2017 Pre-Session Primer

So the 2017 General Session gets under way in a week's time.  What does this year's policy scrum have in store?  There is a lot to be sure.  Here is brief overview of what to expect.

'Our Schools Now' Takes The Legislature Hostage

You may have heard of the effort by Education First, Our Schools Now, and a group of wealthy businessmen to hike our income taxes by $750 Million through a ballot initiative.  While this constitutes a nearly 20% increase in taxpayer's out of pocket expenses, the group is hoping you won't mind, sign their petition, and vote for it anyway.  

The threat of a citizen ballot initiative is a popular way for special interest groups to intimidate the Legislature.  You may recall Count My Vote and their crusade to abolish the party Caucus/Convention system.  The Legislature saw that the threat was real and drafted SB54 to prompt a cease fire.  The fight stopped but the consequences of SB54 live on.  

With Education First's heist, my bet is we are in a recession by 2018 when their initiative would appear on the ballot and voters reject the measure. 

Besides, there are many ways for the Legislature to trim up tax credits and other tax policies to help create funds for education that have been overlooked.  Legislation I recently passed helps the Legislature identify those funds.  

Meanwhile, expect the Legislature to be insulted by these provocative gesticulations.  The thought of a few wealthy people willing to advocate for an increase of taxes on the common man just doesn't sit well with me.  And in an even more ironic twist, the key provocateurs are former Legislators themselves.  Retirement is boring, I guess.

Medical Marijuana

Look for this issue to come up again but it will likely come from a research angle.  The change in the Administration in D.C. will require a lot of clarity in federal policy before you see major medical marijuana initiatives move forward.  The uncertainty will cloud this issue this year, I believe.

Business Licensing Simplification

Utah has a moderately heavy regulatory apparatus when it comes to licensing businesses.  Efforts are underway to create a principled and well reasoned policy for requiring businesses to be licensed.  This effort should reduce burdens to businesses and open up competition in many industries. 

Election Reform

The dejected voters who suffered in big lines on election day this last cycle will have their grievances addressed in several bills.  Most of those bills will come to our Government Operations Committee of which I am the Chair.  

Mr. Peterson's Bills

HB23 - Income Tax Credit Modifications - This bill will phase out rooftop solar tax credits.  The bill will move $24M+ to the education budget.  Learn more HERE, HERE, and HERE.

HB24 - Student Prosperity Savings Program - Tax Amendments - This bill leverages private funds to help disadvantaged and poor students pay for college education expenses. 

HB64 - Property Tax Relief Amendments - This bill clarifies that widows and widowers may receive existing property tax relief regardless of their age.

HB73 - Child Placement Amendments - This bill passed the House and died on the Senate board last Session due to time constraints last Session.  It requires outstanding arrest warrant checks to be conducted on parents of children in state custody before the state moves for reunification. 

I have a couple more bills that are being drafted right now.  Look for more details on those as they are published...

In a final note, I am looking forward to my new assignment as Chair of the Government Operations Standing Committee.  I will be flanked by my wingman Rep. Norman Thurston who will serve as Vice-Chair.  We should have a very interesting agenda this year.  Look for more reports to come! 

       

RACE RELATIONS: Colorblindness and the Content of Character

For the past 5 years, I have served as a member of the Multi-Cultural Commission.  The Commission has served as a sounding board for ethnic communities throughout the state and a place where issues and concerns can be discussed as they relate to separate and specific groups.

While the mission and focus of the Commission seemed to waiver during my early tenure there, it has since coalesced around a message of outreach and advocacy.  The best example of this is the yearly Youth Leadership Summit that brings thousands of kids from ethnic minority homes together to promote education and personal success.  Indeed, the event is inspiring and successful in its own right.

But with all this being said, there is an undertone that I have noticed in much of our dialogue about race and ethnicity that I find disconcerting and perhaps counter productive to our ultimate goals of harmony.  Early upon my arrival at the Commission, we discussed the different Chambers of Commerce that were set up for various ethnic minorities.  There was the Hispanic Chamber, the African-American Chamber, the Asian Chamber, and so forth.  I spoke to a Commission member after the meeting and related to him my excitement that one day none of these Chambers would be necessary because we would all be colorblind and our differences wouldn't matter. To my shock, this member rejected my comment and declared that it was absolutely important to have individual and distinct groups.  He believed that each group should be celebrated in its difference from the others.  I was so surprised that I didn't know what to say.

