Welcome to day 19 of 45 of the Utah Legislative session. We are looking at what has been happening on the hill so far. If you would like to watch the video recap scroll to the bottom.
We are kicking off this round of UMA on the Hill with a fun fact about the capitol building and a rare look underground. Discover the base isolator area. During the last renovation it was discovered that during a major earthquake the Capitol could potentially fall in on itself. So, they raised the capitol and filled them with the “baby bumper pads” otherwise known as base isolators. In the event of an earthquake the Capitol will bounce and move and stay upright.
Now onto the main event on why Todd Bingham, President/CEO and Josh Brown, COO are spending their time up on the hill. Through UMA we are tracking more than 100 bills and we invite you to join our weekly Monday morning Bill Tracker meeting by emailing a request to manufacturing@manufacturingutah.com. You will also receive updates through our Friday5 email (for UMA partners) and MFG Media.
This week things are beginning to heat up. The first few weeks of the session is a lot of posturing, what are the key issues we want to talk about, where are we going, what is coming to the surface, etc. One of the big key issues we are seeing is workforce. Education, tech colleges and smaller colleges are banding together to focus on things. As we call degrees with marketplace relevance. We are starting to focus more on tech and certifications. The speaker of the house is very interested in this issue.
There is a lot going on with transportation and infrastructure. We are in the 10s of billions of dollars on roads, transportation, highways. Also, what are the critical infrastructures we need as a state to one ensure that commerce happens across the United States and the legislature is doing a good job of getting in front of this.
Another big piece is energy. Josh Brown spends a significant amount of his time focusing on energy. There is a lot going on within the field of energy. Such as changing how renewable energy projects are done. The state and the U.S. would say they have an energy deficiency meaning both transportation and production. There are bills looking to ensure that the state continues to grow economically with the right power all while making sure we have a regulated facility that is low cost and remains a lost cost utility that is viable and healthy.
Water is another big piece and was very active last year and could be referred to as the energy of 2024. This year it is a little different. Not so much where can we give and take, but more focused on how we can ensure we have the water for future growth. This aspect does seem to be trending in a positive direction.
The last key issue would be tax. We all know that a big thing that Governor Cox is pushing for is removing the tax on social security. Looking into that is raising the threshold so more individuals will not be paying taxes on their social security. They are also looking to potentially lower corporate income tax. Which would be great for our partners.
We hope this has given you a look at the gambit of issues that UMA is working hard to ensure the best outcome for our partners and manufacturing. If there is an issue, a bill, or a question that you have about the session, please fill out our UMA Policy Issue Form and we will be back next week for a full recap of week 4.