Latest news with #MatthewDurrant
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dozens of Utah lawmakers call on Congress to resume payments to downwinders
Utah Supreme Court Justice Matthew Durrant speaks to a joint session of the House and Senate at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on the first day of the legislative session, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) A bipartisan coalition of Utah lawmakers are calling on Congress to resume and expand a program that pays people sickened by nuclear weapons testing, which expired nearly one year ago and has hung in limbo ever since. On Tuesday, 41 lawmakers, mostly from the Utah House of Representatives, signed a letter to Congressional leadership urging them to revive the now defunct Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, which compensates people who lived downwind from nuclear weapons testing in the 1950s and early 1960s. Known as downwinders, an untold number of people in the West were diagnosed with cancer from Cold War-era nuclear weapons testing and development. In 1990, decades later, Utah GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch successfully sponsored RECA. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX But in June, the program expired after Congress failed to renew it, meaning any claim postmarked after June 10 was not considered. And in the year since, downwinders have been lobbying for some kind of action, with support from Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a number of members of Congress and dozens of advocacy groups. 'We support efforts to expand compensation for those affected by the nuclear testing that occurred throughout the West,' Cox said in a statement to Utah News Dispatch last year. 'It's the right thing to do.' In their letter — addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. — Utah lawmakers echoed the governor. 'Our state legislature has a long history of nearly unanimous, bipartisan support for related legislation, as shown in previous resolutions passed by this body. Our state's tragic history of past uranium mining and downwind exposure from nuclear tests has compelled us to fight for Utahns who have been harmed, as well as to support those in other parts of the country who have similarly suffered,' the letter reads. 'We agree with the governor: reauthorizing and expanding RECA is simply the right thing to do.' Sen. Hawley blasts rumors of expanding payments for Utah downwinders only Since it expired in June, several versions of a RECA expansion have been proposed — that includes a bill from Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawley that would increase the compensation for downwinders, expand eligibility for certain uranium workers, and widen the current definition of an 'affected area' to include all of Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico and Guam. It would also cover parts of Hawley's district near St. Louis, where creek water was contaminated by radiation during nuclear weapons development. The original version of RECA only covered a handful of counties in Utah, Arizona and Nevada, despite ample evidence that all of Utah and other states in the West were downwind from nuclear weapons testing. Cold-war era uranium workers in 11 Western states were also included. Hawley's bill passed the Senate in March 2024, but it stalled in the House, with some Republicans concerned it was too broad and expensive. In the letter, Utah lawmakers called Hawley's bill 'significant progress.' 'Unfortunately, Speaker Johnson refused to bring up this bill for a vote,' the letter reads. Hawley has worked on a compromise, but there hasn't yet been a vote. Last week, The Hill reported that Hawley would not vote to raise the debt limit if there wasn't some kind of RECA reauthorization and expansion attached. In the letter, Utah lawmakers say the state's congressional delegation is on board with some kind of compromise. 'We are gratified that through negotiations and discussions with our congressional coalition throughout the year and in response to constituent concerns, the Utah delegation is now in support of these efforts and put forward a compromise in late December. Negotiations on the expansion details continue,' the letter reads. 'Efforts to pass RECA legislation are ongoing in 2025, and we urge the Senate and House leadership to act without delay. We request that legislation reauthorizing and improving RECA be included in the next viable legislative vehicle.' The letter was signed by the Utah Senate's six Democrats, and Republican Sens. David Hinkins of Orangeville, Ron Winterton of Roosevelt, and Derrin Owens of Fountain Green. In the House, all 14 Democrats and 18 Republicans signed the letter. Those 18 Republican representatives are: Carl Albrecht of Richfield Ryan Wilcox of Ogden Casey Snider of Paradise Joseph Elison of Toquerville Troy Shelley of Ephraim Logan Monson of Blanding Lisa Shepherd of Provo Colin Jack of St. George Jill Koford of Ogden Raymond Ward of Bountiful Rex Shipp of Cedar City Stewart Barlow of Fruit Heights Steve Eliason of Sandy Karianne Lisonbee of Clearfield Jefferson Burton of Salem Cory Malloy of Lehi Tyler Clancy of Provo Tracy Miller of South Jordan SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Utah lawmakers announce nearly $1,500 increase to teacher salaries