Here is the paradox as I see it:  Martin Luther King Jr. taught that men should be judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin.  Yet, in today's diversity sensitive society, we are expected to distinguish people by their racial difference from our own.  I struggle to reconcile these two thoughts.  One one hand we have colorblindness and on the other we have high-contrast.

In my view, diversity simply for diversity's sake is divisive.   The term 'diverse' should be an adjective used to describe the physical qualities of something, such as a population.   But in many cases it is assigned a moral value.  Such as diversity is good, homogeneity is bad.  Yet, if we go back to Dr, King's words, if we are truly living by them, neither diversity nor homogeneity matter.  They become irrelevant.

So, this colorblind view has been a perspective I have held for a long time.  I have Hispanic neighbors who don't speak any English and are from rural Mexico.  I have African-American and Asian colleagues I work with in my profession as a real estate broker.  To me, everyone is an equal in their humanity and each brings something of value to the table in my personal relationship with them.  Yet, when I share this perspective with my liberal leaning friends, they say "Well, that's great you are doing that, but the rest of the world isn't that way."  Well, I say Why Not?

Racial acceptance is a non-partisan issue.  Sadly, the ongoing politicization of this topic moves people farther apart rather than closer together.  My wish for this MLK Day is that we take an introspective look at how we view those around us who are different from us.  If we realize they have a family, work, pay taxes, and want the same opportunities in life we do, perhaps we can get past the divisions that keep us from relating with each other.  Rather than persistently pointing out our distinct differences to everyone else, let us engage our fellow men in a spirit of our common humanity.          

UTAH JOURNOS: Herbert Must Go Hog Wild With Power

As the wind-up to the 2017 General Session begins in earnest, many commentators are pitching their vision for how Governor Herbert should wield his Executive Scepter.  Both veteran reporter Bob Bernick and newly knighted Trib columnist Robert Gerhke (vote Gerhke!) have chimed in with an earful of advise:

Bob Bernick's Notebook: Time for Herbert to Become a 'Big Idea' Guy

and

Robert Gehrke: Time for Herbert to step away from manager role to take

 political capital out for a spin

The desire presented by both of these venerable journalists is that our good Governor should spend his political capitol like a drunken sailor.  While a lot of Democrats I know would pay money to see our Governor drunk or dressed up as a sailor, neither is likely any time...ever.  

But, for him to spend his political capitol in such a way is even less likely.  I have had my differences in how I thought the Governor should handle certain issues.  Yet, I have come to terms with who he is and how he governs.  He is a measured man who is not quick to harsh judgement.  This in many activist circles translates into 'boring'.  But, voters (outside Salt Lake City) don't elect activists.  They elect people who will govern, and sometimes that means piloting a steady course.  After all, gentle winds move mighty ships.  

However, I have to admit it's a lot of fun being an arm-chair general and telling others how they should do their job.  In fact, I think Bernick and Gerhke need to wield their mighty pens to focus on avant-garde poetry and crossword puzzles.  I am sure its a wining formula for success...how could it not be?

While we are waiting for my journalistic advice to be taken, let's watch for a deliberative and thoughtful Governor to speak to the issues facing us and focus Utah on remaining one of the best managed State's in the Union (by signing all of my bills this year.)

BILL FILE: HB23 - The Phase Out of Solar Tax Credits

The much anticipated solar tax credit bill that passed our Revenue and Taxation Interim committee by an overwhelming margin is now numbered and ready to be heard on the House Floor early in the 2017 General Session.  However, the story isn't over.  The Solar Industry was distraught with the flogging they received at the hands of the committee.  Yet, even though the lashing they received for "slow walking" the Legislature was well deserved, our good faith desire for stakeholder involvement still persists.

A stakeholder meeting will be held the first or second week of January to identify any final unexplored common ground between the industry and Legislature.  This will be a last chance meeting of willing minds and it is my hope that the solar industry brings some smart and helpful ideas to the table.

Look for more on this issue as the Legislature prepares to convene in late January.

The Future of Solar Tax Credits in Utah: Part 3

The ongoing effort to resolve Utah's solar tax credit conundrum came to a head this week as my proposed bill was presented at committee for a hearing.  I offered a visual presentation to help make my points.  Here is the slideshow:

Utah’s Rooftop Solar Tax Credit Problem by Jeremy Peterson on Scribd

Once my presentation was completed, the committee began to ask some very good questions on the subject.  Then, the meeting was opened to public comment.  The Utah Solar Energy Association opposed the bill and made their case to the committee.  However, the committee was not impressed by the lack of effort made by the USEA to negotiate or offer input on the bill proposal.  In my opinion, it appears the USEA believed they could simply make the bill go away by lobbying behind the scenes and ignoring discussion of the issue directly.  That turned out to be a losing formula.

