WASHINGTON — Four top Utah Republican legislators lobbied hard Wednesday for President Bush's tax-cut plans — and the president invited them to the White House to personally thank them.
As a bonus, Bush mentioned that he's looking into ways to make rules governing new national monuments — such as Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante — more palatable for local residents.
Utah Senate President Al Mansell, Utah House Speaker Marty Stephens, House Majority Leader Kevin Garn and House Assistant Whip Greg Curtis joined a Capitol Hill blitz by legislators from across the country to push Bush's proposed tax cuts.
Mansell said they had planned to visit Washington this week anyway for meetings of the National Council of State Legislatures, but came a day early — with expenses paid by Americans for Tax Reform — to join in the lobbying.
That included meeting with Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and House Speaker Dennis Hastert, as well as other rank and file members. The legislators and Americans for Tax Reform also held a press conference, and Bush invited them to the White House.
Mansell told the press conference the Utah legislators were spreading word that the Legislature passed a resolution supporting the tax cuts and that Utah families need them. Fourteen state legislatures have passed similar resolutions.
Mansell noted that Utah's average family size is the largest in the nation, and "with that, this tax cut will be a great benefit and will put the money back where people can use it."
He said it would also make more money available for start-up businesses to spur the economy. "We're thoroughly behind the president's tax cut. It's due and overdue," he said.
When Bush met with legislators to thank them for their support, Mansell said Bush mentioned his administration is looking to revamp regulation of new national monuments and other public lands "to make them more favorable and workable for the state and people within those boundaries."
Mansell said he does not expect Bush to try to shrink or erase Grand Staircase-Escalante's boundaries. "He realizes — and I think we realize too — that if he were to do that, he'd get murdered in the press."
Mansell said, "There's nice ways to regulate it to accomplish some of the same things, and you get into a much more reasonable position."
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