The Utah State Legislature convenes next Monday. Will the legislators sworn in that day be as responsive to the voters’ wishes as their predecessors were? If they are, this is what they will do:
• Ignore the public’s wishes on public education funding. Repeatedly, voters have told legislators they are willing to support higher taxes to adequately fund education in Utah, if it specifically goes to the classroom. However, the new initiative by Rep. Jack Draxler to raise the income tax rate by 1 percent is not the way. The ambivalence of voters on this initiative is suggested by two recent polls that show opposite results on whether voters approve this change. One says 51 percent of voters favor it, while another says 54 percent disapprove.
The many years of polls showing general support for a tax increase is not negated by these recent polls. Instead, the message is this particular approach is not broadly popular. That is due to the continued economic pressure on many Utah working and middle-class families who are still recovering from the recent recession. Instead, the income tax increase should be specifically targeted at people in upper income levels who benefited the most from Gov. Jon Huntsman’s 2006 flatter tax reform.
• Repeal SB54 and reinstate the old party caucus/convention system. According to a recent Dan Jones and Associates poll, only 14 percent of Utahns support the caucus/convention system that SB54 replaced. SB54 did not go far enough in democratizing the party nomination processes, but it is a huge step in the right direction. But legislators will face enormous pressure from party activists, particularly those in the Republican Party, to give them back their power over the nomination process. If they treat SB54 like they did term limits, Republican Party leaders and delegates will have their way.
• Invite large donors to keep giving legislators checks for as much money as the donors want. That means ignoring the vast majority of Utahns who want limits on campaign finance donations. According to a recent Utah Policy poll, 68 percent of Utahns favor stricter campaign donation limits. House Minority Leader Brian King plans to introduce legislation to limit his fellow legislators to election contributions of no more than $5,000 per donor. (The governor and other statewide candidates would have limits of $10,000.) Will legislators actually place limitations on how much they can get for their campaigns? Not if they are like past legislators.
• Oppose a statewide nondiscrimination ordinance. According to a Utah Policy poll last October, 65 percent of Utahns support the passage of a state law that would outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Sen. Steve Urquhart promises to offer such legislation again. But if his colleagues act like they did in the past, he won’t get anywhere despite that broad public support.
Of course, Utah’s legislators don’t have to do what their predecessors have done. They can listen to the public for a change. Americans are natural optimists. We believe the future will be brighter than the past. Hope springs eternal, even with the Utah Legislature.
Becky Lockhart
A SIDE NOTE: I was sad to hear that Speaker Becky Lockhart passed away last week, particularly at such a young age. She and I did not see eye-to-eye on many things. I used this column to disagree with some of her ideas and initiatives. I also opposed her candidacy for the state school superintendent job and worked hard to support a candidate who opposed her for re-election in 2010. But I admired her commitment to public service and her willingness to have new ideas and put them out into the public sphere. She and I debated a few years ago in front of a Utah County women’s group. She was a formidable debater, although highly partisan. However, I began to hear rumblings from her fellow legislators that as a leader she was tough but fair. Even Democrats were admitting that she was even-handed towards them. That is a mark of statesmanship. I extend my deep condolences to her husband, Stan, and her family at this difficult time.
Richard Davis is a professor of political science at Brigham Young University. His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of BYU.