The committee hearing was very pointed in its discussion of the issue and disappointment in stakeholder behavior.  You can hear the presentation and sharp committee rebuke here:



 
Of course, the Salt Lake Tribute's own Pat Bagley wasted no time caricaturing the debate:

This is my first time being featured in one of his cartoons.  So, I guess this means I have "arrived".  But, I do have to take issue with the way that he chose to draw me...my suit isn't that blue.  

Now that the bill has passed committee, I will be reaching out to stakeholders for a final round table to see if any final adjustments can be agreed upon by industry, stakeholders, and the Legislature.  From there, the bill will be presented for votes in both the House and Senate during the General Session.  

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

Ok everyone, it's time to vote.  If you haven't postmarked your ballot as of November 7th, or you feel like saving the postage and dropping off your ballot at a secure ballot box, here are some options for you:




Click on the icons to learn more about hours and specific locations near you.

Even if you don't want to vote in a particular race, all the other races need your attention...especially the race for House District 9.  Here is an example of how I recommend you fill out your ballot:

Make the trip to the polls Tuesday or get your ballot in the mail today.  Either way, stand up and let your voice be heard.  I will see you after the election!

Of Accusations and Apologies

The Standard Examiner came out this morning with a blistering Op-Ed against my supposed conduct and lack of regret in the mistaken reporting of Kathie Darby's campaign contributions.

So, first, let me apologize to Kathie for getting the facts wrong.  Nobody likes it when they are misrepresented and getting the facts right should be part of Politics 101.  While the mistake was unintended, I accept responsibility for getting her donation information wrong.

Now, in my defense, I want to set a few things straight with the false innuendo and incriminations propagated in the Standard Examiner piece:

ACCUSATION #1:  Did he apologize? No.

My Response:  I received an email from the Lt. Governor's office late Friday afternoon indicating that the information which we had presented was incorrect.  Within minutes of receiving that email, the bad information was deleted from the post.  The email from the Lt. Governor's office was the first time we had reason to believe that the information we posted was erroneous.  We swiftly removed the bad information once it was discovered.  We have since posted a correction detailing the mistake.  We accept we made a mistake and express our regret that we did.

ACCUSATION #2:     He tried to pretend it never happened.

My Response:  The Standard Examiner called me up immediately following the removal of the bad information.  We openly and freely acknowledged and accepted responsibility for getting the donation information incorrect.  No pretending ever occurred.

ACCUSATION #3:   [Rep. Peterson] didn’t like it when the Weber County Democratic Party questioned his campaign finances. His response: You’re no better!

My Response:  Spending campaign money to attend to legislative duties like travel to legislative conventions is better than spending taxpayer's money to so.  Legislative practice in this matter is transparent, ethical, and legal.  Legislators of BOTH PARTIES follow this practice. You can read the post that has provoked the Standard Examiner's ire here:  POINTING FINGERS: Weber Democrats Poke Self In The Eye  

ACCUSATION #4:  Darby is pro-choice, but she’s not — as Peterson sneers — “a lifelong abortion advocate.”

FACT:  Kathie has supported Planned Parenthood for a very long time and Planned Parenthood performs abortions.

ACCUSATION #5:  Did he acknowledge that he’d been wrong? No.

FACT:   I acknowledged a while ago (in the Standard Examiner, no less) we had been wrong - “In order to try to rebut the Democratic arguments, we pored over several campaign disclosures. There was a lot of research happening in a short period of time,” Peterson said. “We know Darby has been a longtime advocate of Planned Parenthood. We thought we had correct information, but it turned out to be wrong.”

So, will the Standard Examiner issue an apology to say they were wrong about saying I was wrong to never say we were wrong while we had already said we were wrong in their own paper? Something's wrong here.

ACCUSATION #6: It’s hard to campaign on your moral superiority when you refuse to accept responsibility for your own behavior.

My Response:  I am on the record accepting responsibility for my behavior.  

The Standard Examiner editorial board is notorious for its left-leaning bias.  So, such a venomous Op-Ed is not surprising given that I am not their candidate.  I admit that I am not a perfect person.  But I am trying.  I have learned a lot from this experience and, if I have my way, I won't be making the same mistake again.  Hopefully, I can still have your support as we move to the polls on November 8th.