SALT LAKE CITY () — Utah lawmakers announced on Friday that teachers in the Beehive State will be getting a nearly $1,500 salary increase but the (UEA) says that only scratches the tip of the iceberg when it comes to supporting public education. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and the Utah Legislature said this year's direct salary increase is a testament to Utah's dedication to valuing and supporting teachers. The $1,446 salary increase also includes a $1,000 bonus for education support staff. New bill 'goes too far,' says Utah Chief Justice Matthew Durrant in letter to lawmakers 'Teachers change lives, and they deserve to be valued, supported, and paid fairly for their incredible work,' said Governor Spencer Cox. 'This investment is another step in our commitment to ensuring Utah remains among the best places in the nation to teach and learn. This is not just about funding education; it's about the future of our students, families and communities – built here.' In addition to the salary increase, the proposed education funding includes: $50 million – $1,000 bonus for educator support staff $178 million – 4% funding increase to raise salaries for all school district employees $77.7 million – Educator professional time $65 million – Career and Technical Education Catalyst grant program $14.3 million – Teachers' supplies and materials $12.4 million – Stipends for Future Educators grants for student teachers $7.3 million – Grow Your Own Educator Pipeline Grant Program $795,700 – Support for professional liability insurance premiums for Utah educators The Utah Legislature said the investments made by lawmakers over the last year have propelled Utah to the and among the in the West – from $44,000 in 2020 to $60,000 in 2024. The hope is to attract educators to Utah and retain veteran teachers in the classroom. 'We deeply care for teachers. The success of our students and educators is the foundation of Utah's prosperity and essential to making the Utah Dream a reality for all,' said Senate President J. Stuart Adams. 'These investments and rankings are more than just numbers – they reflect the real impact of prioritizing Utah's teachers, who help shape the next generation of leaders.' Meet the only 2 passengers from the viral 'private' Southwest flight out of Utah UEA President Renée Pinkney said the salary increase is an important recognition of Utah's education profession, but the state's public schools . She said this leaves Utah's educators still struggling under the weight of what she called unsustainable workloads. 'Educators across the state are burning out due to a severe lack of support, insufficient staffing, and the growing challenges of managing student needs without adequate behavioral support resources,' said Pinkney. 'Instead of addressing these urgent issues, anti-public education politicians continue to funnel millions of taxpayer dollars into private religious schools through their voucher scheme and starving our public schools of the resources they desperately need.' Pinkney said the policies announced on Friday and over the last few years were championed by members of the UEA while Utah's politicians passed a ' designed to silence educator voices.' 'If Utah's leaders are serious about supporting educators and students, they must invest in real long-term solutions: respectable wages, sustainable staffing levels, classroom behavioral supports and fully funding public education instead of diverting millions to private interests,' said Pinkney.' Utah lawmakers argue the newly proposed raise and investments build upon years of efforts to 'enhance education' and teacher well-being. Such as salary bonuses for teachers in high-poverty schools and more than $2 billion increase in public education funding over 10 years. The UEA said it will continue to fight for more resources, respect and real solutions that it said students and educators deserve. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New bill ‘goes too far,' says Utah Chief Justice Matthew Durrant in letter to lawmakers
SALT LAKE CITY () — In an unprecedented move, Chief Justice Matthew Durrant of the Utah Supreme Court hand-delivered a letter on behalf of the Judicial Council — which represents the state's courts — to the Utah Legislature, openly opposing a bill that would impact retention elections. The bill — 'Judicial Retention Changes' — would to recommend to voters through their ballots which judges should be retained and which should be removed. In the letter — delivered on behalf of the 16-member council to the House Speaker, Senate President, and sent to all legislators — the council said the bill would erode public trust and confidence in the decisions of the Judiciary. Separation of powers? Bill to create lawmaker panel for recommending judicial retentions advances 'This will happen regardless of the intent of any individual legislator on the committee and regardless of how careful committee members are in their review of a judge,' wrote Durrant. 