Floor Sponsored Bills from the House of Representatives

• HB168 Child Identity Theft Protection (passed)
• HB169S1 Firearm Laws Modifications (passed)
• HB209 Labor Commission Amendments (passed)
• HB221 Car Inspections (passed)
• HB314 Insurance Requirements for Child Care Buses (passed)

Kindly, Your Senator,
Karen Mayne

Breakfast & Registration: 7am
Shotgun Start: 8am
Lunch: 1pm

Sponsorships Available: (See announcement graphic)

For more info, please contact:
Lisa Spatafore 801-971-9636 lcshades@msn.com

West Ridge Golf Course
5055 South Westridge Blvd. (5600 West)
West Valley City, UT

It was pretty much a Republican sweep as the Utah Senate voted to override Gov. Gary Herbert’s veto of a transportation bill that would have earmarked as much as $60 million a year for road construction.

The anomaly came when Democratic Sen. Karen Mayne, a fierce defender of her West Valley City constituents, sided with her GOP colleagues.

Mayne’s explanation was simple. Her already sizable district is growing, congested and is hard to get around by car and certainly by bus, as a result of the Utah Transit Authority’s own budget woes and its increasing emphasis on TRAX.

“We can’t walk to the store. We get in our car and go,” she said during Friday’s Senate debate. “That’s what we do in West Valley City. We don’t have city blocks, we have county blocks.”

Work is continuing on the Mountain View Corridor, which will connect northern Utah County with the western edge of the Salt Lake Valley. As these things do, it will take a toll: 54 houses are scheduled for demolition to make room for the freeway.

But for those that remain, there’s no UDOT money for sound walls that would protect people from the freeway itself and the clamor of an estimated 24,000 cars and trucks roaring by every day.

“I don’t want a chain link fence to be the only barrier,” Mayne said.

She’s also an outspoken champion of labor and the men and women who would find jobs in the construction trades.

(read full article on sltrib.com)

Accompanied by bill sponsor Senator Karen Mayne, Governor Gary Herbert ceremonially signed Senator Mayne’s recently passed legislation, SB 11-Worker Classification Coordinated Enforcement, SB 35-Construction Licensees Related Amendments, and SB 191-Workers’ Compensation Coverage Waivers. These three companion bills closed a loophole that allowed some companies to designate workers as “owners,” thereby avoiding paying taxes and other employee-related costs. Senator Mayne engaged numerous government agencies, business entities, and individuals in this effort, garnering their assistance and support. Our community is well served by legislators such as Senator Mayne.

http://www.utahsenatedemocrats.org/archives/966

http://www.taylorsvillekearnsjournal.com/

SB 35, Construction Licensees Related Amendments, is landmark legislation that redefines membership criteria for LLCs in the construction industry, preserving the traditional employer/employee relationship, ensuring proper payment of payroll taxes and protection of workers through work comp, unemployment insurance and proper withholding.

SB 11, Worker Classification Coordinated Enforcement, greatly increases efficiencies between the Labor Commission, Department of Commerce, Department of Workforce Services and the State Tax Commission in sharing vital information to ensure protection for workers and compliance for businesses.

SB 191, Workers’ Compensation Coverage Waivers, moves the responsibility to issue work comp waivers from the Workers’ Compensation Fund to the Labor Commission, reducing fraud and confusion and allowing for greater accountability.

Other labor-related bills I co-sponsored include:

HB 188, Labor Commission Related Amendments (Rep. Morley), allows the Labor Commission to take advantage of electronic technology to send and receive documents, saving time, paper and postage.

HB 209, Workers’ Compensation Premium Assessment (Rep. Morley), ensures adequate funding for the Employers’ Reinsurance Fund so it can continue to meet its obligations to employers and injured workers.

Safety-Related Bills

HB 168, Child Identity Theft Protection (Rep. Hutchings), is landmark legislation that allows parents and guardians to protect their children’s social security numbers to reduce the risk of identity theft.

SB 94, Uniform Requirements for Constables, now requires that constables wear identification badges to give the public knowledge and notice of who they are, increasing public security.

HB 314, Insurance Requirements for Child Care Buses (Rep. Anderson), encourages the child care industry to use school buses by reducing the amount of insurance liability coverage required to a more reasonable level.

Education-Related Bills

SB 69, Sales and Use Tax Exemption for Textbooks for Higher Education, gives private sellers of textbooks for higher education the same tax exempt status as college bookstores, leveling the playing field for these small businesses.

SB 235, Charter School Students’ Participation in Extracurricular Activities, allows students attending charter schools to choose to participate in extracurricular activities either at their charter school, at the public school on whose campus their charter school is located, or at their boundary school, allowing greater ability for participation for these students.

Resolutions and Acknowledgements

Senate Concurrent Resolution 12, Wear Red Month, designates February as “Wear Red Month” in cooperation with the American Heart Association, and urges all citizens to show their support for women and the fight against heart disease as well as heightens awareness of heart-healthy lifestyles and the signs and symptoms of heart attack in women.

Senate Joint Resolution 3, Adult Immunization Awareness Month, brings awareness to the importance of adult immunizations such as flu and pneumonia shots and other vaccines that improve adult health and decrease human suffering and costs related to disability, lost wages and health care.

Alternative Careers and Skills for Women Acknowledgement promotes awareness of non-traditional and well-paying jobs for women in the trades and construction industries as a means to acheive financial stability, security and independence.

Technical Change Bills

HB 208, Administrative Services Amendments (Rep. Harper), allows the State Archives Fund to accept private monies and gifts, as many other state departments can, and makes some necessary technical updates to the Department of Administrative Services.

HB 169, Firearm Laws Modifications (Rep. Seelig), makes needed technical changes only.

Thank you for your support!

Karen

Mayne, a lifelong labor supporter, had joined in with the AFL-CIO of Utah and others in establishing Utah Women in Trades.
“I always wanted my daughter to be an electrician,” she told me dryly. “She’s an accountant.”

Last week, Mayne hosted a Utah Senate reception for tradeswomen such as Leslie and Burquez, along with other women who have transcended meager pay and lousy working conditions by getting well-paying union jobs.

See full article: McEntee: Women find good living in construction trades

2011 Utah Legislative Survey