Utahns focus on economy

He and Bishop also say they plan to fight the federal "No Child Left Behind" Act. "It actually harms education," Bishop said.

Chaffetz said, "It should be repealed. There shouldn't even be a federal Department of Education. The current political climate is not conducive to eliminating it, but I will do all I can. The audacity of the federal government dictating to the states what they can and cannot do drives me crazy."

Chaffetz said he plans to join with Matheson in a fight to ban importing foreign radioactive waste — as proposed in Utah by EnergySolutions. But Bishop has opposed that, saying it would hurt waste operations in other states that already import such waste.

Matheson said he is "anxious to engage the new energy secretary" on that issue, and "to express my concerns about development of new nuclear weapons that could lead to new nuclear weapons testing." Also he said the Energy Department has dragged its feet on removing radioactive tailings near Moab, and he wants to push the new administration to act quickly on that.

Hatch included in a list of his priorities "working to ensure Utah is able to secure a fourth congressional seat as soon as possible." A bill — co-sponsored by Obama in the last Congress — would give heavily Republican Utah that fourth seat immediately to counterbalance also giving Washington, D.C., a long-sought House seat. Hatch has said that bill is likely to pass anyway and would like to ensure that Utah benefits.

Chaffetz, however, contends the bill is unconstitutional, noting that the Constitution allows House seats only for states and the District of Columbia is not a state.

Among other priorities listed by members, Bishop said he intends again to introduce an energy bill to prod greater development of domestic oil, natural gas, nuclear, wind, solar and other forms of energy in the "all of the above" approach favored by Republicans.

"We are still energy vulnerable in this country and we really haven't addressed that," he said. Matheson, who is on subcommittees overseeing energy and health care, also said he is anxious to jump into energy reform and health care reform.

Hatch's list included such priorities as helping Utah's economy "by blocking labor union legislation, which would do away with secret ballot elections and saddle our most successful industries with the same problems that destroyed our auto industry."

Hatch's list also included defending "Utah's control of our state's lands by fighting any effort by the Obama administration to seize control of those lands."

Hatch also wants to work on tax reform that would include refunding some taxes to struggling businesses that they paid up to 15 years ago when they were profitable. He said the law already allows businesses suffering losses to recoup taxes they paid in recent profitable years by allowing them to carry back operating losses two years. Hatch said that isn't enough for companies that have struggled for some time. He would like to allow them to push it back up to 15 years to help save them.

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