'The possibility of a negative recommendation from the committee will be viewed by the public as an incentive for judges to make politically palatable decisions rather than decisions that are required by the law.' READ NEXT: 7 key ways the Utah legislature could change the judiciary The bill's sponsor, Rep. Karianne Lisonbee (R-Syracuse), has argued, however, that voters need more information on retaining judges. She said it was within the legislature's purview to decide how that happens, pointing to Utah's constitution, which reads, 'judicial retention elections shall be held on a nonpartisan ballot in a manner provided by statute.' 'The idea that the judiciary is completely independent of the legislature is simply false,' Lisonbee said. Durrant's letter said that the council was not disputing that. 'In opposing HB 512, and other bills that may have the impact of undermining the independence and integrity of the Judiciary, the Judicial Council is not suggesting otherwise,' it reads. 'Rather, the Judicial Council asserts that HB 512 goes too far by intervening in the core functions of the judiciary and poses a substantial threat to the Judiciary's ability to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities.' Durrant's letter said the bill would only serve to incentivize judges to act in their own self-interest, rather than upholding their oath to the rule of law. He argued voters have more objective information about judges than any other person on the ballot as judges are subject to a 'thorough, rigorous, unbiased review by the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission.' Legal professionals protest against bills that seek to reshape Utah's judicial branch These evaluations – which are – he said do not try to influence voters, but provide relevant and objective information. 'The citizens of Utah deserve a Judiciary that is guided by the rule of law, not by political considerations. The Utah Constitution establishes a Judiciary in which judges are free to decide cases based on the law and the facts, without regard for the identities of the litigants or political consequences,' wrote Durrant. The judicial council's dissent of H.B. 512 comes on the heels of urging lawmakers to reject a handful of bills that would reform Utah's judiciary. Over the last year, Utah lawmakers have also expressed their disappointment in Utah's judiciary after several Utah Supreme Court summer rulings went against the legislature. These rulings included voiding and from the November 2024 election ballot, as well as to move forward in the lower courts. Top lawmakers respond House Speaker Mike Schultz, (R-Hooper), who has been highly critical of the high court's rulings against the legislature, seemed to defend the bill and said that 'healthy debate and reform do not undermine democracy — they strengthen it.' 'The Utah Constitution assigns the legislature the responsibility to review and adjust many aspects of both the executive and judicial branches,' he said in a statement to ABC4. 'We welcome and encourage all to make their voices heard on this, and other important issues.' Lindsay Aerts contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Utah chief justice delivers letter to lawmakers to oppose bill threatening judicial independence
Utah Supreme Court Justice Matthew Durrant speaks to a joint session of the House and Senate at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on the first day of the legislative session, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Matthew Durrant came to the Utah Capitol on Thursday to sit down with the state's top Republican legislators and hand deliver a letter addressing one bill in particular that's been opposed by the Utah Judicial Council. In the letter — obtained by Utah News Dispatch shortly after Durrant met with House Speaker Mike Schultz and Senate President Stuart Adams on Thursday — Durrant outlines his concerns with legislative efforts that could potentially undermine the 'independence and integrity' of the judiciary, but he only specifically called out one bill: HB512. Despite experts' warnings, bill to give Utah lawmakers a say in judge elections advances That bill, sponsored by a member of GOP House leadership, House Majority Whip Karianne Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, would allow a committee of lawmakers to review judges based on no set standard and allow that committee to place a recommendation directly on the ballot, next to the judge's name, indicating whether lawmakers believe they should be retained or not. 'By creating a joint legislative committee on judicial performance and empowering that committee to provide recommendations as to whether individual judges should be retained for another term, HB 512 introduces partisan politics directly into the work of the Judiciary,' Durrant wrote in the letter. 'This unprecedented approach is not only dangerous but also detrimental to the public's trust in a fair and impartial judicial system and ultimately harmful to the citizens,' he added. Durrant referred back to his State of the Judiciary speech on the first day of the 2025 legislative session last month, when he quoted former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, saying 'judicial independence is not conferred so that judges can do as they please, it is conferred so they can do as they must.' By opposing HB512 'and other bills that may have the impact of undermining the independence and integrity of the Judiciary,' Durrant wrote that the Judicial Council 'is not suggesting otherwise' about the fact that the Utah Constitution does allow the Legislature to make policy decisions impacting the judiciary. