From Deseret News archives:

Scott Matheson Jr.'s response to Deseret Morning News questionnaire

Published: Friday, Oct. 22, 2004 7:07 p.m. MDT

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19. As governor, would you support or oppose the University of Utah's current practice of controlling who can bring guns onto campus? What, if any, changes should be made to current state law relating to gun ownership and/or use?

I support the University of Utah's policy.

20. Utah's seat belt law for adults currently is a secondary offense. An adult can't be cited for not wearing his seat belt unless he is pulled over by law enforcement on some other moving violation offense and he is not wearing a seat belt. Should Utah have a primary seat belt law, which means if a cop sees you driving by not wearing your belt he can pull you over and cite you?

I support primary enforcement of seat belt use in Utah. Twenty-two states have now adopted primary seat belt laws. Strong seat belt laws and enforcement of those laws increase seat belt use. That saves lives and prevents injuries.

Our state also has a fiscal interest in encouraging Utahns to buckle up. The reauthorization of the federal Transportation Equity Act allocates transportation dollars to states that enact a primary safety belt law and/or achieve a seat belt usage rate of at least 90 percent. Utah could receive over $6.4 million federal dollars to be used for transportation projects. As noted in a previous answer, this is money that the state needs.

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A primary seat belt law can also have a positive impact on reducing Medicaid payments by decreasing the number of preventable injuries that affect the state's health care budget. Millions of dollars are spent on inpatient and emergency room hospital charges for those who are unbelted. Additional money is spent on charges for surgery, rehabilitation, transportation, physicians, and medication. Businesses are paying the costs of wages to absent employees, compensation benefits, and a rise in medical insurance premiums.

21. Over the four years of your first term, how should Utah's tax structure be changed? What taxes cut? Should some be raised? What tax exemptions removed, changed, or given?

Utah's current tax system is based on yesterday's economy. We should build upon Gov. Olene Walker's leadership in calling for a thorough process of review and reform. This process should take the following factors into consideration:

— Fairness. Income tax brackets have not materially changed in 30 years. Currently, most Utah taxpayers are in the top tax bracket. This means that many families with modest incomes are paying at the same rate as the highest-income taxpayers. We should examine tax reform proposals that address this and other equity issues.