Utah Legislature to debate immigration

Expect a federal lawsuit aimed at stopping a pending state immigration law, an increase in the cigarette tax, and a serious debate over raising the state gasoline tax.

That's what House and Senate Democratic legislative leaders predicted Monday during a "briefing" with the Deseret News editorial board about the upcoming Legislature, which starts Monday.

Meanwhile, a new Deseret News/KSL-TV poll shows that three-fourths of Utahns want an increase in the state cigarette tax. And about half of citizens want a new, controversial immigration law to take effect this July as planned, and not postponed.

Republicans hold two-thirds majorities in both the 75-member House and the 29-member Senate, so Democrats alone can't control either body.

But Senate Minority Leader Pat Jones, D-Holladay, and House Minority Leader David Litvack, D-Salt Lake, believe on some issues they may have GOP Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. on their side, as well as some moderate Republican legislators.

While saying they have been well treated by new GOP leadership in the House and Senate, Democratic leaders maintain that the GOP "base budget" — which calls for 15 percent across-the-board budget cuts for next fiscal year, is an "unnecessary" attempt to "scare" many different groups of Utahns, including school teachers, parents of school kids and those who depend on state services.

A 15 percent cut in public school funding (as GOP lawmakers are discussing) "could mean the reduction of 5,565 school teachers — so many (teachers, college workers and state employees) are worried about losing their jobs — it's all so unnecessary," Jones said.

Sen. Luz Robles, D-Salt Lake, minority caucus manager, said that "things are going on behind the scenes" concerning SB81, a massive immigration law adopted by the 2008 Legislature that takes effect July 1.

Robles, a long-time Hispanic activist, said that even though a growing number of citizens and businesspeople want SB81 to be delayed, even repealed, "that won't happen" in the upcoming 45-day session. "The votes aren't there," she said.

It looks like legal action is the only way to stop the law, and Robles said there are groups now preparing to file such a lawsuit, although that may not happen until after the general session ends.

Jones said she and other opponents of SB81 hoped that an immigration task force last year would address some of the real concerns with the new law, but the task force "basically rubber stamped" the law instead.