From Deseret News archives:
Session was mostly good
Some credit also is due Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., whose low public profile during the session avoided messy public confrontations. No doubt it helped matters simply to have a new person in the state's highest office, and especially one who doesn't ruffle the ideological feathers of right-wing Republicans the way Mike Leavitt sometimes did.
But a great deal of credit must be due to new legislative leadership, Speaker Greg Curtis in the House and President John Valentine in the Senate. Every session attracts its share of nutty bills that are filed either to send a message to a person or group or because they reflect the extremist, ill-informed assumptions of a particular lawmaker. Too often one or more of these ends up attracting attention and taking up valuable time.
To be sure, the 2005 Legislature produced its share of both successes and disappointments, just as could be said of any other session. The successes include a bill that outlaws the use of municipal redevelopment agencies to build stadiums or arenas a direct blow to efforts by Salt Lake City and Murray to use public funds to build a stadium for Real Salt Lake, the state's new franchise in Major League Soccer. Lawmakers recognized the inappropriateness of using taxpayer dollars for such ventures. They also imposed a one-year moratorium on any new RDAs to fund retail projects.
Lawmakers also passed the Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarships, which will provide vouchers for the parents of severely handicapped children whose needs cannot be met by public schools.
Comments
- 3A: Hurricane 24, Park City 19 2:29 a.m.
- GameDay back in the MWC 2:19 a.m.
- Westminster campus briefs 1:49 a.m.
- SUU campus briefs 1:48 a.m.
- Dixie campus briefs 1:47 a.m.
- Real Salt Lake gameday 1:33 a.m.
- 5A: Bingham rolls to title game 12:59 a.m.
- Aggies hope for Spartan cure 12:57 a.m.
- 5A: Miners pull tricks to win 12:56 a.m.
- 5A: Davis runs over Hunter 12:54 a.m.
- Williams leaves, won't play tonight
- Unga family is making its mark
- Selfishness to blame for Jazz woes?
- Trial begins in toddler death
- ESPN suddenly loves MWC
- Study: Divorce likely when wife ill
- Man killed during 3rd I-15 crash
- Two killed in Iron County crash
- Historically, Utes have owned TCU
- Tough year for Lobos and coach
- SLC council OKs gay rights policies
348 - Editorial: Mormons and gay rights
199 - Senators want food tax restored
162 - Will state consider gay rights law?
145 - Letters: Strange breed in Utah
129 - Utes remain silent about BCS
120 - S.L. vote pending on gay protections
113 - Celtics crush Jazz
103 - Pratt pleads not guilty to sex charges
102 - Hatch empathizes with Muslims
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