Dear Friends:
Welcome to my first 2016 legislative update. Through these periodic messages, I will do my best to help you keep up with what is happening at the Utah Legislature. I hope that you will let me know your thoughts on pending legislation and ways to improve our state government. I always appreciate your input.
The 61st Legislative Session for the State of Utah begins on January 25, 2016 and concludes on March 10, 2016. Leading up to that time and during the session I strongly encourage you to keep up with the Legislature through our website: http://le.utah.gov/. This website includes lots of useful information including committee and floor schedules, legislation and amendments, fiscal analysis and other reports. You can even watch floor hearings and listen to committee debates (current and past).
Beginning last spring the legislature held Interim and Task force meetings as well as appropriations hearings to prepare for the upcoming session. Information from all of those meetings, including legislation considered and reviews of state departments, is also available on our website.
Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, January 20 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at Holladay City Hall (4580 South 2300 East)
On January 20th a number of local legislators will be hosting a town meeting to discuss the upcoming legislative session and the important issues that our state will face this year. Legislators joining me are Senators Jani Iwamoto and Brian Shiozawa and Representatives Carol Spackman Moss, Lynn Hemingway and Marie Poulson. The meeting will be moderated by Doug Wright from KSL. I hope you can attend.
How to Reach Me
I always look forward to hearing from you about any state legislative issues. Email is the best way to reach me. My email address is: parent@le.utah.gov. I personally read every message I receive. Depending on what is happening at the Capitol, some days I receive hundreds of emails, so I always try to prioritize reviewing messages from residents of House District 36. For that reason, it is important for you to include your home address in your messages. In case I need to follow-up by phone, please include a number to reach you. If you do not live in House District 36, it is helpful to have a reminder of how we know each other. Sometimes my memory fades at 2:00 a.m. when I am reviewing email. Finally, when you send me an email, please let me know if it is for “information only” and does not need a response.
I truly value your comments and suggestions, but would ask for your patience when waiting for a reply. I am in committee meetings, floor sessions, and other meetings all day and often late into the night. After the meetings are over I review upcoming legislation. I will do my best to respond to your messages late at night or very early in the morning before I leave for work at 6:00. If you do not hear back from me in a few days, please resend your message. Your original one could be lost in cyberspace.
A New Session and a New Intern
Kathryn Macdonald is my new intern for this session. She is a student at the University of Utah and will graduate in May with degrees in English and Psychology, before pursuing a graduate degree in Public Policy. She is also a constituent in House District 36. I look forward to working with her and having her help me to have a successful session this year.
It is an honor to represent House District 36 in the Utah House of Representatives. I look forward to hearing from you.