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Rather, the Judicial Council asserts that HB512 goes too far by intervening in the core functions of the Judiciary and poses a substantial threat to the Judiciary's ability to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities,' Durrant wrote. Putting a recommendation from a legislative committee on the ballot on whether a judge should be retained or not 'will inevitably be viewed as a partisan recommendation,' he said. 'It is simply impossible to separate the partisan politics associated with legislative decisions from such a recommendation,' Durrant wrote. He warned HB512 'will erode public trust and confidence in the decisions of the judiciary,' no matter the intentions of any of the legislators that sit on that committee. 'The possibility of a negative recommendation from the committee will be viewed by the public as an incentive for judges to make politically palatable decisions rather than decisions that are required by the law,' Durrant wrote. 'It will be viewed as an incentive for judges to act in their own self-interest, rather than upholding the rule of law.' Utah Supreme Court disputes lawmakers' allegations that it's not productive enough As he warned in his State of the Judiciary address — when he urged lawmakers to 'respect' the judiciary as a matter of public trust — Durrant wrote that a 'loss of trust is particularly damaging to the Judiciary.' 'Possessing neither the sword nor the purse, the Judiciary can fulfill its constitutional role only when the public trusts its impartiality and commitment to the rule of law,' Durrant wrote. Durrant also addressed arguments that HB512 would help provide voters more information to know how to vote in judicial retention elections — something both Lisonbee and Schultz have previously argued. He said voters 'already have more objective information about judges than any other person on the ballot.' He pointed to the existing Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission (JPEC), which already puts judges through a 'thorough, rigorous, unbiased review of their performance,' and it posts detailed reports about all of the judges on its website, which voters can access by searching judges' names. 'No other public officials in Utah are subject to a more thorough, objective, and public evaluation than judges,' Durrant wrote. 'If there are specific problems or deficiencies with judicial performance evaluations, they should be addressed through improvements to JPEC's process — not through HB512.' Durrant concluded his letter by saying Utahns 'deserve a Judiciary that is guided by the rule of law, not by political considerations.' 'By introducing partisan influence — whether real or perceived — HB 512 threatens to undermine judicial independence and public confidence in the Judiciary's role as a neutral arbiter of legal disputes,' Durrant wrote. 'For these reasons, the Judicial Council opposes HB512.' After Durrant's meeting with Schultz and Adams on Thursday, the letter was also emailed to all legislators on Capitol Hill, according to a Utah State Courts spokesperson. 'A broad attack': Utah's judiciary fights bills threatening its independence The letter comes after Utah Supreme Court Justice Paige Petersen expressed frustrations with another bill, SB296, which would give the governor the responsibility of picking the Utah Supreme Court's chief justice, subject to advice and consent of the Senate — and subject to reappointment every four years. 'My preference is kill this silly bill. There's absolutely no reason for (the governor and lawmakers) to be meddling in how we pick the chief justice,' Petersen said during Monday's Judicial Council meeting. Durrant, though he took a more tempered tone in that meeting, said he agreed that lawmakers appeared to be waging a 'broad attack on the independence of the judiciary.' Durrant's letter didn't acknowledge SB296 specifically, but Michael Drechsel, assistant state court administrator at the Administrative Office of the Courts, told lawmakers during a committee hearing Tuesday the judiciary is opposed to the bill. It's unclear whether Durrant's meeting or the letter will have an impact as lawmakers enter their final week of the 2025 session, which must end before midnight on March 7. Adams, R-Layton, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Durrant's meeting with him, but when reporters pressed him on Petersen and Durrant's comments earlier this week, he said, 'I see it differently,' though he welcomed input on legislation. 'We're trying to knock the rough edges off, get all the input,' Adams said. Schultz, R-Hooper, who has previously been complimentary of Lisonbee's bill, has said he's supportive of the bill, which has said he sees as an effort to inform voters. Read Durrant's letter below. Judicial Council letter on HB 512 SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
