent].” Read more
From the Utah Democratic Party website:
Utah’s greatest Democrat passed away comfortably in his sleep Sunday night. Todd Taylor, 46, an icon of Utah and national politics, served as the Executive Director for the Utah State Democratic Party for over 20 years. His tenure made him the longest serving Party Executive Director in the country. He was our compass, advisor, mentor, and wiseman, and he will be greatly missed. Read more
House Bill 187: Utah HB 187 is a bill that recently passed the Utah House of Representatives that makes it a criminal offense to videotape, take a still picture of, or record sound from, any agricultural operation in Utah without the consent of the owner – which can subject the criminal videographer, photographer, or sound recorder to up to one year in jail. The stated purpose is to protect the agricultural industry from interference caused by the unconsented videos, pictures, or recordings. The real purpose, however, is to prevent animal rights activists and others from disclosing the animal and other abuses perpetrated by factory farms and conditions on factory farms that make food unsafe for human consumption. Similar bills have recently been promoted by the agricultural industry in various states. The sponsor of the Utah bill, Rep. John Mathis (R), has close connections with the agricultural industry, as evidenced by his list of campaign contributors. Read more
House Bill 104: Among other Traffic Code modifications, this bill would prohibit a local highway authority (e.g., a city) from enacting an ordinance that prohibits or restricts an owner or operator of a vehicle from causing or permitting the vehicle’s engine to idle. HB 104 is sponsored by Rep. Wayne A. Harper (R)-West Jordan (District 43) and by Sen. Scott K. Jenkins (R)-Davis (District 20).
Why HB 104 Should Not Become Law: Essentially, the Utah State Legislature aims to take away Salt Lake City’s ability to enact and enforce its own important pollution-mitigation ordinance. In addition to unnecessarily meddling in Salt Lake City’s municipal affairs, the Legislature is handicapping the management of air pollution at a time when the population of the Wasatch Front is projected to double within the next decade, putting more cars on the road and worsening our already-poor air quality. This bill is incredibly hypocritical of our legislature. While, on the one hand, we consistently hear outrage from the legislature that the federal government has no right to interfere in Utah’s affairs, with HB 104 the legislature is doing to cities and counties exactly what it detests the federal government from doing to it! Clearly, this bill should be withdrawn or voted down immediately.
Senate Bill 136: This bill would prohibit a city or county from enacting or enforcing billboard ordinances that restrict the placement of billboards. It also forces a city or county to follow the requirements of the Eminent Domain statute when terminating a billboard owner’s billboard rights and gives them the right to arbitration. This bill is an unwarranted intrusion into local government, something that the legislature complains the federal government does to Utah. Read more
House Bill 461. Although current law already requires women seeking an abortion to wait 24 hours before receiving the procedure, the Utah Legislature is considering a bill that would extend this waiting period from 24 hours to 72 hours. The legislation is clearly designed to interfere with the constitutionally established reproductive rights of women in this state, and serves no purpose other than to unreasonably interfere with a woman’s right to choose. The sponsors of the bill have identified no concerns or problems that the legislation is designed to remedy or address—a clear sign that the objective is to interfere unnecessarily in the private choice of women. While the Republican-dominated Legislature decries federal interference in the state, it has no qualms about interfering in the reproductive choices of women.
House Bill 363: Even though current law already requires parents to “opt in” to sex education classes for their children and allows parents to review all curriculum materials, this bill would further eliminate the choices available to Utah parents. While current law allows school districts to at least discuss contraception with students on an age-appropriate basis, this bill would ban schools from adopting any curriculum that even mentions contraceptive methods. Schools are left with a terrible choice: teach no sex education at all or teach abstinence only. The bill amounts to mandated ignorance for Utah school children and virtually guarantees more unwanted pregnancies. Read more
House Bill 141: This bill reaffirms state sovereignty and reserves all rights and claims, including set-off, for any amount inequitably or unlawfully caused or claimed by the federal government. The original draft of this bill included language which suggested at least two of the reasons why this legislation was proposed. It originally stated that the state may apply as a credit, any amounts the state incurs due to the violation of the state’s sovereign powers or other acts and omissions of the federal government, including: all costs and damages sustained by the state due to the loss or wrongful withholding of its public lands and all costs of incarceration of illegal aliens for crimes committed in the state if those costs are not fully reimbursed by the federal government. The bill has subsequently been amended to delete those particular references and to insert in its stead an “affirmation, reservation, and assertion of rights and claims of set-off by the state for any amounts it claims to have been inequitably or unlawfully caused or imposed by the federal government.” HB 141 exemplifies the fact that the Republican controlled legislature spends a significant amount of time on ”feel good” legislation, which is both embarrassing and unnecessary. Is it really necessary to reaffirm the state’s sovereignty under the Ninth and Tenth Amendments to the United States Constitution? And is it really necessary to affirm the state’s right to claim a set-off for amounts it claims to have been inequitably or unlawfully caused or imposed by the federal government? Since any such claims would ultimately need to be resolved by the courts, what does this bill really accomplish? Just because the state asserts its right and claim of a set-off does not mean that the federal government will simply concede the claim. Read more
Senate Bill 116 sponsored by Senator Luz Robles grants a property tax exemption for active duty military personnel. To qualify for the exemption, soldiers have to actively serve in the U.S. Armed Services or Reserves for 200 days in a calendar year. Utah would then waive the soldier’s property tax the following year. Although the bill passed the Utah Senate by a two thirds majority, Senate Majority Leader Scott Jenkins attacked the bill and Senator Robles, calling her a “bleeding heart” in a manner that was uncivil and unnecessary. Retired Army General Peter Cooke, Democratic candidate for governor, called Jenkins’s statement “shocking” given that Hill Air Force Base is adjacent to Jenkins’ district and many service members are his constituents. Watch KSL’s coverage here: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=19247351
The UDLC is looking for and recruiting lawyers who are Democrats to run for state and local office. “Lawyers have valuable skills and perspective that are sorely needed at this critical time in state and local government. They can ably represent the true interests of our citizenry and can demand accountability from all elected officials,” said UDLC president, Blaine Carlton. Currently the Republican Party has a super majority in both houses of the state legislature. This super majority is not healthy and has led to allegations by a number of public interest groups and the state Democratic Party that state boards and agencies are abusing their powers. We must restore a strong, two-party system to eliminate abuse of power and to bring rationality to the legislative process. Balance is needed but that can only happen if you get involved. Please consider running for office or help us by finding qualified candidates and help them get elected. If you are interested or know someone who is, please call Blaine Carlton at (801) 523-6283.
The Utah Legislature will begin its 2012 session on January 23, 2012. In an effort to remind everyone why it is important to get involved in the political process, UDLC prepared the following list of some of the most egregious legislation passed by the Republican dominated Legislature in 2011. UDLC plans to provide periodic updates throughout the 2012 session of legislation you should be aware of. You can help UDLC provide assistance to our Democratic legislators in defeating the types of legislation described below by participating on UDLC’s Rapid Response Committee and Legislative Committee. Read more
