Keeping House

by Representative Kraig Powell

March 17, 2009

Most Utahns by now have heard news of the major pieces of legislation passed during the 2009 General Session of the Utah Legislature, from the prohibition on sending text messages while driving to the overhaul of Utah’s liquor laws and the ethics reforms imposed on lawmakers. You can find a summary of the measures enacted at www.le.utah.gov.

You have probably also heard that budget issues dominated the legislative session. Although significant spending cuts were made, drastic reductions to programs like education and human services were avoided for this year, largely due to half a billion dollars that Utah received in one-time-only federal stimulus funds.

Next year, state revenues could be even lower, and because no one is expecting federal stimulus money again, we could face even tougher choices in the form of more spending cuts and/or tax increases.

For this final column of the 2009 General Session, I thought I would share with you some of my impressions of the Utah Legislature as a newly-elected representative.

• Schedule: Because almost all of our work for the year is packed into six-and-a-half weeks, the time commitments during the legislative session are intense. There is usually some sort of briefing or caucus meeting beginning at 7 a.m. each day, and then committee meetings and floor time all day, plus a lunch meeting with citizen groups and often dinner meetings in the evenings. Legislators learn to squeeze in appointments with constituents during five-minute or ten-minute spaces and study bills late at night.
• Dual Role: Besides our constant duties in committees and debates on the floor during the legislative session, this is also the time of year when constituents are most interested in contacting and meeting us as lawmakers. This means that nights and weekends are spent trying to return phone calls and emails and holding town meetings and individual appointments. These dual aspects of Capitol duties and constituent duties effectively cause us to have two full-time jobs (three if you count our careers) during each legislative session.
• Lobbyists: Representatives of interest groups are typically maligned by the media and popular opinion. I agree that lobbyists are primarily seeking to advance the interests of their clients and often can only see one side of an issue. But I also recognize that the knowledge and expertise of these interest groups is indispensable in lawmaking. Legislators cannot be experts in every field, and it is essential for us to have someone familiar with an industry to whom we can address our questions. In fact, I don’t have any problem meeting with lobbyists to become more informed on issues as long as they do not give me campaign contributions or gifts.
• Security: The recent Capitol remodel has resulted in quite a high-tech security system. The committee rooms, offices and back doors to the House Chamber are all operated by magnetic ID cards. A series of tunnels, gated by similar magnetic doors, leads from the Capitol to the House and Senate office buildings. With all the doors that lock in front of you and behind you in the secure areas, I sometimes feel like we are in a prison! But I am very glad that the Capitol has not seen the need to install metal detectors or restrict public access through the main public entrances. All of our meetings are open to anyone who wants to attend.
• End of Session: I had been warned by people familiar with the process that the last week of the session is dangerous because much legislation is passed in a hurried fashion without much scrutiny.

While I admit that the pace of the last few days was dizzying, I was encouraged to observe that all of the legislation still went through the open and public process, and we as legislators were free to study and debate and raise concerns about any of it. What it meant was that you have to be on your toes and reading every word very quickly if you don’t want to miss something important.

Collegiality: More than anything, I want my constituents to know that my faith in the democratic process has been strengthened. Despite the criticisms often leveled by the capital city media, the vast majority of legislators are very good, wise people who thoughtfully consider each issue and vote in accordance with their conscience and the wishes of their constituents.

It is truly a sacrifice for these people to serve, and they are for the most part simply trying to promote the public interest. I was treated with great warmth and respect by all my colleagues and I have come to admire their dedication and intelligence.

In closing, I want to thank the hundreds of you who have taken time to call and write with your opinions on legislative matters. These contacts are the only way I can know how to respond to your desires when I am voting on legislation.

In the coming year, the Legislature will meet one day each month beginning in May for interim committee meetings. I will try to write this column once each month that we meet to keep you updated on developing issues.

I thank the Uintah Basin Standard and the Wasatch Wave for making this column possible. As always, you may contact me by e-mail at kraigpowell [at] utah.gov or by phone at 435-657-0185.