Frustration. Anger. Desperation. There's plenty of each to go around on Utah's Capitol Hill.
Senators are perturbed at the House of Representatives. House Democrats are furious with their Republican colleagues. And even various factions within the Republican majority are fighting among themselves."Typical end of the session," quips Speaker of the House Rob Bishop, R-Brigham City. "I hear the same comments every year."
With but three working days left to wrap up their business, emotions are running high and nerves are frayed as lawmakers scramble to get their pet projects passed into law. But given the molasses-like pace of the first 42 days of the 1993 Legislature, most of the 849 bills and resolutions introduced will never be formally debated.
That suits many just fine. "We don't need 700 new laws in this state," said Senate Minority Leader Scott Howell, D-Salt Lake, who has filed more bills than almost any other lawmaker.
But House Democrats are stewing for a fight. They complain the Republican majority has bottled up Democratic bills in the Rules Committee, denying even a cursory debate on bills near and dear to the philosophical hearts of Democrats.
Rep. Kurt Oscarson, D-Sandy, notes that House Rules has released 350 bills for debate, 264 of which are Republican bills. The bills are mostly non-controversial legislation requested by state agencies.
"The Rules Committee is a rat hole for Democrat bills," Oscarson, a member of the committee, said. "They have their own priorities, and fairness isn't high on their list."
Senators are equally upset at the House. There is a prevailing feeling among senators that the House has ignored Senate bills throughout the session, creating a huge backlog of legislation that cannot possibly be considered in the little time remaining.
That anger spilled over Thursday when the Senate voted to remove all House bills from the Senate calendar. "We put them on notice there are two houses in this state and to stop their lolligagging around," said Senate President Arnold Christensen, R-Sandy.
Much of the frustration stems from the fact that lawmakers spent most of the first 40 days of the session dawdling along - only 87 of the 849 bills introduced passed both the House and Senate.
Richard Strong, head of the Legislature's general counsel and research department, says that as of Thursday night, lawmakers had passed fewer bills than any other session going back to at least 1986 - the year Strong began the comparisons. That's just a 10 percent success ratio so far this session.
With but three working days left, a renewed sense of urgency has gripped both the House and Senate, where most bills are now passing without debate. Friday night, House members decided to go to work at 7 a.m. Monday, just to pass a few more House bills to the Senate.
Yet there remains much to be done. Paying for new programs, started by bills that have already passed the House or Senate, is paramount. "We have $368,000 in unallocated revenues," said House budget chairman John Valentine, "but we also have $25 million in new or enhanced programs in bills that have passed one or the other house.
"We're going to have to weed some of those bills out," Valentine said, and of course their sponsors and supporters won't be happy.
"We really don't have any new taxes and few fees that affect the general public coming this year. It really has been a session of "no new taxes,' " said Valentine, R-Orem.
The Legislature has already adopted a new 1993 abortion law. It has passed both houses, and Gov. Mike Leavitt will sign it.
But a number of major issues still remain. To avoid further litigation costs, some action may still be taken on the 1991 abortion law, much of which was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge last year.
A new hazardous waste fee schedule must be adopted. It is likely Sen. Stephen Rees' bill will pass, but Rep. Afton Bradshaw may try to amend that bill, specifically to make waste coming from out-of-state be treated and assessed as hazardous waste in the home state.
And House members will likely debate the emotional issue of religious liberties - specifically a constitutional amendment that would guarantee that prayers can be said at public government meetings.
Among Leavitt's "must pass" bills, his so-called "A" list, that have yet to be passed:
- HB48, which allocates $12 million for class-size reduction.
- HB67, which creates a task force to study health-care reform.
- HB100, which creates a "Centennial Schools" program, a first step in education reform.
- HB120, which expands enterprise zones for rural economic development.
- HB184, which changes the qualification requirements for the director of the Department of Health.
- HB435, which modifies the Task Force on Strategic Planning for Public and Higher Education.
- HB462, which eliminates the Office of Social Services within the Department of Human Services.
- HB464, which eliminates the state Division of Energy within the Department of Natural Resources.
- HB465, which eliminates the Division of Surplus Property and the Division of Fuel Dispensing Services within the Department of Administrative Services.
- SB23, which reauthorizes the Technology Initiative Project designed to improve technology in public schools.
- SB127, which creates a commission to establish uniform sentencing guidelines for criminals.
Another half dozen bills on Leavitt's "B" list have yet to pass. "A lot left to be done," Christensen said. "Not to mention the budget."
"We may not do a lot the last three days," Bishop added, "but that won't hurt my feelings."