Summertime and the Living is Easy...(sorta)

​Hello All! Just a quick update on what’s been happening the last few weeks. In case you wondered, your representatives don’t just lounge around and play while the session is out. We have interim work days and committee assignments that we fulfill all year long.
I have been asked to serve on two committees this summer:

• UDOT’s Road Usage Charge Committee

This committee looks at the road usage charge.  As the buying power of gas is diminished by new technology, efficiency, and fuels that are not taxed in the same pattern as petroleum, we need to protect the road tax which ensures quality and sound roads for a strong economy.  We will be looking at trials of tolls structures, charges for vehicle miles driven, and security of information collected.

• Transportation and Tax Review Task Force

On this committee, we looking for the best and most economic way to shift the road tax to a user-based or vehicle-miles driven system. The goal is to achieve a zero-net/zero-increase from the tax that is currently collected. 

• I will also serve on the Housing GAP Coalition

This coalition is studying the Housing Gap which is growing in our economy. This gap may be the biggest threat that Utah will face in the coming years. We need to understand why the cost of housing is rising so rapidly out of low to moderate income makers range of affordability. We have many instances in the state of more people renting instead of buying homes. This creates a huge problem, because a home is where most individual’s store their  wealth/assets for retirement.    
 
Along with that, I have assigned committee work for Political Subdivisions, Transportation, and Executive Offices and Criminal Justice Appropriations:

• Political Subdivision Committee

We have been working on Boundary Line Agreements, Local Ordinance Penalties, Political Subdivision Lien Authority, Park Safety, County Form of Government, Affordable Housing Set-Aside, Indigent Defense, Resort Community Infrastructure Costs, and Land Use Development and Management Act.

• Transportation Committee

Follow up on SB 136, Long-term Planning Projects, Autonomous and Connected Vehicles, Unmanned Air Traffic Management, Inland Port Development, Vehicle Registration freezes for unpaid parking tickets, Roadway Tolling, Advancements in Vehicle Emissions testing, and Roadway Safety.

• Executive Offices and Criminal Appropriation

We haven’t had a chance to meet yet this summer. 
 
Currently, I am also working on four bills for constituents within our district:

• Greenbelt Amendment, this bill will allow an individual to apply for a waiver if they are doing a conservation project on the property. 
• Carbon Monoxide Detectors on Boats with Cabins, this bill will require boats with sleeping cabins to have carbon monoxide detectors, preventing loss of life.
• Constables in Counties, we are working to clarify the rules that pertain to small rural counties.
• Home School Athletic Rules in Rural Utah

Last Thursday, Representative Tim Quinn and I had the opportunity to sit on a panel with other legislative candidates at a Gun Safety Townhall Meeting hosted by students from Park City High School. I was so impressed with Faith Staley, Adam Herbst, and Adam Hickey, the students who created the event. It was well organized, and the students and public who attended were respectful and thoughtful in their questions. There are many issues surrounding guns, our second amendment rights, and keeping our kids safe at school. While I firmly believe that our right to bear arms needs to be protected, I appreciate the concerns and worries of these students who want to be and feel safe at school. I applaud their efforts to be engaged in the discussion of possible solutions in a civil manner. You can read more about the Townhall here.
And on the Homefront:

• Our oldest daughter graduated from high school! Thankfully, Kim survived the day with just a few (happy) tears.
• Our youngest daughter decided that the best way to kick off summer was with a broken elbow. She will enjoy the next few weeks of summer in a sling.
• We celebrated Memorial Day with our local Veterans at a service at the Morgan County Courthouse. How thankful I am for those who have sacrificed (and for those who still do) for our safety, for our freedom, for our country. They truly have given more than we can ever repay, and I thank each one of our vets.

That about covers what’s been going on in my house for the last few weeks. I’ll check back in around the end of June. Until then, I thank you for the support you give my family. As always, if you have needs, questions or concerns, please contact me at votelogan53@gmail.com.