Special session this month to test Walker, lawmakers

Gov. Olene Walker and legislative leaders are saying all the right things. They like each other, they look forward to working together and they really do have a lot in common.

But the first test of how Walker and lawmakers work together will be the upcoming Nov. 19 special session, although there was no disagreement over the issues to be considered. The governor determines all issues on the "call."

Likely on the call will be bills to clean up two revenue-generating bills passed in the 2003 Legislature.

Lawmakers raised the wholesale tax on beer with part of the money going to local DUI law enforcement. They also increased various court fees. But lawmakers didn't create a way to actually distribute that money to counties, said House Majority Leader Greg Curtis, R-Sandy.

"We have to fix that," he said.

If the DUI/beer bill isn't fixed, local police won't get revenue of more than $10 million from the bill over the next nine months for DUI enforcement.

Curtis said he doesn't think they will consider repealing the so-called cable and satellite TV tax. The Utah State Tax Commission ruled this summer that placing the local option part of the sales tax on satellite TV bills is illegal because Congress prohibited local taxes on over-the-air dish services.

However, the state can collect the state sales tax, around 4 percent, on cable TV bills. So to repeal the law would harm state revenues.

"We could repeal the law as of Jan. 1 and lose maybe $6 million or $7 million for the rest of the fiscal year," which ends June 30, said Curtis. "Or we could just repeal the tax as of June 30 and keep the tax for this year."

GOP leaders and Walker decided to study the issue for another week. But, Curtis said, there was not a lot of consensus for putting that tax repeal on the special session call.

"Many of us want to deal with tax and spending items in the totality of the 2003-2004 budget in the general session" which starts in January, he added.

Curtis said Walker asked her fellow GOP officeholders for help "with a number of items, but she didn't say what those items were. We know from her (inaugural) speech Wednesday education is a top priority with her."

And, he joked, "We don't expect her to call a press conference asking for our help in passing a tuition tax credit bill. But will she call a press conference asking for a $200 million tax increase for education? We don't know. But whatever comes, we're willing to listen and work with her."

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E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com