Voucher vote in November?
Huntsman shifts course, says he may move up election 3 months
The governor's proposal to move the election up three months surfaced as GOP legislative leaders insisted they are not going to revisit the voucher issue, and advised State Board of Education officials to think again about not implementing one of two voucher bills passed by the 2007 Legislature.
Huntsman had announced he wanted the election to consider repealing a voucher bill to be held at the same time as the state's presidential primary on Feb. 5, 2008, a date that would have to be approved by lawmakers in a special session.
Now, though, the governor said he may take the referendum "to the people sooner rather than later" without a special session. Under the law, he can set a special election in either June or November without legislative action.
A November special election and skipping a special legislative session is just fine with House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy. "The public has asked for a vote. We need to get it to them," Curtis said.
Voucher supporters have said it is really of no consequence when the election is held since there is already a voucher law on the books. Only one of the two voucher bills lawmakers approved is subject to the repeal vote.
But Kim Burningham, chairman of the State Board of Education, said he would prefer it sooner than later so it would not be in the middle of the legislative session.
Before he decides, though, Huntsman said he wants a commitment that the 2008 Legislature will pick up local governments' share of the $3.5 million price tag for a statewide election. Curtis said just how much that would cost has yet to be calculated.
Curtis and Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, spoke on the voucher issue before the annual Taxes Now conference sponsored by the Utah Taxpayers Association in the Little America Hotel. Huntsman talked with reporters about vouchers after addressing the conference.
The legislative leaders said rumors that House and Senate GOP conservative legislators outfoxed their Democratic and moderate Republican colleagues by passing two voucher bills last session are not true.
In fact, Curtis, who last session played a major role in pushing for vouchers which had failed six other times in the Legislature said that anyone who believed that legislators knew beforehand how the voucher issue would play out is just perpetrating "a lie."
Lawmakers passed two voucher bills. The first and main bill passed by just one vote in the House after $9.2 million was added to offset the anticipated revenue lost to local school districts.
Comments
- Monkeys live longer on low-cal diet 8:52 p.m.
- Okur signs two-year extension 8:47 p.m.
- Firefighter to speak against Sotomayo 8:45 p.m.
- IPA to let air-quality permit expire 8:33 p.m.
- Forum honors Utah entrepreneurs 8:32 p.m.
- Children's Miracle opens in SLC 8:31 p.m.
- Layoffs decline; joblessness still hing 8:30 p.m.
- Prosecutor: Tagged.com stole IDs 8:28 p.m.
- Dodd issues interest rate warning 8:27 p.m.
- Maddoff's old office for lease 8:26 p.m.
- Blazers may offer Millsap a contract
- Utah's top 10: Wealth of recreation
- Restaurant burns in 3-alarm fire
- MWC, WAC rushed into BCS
- O'Connor unhappy Fes not with team
- Send Boozer to the Bulls?
- Keeping golf light on the wallet
- Teen injured in fall from waterfall
- Fatigued Jazz no match for Pacers
- River flow marks birth of sanctuary
- Bronco collecting a galaxy of recruits
138 - Letters: Palin mistreated
136 - Teachers struggle with district cuts
134 - Blazers may offer Millsap a contract
118 - 'Tea party' protesters unhappy
107 - Fairness of BCS debated
81 - Stadium of Fire lights up the 4th
79 - Chaffetz eyes challenging Bennett
72 - Millsap not franchise player
70 - Services bids farewell to Jackson
70
As more and more dads are put out of work in this economy, I've been...
The night was balmy though buggy at SPOC, the Stansbury Park Observatory...
Wilsap might not be the top like the other person said but, other then a...
that has got to be one of the dumbest moves i have ever heard. who is going...
Now we no the Jazz don't want to be contenders. They are content with making...
This extension should help the Jazz defensively....(rolling eyes)
Nick that was the worst idea I have ever seen posted on this site. Why would...
That's a stupid idea. First of all, Utah (nor any OTHER MWC or WAC team) can...
News Update: Boozer hurts himself walking from car to restuarant. Can't...
This is rich! One of the main players in bringing the full recession into...
BYU has a museum of paleontology with some great dinosaur exhibits and,...
Hopefully some of the kindergarteners who go camping and hiking in the wilds...


You can be the first to comment on this story.