Latest news with #SenateRevenueandTaxationCommittee
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill would add items to the Oklahoma back-to-school sales tax holiday list
Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, sits at her desk on the Senate floor during the chamber's organizational day on Jan. 7, 2025. (Photo by Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY – A bill that would add items to Oklahoma's back-to-school sales tax holiday advanced Monday from a Senate committee. Senate Bill 231 would add sportswear and school items like art supplies, instructional materials and computer items to the list. Clothing and shoes under $100 are already exempt from taxes during the annual holiday weekend, which runs from the first Friday in August through the first Sunday. The bill, by Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, passed the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee by a vote of 11-0 with no debate. It passed with title stricken, a legislative procedural move to slow the bill down. It is eligible to be heard on the Senate floor. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill to help fund Salt Palace redevelopment passes committee
SALT LAKE CITY () — A bill that would pave the way for Salt Lake County to help fund the redevelopment of the Salt Palace Convention Center got a thumbs up in a Senate committee on Monday. S.B. 306, otherwise known as 'Convention Center Investment Amendments,' got its favorable recommendation behind a 3-1 vote from the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee, with three absent. Controversial flag bill banning certain flags in classrooms passes House Sen. Daniel McCay (R-Riverton) said Salt Lake County asked for the bill as a way to help finance their ability to replace parts of the convention that will be redeveloped into the . The bill itself does not create any new revenue streams or increase any tax but instead reallocates money from the fourth-quarter transportation fund – a source of revenue Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said can afford to be redistributed. Wilson said aside from a few canyon roads, Salt Lake County is 'wall-to-wall city and state roads.' Reallocating a portion of money from the fourth-quarter transportation fund will still allow the county to maintain its few roads while also completing transportation projects and investing in the Salt Palace. House passes bill preventing abortion providers from teaching in public schools 'We feel this is a good purpose. The rebuilding of the Salt Palace is a win for the community,' said Wilson. 'The creation of the sports entertainment culture and convention district is an absolute win for the community. The thing that excites me the most is the idea that we can connect our assets.' The exact look of a revitalized Salt Palace Convention Center – which regularly hosts large events such as FanX and Outdoor Retailer – is still unclear. Mayor Wilson, however, said that once completed, the building will integrate better with Salt Lake City, making it easier for the public to get around. Sen. Wayne Harper (R-West Jordan) was the lone vote against the bill, only saying he was 'not quite there yet' on the bill. Harper indicated he has had conversations with Sen. McCay and a substitute version of the amendments may be on the way. S.B. 306 will now head toward the Senate Floor where it will face a full vote. If passed, it will be sent to Utah's House of Representatives for further review. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion: 911 dispatchers ask Gov. Cox: Protect our rights, reject HB267
I am very concerned about a dangerous bill: HB267, which would strip all public workers in the state of Utah (like firefighters, teachers, police officers, 911 dispatchers and any city, state or county employee) of the right to collective bargain with their employers. I've been a 911 dispatcher in Utah for more than 10 years. In that time, I've helped deliver babies, heard someone take their last breath, walked desperate callers through CPR on children and reassured suicidal callers. I have dispatched on structure fires and fatal traffic accidents. To say the least, I and all those who are emergency telecommunicators handle situations that most will likely never experience in their lifetime. As a result of the emotional and physical strain our chosen profession takes, it is increasingly difficult to hire and retain dispatchers. The agreement that was proctored by our union is an invaluable asset to encourage new hire applications and retain existing professionals. Currently, we have a more than 50-page collective bargaining agreement that we worked tirelessly to negotiate, regarding wages, raises, benefits such as sick and vacation leave, and protections like mandatory rest periods between shifts. This agreement protects every single person at my workplace, regardless of whether they are a union member or not. When this agreement expires, if HB267 passes, we would be barred from renegotiating another contract. On Wednesday, Jan. 29, my colleagues and I, along with countless other public workers, packed the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee hearing, filling three overflow rooms and into the hallway, to speak out against HB267. Every one of us was there in opposition of this bill. Sadly, HB267 narrowly passed out of committee by just one vote (4-3). We were told by proponents of this bill that there's no evidence that unions make workplaces safer, which only demonstrates the reckless ignorance behind this bill. A quick search shows unionization improves workplace safety, particularly for firefighters. A study published in 2021 demonstrated that firefighters with collective bargaining rights have 'fewer firefighter fatalities than those without duty-to-bargain rights.' We were told by proponents, including Jordan Teuscher, Kirk Cullimore and Brady Brammer, that we can still negotiate with our employers as individuals, and that unions only get in the way of these negotiations. But if that was true, where are the public employees who support this bill because their union is so damaging? Overwhelmingly, public employees are against this because they understand that unions fight for them. The union representation benefit stretches even to non-unionized public sector employees. A rising tide lifts all boats, and unionized workplaces set the standard for all other workplaces in the state to follow. Lastly, we were told at this hearing that the proponents of this bill appreciate their public employees, but their support of this bill shows otherwise. My colleagues and I are professionals, answering calls at all times of the day and night, no matter the circumstances. We need the protections of collective bargaining to keep our staffing levels high, making sure these critical calls are answered in a timely manner. We need mandatory rest periods between shifts, so the person answering a life-or-death phone call is not exhausted to the point they make critical errors.
Axios
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Utah Senate committee advances public union bargaining ban
A Utah Senate committee narrowly advanced (4-3) a controversial bill Wednesday to end collective bargaining for public sector unions. Why it matters: The proposal faced intense opposition from unions representing educators, firefighters and police officers. State of play: HB 267 's sponsor state Rep. Jordan Teuscher (R-South Jordan) told members of the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee Wednesday that he wants to eliminate collective bargaining for public unions to allow all voices to be heard, arguing that labor unions may only represent 20%-40% of workers. The other side: The Utah Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, has called the bill an "unprecedented legislative power grab to consolidate power at the expense of Utah's public education system." What's next: The proposed measure will now be considered on the Senate floor for a vote. Committee Chair Dan McCay (R-Riverton) said he'd vote to support the bill, but urged Teuscher to continue meeting with stakeholders and "try to drive some consensus." "My yes today is not a guarantee for a yes in the future," he noted.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Despite opposition, bill banning collective bargaining for public unions advances after tight vote
Members of the public listen to Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, explain a bill that would prohibit public unions from collective bargaining at the Utah Capitol Building on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Katie McKellar/Utah News Dispatch) A bill that would change how unions representing teachers, firefighters and police officers negotiate their contracts narrowly cleared a legislative hurdle on Wednesday, despite widespread opposition from some of Utah's labor groups. HB267, which would prohibit public sector unions from collective bargaining, is shaping up to be one of the most hotly debated bills this legislative session. On Wednesday afternoon, it barely cleared the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee with a 4-3 vote. Sens. Brady Brammer, R-Highland, Kirk Cullimore, R-Sandy, Chris Wilson, R-Logan, and Dan McCay, R-Riverton, all voted yes. Sens. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan, Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville and Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, voted against the bill. But the tie breaking vote, cast by McCay, came with a caveat — the sponsor, Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, has to continue meeting with stakeholders who oppose the bill to try and find a compromise. 'My yes today is not a guarantee for a yes in the future,' McCay said. Teuscher hinted at a compromise on Monday, before his bill cleared the House after lengthy debate and a 42-32 vote. And on Wednesday, Cullimore, who is sponsoring the bill in the Senate, said there could be an amendment in the works, where if more than 50% of employees in an organization, like a school district or fire department, vote for a union to represent them, it could engage in collective bargaining. As for McCay's request, Teuscher won't have any problem finding stakeholders who oppose his bill. The criticism to HB267 has been intense, with lawmakers claiming to have received thousands of emails urging a 'no' vote, a Utah Education Association petition garnering at least 13,000 signatures against the bill, and dozens of people showing up to the committee meeting to voice their concerns, so much that they spilled into three overflow rooms. The most controversial part of the bill is the elimination of collective bargaining for all public sector unions, the process where a school district, city, county or other entity with public employees meets with a union to negotiate a contract for those employees. Currently, Salt Lake City's fire and police departments, and a number of Utah school districts are the only government entities that collectively bargain, Teuscher said. Teuscher contends that the bill will actually give teachers and other public employees a greater voice, allowing for representation regardless of union membership. 'I believe eliminating this process is a good thing,' he said on Wednesday, telling lawmakers that in some cases a union has just 40% membership, despite negotiating on behalf of 100% of an organization's employees. That means some public employees 'really don't have any sort of voice in what their working conditions are going to be,' Teuscher said. Plus, unions sometimes get involved in political campaigns, and could end up negotiating with the very politicians they supported, or didn't support, which Teuscher said poses a conflict of interest. But Teuscher's explanation did little to quell opposition on Wednesday. For nearly 40 minutes, teachers, firefighters and police officers spoke against the bill, worried that it would erode their ability to negotiate for better wages, benefits and safe working conditions. Some said Teuscher was misrepresenting how unions operate. 'I'll call a spade a spade; this has nothing to do with transparency and everything to do with breaking union leadership and unions in Utah,' said Zach Jeppson, a Salt Lake City firefighter and union president. Jeppson said 95% of his fire department are union members. As for the other 5%, their voices are still heard. 'I would never turn down a call from anybody, regardless of whether or not they were paying union dues,' Jeppson said, noting that collective bargaining in his department resulted in better staffing, which subsequently led to 'more people on a fire faster and reduced property damage, civilian injury and firefighter injuries.' Bonnie Billings with the Utah Education Association, which represents about 18,000 teachers and other school employees around the Beehive State, cautioned the bill would 'send the message to educators that they don't deserve an effective collective voice in their profession, input on their salaries, benefits or working conditions or an effective voice in policies that impact their classrooms and schools.' Chris Bertram, a retired deputy police chief for Unified Police, said he opposes the bill because it's a 'safety issue.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'As executives were making those decisions, financing things, making policies, we found out about problems in training and equipment and other things that were important that we wouldn't have found out because of these unions,' said Bertram. In addition to the ban on collective bargaining, the bill would restrict certain government resources from going toward union activity. That includes ensuring taxpayer funds won't pay a public employee for the work they do for a union. And unions wouldn't get special exemptions for using public resources, like property — for instance, if other groups or people have to pay to use a public room or space, so does the union. People who are employed by a union, but aren't actually employed by the entity the union represents (for example, someone who works in an administrative position for a teachers union full time, but isn't actually employed by a school district) would no longer have access to the Utah Retirement System. And the bill would offer professional liability insurance for teachers, which in most cases is only currently offered through a union. Teuscher said that would cost each teacher between $110 to $150 annually. Before it goes to the governor's desk, the bill needs to be approved by the entire Senate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
